An interview with Alice Quan
With 20+ years of design leadership experience, Alice builds and nurtures resilient, high-performing design teams within dynamic environments that solve complex business problems. Her entrepreneurial spirit, energetic optimism, and high bar of excellence enable a powerful, transformative vision, centred around users to become reality. Her experience spans brand, web, product, and UX design for digital and physical interactions across consumer and enterprise.
Alice believes greatness comes from great teams and great people. She is a results-oriented, values-driven design leader who excels at activating teams that deliver meaningful differentiation and tangible economic impact.
We caught up with Alice before she speaks at Leading Design on the IKIGAI framework- a guide to career and personal development so you can design your dream job
What, if anything, has changed in your world since the world changed in 2020?
We have lost loved ones over the past 2 years, and when that happens, it really makes you step back and reflect on what really matters. Now more than ever, health and wellbeing, mental wellness and self-care are critical priorities in our lives. My mom has always said to me, “if you don’t have your health, you don’t have anything!” We have to put our oxygen masks on before we can help others. Making time for breathing, prayer, meditation, spending time with loved ones and our family all while juggling everything else is no longer optional, it’s essential. We all should be evaluating our lives and walking towards what sparks joy. Life is short. Always make time to tell someone you care about that you love them. Carpe Diem: Seize the day!
In your opinion, what are the qualities of a good design leader?
I am so grateful for all the leaders, colleagues and team members I’ve had the honour to work with over decades that have played a role in these values that I believe are qualities of a good design leader.
- We > I: Greatness comes from people, talent and high performing teams. Surround yourself with greatness and you will be great!
2. Human to Human: There is B2C (Business to Consumer), B2B (Business to Business), and what I call H2H (Human to Human). Ultimately, what we do is 100% about people and relationships. Leading with empathy is paramount.
3. Flawesome: We live in a culture that is overly enamoured with perfection. Embracing flaws actually leads to better problem solving and user experiences. I am a huge advocate of agile and design thinking which fuels great product design.
4. Whatif-timistic: We should be empowered to take on bold, audacious goals and always ask “what if”? There’s a lot of risk in not taking risks. A growth mindset can take us far. If one door closes, go through a window. If the window is stuck, create a new door.
5. DIT: Do it Together. One team, one purpose, one vision. We are all in this together no matter what function or product area. When we align around the common goal and users, magic happens.
Can you tell us about your first design leadership role?
My first leadership design role was my 1st job straight out of college as a design manager for Procter + Gamble! There were 120 global design managers worldwide and only 2 of us that were selected to take on all this responsibility very early on in our careers. It was in this role that I got immersed in user-centric design and the power of research. Research, user insights and co-creation were relevant back then and even more important today. I also learned how pivotal and critical having a manager who believed in you, trusted in you and empowered you to use your superpowers. I was young, I had a lot to learn, I didn’t yet have the experience I have now, but I was passionate, driven and she let me lead. She role modelled design leadership. She saw my superpowers even when I may not have realised what I could bring yet. I believe as leaders, we are here to help everyone around us use their talents to their highest potential.
What are some of the main challenges that people come to you with?
Many people come to me for career advice, how to communicate and influence stakeholders and how to figure out their purpose, especially at new junctures or crossroads.. Ikigai (ee-key-guy) is a Japanese concept that combines the terms iki, meaning “alive” or “life,” and gai, meaning “benefit” or “worth.” When combined, these terms mean that which gives your life worth, meaning, or purpose. I enjoy diving deeper into people’s ikigai to surface what really matters and motivates them as leaders.
Any advice for a new design leader?
- At Google, one of the key parts of our vision is: Respect the user, all else will follow.
- Design’s super power is bringing ideas to life: If it’s not documented, it doesn’t exist.
- Stay humble. Always be learning.
What do you think 2022 holds in store for up and coming designers? Are there any design trends you have seen emerging?
Having spent many years in blockchain and crypto, this is an area to definitely keep an eye out. A number of elements are ushering us into Web3 and shaping new expectations. More and more time is being spent in virtual spaces, thanks go gaming, social and covid. We continue to see an increase in the adoption of augmented and virtual reality and of course, the normalisation of fungible and non-fungible tokens- which is creating an entirely new economy of creating, buying, selling and trading. This consuming economy is also being fuelled by the creation economy. It’s fascinating to see, as my own children are becoming teenagers, how different their digitally native lives are from my own years growing up. There is so much opportunity ahead as new experiences, roles and companies emerge where nothing existed before disrupting the past and inventing tomorrow.
Finally, what have you read, watched or listened to in 2021, that’s had an impact on you?
Gemma Chan on the truth about her father’s life at sea: ‘He knew what it was like to have nothing’
This article really struck me to the core, many things she shared in this article that struck a cord about the generations that have fought for justice and equity before us. So many Asians who have fought in numerous wars for freedom, yet discriminated against. I read this and cried, because it reminded me many other stories similar to this, like my father, who had been mistreated, experienced racial injustice and has had to overcome. So many stories of injustice go untold. They are stories passed along from generation to generation, or frankly stories that have been hidden by shame and suppression. We are all shaped by our pasts, but we, the next generation, our children, can be change-makers. This encouraged me to dig deeper into our family history and elevate the heroes who have paved the way and made a difference.
We’re delighted to have Alice speak about Designing Your Dream Job(s): The Art of IKIGAI at LD New York.
Leading Design is brought to you by Clearleft, a strategic design consultancy based in the UK. We work with global brands to design and redesign products and services, bring strategic clarity, and transform digital culture.
