[Management] Alumni Interview, Samsung Electronics Chief Designer Gang Su-jin
- Date2019.05.20
- 6820
Over its 133 years of history, Ewha Womans University has produced alumni in a wide variety of career fields. This is a summary of an interview with Samsung Electronics Chief Designer Gang Su-jin (Department of English Language and Literature, graduated in 2000) who oversaw the product launch of the digital whiteboard “Samsung Flip” as the UX leader.
Q. First, please tell us a little about yourself.
Hello, I am Gang Su-jin from the incoming class of ’96 in the Department of English Language and Literature. I am currently working as the Chief Designer for Samsung Electronics’ Visual Display division. I received my master’s degree from Ewha Womans University and the School of Visual Art (Computer Art) in New York before serving as a designer, art director, and UX leader at R/GA, Digitas, and Adobe. I also served on the faculty at SVA as an adjunct professor.
Q. What inspired you to choose UX design?
There were similar departments, such as Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), at engineering schools in the U.S. in the early 2000s, but UX was barely known at the time. It may not have been a popular field, but I was able to take charge of visual/interaction design for Nike Women at R/GA in New York, the world’s largest digital agency. Luckily enough, from early on in my career I was able to form a foundation for UX which led me to work with international leaders in the field and top clients.
Q. Please tell us about your career since you became a UX designer.
Adobe boosted my self-esteem as a designer. There were not many designers at Adobe New York when I entered there, so I got to work on a variety of projects, including visual and interaction designs requested by clients in various fields. I worked with around ten team members from the U.K., France, Poland, and Canada. Their respect, trust and expectations for a UX design leader were the driving force for me to develop and work to reach a higher level.
My first challenge after I entered Samsung Electronics was the Flip. I had gone through the entire process over two years until the actual commercialization, which was a rare and difficult case. But I was thankful to have the opportunity to work for two years from the beginning to the end with product ownership and UX leadership.
Q. What do you think is the most important qualification for a UX designer?
It takes a special empathic ability to grasp users’ demands, keen observation, communication skills, and cooperation. UX creates a product through communications among multiple experts instead of just one individual star designer, so professional artistic skills may be important, but I often feel soft skills are the key while I am working.
Q. What is your idea of Ewha DNA?
Ewha enlightened me about women’s leadership and independence through many good programs. Based on this, I believe Ewha DNA encourages us to incessantly take on challenges and fulfill our immense potential together with our Ewha friends.
Source: Ewha Today