Hey there! šš»
Welcome to my first ever newsletter issue. Are they called issues? Posts? Articles? Letās go with issues.
As you may have seen from the title, this issue will dive into why Iāve decided to start a newsletter and what this newsletter will be.
But before we get into all that, allow me to take a step back and introduce myself.
About Me
For those of you who donāt know me, Iām Austin Poon and Iām a product designer. Iām from Hong Kong but I spent much of my life growing up in Shanghai where I studied at an international school.
After high school, I moved to New York where I received my Bachelorās in New Media and Digital Design at Fordham University and (most recently) my Masterās in Communication Design at Parsons School of Design.
Last month, I moved across the country to the Bay Area for my first full-time job as a product designer at Meta (which still feels weird to say, but more on that in a future issue).
Howās that for a quick introduction? Iām sure youāll learn more about me and my interests in the coming issues!
Starting a Newsletter šØ
So why am I starting a newsletter? Creating some form of an online publication (a blog, newsletter, podcast, etc.) has been on my mind for a while now, but I had never gotten around to doing it until now. Well, what changed?
āHow to Start an Email Newsletter that Changes your Lifeā by Ali Abdaal
Last night, Ali Abdaalās video āHow to Start an Email Newsletter that Changes your Lifeā popped up in my YouTube subscriptions. In the video, he discusses why you should start a newsletter, what you can write about and how you can get started. It was the right amount of encouragement I needed to start writing this first issue!
I recommend watching the full video and checking out some of his other content. Iāve been following Ali for a while now and I enjoy his content about life and productivity as well as his podcast Deep Dive with Ali Abdaal.
Becoming a better storyteller
Apart from Aliās video, the main reason I wanted to start writing a newsletter is to become a better storyteller. For my fellow designers reading this, Iām sure youāre all aware that storytelling is an important part of being a product designer.
To be able to present or explain design decisions effectively is something that I continually strive to improve. I hope that by starting this newsletter, I can practice sharing my ideas and articulating my thoughts. Maybe someday in the future, I can look back and see the improvement that Iāve made.
What this newsletter will be aboutā¦ š
The beauty of this format is that this newsletter can be about anything. For starters, I plan to use this space to share my musings, learnings, and experiences as a product designer. Iām also planning to share the things that resonate most with me. Whether itās an online article, a Twitter thread, an upcoming product, or anything in between.
In other words, I get to write about whatever is on my mind. While I donāt currently have a set schedule for publishing new issues, Iām setting a personal goal for an issue a month (at the very least). Feel free to share your suggestions for upcoming issues or feedback on how I can improve this newsletter.
Thanks for reading!
Austin