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 Tim Hong. Tim is a Design Coach from Toronto, Canada. Read on to find out what a typical day looks like!

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

I am a design coach, which is part of an internal consultancy for Experience Design (XD) globally. An internal consultancy describes the team well. Some team members are engaged in hands-on work.Some are focused on setting the mindsets, expectations, and the framework we use within this digital world. And others focus on executive level strategy for how to get more people on board with human-centred thinking. The coaches tend to fall into the category of setting the mindsets, expectations, and frameworks. They exist to guide people with their thinking in terms of human-centred design. I spend my days in meetings with stakeholders, with the goal to shape XD related behaviour within their work. I advocate for Sun Life’s XD principles and encourage stakeholders to question their process. Are we really bringing value to our users? Are we being inclusive? Are we being transparent with our user? Design coaches help guide them, so they begin to ask these questions naturally in their everyday work.

How has remote work impacted how you do your job?

Working from home has given me more flexibility with my hours throughout the day. It’s been helpful as I can space out my day better. I can disconnect when I don’t have meetings and make up time later. I’ve also tried to encourage this flexibility with others. It can be difficult not to check and respond to emails all the time, so I try to encourage colleagues to disconnect at the end of the day. I’ve adopted an email signature which states how my hours may be different than others, and for them to respond during their own workday. But this new reality is also a good reminder to strive to bring back spontaneity. So, I’ve begun intentionally scheduling non-work-related events during the week with other design coaches to foster community and belonging. It’s a good way for us all to connect and chat about our lives beyond work.

What personality characteristics help make you successful in your role?

I would say patience and tolerance. Working with a variety of stakeholders, you have to accept that some may not like the message you deliver. And some may respond in a way that isn’t kind. You can’t take things personally. This is something I’ve had to learn as I wear my heart on my sleeve. If you react with the same passion as a stakeholder who isn’t taking your message kindly, you’ve already burnt that bridge.

What do you like best about your role?

I used to teach at a post-secondary institution and that relates to what I enjoy most. I like seeing individuals have those lightbulb moments go off in their head. When they get to the point of truly understanding and seeing the value; that is satisfying. That was something I experienced a lot coming out of academia and through mentoring, so the progression into design coaching at Sun Life was a natural transition.