# Leonard Chen > Product Design, Research & Strategy Location: San Francisco, California, United States Profile: https://flows.cv/leonardchen I am passionate about research & design because it helps me be intentional in how I process information, make judgements, and evaluate outcomes. I believe we drive meaningful impact through making well-informed, well-deliberated decisions. I enjoy working with product & engineering leaders to tackle a common problem using our unique perspectives and strengths. Together, we can leave the world a little better than we found it. ## Work Experience ### Staff Product Designer @ Airwallex Jan 2025 – Present | San Francisco, California, United States ### Senior Product Designer @ Airwallex Jan 2023 – Jan 2025 | Singapore ### UX Design Manager @ ExpressVPN Jan 2021 – Jan 2023 | Singapore I built a team of 5 cross-disciplinary researchers, evolving our model from ad-hoc research-as-a-service to embedded researchers in product and marketing teams. We set up a rigorous insights practice that triangulated qualitative research, survey data, and product data analysis to help team leads & designers make better informed decisions. I also established a research democratisation programme that empowered the organisation to conduct research & gather insights independently. This included increasing customer exposure hours for product managers & developers, 1-1 coaching for designers on research skills, and a self-serve research repository. ### Senior UX Researcher @ Dyson Jan 2021 – Jan 2021 I established the research practice as the first UX Researcher in the Experience Design Team. I delivered insights & collaborated with product & visual designers to develop key owner experience projects & go-to-market campaigns, including the unboxing & connected app experience for a new product line (headphones), and the re-launch of the haircare product line. I also grew the culture & usage of research, coaching designers to plan, conduct, analyse, and utilise research as part of their design process. ### UX Researcher @ Dyson Jan 2019 – Jan 2021 | Singapore ### UX Designer @ GovTech Singapore Jan 2017 – Jan 2019 | Singapore I worked in the User Experience Design team from Government Digital Services, GovTech. I helped our product teams understand our users' context & needs, collaborated with product managers to align on product strategy, and partnered our engineers to craft great user experiences. At GDS, I also co-led our design team, established structures (like competency frameworks) and practices (like monthly studios and critiques) to build a stronger design culture and advocated for Design as a partner to Product and Engineering. ### Manager (Service Strategy) @ Public Service Division Jan 2016 – Jan 2017 I worked in the Innovation Lab, with in-house design leads to apply design thinking and behavioural science to public policy problems. My key projects and responsibilities included: - Managing an in-house accelerator programme to design four large-scale digital services that streamline business operations and offer best-in-class user experience, in partnership with GovTech’s Digital Design & Development (DCube) Team - Developing best-practice standards and measurements for designing user-centric digital services - Supporting the professional development of the community of design thinking and behavioural science practitioners, by organising networking sessions and training courses ### Executive (Service Strategy) @ Public Service Division Jan 2014 – Jan 2016 I worked in the Service Strategy team, to identify areas of transformation and pilot innovations in public service delivery. My key projects included: - Piloted the use of behavioural science and randomised control trials (RCTs) to evaluate service improvement interventions, in partnership with the UK Behavioural Insights Team (BIT) - Ran five large-scale RCTs, ranging from encouraging the use of digital payment channels to increasing response to outstanding payments (put in results? Relative results?) - Collaborated with in-house design leads and agency partners to conduct customer experience design studies, on areas ranging from digital services to multi-agency customer service centre operations - Identified areas of service transformation through data analysis of whole-of-government service transactions, feedback, and customer satisfaction surveys ### Research and Teaching Assistant @ Brown University (Department of Psychology) Jan 2012 – Jan 2013 | Providence, Rhode Island Area Taught and clarified concepts for the course, "Laboratory in Social Cognition", and conducted research and co-authored blog articles on social psychology, including trust, reciprocity and social projection, with Professor Joachim Krueger (http://blogs.psychologytoday.com/blog/one-among-many), e.g. - Friends with Personalities, 07/02/2012 - Anchoring Base Rates, 07/04/2012 - Visualising the Wisdom of the Crowd, 13/12/2012 - How I Met Your Mother, Personalitywise, 04/02/2013 ### Integration Intern @ Centro de Participación e Integración Hispano-Africano Jan 2012 – Jan 2012 Designed and conducted a 6-week workforce preparation course on internet literacy skills for African immigrants, and connected class participants to relevant community integration services ### Programmes Intern @ Ministry for Community Development, Youth & Sports Jan 2011 – Jan 2011 Reviewed and provided recommendations on improvements to the homeless family shelter programme through data analysis of client profile and outcomes ### Legislative Intern @ Rhode Island Coalition for the Homeless Jan 2010 – Jan 2010 Organised the constituent advocacy programme to lobby the state Governor to support the transition from an ad-hoc shelter system to a long-term, full-service approach on homeless services, including tracking candidate's social media platforms and disseminating Public Service Announcements ## Education ### Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Psychology and Urban Studies Brown University Jan 2009 – Jan 2013 ### Masters in Political Science Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona Jan 2013 – Jan 2014 ## Contact & Social - LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/leonard-chen --- Source: https://flows.cv/leonardchen JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/leonardchen/resume.json Last updated: 2026-03-25