Risk Tolerant with Raksa Yin
This week I want to introduce you to my friend, Raksa Yin. He is a VP, Product Designer at JP Morgan Chase & Co where he creates digital products in the financial services industry. He values creating thoughtful interfaces, designing collaboratively, and delivering user-centric experiences. Raksa has worked for Deloitte Digital, Huge Inc, and Grafik, where he focused on product design, design systems, and rapid prototyping.
Outside of work, Raksa is a Programming Co-Director for the AIGA chapter of Washington, D.C. and also finds time for creative side projects. He has a high tolerance for risk and has leaned heavily on doing things that are uncomfortable when given the opportunity to grow. We will be talking about what makes him so risk tolerant and he will share some tips that may help you to take a few more risks.
or listen here
Episode 385.
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We start at 7:30pm BST / 2:30pm EDT / 11:30am PDT / 8:30am in Hawaii on WEDNESDAYS.
The Questions
- Raksa, can you give everybody a little background about your start in design and where your career has taken you so far? What do you do now?
- Have you always been tolerant of risk? Even as a kid? I know you are a triplet, are all three of y’all risk tolerant?
- We are in a Bible Study together (Prayer for Designers) and I remember when you lost your job. We prayed for direction. This was pre-pandemic and we all had no idea what was in store. Can you paint that picture of where you were at that point and what you were thinking / feeling?
- The next job you got, you were asked early on to lead a pitch or a meeting, right? And instead of taking the easy road and saying, “No, I’m not ready.” You embraced the challenge. Have you always had that type of mindset?
- Where else have you been asked to lead or do something you were not comfortable doing and it turned out to be a stepping stone on your career path? You may have wanted a slow transition but that was not what reality brought you.
- I remember seeing posters in your room and I thought they were super cool design posters and skateboards you had collected. But many (in your old room) were things you had designed. You are super humble and never really talked about that stuff. Your work is top notch! How have you continued to hone your skills all while keeping your ego in check?
- How did you set up your space for interviews and zoom life? Can you talk about having job interviews during the pandemic? How do you show up? How do you get in the right energy space before a big meeting or an interview? How can other people utilize some of these skills or hacks?
- In all the turnover and changes, you have stayed strong and focused. You also started a journaling side project called Dear Design, Letter to Self, Surviving the Design World. How has this project helped you as you faced some of these hard times?
- In all these job changes you have focused on tightening some skills and building strong relationships. How do you / have you built trust with a new team? With a client? How have you tightened your communication skills?
- What kind of prep do you do before you have to go in and sell your idea to the team? How do you own your ideas? How has that been hard, have you faced any discrimination based on your age or race?
- What things have you done that have prepared you to take more chances? (people centered, server, being focused on what you can give them instead of what it costs you.)
- How do you recharge? What inspires you?
- What is your greater purpose? How are you living that out today?
- What is next?
Follow Raksa
Website: https://raksayin.com/projects
Twitter: https://twitter.com/_raksa
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raksayin/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_raksa/