What Motivates Me To get closer to myself and figure out my true, hidden motivationNotes / 2024 -
Growth
- An inspiring environment that helps me feel like I am growing is the best motivation for me.
- I feel really alive when I discover something I need to learn and can picture a future where I’ve grown significantly after mastering it.
Work Environment
- Working environment that gives me a sense of ownership.
- Good colleagues who make me enjoy working and constructive feedback from them.
- When I am properly rewarded for my results. It not only refers to my own reward but also to the relative reward compared to others. I believe many companies try to provide appropriate compensation for work because this motivation plays such an important role.
Problem-Solving
- Love problem-solving. I enjoy figuring out the right problem and finding effective, distinctive solutions. These range from large-scale societal issues to small interaction challenges on digital devices.
- Love the thrill of generating fresh insights, overlooked problems, and distinctive solutions.
Impact on People / Society
- The happiest moments are when people enjoy and benefit from my designs. It gives me a deep sense of purpose as if I am making something meaningful impacts on others’ lives.
- When I was in middle and high school, I truly loved the process of solving math problems and finding the right answers. I think I’m someone who enjoys almost close-ended projects that can be evaluated using objective criteria and measurable results. These days, I’ve realized that I’m better suited for a team that delivers real services to users, rather than an R&D team. I want to see how broadly and meaningfully my designs can improve people’s lives.
- In business contexts, I enjoy finding solutions to improve user retention. It’s because I want people to engage with my designs frequently, for a long time. By contrast, I’m less interestd in creating something that’s only used temporarily.
- When I can at least roughly imagine a future where the problem I’ve defined is solved, and see how broadly my solution could impact people’s lives.
Impact on Business
- Suggest the next generation for the current systems or services. I love developing existing services more than building new ones.
- I want to be the number-one contributor to a top leader’s decision-making in an organization. I prefer working alone at home rather than managing people, which means I’m not interested in being a leader myself. But I still want to become the best in my area of expertise. I think being the person closest to a top leader would be a good middle ground.
Psychology
- I’m more interested in people’s psychology than in technology. I love uncovering their hidden thoughts by observing their behavior.
- I love observing the flow of my emotions and reading the emotions of others.
Storytelling
- Love building strategies by untangling complex information. I even enjoy creating a strategy for my own portfolio to tell my story.
Domain
- Domain, one of the most important factors. It’s because basically, as a designer, I should ideally be an extreme user of the service I create. If I’m not genuinely interested in the industry my product belongs to, the entire design process feels uninspiring. (The founders of Instagram were obsessed with photography. So, they was able to have great insights and a persistent passion for their work, which ultimately led to their success.)
- AI-driven solutions, B2C, UGC(User-Generated Contents) and UGD(User-Generated Data) such as files, photos and messages
- When the company’s mission resonate with me.
Result
- The conviction that I can achieve amazing results.
And Then
- When I believe in my inner grit and creativity. I feel that I have a unique strength that cannot be replaced by AI. When I see myself as someone useful in the world, I feel relieved. And when I feel that I am doing something meaningful in the world, I get excited.
- There’s something about genius that makes my heart beat faster. (e.g. G-dragon, Karl Lagerfeld, Ian Spalter)
- I tend to be impatient. Once a project starts, I become eager to see my ideas take shape. It makes me put immediate pressure on myself to move quickly.
- I love clarity in everything.
- Designers I’ve been a fan of: Sangmin Bae, Dieter Rams, Jony Ive, Ana Pinto Da Silva