Securing Your Organisation: Global Cyber Leadership Training
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Dates: 6th November 2023 – 8th November 2023 (3 days)
Time: 9am – 5pm
Address: VE Hotel, 8, Jalan Kerinchi, Bangsar South, 59200 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
EARLY BIRD PROMOTION HAPPENING NOW! MYR7500/paxMYR6750/pax
(until 23 October)
Inclusive of Welcome Coffee and Tea, Coffee Breaks with Food, Buffet lunch at Straits Estate.
With the launch of the brand new OpenAcademy app, we speak to the team members behind the curtain. UI/UX designer, Adleena Ali, gives us an insight into her experience designing an app that meets the requirements and requests of the team, solves problems, and ultimately, puts users first.
Tell us about your experience as the the UI/UX Designer of the brand new OpenAcademy app.
Refreshing. I’ve been very keen to design flows that focus on user-generated content. I feel it was a unique design process to tackle compared to what I’m used to designing. I’m grateful that the OpenAcademy team has been very clear and elaborate on the direction from the first brief, and that there was also openness for new suggestions — all that definitely contributed to the final design.
What was the ideation process like when approaching UI/UX design of the app?
Ideas either come from inspiration or problems. Sometimes, I like to explore flows from other apps I find useful first, as a base or “default” interaction. But the end product comes down to what problems we have to solve, so there could be five ideas alone to answer the question “How do we allow users to discover creators with ease and encourage them to follow?” It’s a bonus if we can achieve beyond that goal, where the flow is able to garner positive reaction from users.
What softwares or tools did you use?
I mainly used Figma for collaboration between team members and to produce high-fidelity mockups. Scratch papers for sketches work too for quick ideating.
What challenges did you encounter during development? And how did you overcome them?
There are a lot of stakeholders involved when pushing an app release – tech, business, product and even creatives. That was a challenge for me to address, all while ensuring I did not abandon users. For this project, I made prototypes to show how the flow worked with each change request or idea, screen recorded the, and sent them to stakeholders involved. Stakeholders were able to immediately get a sense of the app experience, so all parties involved get a clearer picture to make decisions and proceed to the next step.
And finally, what tips would you give other UI/UX designers?
Ask questions on business models. You’ll need to know more about the business you’re creating the app for than people think you should. This will help you design the UI/UX better.
Overcommunicate – not just by holding discussions, but by showing your prototypes, sending the PDFs if need be! Get the most out of every discussion.
Find new things to learn and have fun. In every project, there’s going to be something foreign you’ve never done before. Watch tutorial videos, Create, and Test.
Meet KarFei Cheah, a leadership, emotional intelligence (EQ) and talent development coach that works with individuals and organizations to better perform and manage their teams, coaching them to improve their own life, teams and organizations. Starting at 21 years old, KarFei has been coaching and training for the last 12 years and is now the founder of Life Redesigned.
Life Redesigned is a talent development and coaching academy, which helps companies to build leaders and teams to perform better at work through coaching, training, and keynote address. Its coaching academy on the other hand focuses on providing world-class and practical coaching certifications for people to become a great coach in the workplace or to start a career in coaching.
Below are some insights shared by KarFei from a conversation with OpenAcademy.
Q: What makes you different as a coach and trainer?
A: My Unique Selling Proposition is multi-generation leadership. My in-depth understanding about Generation Y or millennials has gained me traction and recognized as a Gen Y expert. I coach on generational differences and how to manage it, as well as how to retain and motivate talent.
Q: What are some tips to manage the Gen Y’s?
A: My expertise is in human psychology, human behaviour, and mindset. I use this to help people to understand themselves so that they can perform better in their lives and work. In the end, the core of a human is the same, which is having a purpose in life. For baby boomers, as they survive post war when job opportunities are scarce, their purpose in raising kids up is to make sure there is food on the table. For the younger generation, there is a “paradox of choice”- they simply have too many choices to choose from for their life decisions. Humans as a whole need to have a purpose in life, my job is to help young people to see purpose in everything they do in their roles, life and company. In order for talent to perform, companies should invest in understanding, caring, and supporting what their talents are doing outside of work. It is the era of organisations being invested in their employees’ dreams and goals.
Q: How can companies attract a multi-generation workforce?
A: There are 3 important points to how you can do this. Firstly, the salary has to be competitive. Two, Benefits cannot be one-size-fit-all, they should be targeted at different groups, for example for young people they want more flexibility. Lastly, it is important to showcase what they do for the multi-generation workforce, sell themselves as a company with purpose and value as well as having a stand. SMEs have to change how they operate so they can attract talent by positioning themselves a bit better, and start selling their companies a bit better.
Q: What are some of the challenges you had to overcome to get to where you are now?
A: One of the challenges I had to overcome is being seen as too young when I started my business at 21. I have no corporate experience and did not graduate from a famous school. I overcame it through perseverance and talked to more people, getting more yes instead of no. I had a coach at 19 years old who encouraged me to try new things. I got certified when I was 20 years old and launched my business as a coach at 21. Since then, I have accumulated a lot of experience coaching Gen Y and have been invited to speak in many Gen Y conferences in and out of Malaysia.
Q: You’ve mentioned the difficulties in getting to where you are today, why do you continue doing this?
A: The biggest satisfaction when it comes to my work is the PEOPLE. When I am able to see their life transformed, and people sharing with me that what I teach really helps them at work, this is why I continue to do what I do. Additionally, I am also able to listen to thousands of stories in terms of their life and work, which also helps me to understand more about myself.
Q: Who are the types of people that can benefit most from your help?
A: Any organization who wants to develop future proof leaders, who believes leadership is important and is interested in growing their leaders. Also, young professionals who want to become better in their life through coaching or becoming a coach.
Q: What are your future goals?
A: As for the future, I hope to continue scaling my business, to coach, train more, and build people to do training. I also want to expand geographically to the Middle East (or any other parts of the world).
Q: What advice do you have for the community?
A: It is a given that technology is definitely growing faster and faster each day, but as human beings, we also have to remind ourselves to grow every day. Digitalization is not a choice, it will come whether you like it or not, but people may forget to grow themselves. So it’s important to remember to continue improving ourselves, not just the technology.
What amazing insights from KarFei! For more insights from KarFei, you can follow him on Instagram or LinkedIn or reach out to him directly via the Digital Space group for advice!
With the launch of the brand new OpenAcademy app, we speak to the team members behind the curtain. Tech developers, Amirul Ashraf and Raymond Er, share their experiences developing the app, the tools and methods the team found helpful, and key advice.
1. Tell us about your experience developing the brand new OpenAcademy app.
Amirul: I can say that my experience as the tech developer for this educational software has been very fulfilling and rewarding. I’ve appreciated being a part of a team that’s committed to improving people’s lives through education and working on this initiative.
Overall, I’m proud of the work my team and I have done and eager to see how our programme will assist users in learning and development. Working on this project has given me the chance to improve as a developer and make progress on a venture with the potential to change the world.
Raymond: Being the tech developer for this app has been an enriching experience for me. Through my work, I have gained valuable insights into our product team’s needs and directions for the app. Additionally, I have been able to upskill myself by utilizing the latest technologies for both the app development and the backend server infrastructure.
I find my work enjoyable as I learn something new every day, and I am proud of the work my team has accomplished. I am excited to see how OA App V2 will further support our users on their learning journey.
2. What tools, softwares, methodology did you use in developing the app?
Amirul & Raymond: We employed a range of instruments, programs, and development approaches.
Front-end development – Flutter & Dart
Open-source frameworks for creating cross-platform mobile apps were used for our front-end development. Dart provided us with a quick and effective programming language to develop the functionality of our app, while Flutter allowed us to construct a high-performance, aesthetically pleasing, and responsive user interface for our app.
Cloud computing requirements – Amazon Web Services (AWS)
A cloud-based infrastructure that offers a variety of services, including computing, storage, and databases. We specifically used Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3) to store our app’s media files, including videos and magazines, and Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) to operate the backend services for our app.
An agile framework for managing and finishing complex tasks, thanks to the Scrum methodology, we were able to collaborate, iterate quickly, and make small but consistent improvements to the app. Jira served as our project management tool, and Bitbucket served as both our version control and collaboration platform.
Testing & Quality assurance
We used a variety of tools and methods including manual testing, automated testing using tools like Flutter’s testing framework, and code reviews to make sure that our code adhered to high standards.
In conclusion, we were able to create a high-quality educational app that shares the knowledge of industry professionals in the form of videos and magazines using these tools, software, and methodologies in a collaborative, effective, and efficient manner.
3. What challenges did you encounter during development? How did you overcome them?
Amirul & Raymond: We had to overcome a number of obstacles.
Challenge #1: Video upload & playback
This process required us to start the server, execute scripts to convert the video, and shut down the server after completion to save running costs. To overcome this challenge, we automated the video conversion process by submitting video conversion tasks to AWS and later transferring the converted files to S3. This has greatly simplified the video conversion process and reduced manual effort.
Challenge #2: Data security & privacy (particularly confidential information & payment data)
We addressed this by putting in place strong authentication and encryption methods to safeguard user data and stop unauthorised access. To reduce the risk of data breaches, we also adopted best practises for data storage and handling and performed routine security audits.
As the app expanded in size and complexity, we adopted the Scrum methodology, which allowed us to adapt to changes and produce outcomes in each iteration. By breaking down complex tasks into smaller, more manageable parts, we could complete them incrementally and gather feedback from our product team at the end of each iteration. This helped us stay agile and responsive to changing requirements. We also held regular stand-up meetings and sprint reviews to ensure that the team was aligned and on track to meet our goals.
To sum up, we overcame these difficulties by implementing best practices, utilising technology, and working closely as a team to produce an excellent app that satisfied the requirements of our users.
4. What was it like building the app from scratch?
Raymond: The idea for the app came about during the pandemic, and we initially built a mobile-first web application with a simple UI. This early version of the app featured a list of series and served images and videos produced by our team. At the time, we weren’t sure if the idea would be successful.
However, we continued to develop the app, and eventually, we decided to create a mobile app using the Flutter cross-platform framework. We gradually added more features, such as daily videos, quizzes, and subscription-based content. Now, with the release of V2, we’ve expanded the app to allow creators to upload videos directly from their phones. Users can now enjoy content not only from OA but also from creators they follow.
It’s been exciting to see how far the app has come and how it continues to evolve.
5. What tips would you both give other tech developers?
Amirul:
Make sure that all parties are on the same page with regard to the product’s strategy and objectives by working closely with designers, project managers, and other stakeholders.
Use agile development methods to manage your projects, set attainable goals, and adjust to changes as they occur. The Scrum methodology worked for us.
Incorporate quality assurance and testing from the beginning to guarantee that your product is reliable, private, and devoid of bugs and other problems
Don’t be embarrassed to approach more seasoned developers in your network and ask for assistance or mentoring. You can develop new skills, overcome obstacles, and advance in your job by doing this.
Raymond:
Keep up with the latest trends and technologies to stay competitive and deliver high-quality work.
Always put yourself in the customer’s shoes. Sometimes, the requirements given may not align with what they truly want. By empathizing with the customer, you can better understand their intentions and provide feedback on their requirements.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions. If you are unsure about something, whether it be requirements, UI designs, or coding, seek clarification from others instead of wasting time trying to figure it out on your own. This will help you save time and produce better work.
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Audrey Raj, Broadcast Journalist
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In order to understand your customers and business better, data is essential. Regardless of how big or small the company is, it is important to gather data to assist you with your plans and moving forward strategies. So let’s talk about the types of data you should gather as a business.
In general, the data that you collect as a business relates to customer data, but customer data can be broken down into four categories:
Personal Data: This category includes anything about your personal information (e.g., your age, birthday, address, etc.). Some non-personally identifiable information like your IP address, website cookies, and device ID also falls under this category.
Engagement Data: Data on customer engagement reveals how they interact with your brand across multiple touchpoints. For example, how likely are your consumers to like and share your posts on their social media.
Behavioural Data: People tend to mess up engagement data and behavioral data because both of them seem similar. To tell them apart, behavioral data focuses more on the customer’s direct interaction with your service or product. Direct interaction refers to things like abandoned shopping carts, purchase history, and membership renewals.
Attitudinal Data: This data includes customer reviews, customer satisfaction, the attractiveness of the product, and more.
So what happens next?
What can be done with the data we have gathered, here are a few suggestions!
To enhance a company’s marketing. Once a company knows the behavior of their users, they can refine and come up with a better marketing strategy that is more relevant to their audience group.
To improve customers’ experience. Customer data provides a better way for many companies to understand and meet their customer’s demands. By analysing customer behavior data, companies may improve their customer’s journey, purchasing and buying process of their consumers.
To increase a company’s sales. The ultimate goal of every single company is to improve its sales and profit. With data that you have gathered, a company can use it to better their sales and acquisition strategy. With attitudinal data, a company can use that to increase its credibility as an acquisition strategy.
In conclusion, data is compelling when it comes to business. A good set of data can bring your business up to the next level.
You’ve just landed yourself a job interview. Congratulations on that! Now, it’s time to shine at your job interview. Here are some tips to help you score an A+ in your interview.
Even if you’re currently not on TikTok, there is no doubt that you’ve heard of it! The power of TikTok should not be underestimated. According to a TikTok Report, as of 2021, TikTok has 1 billion active users globally. We know that TikTok is the “next big thing” and has definitely impacted the culture and sound of the next generation.
Before we get to whether you should tap into TikTok marketing, let’s first address what exactly is TikTok marketing?
TikTok marketing basically means that marketers use different marketing tactics to promote products or businesses on TikTok. During which, marketers can choose to work with influencers, to have them create content for your brand or product, create original content which gives you the most creative freedom, and lastly advertising on TikTok – the cost of which is based on a bidding model, these are the most common route for any TikTok marketing strategy.
Currently, TikTok marketing can help businesses increase brand awareness, build communities, sell products, provide customer services and also advertise products and services.
Now that that’s out of the way, is it the time to tap into TikTok marketing?
Well that really depends, we know that TikTok’s staying power has become crystal clear—it’s not going anywhere anytime soon! TikTok has a vast audience base for marketers to target. With 1 billion active users, it is definitely a huge audience group to tap into, especially for the younger audience group. However, you need to first establish if this group of users are your customers and if your brand or product is relevant to them.
As one of the more active platforms, TikTok has excellent user interaction. Thanks to TikTok’s unique algorithm, even if your account is new and has 0 followers, your videos still have the chance to go viral on TikTok. This is because 90% of TikTok users use the app a number of times a day, which increases engagement. So as a new business or brand, you may have a fighting chance marketing on TikTok.
In the year 2022, there will also be a partnership between TikTok and shopify, which will probably greatly benefit the purchase process on TikTok and ensure that it is more streamlined for users to do in-app shopping! So, this could be a great opportunity for businesses to tap into!
So there are definitely a lot of pros to marketing on TikTok! However, like with every platform, it’s recommended to approach it with some thought – consider your target audience, look into a strategy and consider if you have enough resources to jump onboard a new platform.
If you’ve got all that figured out, TikTok marketing is definitely something a brand should tap into!
