Welcome back to our “Day in the Life” series! Here, you’ll get to know some of the amazing people who make up Sun Life’s global Design practice. Get an inside look into their daily activities and what they enjoy most about working in Design at Sun Life.

In this installment, we connected with Russell Jon Reyes. Russell is a Senior UI/UX Designer from Asia Regional Office Experience Design (ROXD) Team. He’s also a resource from Sun Life Global Solutions in the Philippines Sun Life Asia Regional Office. Read on to find out what a typical day looks like!

What is your title, and how would you describe your role?

My title is Senior UI/UX Designer. My role acts as a representative for the user. Designers work with stakeholders to advocate for the users’ needs and ensure they’re understood. We at ROXD work hand in hand with Client Experience (CX) and the Asia Markets to contribute to Sun Life’s mission of taking care of our Clients.

What does a normal day look like for you?

In the morning, I wake up naturally with my body clock. Then I have a light breakfast and a cup of coffee. I work in a hybrid format, so 4 times a month I commute into the office. The rest of the time I work from home. Working from home has been such a great experience. I get the opportunity to spend more time with my 4-year-old daughter and watch her grow up.

Once I open my laptop, I check emails, write down my tasks for the day and prioritize tasks for the week ahead. My daily tasks vary but include creating prototypes, mock-ups and wireframes used to test products as early as possible. I also show users and stakeholders how systems and digital products will work with the actual look and feel. Other tasks include user testing, analytics, surveying users, research and design, peer reviews, and hackathon planning. I’m also the main administrator of the Sun Life Metaverse. We use it in campus recruitment and for virtual events like showcasing Sun Life’s philanthropy work.

What do you like best about your role, and what is most challenging about your role?

My favourite part is prototyping and showcasing a product in its simplest form. It’s very fulfilling. The most challenging part is managing the various markets in Asia, each with a diverse culture. The users all behave uniquely and thus it’s challenging to create a single journey for all of Asia.

If you never worked another day in your life, what would you be doing?

I would attend comic conventions. Beyond work, I’m a comic strip artist. I used to create comic strips for the local newspaper in the Philippines. I also post comic strips on social media. I find it so cool to see how people react to them in real time. I would spend more time on that.

My wife and I also love to travel, especially to nearby beaches and Japan. But in recent years, I simply enjoy family time with wife and baby girl.