Design Compass started as a personal blog based in Seoul. We have been operating it for nearly 20 years now.
I started as a solo designer in the startup scene and have experienced various roles, rising to the position of Head of Design for a service used by millions. Throughout this process, I have researched how design can create impact for businesses and users, and have consistently documented my learning.
Currently, I am researching how good design is created, sharing those methods with people, and teaching them.
The ultimate goal of Design Compass is to understand the principles of design, organize them into a form that can be explained in words, and prove the value of good design.
However, this path is not easy. Deeply researching a single design requires a significant amount of time and money. To create content that is better than the countless pieces of content already existing in the world, that requires just as much research and deliberation.
There is also the challenge of the market itself being small. Until now, Design Compass has primarily operated with a focus on Korea. While the total number of designers is small, even fewer among them are actively seeking out and studying content. The size of the market requiring such content is limited compared to the effort required to create in-depth content.
Moreover, the future is currently unclear. The era in which products grew rapidly solely through well-designed UX is passing, and the emergence of AI is rapidly changing the role and required competencies of designers. It is becoming increasingly difficult to predict what will become important in the future and what needs to be studied now.
Even so, we didn't stop. Design Compass grew steadily and established itself as an unrivaled design channel. Even I was surprised that we had come this far solely through content.
However, compared to the goal I initially set, I still had a long way to go. Greater growth was needed. I tried various things, but growth did not proceed as I had intended.
As we watched the growth curve gradually flatten, our anxiety grew, and to make matters worse, a confluence of negative factors caused some indicators to actually start showing negative growth. Naturally, our focus shifted toward short-term figures. We began to concentrate all our attention on protecting monthly net profits and maintaining retention.
We executed various actions to move the metrics. It was a method the company had been using for a long time. We defined the problem, set the metrics, and quickly implemented actions that were likely to be effective. It was a familiar approach that we were good at, and the metrics actually improved.
However, I could not sustain it for long. It was not because the work was difficult or because there were no results. On the contrary, even when outstanding results were achieved, I could not see the future I had dreamed of at the end. The numbers were improving, but I was increasingly losing sight of what I truly wanted to create.
I went back to the beginning and thought about it again. I asked myself what goal I really wanted and what I needed to change to reach it.
First, I imagined what kind of future would unfold if I were to become ten times better at my current work. I examined how the leading players in my market are growing and looked into where past industries with similar structures eventually headed.
Upon closer examination, I could see only about two paths where I could create a significant impact with my current approach. They were to exaggerate and sell new technology for which no one was yet certain of the results, or to become a famous influencer with public recognition that went beyond design. However, neither path excited me. I did not feel that the future I wanted to create lay at the end of that path.
In that case, I had to change my strategy. However, I couldn't simply pursue only what I liked or wanted to do. A business that follows only its ego is prone to drifting away from the market. So, instead of focusing solely on my own excitement, I decided to redefine the market, the problems, and the customers.
I believed that one thing had already been verified in the process: the fact that, while operating Design Compass, there exists a problem important enough for people to actually pay for. Therefore, rather than finding the problem again, the next task was to expand the range of customers who need this solution.
In doing so, I reflected on what inertia might be currently holding me back. Wittgenstein’s words came to mind: that the limits of language are my limits. Then, a path began to open up to expand into a space for designers around the world who are grappling with the same issues.
So, I decided to communicate with designers from all over the world, transcending nationality.
Looking back, I also received significant help from overseas blogs and communities when I was studying design. It was a time when there weren't as many systematic learning resources as there are now, and knowledge shared across borders was an important channel for my learning.
In particular, product design has relatively easily transcended national boundaries from the very beginning. When the new tool known as the smartphone emerged, everyone felt similarly unfamiliar with it, and the problems they faced were similar as well. Therefore, regardless of where one lived, the problems to be solved and the methods of solving them were not significantly different. The reason global products like Google and Facebook were able to spread so rapidly is that they solved inconveniences that anyone could relate to.
Culture is no longer divided solely by region and nationality. People who share the same interests and sensibilities are connecting even if they live in different areas, such as gamers, fandoms, and those who share specific tastes. Similarly, design is increasingly operating beyond function and efficiency, centering on taste, culture, identity, and empathy.
At the same time, technological advancements are rapidly lowering language barriers. An environment is being created where designers and experts from different countries can share knowledge, and outstanding creativity and exceptional capabilities can connect much more easily than before.
Design Compass aims to create more connections within this trend. We will introduce good design to the world and connect outstanding designs and technologies from all over the globe. We will grow into a space that encompasses everything necessary for design to make a greater impact, transcending nationality and language.
With ❤️ in Seoul
