Kai Hua

I teach aspiring UX designers how to think clearly, solve real problems, and build with users, not just for them.

• Instruct aspiring UX designers in core principles of design thinking, user research, and problem-solving, utilizing hands-on projects and real-world case studies.
• Empower career changers to navigate complex design systems, fostering confidence through iterative processes and clear design methodologies.
• Conduct critiques, provide 1:1 coaching, and lead portfolio reviews, emphasizing user-centered thinking and lean experimentation principles.

I help early-stage founders and product teams gain clarity, align faster, and build smarter through workshops, coaching, and lean product strategy.

• Lead foundational sprint and discovery sprint workshops to identify critical user needs and validate product direction, preventing waste..
• Provide strategic coaching to founders and product leaders, resolving challenges related to product-market fit, team misalignment, and early-stage uncertainty.
• Serve as a lean startup educator and product design mentor for startup founders, fostering sustainable growth.
• Deliver bespoke solutions to founders seeking clarity, traction, and simplified strategies for complex product and business challenges.

Brought in to support digital transformation initiatives for public sector clients, with a focus on workflow design and scalable systems.

• Redesigned 3 high-impact workflows for a government client, significantly improving operational clarity and internal staff efficiency.
• Co-developed a scalable design system, streamlining design-to-development handoffs and reducing front-end development cycles.
• Collaborated cross-functionally with engineers and stakeholders to align service delivery with user needs, navigating legacy system constraints.

Led product strategy and discovery for several early-stage blockchain products within a fast-moving Web3 venture studio.

• Owned the end-to-end product lifecycle for a Web3 platform, generating over $100K in transactions within the initial 3 months.
• Devised and implemented a lean growth strategy that propelled the product into the Top 10 by Total Value Locked, optimizing performance despite budget and team constraints.
• Conducted continuous product discovery and comprehensive competitor analysis to inform feature development, reduce noise, and prioritise high-impact initiatives.
• Served as a key liaison across design, engineering, and leadership, ensuring product decisions were consistently driven by user insights and strategic objectives.

Selected in the top 5% of applicants to join Antler, a global early-stage VC and startup generator. I co-founded a team and led product and design through rapid venture validation.

• Explored and developed multiple startup concepts leveraging Web3 mechanics to address real-world consumer challenges in counterfeit merchandising, art provenance, and trust.
• Directed product discovery, prototyping, and validation experiments consistently under stringent time and resource limitations.
• Successfully pitched to Antler's pre-investment committee, presenting compelling MVP and early traction.
• Cultivated rapid alignment with co-founders, effectively navigating early-stage ambiguity and making clear, data-driven decisions on concept desirability, viability, and feasibility.

Co-led product design for Singtel's fintech products—including Singtel Dash (a mobile wallet), Direct Carrier Billing (DCB), and mobile payments API. Worked across marketing, data, and engineering to align teams around user problems and move faster with fewer blind spots.

• Designed and launched a critical product landing page for a time-sensitive Direct Carrier Billing (DCB) launch during Singapore Fintech Festival, enabling developers to meet deadlines and focus on core features.
• Audited and reconstructed the Mixpanel tracking plan for Singtel Dash, uncovering key user insights and catalyzing the formation of a Behavioral Insights & Growth initiative.
• Co-created the inaugural design system for Singtel Dash, reducing design and development time by 50% while significantly enhancing design consistency.
• Partnered with cross-functional teams to deliver user-centric experiences that directly aligned with business metrics, moving beyond mere feature implementation.

Launched a household goods e-commerce store to learn business through practical experience instead of academia. I treated the entire venture as a real-world crash course in lean experimentation, customer insight, and iteration.

• Bootstrapped and launched an e-commerce store, building the storefront, securing 13 vendor partnerships, and becoming an authorized dealer for over 400 SKUs.
• Implemented early-stage UX tactics, including dummy listings and vendor-first pitching, to establish trust and acquire initial partners.
• Acquired hands-on expertise in web design, digital marketing, customer acquisition, pricing, inventory management, and unit economics.
• Successfully achieved primary objective of learning business fundamentals through practical application, gaining valuable insights into lean experimentation and customer insight.

Worked with global pharmaceutical clients (Pfizer, AbbVie) to design and test automation systems for GMP-compliant production facilities. This role sharpened my thinking around systems, documentation, and reducing operational ambiguity.

• Designed and rigorously tested automation software for high-precision pharmaceutical manufacturing lines, ensuring operational excellence.
• Collaborated effectively with engineering, Quality Assurance, and validation teams to ensure systems adhered to stringent regulatory and traceability standards.
• Identified and resolved documentation inconsistencies, co-leading a redesign of the company's reference framework that doubled efficiency and enhanced audit-readiness.
• Developed a foundational understanding of structured, repeatable design processes, directly influencing current product strategy methodologies.

Joined one of the world's leading storage solutions companies to design and improve automation systems in substrate manufacturing. This was my first exposure to systems thinking, internal tools, and strategic decision-making at scale.

• Developed software solutions to automate high-precision manufacturing processes, significantly reducing manual errors and enhancing system reliability.
• Selected as the sole candidate from the facility for Seagate's prestigious STEP management trainee program, recognizing high potential and leadership capabilities.
• Led a cost-benefit study that prevented a $1M capital misallocation, reallocating funds to a prototype initiative that improved failure detection by 40%.
• Collaborated cross-functionally to drive data-driven decision-making, implementing a system-aware approach across multiple departments.