by Open Banking Design: Insights from Standard Chartered
Editor’s note: Cindy Liew is Director of Design at Standard Chartered Bank and will be presenting at QUAL360 in Singapore 2025. Below is an interview we conducted with her ahead of the event.
QUAL360: What motivates you to join the QUAL360 APAC conference, and what is the core message of your talk?
Cindy: This is my first time speaking at QUAL360 APAC, and I’m both excited and grateful. I’m motivated by the opportunity to be part of a community that celebrates the craft of listening deeply to customers, teams, and the signals beneath the surface.
My talk is titled “The human side of open banking: A service design story.” While open banking is often spoken about in terms of APIs and infrastructure, my message is simple: don’t forget the human. From developers to relationship managers, the onboarding experience into an API ecosystem is one of the most critical moments to earn trust. I would like to share how service blueprinting, research synthesis, and cross-functional alignment helped shape a marketplace experience that connects tech to human value, and why this matters more than ever in the age of AI and machine customers.
QUAL360: How has this impacted your own work and your organisation?
Cindy: This approach has reshaped how we define success, not just by features delivered, but by clarity gained. For our teams, aligning “as-is” and “to-be” journeys uncovered critical blind spots, especially for onboarding experiences. It led to rethinking how we communicate API solutions, how we support onboarding through documentation and tools, and even how we set KPI for our team to measure success. It is not just service design—it is a strategic bridge.
QUAL360: How has QUAL360 as a practice evolved in the last couple of years, and how would you like to see it evolve in the next few?
Cindy: As this is my first time joining QUAL360, I come with fresh eyes—but also with deep respect for the impact qualitative research has had in shaping better experiences across industries. What’s clear is that qual has evolved far beyond post-it notes and empathy maps. It’s now a strategic discipline—blending systems thinking, storytelling, and even AI collaboration to drive decision-making in complex environments.
Looking ahead, I would love to see QUAL360 continue pushing the boundaries of what “qualitative” means—especially in how we research and design for non-human users like AI agents and APIs. It’s a fascinating frontier where service design, ethics, and tech collide. I’m excited to learn from the community and contribute to this next chapter of qualitative practice.
Looking ahead, I would love to see QUAL360 continue championing co-creation with non-human stakeholders—like AI agents, APIs, and machine customers. It sounds futuristic, but it is already here. We will need new methods to research, prototype, and design for these hybrid ecosystems.
QUAL360: Given this evolution, what are two expected and two less obvious skills qual researchers should possess, and why?
Cindy:
Expected skills:
- Empathy synthesis: The ability to distil emotional and contextual signals from interviews and journeys into something actionable.
- Facilitation: Running workshops that bring people into the research process, especially for alignment across silos.
Less obvious skills:
- System literacy: Understanding the architecture of platforms, APIs, and data flows so insights can connect meaningfully to delivery.
- Narrative framing: In a world flooded with data, how you frame a story—what tension you surface, which voices you elevate—makes all the difference in driving action.
QUAL360: Apart from work, what can delegates at the event talk to you about? Do you have any particular personal interests, hobbies or extracurricular activities and engagements?
Cindy: I’m a mum to a curious 4-year-old, so if you want to talk about Lego bricks, Bluey, or bedtime negotiations—I’m your person! I’m also passionate about storytelling, especially visual storytelling. I’ve recently been interested in working on a picture book for kids to cope with their emotions. And if you’re into music, coaching and design, I’d love to have that chat too.
QUAL360: Thank you so much, Cindy! We look forward to hearing more from you at Qual360 in Singapore!
Join Asia’s Only Conference Focused on Qualitative Research – QUAL360 APAC 2025
📅 October 14–15, 2025 | Singapore
Qual360 is the only global conference series dedicated to qualitative market research. With its 17+ Years of Driving Innovation in Qualitative Research, it is a unique event catering to a strong global community of dedicated “Quallies”. At QUAL360 APAC, you’ll discover the latest research methodologies, explore real-world case studies from global brands, and network with top-tier insights professionals from across the region.
2025 speaker highlights include: PepsiCo Foods – Associate Director, Insights; Asia Pacific Breweries Singapore – Head of Insights (CMI) & Innovations; Google APAC – Head of Brand & Consumer Insights; Whole Earth Brands – International Marketing Director; Microsoft – Principal Design & Research Manager, Shiseido – Regional CMI Manager, and many more!
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