Presented at International Association of Societies of Design Research Conference 2019 at Manchester School of Art, Manchester Metropolitan University on 04 September 2019

1. The Career Pathways & Roles
of In-house Designers in the
Services Sector in Singapore:
A Pilot Interview Study
Dr. Jung-Joo Lee & Erik Chua

2. Dr. Jung-Joo Lee
Assistant Professor, National University of Singapore
Director, Service Design Lab
Erik Chua
PhD. Student , National University of Singapore
Course Chair, Singapore Polytechnic

3. The 4 Archetypes
Of Designers
DesignSingapore Council, 2019

4. Design
Integrators
Designers working in in-house
design and innovation teams.
They facilitate organisational
innovation.
They embed innovation and
develop holistic customer
experience across business
units in the company.

5. Design
Integrators
This type of designers is on the rise in
Singapore as more services sector
organisations are adopting design as
one of their innovation tools and trying to
build their in-house design capabilities.
The fastest growth in demand based on
studies commissioned by
DesignSingapore Council.
https://www.skillsfuture.sg/skills-framework/design

6. DBS Bank
1st In-House Design Team
“In 2013, DBS engaged a design agency to revamp
their internet bank and public website. During the
process a few senior leaders in the Consumer
Banking Group realized that design is a competitive
strength. To keep the moment going, they decided to
build an in-house design team.”
2 to 50 people in 4 years (2014-2018).
https://medium.com/dbs-bank-design/building-your-
companys-first-in-house-design-team-af1d375d4bcb

7. A pilot interview research that examines…
1. What are the career pathways for designers in the services sector in
Singapore?
2. What are the skills required for such designers to succeed in their roles?
3. What are the elements that the design schools in Singapore could strengthen
to develop more designers for the services sector?

8. Current Position Working Experiences Education
Interviewee 1 An in-house designer in
financial services
13 years (about 4 years in
the services sector)
Diploma in Industrial
Design (3 years of design
education)
Interviewee 2 An in-house designer in
public services
7 years (about 4 years in
the services sector)
Bachelor’s design in
Industrial Design (4 years
of design education)
Interviewee 3 An in-house designer in
healthcare services
6 years (about 4 years in
the services sector)
Bachelor’s design in
Industrial Design (4 years
of design education)
Interviewee 4 An in-house designer in
food & beverage services
11 years (about 2 years in
the services sector)
Diploma in Industrial
Design (3 years of design
education)
Interviewee 5 An in-house designer in e-
commerce services
10 years (about 3 years in
the services sector)
Bachelor’s design in
Industrial Design (4 years
of design education)

9. Findings #1
3 possible career pathways for designers working in the in-house design team of
services sector organisations in Singapore
1. “Designer” career pathway
2. “Executive” career pathway
3. “Trainer” career pathway

10. Head of Design
Advanced Tier
Specialist/Trainer
Director
Lead Designer
Principal
Specialist/Trainer
Deputy Director
Senior Designer SpecialistSenior Manager
Designer Manager
Management Executive
Designer
Career Pathway
Executive
Career Pathway
Trainer
Career Pathway

11. Findings #2
Different types of career pathways are mostly due to the existing career
progression structure in organisations.
Difference in career pathways do not suggest differences in job scope.
(e.g. Interviewee 4, who is on the “Designer” career pathway, shares a very similar job scope
with Interviewee 2, who is on the “Executive” career pathway.)

12. Findings #3
Opposing views with regards to the importance of having a title of a designer.
Having a title of a management executive; it dilutes the specialised expertise of
designers and blends them with then general administrative roles.
In contrast, being situated in the “Executive” pathway, as it allows him/her to play a
more strategic role instead of being limiting to design projects.

13. Findings #4
A common theme identified is many in-house design teams undergo various
transformations in every 2-3 years.
The transformations at times also change the role of the designers.
It was observed that the changes are very aligned with “The Design Ladder”
created by Danish Design Centre.

14. The Design Ladder
Danish Design Center
https://danskdesigncenter.dk/en/design-ladder-
four-steps-design-use

15. UX Maturity
DBS Bank
https://medium.com/dbs-bank-
design/building-your-companys-
first-in-house-design-team-
af1d375d4bcb

16. Organisation
Design
Adoption
Levels
Awareness
The organisation gets to know about design but remains uncertain to take any course of action.1.
Curiosity
The organisation gets curious about design and engages the services of design consultancies or design interns.2.
Interest
The organisation gets interested in design and forms a small in-house design team.3.
Infatuation
The organisation grows fond of design and aspires to expand the design team.4.
Connection
The organisation connects the design team with the other department staff.5.
Enlightenment
The organisation wants formal trainings for other department staff to be knowledgeable about design.6.
Commitment
The organisation gets committed to design and desires it to be actively practiced.7.
Engagement
The organisation gets serious about design and it becomes a key organisational strategy.8.
Marriage
The organisation gets inseparable with design; design is inherent in the organisation’s identity.9. Design as
Strategy
Design as
Process
Design as
Form-
giving

17. Organisation
Design
Adoption
Levels
Awareness
The organisation gets to know about design but remains uncertain to take any course of action.1.
Curiosity
The organisation gets curious about design and engages the services of design consultancies or design interns.2.
Interest
The organisation gets interested in design and forms a small in-house design team.3.
Infatuation
The organisation grows fond of design and aspires to expand the design team.4.
Connection
The organisation connects the design team with the other department staff.5.
Enlightenment
The organisation wants formal trainings for other department staff to be knowledgeable about design.6.
Commitment
The organisation gets committed to design and desires it to be actively practiced.7.
Engagement
The organisation gets serious about design and it becomes a key organisational strategy.8.
Marriage
The organisation gets inseparable with design; design is inherent in the organisation’s identity.9. Strategy
Designer
Process
Designer
Form-
giving
Designer

18. Job Roles for the “Form-giving Designer”
@ Level 3: Interest
• Can still be working alongside with the design consultancy engaged earlier.
• Mainly focuses on the styling of products and services (the “look and feel”).
@ Level 4: Infatuation
• Collaboration with colleagues form other disciplines, such as data analysts, in a
multidisciplinary design team.

19. Job Roles for the “Process Designer”
@ Level 5: Connection
• Designing and facilitating projects with other departments and staffs.
@ Level 6: Enlightenment
• Develop training programs to educate other departments and staff.

20. Job Roles for the “Strategy Designer”
@ Level 7: Commitment – Level 9: Marriage
• Head of in-house design team becomes part of the top management team.
• Provide input on how design can be applied in the organisation at strategic level.

21. Findings #5
In summary, the identified skills required for in-house designers in services sector are:
• Form-giving (“the styling of products and services”) / design execution
• Multidisciplinary collaborative skills
• Facilitate and train other department staff on design methodologies and practices
• Introduce design at strategic level.

22. Discussion (Areas of consideration for design education)
• Design facilitation skill is currently being self-taught on the job.
• This skill in adapting design processes to facilitate and teach other staff within
the organisation who are not professionally trained in design is vital.

23. Discussion (Areas of consideration for design education)
• Designers need to know how to use business tools to help them better
understand the business environment.
• The ability to communicate the value of design with measurable data (return on
investment, sales number, customer satisfaction) to organisation management
and key stakeholders.

24. Conclusion and further research
• This research is only a pilot study based on a limited amount of data drawn from
the interviews with 5 in-house designers working in the services sector.
• A more in-depth research study with a bigger pool of interviewees is needed to
find out any other potential career pathways, roles and required skills.

25. Thank you very much
for listening to
My presentation
Do you have any question?
Contact me via email (erik_chua@sp.edu.sg) or
Connect with me via Linkedin (linkedin.com/in/erik-chua).