Meet Ayep, a 28-year-old power user from Kedah who entered life as a relentless graphic design enthusiast. With a background as the best degree student and a natural at iterative design thinking, Ayep embodies a hybrid user profile:

• Primary Traits: Perfectionist, growth-driven, knowledge-sharing.

• Pain Points: Chronic overthinking and a lingering fear of failure.

• Motivators: A deep love for impactful design and a relentless desire to improve the user journey (aka her life).

  
  

The Problem Statement

How might we design a supportive and functional framework for Ayep to navigate her life decisions without leaving Edd emotionally abandoned?

Ayep’s departure to the UK for her master’s created a void in Edd’s emotional ecosystem. Simultaneously, Ayep faces her own UX challenges:

• Uncertainty in job prospects post-master’s (aka: post-deployment bugs).

• A strong but slow-loading confidence UI when tackling new challenges.

• Ensuring her career path flows seamlessly (without lagging).

  
  

Design History

Version 1.0: The Student Collaboration Phase

• Initial Testing Environment: Degree program, where Ayep and Edd frequently clashed over design systems.

• Issue: Ayep’s initial hatred for pink were perceived as misogynistic by Edd.

• Solution: Ayep adopted a rigorous feedback loop model, constantly iterating her designs to meet stakeholder expectations.

• Outcome: Ayep became a resource hub for lecture notes, earning her high user engagement scores among peers.

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Version 2.0: The Relapse Redemption Arc

• Scenario: Edd’s system crashed (mental health relapse).

• Intervention: Ayep showed up with a well-stocked support kit (food, drinks, and a bed to cry in).

• Result: Friendship relaunched with a stronger emotional UX foundation.

  
  

Key Features of Ayep’s UX

1. Relentless Iteration:
   Ayep’s life process thrives on rapid prototyping. She constantly improves her craft, ensuring each iteration is better than the last.

2. Accessibility First Mindset:
   Ayep values design that works for everyone, whether it’s ensuring a visually balanced layout or discussing feminism and the decline of good men with Edd.

3. Emotional Empathy Mode:
   Post-relapse, Ayep launched an update featuring improved mental health accessibility and empathetic interactions, proving that user feedback truly matters.

The Success Ayep’s UX

• Number of feminist rants exchanged: 150/year.

• Times she listened to you during a breakdown: 16+ instances.

• Hours spent crying about abandonment: Untrackable (system crash).

Current Status: The UK Deployment

Pain Points

• Overthinking Error Messages: “Am I good enough to succeed here?”

• Compatibility Testing Issues: Can Ayep’s Malaysian roots and values align with the UK job market?

• Server Latency: Anxiety about failing slows her response time to opportunities.

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Proposed Solutions

• Implement a Confidence Debugging System:
  Remind Ayep of her past wins and adaptability as she tackles new challenges.

• Design a Career Progression Flow:
  Map out a clear user journey for securing a UK-based design job, focusing on small milestones to reduce overwhelm.

• Deploy Global Collaboration Tools:
  Leverage Edd’s unfiltered opinions as her trusted user tester, even across borders.

Key Insights

1. Strength in Emotional Support

   • Ayep consistently delivers above-target emotional responses, notably during critical moments like Edd’s depressive episodes.

   • Peak performance was recorded when Ayep provided emergency food and a bed in KL.

     
     

2. Woke Conversations KPI

   • Topics such as the decline of good men, cultural vs. religious norms, and feminism saw increased engagement, exceeding all targets.

   • Discussions have led to measurable intellectual growth and frequent post-conversation memes.

     
     

3. Cry Incidents Surge Post-Q4

   • Edd’s abandonment issues triggered an exponential rise in crying incidents following Ayep’s UK departure.

   • Mitigation strategies have been implemented but require optimization.

Reflection: The Bigger Picture

Ayep’s journey is a reminder that life’s UX isn’t linear. It’s full of low-fidelity drafts, unexpected user feedback, and moments of self-doubt. But with her dedication to continuous improvement, Ayep is destined to find her purpose—a beautifully designed life.

Like any great UX design, is about adaptability and impact. Whether she’s designing accessible interfaces or navigating her personal growth, one thing remains clear: she’s not a quitter. Every grain of pixel in her journey is part of a larger system, perfectly designed for her to succeed.

And as for Edd? They’ll always be the ultimate beta tester and best friend, rooting for Ayep from afar. Let’s maintain our upward trend—tears and time zones be damned!

Notes

• Edd cried 37 times due to loneliness but considers this a “growth opportunity.”

• Brief rant about Malaysia’s inaccessibility for disabled people.

• Ayep adjusting to life in the UK, where racism is subtler but just as annoying. Submitted three master’s assignments under extreme career-related panic.

• Edd: “Do I have capitalist burnout, or am I just depressed? Let’s circle back on that.”

• Spirited debate about the misinterpretation of religious teachings in Southeast Asia.

• Lack of affordable bookstores—"How is reading supposed to be a hobby for the broke?"

• Ayep: The pressure to succeed in her master’s degree.

• Reminder that this friendship is a lifetime subscription with no cancellation policy.

• Emotional ROI: 200% above industry standard.

• Ayep's overthinking paired with Edd's BPD might cause a breakdown in “operations.”