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by Seven Peaks on Jan 23, 2024 4:10:02 PM
Rachata (Peem) Chotipat has over 5 years of experience in digital product and UX/UI design, with over 2 years at Morphosis and Seven Peaks. Prior to that he worked at Sans Serif Thailand and Aware, a Software House with a focus on B2B Enterprises. Currently, Peem is a Senior UX/UI Designer, with emphasis on Digital Experience design and Mobile App Development. Industries that Peem has recently worked with include digital entertainment, insurance, blockchain, and agritech. We caught up with Peem to learn more about how his work with Ricult improved the digital experience for Ricult’s users and how that, in turn, has made a significant impact on providing better financial inclusion and opportunities for farmers.
I graduated in Information Technology, and didn’t know what to do with it until I was almost 25 years old. I liked sports, so I went to find a job related to sports or fitness. At that time, it was an even choice between the two things I was most passionate for - sports and IT work. And, it was a fork in the road – I received many offers in sports and fitness but turned them down because I didn’t want to waste my education and qualifications that I had worked so hard for. I applied in my field of study and received a test to design an interface. Then, I went on to YouTube to learn about the foundation software. I submitted the test and was rejected for the job, but this wasn’t really a surprise and it didn’t demotivate me. It drove me to learn more about the reasons why my work wasn’t good enough, what constitutes good design, and where I could improve.
Fast forward to today, and I’ve spent countless hours honing my abilities in UX/UI, digital experience design and mobile application development. At Seven Peaks, I’ve had the opportunity to work alongside some outstanding clients and industry leaders such as True Digital, where I was a key member of the team that designed the TrueID application and also the TrueID TV application, providing a complete digital experience that allowed users to be able to watch content, read articles and participate in community activities, all within one seamless application. I also gained some experience working with blockchain, which directly exposed me to the concepts of financial inclusion and democratizing financial opportunities. I’ve had the chance to work with exchange platforms, games, and decentralized finance (DeFi) with real-world asset collateral. Now, I am thrilled to be working on the Ricult project – an agritech project with many different stakeholders looking to tackle the challenge of improving their user digital experience, similar to what we had done for TrueID – and also improve opportunities for financial inclusion and create a real impact for farmers, who are often the subject of great economic disparity.
Ricult
For Ricult, the main objective was to connect financial institutions (FIs) with farmers, and leverage advanced technology systems such as AI technology and satellites - for example, by using satellite imagery for analyzing crop health and metrics for sustainable growth. Ricult envisions a world where smallholder farmers can be free of financial burden by democratizing lending for farmers.
“The first focus is on the crops and the farmers.”
This is where so much economic value originates, and more often than not that value is not received by the actual farmers themselves. The banks come in for financing resources and labor, and through Ricult they gain access to data for profiling productivity. This vastly improves their ability to issue loans and investments with greater accuracy and less risk. Banks working with Ricult are able to have, through partnerships, agents that are empowered to execute on this data.
Ricult already had an existing app for farmers (called Baimai app). Ricult’s Web/Mobile App for their Agents and Supervisors however, was the key outcome that resulted from our Design Discovery Process to Concept - this is now known as RicultX. At first, Ricult wanted to develop the farmer app; but after we conducted stakeholder workshops during the Design Discovery phase, we learned that the value proposition and pain points that needed to be solved resulted in creating the agent app instead. We then did user testing for implementation throughout three markets: Pakistan, Vietnam, and Thailand.
Leadership is the Key to Digital Experience
Once I had passed my early career, I realized that it isn’t about design anymore. You have to develop soft skills, such as interpersonal skills and organizational communication. Not everything was perfect at first, but the projects that I’ve worked on gave me the opportunities to work with people from many different departments and backgrounds.
“It wasn’t just about the requirements anymore, but about working together as a team to solve problems.”
As a Junior, you don’t get to be part of that conversation as much - but now, it is much more enjoyable. It teaches you to practice and continually improve yourself. My style for improvement is day-to-day. There is self-learning, and then there are challenges that you face in the line of work that push you to become better.
For example, during the Ricult project we lost the senior designer from the team; and that enabled me to grow and experience the responsibilities that were assumed - such as, speaking with the CEO, and learning how to work with other stakeholders to achieve a common goal.
Knowledge Gap
Clear communication lets you tap into your team's expertise to understand user needs, then confidently explain your design decisions so everyone's on the same page.
Collaboration
Regular chats and feedback keep everyone in sync, while diverse perspectives fuel better solutions as you learn from each other's strengths and tackle problems together.
Trust and Alignment
Convincingly explain your design rationale to win over your team and build trust, then use clear communication to navigate disagreements constructively and reach a shared vision.
Different Audiences
Speak the language of each team member – explain technical details to developers, simplify for marketers, and adapt your approach to ensure everyone comprehends your message clearly.
Active Listening
Be an attentive listener to understand concerns and perspectives, then adjust your explanations for more empathy and stronger bonds within the team.
Communication is important. The common goal or intention is to get to a better result. There needs to be critical thinking, and better understanding between the teams. Sometimes when there is disagreement, we have to remain focused on the project and product and not get personal.
Empathy Comes First
Whenever you’re able to help someone, you can do that - as long as you’re not overstepping on someone else’s work. When you enjoy some aspect of your work, you can always tell your manager how you feel and a good one will push you to do more of it.
If I could change anything I would change how I chose my first job - because I was at a company with hundreds of employees and I was the only UX/UI designer. I had no mentors, and everybody expected me to deliver as the expert - which I wasn’t yet. I needed to learn more, about the process, about the craft.
“I wasted time learning about step 4 and 5, when I didn’t even know 1, 2 and 3.”
It was a lot of pressure and very stressful. If there was a senior person around to guide me, I think it would have saved a lot of time and also bolstered my confidence to this day. So if there is anything I would advise to the newbies its to find a good mentor or senior to guide you.
What I enjoy the most about this line of work, no matter if it is with internal or external stakeholders, is the collaborative aspect. In many projects, the POs have varying and diverse backgrounds, enabling me to learn about other aspects of the work – engineers taught me about technicals, feasibility and accuracy; while POs with business backgrounds focus more on financials and feature viability. Working in teams is both fun and beneficial for me, so I enjoy that about my work very much.
Rachata (Peem) Chotipat
Senior UX/UI Designer
Currently, Peem is a Senior UXUI Designer, with emphasis on Mobile App Development and Digital Experience Design. He has been with Seven Peaks for over 2 years and has been an instrumental contributor to his client’s successes, including prior projects working with TrueID, Prudential Singapore, and Ricult.