Employee Spotlight: Julie Sun, Principal UX Consultant

This month’s #employeespotlight is our wonderful Principal UX Consultant, Julie Sun. In the blog, Julie tells us about her progression from Visual Design to the world of UX, and how her international background equips her to bridge divides when connecting across cultures.

I was born in the bustling metropolis of Shanghai, China, where I spent my early childhood raised mostly by my grandparents and immersed in traditional Eastern values. As a young child, I was incredibly timid, wary of unfamiliar faces and environments.

Then at the age of 10, my parents and I immigrated to the lively multicultural city of Vancouver, Canada. The North American culture came as an immense shock initially. I felt like an alien, out of place, and unable to speak any English. There was a lot of fear and insecurity starting school in year 5 and needing to make new friends who didn't look like me.

Yet, experiencing such drastic lifestyle changes at such an age sparked immense personal growth. I took one step out of collectivism and into individualism. I realised those who are more outspoken are more likely to be heard and supported. By keeping things to myself, I was robbing myself of opportunities to connect with others. I started to push my comfort zone and started forging a more personalised and independent identity.

Canadian cultural values expanded my perspectives enormously. Now that I’ve been living and working in the UK, I can definitely feel the British culture influencing my identity as well.

Having a blended worldview got me interested in learning about other cultures and languages. I learned the importance of politeness in Japanese culture, the emphasis on hierarchy in Korea, and the directness of the German language (which really came in handy in connecting with my German partner). 

In an increasingly globalised workplace, my background equips me with the empathy needed to bridge divides when connecting across cultures. Empathy is a key quality in user experience design. Little did I know, I was building up the relevant experience and traits for my passion career. My experience also fed into my interest in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). 

I studied Japanese and Visual Arts at the University of British Columbia in Canada when I wasn't sure what I wanted to do as a career. 

A recommendation from a friend led me to complete a Graphic Design and Management training program which helped to kickstart my career as a Visual Designer. 

Shortly after I started working, I had a fateful meeting with someone who worked in the UX field with already a decade of experience (back in early 2010s). His intro to UX ignited my curiosity in the field at a time when UX had yet to gain traction. 

I then embarked on a journey to educate myself in Human Computer Interactions, behavioural psychology, and User Experience Design (via online e-learning and books) and established my career in UX. 

I started my career in Vancouver, Canada, as a visual designer and then quickly shifted into User Experience roles. I worked at a few startups before moving to London in 2017 and shifting from my in-house role to that of a consultant.

I've now been with cxpartners for over 6 years and it was through the opportunities of working with clients of various sizes and industries that really sharpened me as a designer, especially in the areas of user research, service design, inclusive and accessible design, and organisation transformation.

Now, as a Principle UX Consultant and Service Designer, I support organisations to create meaningful impact on the people they serve. I do this by transforming how these organisations work: to be more service-led, inclusive, people-centred, and outcome-driven.

This is a field I can see myself working in for a long time. 

I love that with this job, there isn’t one process or methodology or approach to follow that can guarantee success. Each piece of work requires a holistic understanding and approach to deliver against desired outcomes. 

So many factors can shift the direction of work including (not limited to): Teams (members with varying degrees of expertise, experience, influence, permission, agency etc), Stakeholders, communication, shared language, existing infrastructure, policy, governance, systems, support available, access, and general timing etc. It’s understanding how to navigate and work with these complex overlapping factors that make the work both thrilling and at times frustrating! The phrase “No pain, no gain” comes to mind. 

Growth comes from tackling various challenges. I feel constantly challenged, surprised, and humbled in my work which drives my motivation to be better at what I do and as a person in general.

I'm proud of a lot of the work I've done especially in my years with cxpartners. 

One piece of work I'm proud of was with NHSX, where I co-led research with the team at NHS England Adult Mental Health. The objective was to identify opportunities for enhancing the service delivery to adults with severe mental illness (SMI) and ensure they could successfully complete their annual comprehensive physical health checks (PHC). The ultimate goal was to reduce premature morbidity caused by preventable health conditions.

I had so many learnings from that work about people's lived experiences with SMI and how to better run research with people in vulnerable situations that need certain safeguards in place. The work led me to give a talk with my colleague at SDinGov in 2021 for fellow practitioners to gain more confidence when tackling research projects around sensitive topics such as domestic abuse and mental illnesses. As part of this, I have created a non-exhaustive checklist to better support researchers who work in the space. 

Another piece of work that really helped me grow was when I helped to design a new digital service for the Department for Transport (DfT) that aimed to transform the planning, management, and communication of street and road works through open data and intelligent services. 

The aim was to minimise disruption and improve journeys for the public. It was launched in 2020. The project was a collaborative effort between 3 suppliers. It was challenging to get to a way of working between three organisations that had different cultures and capabilities in addition to working with a team across different locations. 

In my year and a half on the project, I was able to bring the team together and help to iterate more effective ways of working while delivering a digital product that serves its purpose and meets required standards.

It’s always the people. I love the people I get to work with at cxpartners. They're so supportive, dependable and passionate about the work they do that it's contagious. 

So many of us go above and beyond for our clients and each other. There’s always good energy and motivation for learning and growth. 

It's also a really great environment where regular feedback and difficult (but important) conversations are encouraged. It feels like a good community.

I like to keep active. I love Zumba (a high intensity workout that incorporates latin dance such as: Reggaeton, Soca, Afrobeats, and Salsa). Back in 2019, I even got my instructor license. Then COVID hit, and along went that side career. I also enjoy Tennis at my local club and try to play socially once a week. I love walking and exploring. Once my partner and I walked from Trafalgar Square to Greenwich in London along the Thames river. It was great!

I have a sweet 2 year old son whom I adore spending time with (when he isn't too naughty). When we do have a weekend day opened up, we try to drive somewhere as a family and either explore nature, beach, or the local towns and cities. 

I'm currently learning German via the Duolingo app and am holding a 1900+ day streak! I'd like to say that this reflects my fluency but that would be a lie. But it does mean I can say things like "Ich mag ihren Papa, obwohl seine Socken stinken" (which translates to: "I like her dad even though his socks stink." And yes that was an actual translation exercise).

In my effort to improve my writing, I've been writing weeknotes on Medium and sharing my highlights on work, life, and other tidbits I came across each week.  You can check it out here: https://julie-sun.medium.com/

Stay humble, curious, and proactive. It’s not necessarily the kind of experience you’ve got that determine the qualifications. Diverse perspectives and contributions are vital in creative problem solving. 

As consultants we tend to wear many hats. Being a truly valuable team member, it often means not only do you do your job well, but you can also fill the gaps in skills needed within the team in a proactive way.