Opinions expressed by Digital Journal contributors are their own.
By the time Art Shopping 2025 concluded in Paris this April, Siyuan Ma had reached a clear verdict: a new generation of designers is eager to be seen, but not all are prepared to be understood.
As a juror for the international design showcase, Ma, a Senior UX Designer at Amazon Alexa, evaluated submissions spanning from poetic to provocative. Yet what resonated with him wasn’t polish or technique. “You can tell when a designer has something to say,” he notes. “And when they’re just trying to be heard.”
For Ma, who leads AI-powered product experiences for millions of users and has picked up awards from iF and Reddot Design, meaning matters more than metrics. In a moment where emerging creatives are asked to be brands, marketers, and strategists, he believes something more fundamental is at stake: relevance built on clarity, not noise.
Design is changing, but your mindset matters more
With a background bridging industrial design and human-computer interaction, Ma understands evolving tools and trends. But being “cutting edge” alone isn’t sufficient. “What’s more valuable than knowing the latest tech is knowing what problem you’re solving,” he explains. “AI, automation, interactivity—these are just materials. What matters is the human insight behind them.”
His advice to rising designers is elegantly straightforward: curiosity, empathy, and discipline. The most compelling projects he’s encountered, both within and beyond the exhibition, come from designers who infuse intention and authenticity into everything they create. “You can always tell when someone wrestled with an idea instead of just decorating it,” he says. “That tension—that’s what gives work its edge.”
Show your thinking, not just your taste
While many young designers today focus on visuals that ‘pop’ on Instagram or Behance, Ma emphasizes that the true differentiator is process—how you think, test, and refine. “We’re not hiring portfolios anymore. We’re hiring perspectives,” he says of the design industry. “The ability to connect ideas, explain your decisions, and work across disciplines—that’s what makes someone stand out.”
The same principle applies in exhibition contexts. “The strongest pieces aren’t just beautiful,” Ma observes. “They offer a lens on something—technology, society, the future. They make you feel like you’re in conversation with the designer, not just looking at their work.”
Make space for discomfort
With emerging technologies disrupting the field at unprecedented rates, Ma believes competitive advantage lies in embracing the unknown. “Don’t build your career around what’s already popular. Follow what’s emerging, and let it scare you a little.”
Some of his work for Amazon Alexa+ — an evolution of the renowned digital assistant powered by generative AI — emerged from uncertainty. Designing for users who didn’t yet exist required Ma and his team to dig deep, invent frameworks, and challenge assumptions. “Good design doesn’t play it safe,” he asserts. “It builds trust in unfamiliar territory.”
Final thought: your work should care
Ultimately, Ma contends, designers wield both influence and responsibility. “It’s easy to chase design trends. But what matters more is designing with intention. Ask yourself: Who does this serve? What does it challenge? What kind of future are you helping to build?”
In a world saturated with content, it’s the work that dares to mean something that truly stands apart.
