Project

Tencent

My time at Tencent as a UX Design Intern in Lightspeed Studios

I spent the past few months working at Tencent as a UX Design Intern. I learned how important it was to communicate with cross-functional teams across borders and languages. My projects focused on:
‍
(1) Web 3 interaction design
(2) Optimization of game development workflow & logo design using generative-AI
(3) UX research on competitors

Most of these projects are under NDA. This case study only shows my main learning and a brief overview of the work I did.

Info

Role

UX Design Intern

Timeline

Dec 2023 - Apr 2024

Skills

UX Research

Generative AI

Prompt Engineering

UX Design

Tools

Stable diffusion

Midjourney

3D-Blender

UX research on competitors

Competitive Analysis on Palworld

One of the projects I led was a research on Palworld, an action-adventure, game that became the 2nd game in history to reach over 2 million concurrent players on Steam. They sold 25 million units within a month.

The objective of this research is to analyze the success factors, marketing and distribution strategies contributed to their success.

Figure: Presentation deck of a desk research on Palworld, 2024

The team

Singapore UX & Arts IP Team

The majority of my team members were based in the HQ of Tencent in Shen Zhen, China. Hence, we had to dial in for our design meetings and stand ups, presenting in Mandarin.

The Singapore UX & Arts IP team consisted of 3 designers and 4 technical artists. I worked closely with a principal designer during my time here.

Even though the Singapore team is small, we had lots of opportunity to eat good food!

Insights gained

Reflecting on the experience

Working in a fast-paced gaming studio came with its own challenges. Here are my main takeaways.

01
Trust the learning process

Joining a reputable global gaming studio without any prior gaming background was intimidating. The initial learning curve was steep, and I had to put in extra effort for self-directed learning outside of my working hours to bridge the knowledge gap.

Beyond my self-learning, I also discovered the importance of seeking support and feedback from colleagues and mentors to validate my efforts. This experience taught me how to leverage transferable skills to contribute effectively to the projects I undertook.

02
The value of mentorship

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to work directly with a principal designer who became my mentor. The guidance and insights provided were crucial to my development. Regular feedback and mentorship helped me refine my skills, gain deeper industry knowledge, and approach challenges with greater confidence.

Over the months, I also took the initiative to connect with colleagues from other offices to understand their roles, even if they were not directly related to mine. This is an area I aim to keep improving on.