This article first appeared in BTS Issue 2.
By Sean Ng, Sophomore
Engineering Systems and Design
What does travel have to do with engineering? I would say that it’s the same spirit of adventure and courage to go out of one’s comfort zone, that makes both the Traveller and the Engineer powerful world-changers. For both of them, taking the path less travelled is the best way to grow and make a difference in the world.
Seek Sophie is a platform created for travellers to easily compare and book off-the-beatenpath experiences from local guides. I performed Web Analytics using tools such as Google Analytics and Hotjar. I also did User Experience (UX) design. The data-driven process began with defining metrics to distil insights about users’ behaviour. Then we would form hypotheses and refine them through user interviews, to optimise the website’s information architecture and webpage designs. My toughest challenge was iterating through the design phase as it often felt disorganised. But through that process I’ve become a more disciplined and open-minded thinker, and a more patient and empathetic designer. The co-founders, Jacinta and Lina, always encouraged me to try new solutions.
They even sent Sarah, a fellow SUTD intern and I on a jungle experience in Ketambe,
Indonesia to teach us about going out of our comfort zones! But most importantly, they’ve
taught me that technical skills alone will not make the world a better place – it’s the heart to improve lives using our passions that will.
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