I wrote about my first year as a UX/UI Designer (here, if you haven’t read it yet). This is the second chapter.

When you are a 新卒/New Grad, your biggest expectation is to show up to work on time, learn as many things as you can, and equally make as many mistakes as possible (of course, in order not to do it again). If you can overcome the first year hardships, you can create meaningful professional relationships, and at the same time gain the trust and ownership from your team. You are encouraged to “Try” and “Learn". That’s why your first year is your best year.

But the moment you enter your second year as a 社会人 (shakaijin, member of society), there are some unspoken rules and expectations you should be aware of:

Of course you don’t have to tick off all the boxes, but keeping tabs on these virtues can help you advance in the workplace.

Have you heard of T-Shape Skills? It is a concept that describe’s an individual’s skillset. The T-shape illustrates the combination of broad knowledge across various disciplines (horizontal bar) and deep expertise in one or more specific areas (vertical bar).

In the team, I am known to be the “go-to UX Research and Workshop” person. Whenever we kick-off a new project and needs user insights, Annie is always at the forefront to lead.

Compared to first year where I initiated new initiative (horizontal skills) , second year was when I establish my domain knowledge (vertical skills), gain my credibility, and evangelize my initiatives to the team — specifically in User Research and Accessibility.

From a department that did no research, in one year, I led and increased the frequency of user research and usability testing by 240%. I achieved my goal to establish a research-backed Product Team. We were running experiments, workshops and tests almost every month.

In order to maximize our efforts surrounding testing, I saw the need to decentralize knowledge and systemize process for the wider team. Together with my manager, we started a project to:

It was probably the most challenging task I worked on. Because you could not google how to do it 😭 ChatGPT gave me some suggestions, but they were too idealistic to be applied to my team. Therefore, I had to manually reassessed current process, identified bottlenecks, and refined the approach to fit with what worked for the organization. (So… if anything, AI can help you brainstorm ideas, but never fully replace your work)

Miraculously, (and many overwork nights later), my team and I devised a sustainable working manual that product member can follow when planning, executing and analyzing user research tests. With the clearly defined step, flow and output, we ensured our research activities are conducted systematically, consistently, and in a manner that yields reliable and actionable insights to inform the design and development process.

Everything from conceptualization to execution to testing, was done within 2 months. Combining this with my Design Thinking initiative, I discovered my core skill: designing learning processes and programs from scratch. Little did I know, that this experience was the turning point that drove my to my next career journey (more on that later ;).

In my first year, I pitched an idea of a “Design Thinking” Training to Tech New Grad. We launched the first cohort, and received great feedback, so great that I was rewarded an MVP award just 6 months after joining the team.

Following the success, I continued working with the company Tech HR team to integrate the workshop into the formal New Grad Training. The second time I did it, we had 82 participants (3.5 times more people 🤯🤯). So of course, I needed 3.5 times more support and commitment to level up the program 3.5 times better.

Working with 3 other designers and researchers from different departments inside the company, we upgraded the workshop from 6 hours to 5 days, to deep dive into each session and provide value-pack information for our participants.

The results: Participants did not like it. 💔

A 5-day training was an overkill, on top of other trainings the new grads had to take. I got a lot of critical feedback, and my team had a retrospective to decide the future of my Design Thinking Training.

In the end, we reached mutual agreement to close the training. Nevertheless, I did not give up on my program. Pivoting around, I collaborated with the Tech Training Department, and adjusted my Design Thinking Program into something more digestible and fun, for the new grad.

This third time trying, I found a sweet spot balancing between content, engagement, and outcome. The training has been in implementation until today, where I teach Tech New Grads every Spring and Fall.

The hardest moment in my second year, was not being given a project to lead on my own, nor having to do overtime work during peak seasons. It was to say goodbye to the reason I could become a UX/UI Designer in the first place.

Tanmay, my mentor, opened doors that transformed my career. Tanmay introduced me to his Manager, who hired me as a Product Manager intern. Tanmay connected with the Design Manager, who ultimately gave me my dream job as a UX/UI Designer. If there’s a person who believed I could pursue a role in tech without a tech background, it’s Tanmay.

So when Tanmay told me he was leaving Japan to pursue an MBA, I was left feeling bittersweet (and cried, like for 3 months straight). On one hand I wish we had more time together, but I also knew his departure was a new beginning - an opportunity for growth (for both of us). Embrace change as a chance to test your strength and resilience.

For me, it was a turning point that left me asking myself:

True ownership of your work is not defined by your position or level of experience, but by your willingness to take responsibility, learn, and contribute to the best of your ability.

With that mindset, you can take ownership of any task, regardless of its scope or significance, sprinkle a bit of your working style, and create meaningful work by your definition.

Before I wrap up today’s post,