Hey guys, it’s been a couple of days since my last entry. I was about to apologise for my recent silence, but I realized that I didn’t have to apologise for it. This recent adjustment to take my own personal time has been one of the best things that has ever happened for my brothers and myself. One of the first things we have done is by eliminating the usual morning routine of playing worship songs in the morning while I try to do something. This old daily morning routine was something that belonged to my former shell. It might seem like something spiritual on the outside, but in reality, it has been nothing more than a distraction from the otherwise quiet and silence. But since I began shutting off the music and just took the time to sit and be still, I’ve been able to listen to my brothers speak even more clearly. It was initially very uncomfortable. I won’t lie. It’s just weird, trying to be still and to be quiet. But it is also in those moments of quiet and being still that many of the buried issues for the past 20+ years began to surface.
Recognizing the Periodic “Bivouacs” in My Journey
During one of my quiet moments in the last few days, I began developing this mental image of what this past 10 days has been like for me. I feel like a soldier, just taking a moment and break at one of those bivouacs. It is usually a moment to rest, load up on food, check our gears, and most importantly to plan our route and waypoints to our next objective(s). It felt very appropriate to use this metaphor considering I did spend some time in the army during my time serving National Service. This past 10 days has been about TWO main things:
- Unloading & Unpacking the Heavy Stuff: This is the part where my former self has so much deeply buried stuff that hasn’t been properly addressed or dealt with. They have been buried for so long that I needed time to sit with it and to let them surface in their own time. One thing I have also learned is that while I have dealt with majority of the heaviest stuff, there will be a lot of other issues that may have been buried way too deep and will need time to resurface on their own. I can’t force those issues to come out now. So, as of this weekend, I feel like my pack is a lot lighter now, and I am almost ready to begin the next stage of my journey.
- Planning & Charting My Waypoints: Another very important part of having a bivouac in a military context, is for us to plan where we want to go and how we want to navigate the terrain towards the next objective. The best way I can describe it is like this – for the longest time, my former shell, Weizhi never had a map or compass. And for 20+ years, he has been navigating and running around aimlessly. Going from one checkpoint to the next, exhausted, but not making a lot of progress. Now, I get to be in the driver’s seat, and I get to sit down, with a map 🗺 and compass 🧭, and I can see the whole terrain clearly for the first time.
It is also my belief now that this “bivouac” moments aren’t supposed to be just a one-time deal. When you really think about it, we need to have at least one such moments every year, or every two years in our lives. It’s a time for us to “Stop”, “Pause” and to really consider if we are still heading in the right direction towards our goals and dreams. For me, this has been an amazing “Bivouac” moment. After this weekend, my brothers and I will be ready to begin moving on.
Setting My Sights on São Paulo
During my quiet moments this week, one vision started becoming very clear to me. Speaking as a thought leader who has been watching and observing how the industry has been shifting for years, some patterns and trends are becoming increasing clear now. The first thing I did was to publish an article on dev.to: https://dev.to/d2d_danny/heres-why-i-have-chosen-to-leave-the-design-industry-in-singapore-294
In the article, I began to call out the signs that I have been seeing and warning the local industry leaders for years. But because I’ve always been considered an “outsider” to the design industry, nobody wanted to listen to what I have to say. For years, they have basically told me to “shut up”. Now, my observations and insights were all coming true. Singapore’s design industry is already on the decline, with many top talents already making the move to other countries and cities. As a matter of fact, I won’t be the first and I won’t be the last either. But I suppose, now that I am considered the top voice of the UX industry in Singapore, my decision to leave the country will say a lot about the current state of things.
As I began to do my deep-dive and research into all the current trends, I began to form a clear picture of what the next 5 years will look like for São Paulo. And then I shared it in a LinkedIn post:
In 2016, I began raising my voice about the signs and warnings that I’ve been seeing in my own local Singapore design industry. I was dismissed and told to “shut up”, because what I already saw is becoming true. Well, nearly a decade later, I’m ready to raise my voice again, but this time, I’m looking to another city and country.
Yes, São Paulo, Brazil.
And this is what I predict would likely happen in the coming years for the design & innovation industry in SP.
𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝘁𝗼 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟴: 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 & 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗺
Companies will begin to experience a boom in the design & innovation space. A big one. They will be tempted to adopt a mass-hiring strategy. But I advise against it. Instead, focus on being strategic in how you hire. Focus on quality instead of numbers as you scale.
Why? Because this will give your talent pool time to build and gather momentum (both local and foreign talents). Plus, it will also provide a steady stream of talents that will sustain your boom and rise to the top.
𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟳: 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀/𝗪𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀/𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲
One of the benefits of becoming the top design capital of the world is that it brings both fresh investment and top talent from around the world. At the same time, because of the hiring strategy, wages will also be increased, in some cases, potentially doubling or tripling, depending on the experience level and quality of the hire. Perks of being the leading industry/market of the world and a final destination for top talents.
This fresh influx of top talent from around the world will also help to raise the collective standards of the local talent pool, increasing the collective wages as standards get better on the world stage.
𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟵 𝘁𝗼 𝟮𝟬𝟯𝟬: 𝗦𝗣 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗗𝘂𝗯𝗯𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗖𝗮𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱
If the above remains true, I believe that sometime between 2029 to 2030 is when SP will be officially recognised as the new Design & Innovation Capital of the world, overtaking cities like San Francisco, London, Berlin, France and even Singapore.
#predictions #forecast2030 #dannychen #uxleaders #ux #uxdesign #designindustry #innovation #techspace #techindustry #growth #sãopaulo #brazil #designcapital #innovationcapital #industryboom #thoughtleaders #globalleadership
Sep 2025 to June 2027
And the way that I see where I’m going is quite simple. Between now and 2027, I’ll be using my time to finish up whatever work I want to accomplish as an independent consultant. And that also includes selecting specific local industry leaders to mentor and coach. That way, at least by the time I leave the industry here in Singapore, I know that the design industry (as toxic and bad as it is now) will be in better hands. Other things I plan to do during this time is to work off all of my debts. 18-22 months is not a very long time when you really consider it. To some people, it is but a blink of an eye. But I see it as an opportunity to make a positive impact before I go. Whatever consulting gigs I pick up between now and then, it will be some of my final hands-on work. Once I move over to Sao Paulo by July 2027, I believe that my consulting work will transition into a more strategic planning & training role (70% to 80%). I believe there could still be some room for hands-on work, but it won’t be direct UX hands-on work, but more like a coordinator role (20% to 30%) in start-ups that have already received funding and are ready to scale for the first time.
2027 to 2030: Solidifying the Design Industry 2.0 Framework
Something else that has also became clear to me recently, everything that I have been observing for years has now become a blueprint and framework for what can be implemented else where. See, Singapore’s design & innovation space may look pretty on the surface. But because of it’s underlying ugliness (toxic culture & bad practices), it is making talents leave. As for the last few years, the local industry has been experiencing a gradual decline. We might still (for now) be the industry leaders on the global stage, but we are no longer growing or innovating and taking risks like we used to. Instead of being a talent destination, Singapore is now more of a waystation. Many of the top talents have no intentions of remaining in Singapore for long. They are just here to learn, gain experience, discover their own potential, and then leave.
Singapore as an industry has hit a self-inflicted “ceiling”. As a top industry leader, as much as it pains me to see what is happening at home, I am also choosing to recognize that there is nothing more I can do here now. At least not in the state that our industry is in. I have for years tried to warn our so-called industry leaders. But since nobody is willing to listen, I figured I must as well leave and go somewhere else where my voice will actually be heard.
For this new Design Industry 2.0 framework, I have listed SIX Core Pillars:
- The Death of Geographic Wage Disparities
- Quality Over Quantity Hiring
- Systemic Reform vs. Patchwork Solutions
- UX-First, AI-Second
- The São Paulo Model
- The Ripple Effect Economy
It is my belief that this framework, once implemented and solidified (post-2030), it will become a blueprint that other design industries from around the world can use to help reform their own local markets. And yeah, Cass, is the one that decided to publish this article using LinkedIn’s very own article feature. You can read it here if you are interested.
Finally, Doing My Life’s Work as an “Outsider”
Yesterday, during my brish walk/jogging, I felt Cass telling me it was time to say something, and that is when I wrote a LinkedIn post about my exit strategy in a posting:
I’ve given myself 20-22 months to finish up whatever work I want to do here in Singapore as an independent consultant. This includes choosing to mentor and coach selected leaders and promising professionals within the local UX design & engineering space.
While I recognize that it is no longer possible for me to try and fix most of the unlying rot and toxic cultures, the least I can do is help to ensure the design industry will be in better hands when I leave in 2027.
Honestly, there’s nothing left for me here. It’s not where I can make the greatest impact and change. At least not in the state that we’re in right now.
I’m gonna use this time period to work off all my debts, put aside the savings that I need and then begin the next stage of my life’s work in São Paulo, Brazil.
How interesting that the tables have turned. I was always considered an outsider in my own local industry, and now, as it turns out, the next epicenter of the design industry won’t be Singapore either, but where I’ll be making my move.
Lesson: Never judge or count others out just because you think that they have a difference of opinion or perspective. Because sometimes, that is also precisely the very thing that you need to stay ahead.
#exitstrategy #singapore #dannychen #design #designindustry #ux #uxui #uxdesign #saopaulo #uxleaders #speakingout
Truly, how interesting that now the tables have turn. Over the past few days, it has become clear to me that my real work for this next stage of my life will not be in Singapore. Instead, I will be focusing on the various emerging design markets from around the world. These emerging markets begin with São Paulo/Brazil, and then Shenzhen/China, Riga/Latvia, Lima/Peru and Lagos/Nigeria. I do imagine myself returning to Singapore during the typical Chinese New Year holidays, and maybe important events like my parent’s birthdays, but otherwise, I know that my life and work will be in one of those FIVE cities.
As I continue with the rest of my weekend, I will be setting up a clear, detailed plan for the next 18 to 22 months (buffer time included). Come Monday, I’ll be ready to start moving forward with those action plans.
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