About

> Tell me about yourself.

Hello! Believe it or not, I’m Joy.

I really like thinking about people, and creating environments that bring out the best in them.

I went to School of the Arts, Singapore to study film, and then studied Psychology and Linguistics at Uni of Oxford after that, getting involved in lots of design projects along the way.

Since then, I’ve been carrying out various experiments in experience design:

• Digital (app/web): I took up an apprenticeship as a design researcher at PebbleRoad; I did a variety of UX design and graphic design jobs as a freelancer.
• Hospitality and service: I trained as a professional bartender at Jigger and Pony and worked front-of-house + bar at The Projector (RIP 2014-2025).
• National policy: I worked on population and fertility policy in the National Population and Talent Division to build a ‘Singapore that is Made For Families’.

I’m now strategising how citizens and government can collaborate better to make Singapore a place we love, at the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth.

Outside of work, I also run a strictly beginners-only women’s/NB football club, and organise a biannual micro-conference called Teck Whye Convention.

And this is what I’m up to these days.

> FAQ

Does your name being Joy put any pressure on you?

No doubt it had some impact on my life. My dad would ask me everyday, when sending me to kindergarten, “are you happy? Are you joyful?”. That kind of nudging is obviously going to shape a kid’s self-narrative. It’s a relief for everyone that I am happy! I am joyful! In fact I’m one of the happiest people I know. Unless you catch me stuck in a conversation with someone who insists that the Big Five is the best personality test around. Then I am not happy or joyful. 

Why did you study psychology?

I didn’t do it to be a psychologist, which is what most people insinuate when they ask this question. I’m not interested in listening to people’s issues all day. But I have always been interested in people, understanding them, and helping them in a different way.

It’s often difficult to articulate the value of a psychology degree. Here’s my take. Many humans think a priori that they already ‘get’ psychology, because they ‘analyse human behaviour’ in their own time. That’s bullshit and only tells you that that person is unaware of their own biases.

Studying psychology forces you to question your assumptions about humans, the assumptions you didn’t know you had. Then it teaches you to ground your questions in empirical skepticism. Psychology needs to be a science – studied scientifically. Okay, psychology studies don’t replicate often. Yes, the field keeps changing the paradigms on human behaviour and cognition. But if we don’t act as scientists, we inevitably fall back to our monkey brain tendency to adopt moralistic and unsympathetic views of outsiders. And that tendency has been, and will continue to be, the root of a lot of damage.

Why the seagull logo?

I like seagulls.

What’s your favourite drink to make?

I… I have never understood this question. Most drinks have exactly the same kinds of technique. None are more pleasurable than the other. But my favourite drink to make is the drink that you want to have.