In this interview series, our colleague Saaya Miyazaki introduces professionals from diverse industries and explores the stories behind how they built their careers. Through these conversations, she hopes to inspire you to take the next step in your own journey—whether that means embracing new experiences, taking bold career leaps, finding creative ways to land your dream job or like this article will cover, designing for culture and community.
In Part 1, I explored Annie Hoang’s journey from business to design—how she took initiative, navigated career transitions, and built her brand through storytelling. Annie’s early experiences shaped her perspective on creativity, problem-solving, and career growth. Her story is a powerful example of how designing for culture and community can redefine what it means to be a designer.
Now, in Part 2, I dive into the next phase of her career—moving beyond UX design into employer branding, public speaking, and creative education. Through her work at Rakuten, she has played a key role in shaping company culture, while also building a community for aspiring creatives through CREABA, her educational platform.
From mentoring professionals to designing employee experiences, Annie’s impact extends far beyond the digital world—she’s now designing spaces for learning, collaboration, and growth.
Let’s continue her story.
From Product Management to UX Design
Annie’s journey at Rakuten began with an internship—not as a designer, but as a Product Manager. At the time, Rakuten didn’t hire designers for internships, only product managers and engineers.
Determined to break into design, Annie took the initiative. She scheduled one-on-one meetings with team members, including the Design Manager. Following her mentor’s advice, she shared her story, aspirations, and portfolio during their conversation.
A week later, the Design Manager came back with an unexpected offer:
“Next month, why don’t you join the design team as an intern?”
Annie transitioned from one month in product management to two months in UX/UI design, eventually receiving a full-time offer from Rakuten. She continued working part-time while completing university, focusing on Rakuten Travel’s website and app.
Shaping Culture Through Design at Rakuten
Today, Annie is no longer a full-time UX designer. Instead, she plays a crucial role in shaping employee culture at Rakuten.
Eager to learn from senior designers, she initiated a weekly UX training program, creating a space where designers could share projects, exchange feedback, and learn from each other.
She also saw a gap in UX research—the team was primarily UI-focused, with little emphasis on user testing.
“I started asking, ‘Can we test before launching?’” she recalls. Step by step, she introduced UX methodologies, helping to build a user-centered design culture within her team.
One of her proudest achievements? Collaborating with HR to develop a Design Thinking workshop for new graduates—a key step in making design more accessible across disciplines.
While she doesn’t have a set job title, she operates under Employer Branding, describing her role as an Employer Branding Strategist or Employer Communications Specialist. Her work focuses on bringing employee stories to life, highlighting career growth, achievements, and the human side of Rakuten, all to strengthen Rakuten’s employer brand.
Designing for Culture and Community: Why She Transitioned from UX to Employer Branding
One of Annie’s biggest realizations at Rakuten was that design thinking extends beyond designers. Through her workshops and UX initiatives, she saw how fostering collaborative learning environments could empower people across different disciplines.
“I wanted to bring together people from different backgrounds to create, learn, and experiment together,” she explains.
This shift in perspective led her to transition into corporate culture and employer branding—a field where she could scale her impact, shaping company culture and values at a broader level.
Although she no longer designs digital products, she still sees herself as a designer of experiences—but now for employees, not just users.
“In the beginning, I wanted to design products for people. But as I worked with HR, new graduates, and different teams, I realized that human connection itself is an experience worth designing.”
What is Creativity?
For Annie, creativity is the intersection of two key elements:
- The ability to create something new—solving problems and building new opportunities.
- The ability to express yourself—sharing your thoughts, ideas, and creations with others.
“Creativity is like a Venn diagram,” she explains. “One side is problem-solving, and the other is self-expression. True creativity happens where they overlap.”
So Annie believes that creativity can manifest in everyday actions. For example, she highlights how a team brainstorming session can lead to unexpected solutions, or how personal storytelling can connect diverse experiences.
She emphasizes that everyone possesses creative potential, regardless of their background. “Creativity isn’t reserved for artists or designers; it’s a skill everyone can cultivate”
This is the core belief behind her organization, CREABA (which will be introduced later in this article)—an initiative dedicated to helping people unlock their creative potential through engaging and dynamic learning programs.
Beyond Rakuten: Public Speaking and Education
Outside of work, Annie is passionate about creative education. She regularly speaks at events, including as a TEDx speaker at Waseda University, and teaches design thinking, creative confidence, and human-centered design.
Her goal? To equip students and early-career professionals with the mindset and skills to pursue their creative aspirations—whether that means launching their projects or entering creative industries.
Founding CREBA: A Community for Creative Growth and Building Community Through Creative Design
In 2024, Annie founded CREBA (Cree-a-ba)—an educational platform dedicated to nurturing creative talent.
CREBA offers:
- Monthly workshops on various creative topics (e.g., 3D design, impactful self-introduction, design thinking)
- Longer-term programs for skill-building and real-world case study development
- Online accessibility, ensuring equal learning opportunities for students across Japan—including those outside Tokyo, in places like Oita and Okayama
Annie’s Vision for CREBA
She hopes to reshape creative education in Japan, helping students develop creative confidence.
She believes that Japanese students are naturally curious and creative, but rigid school structures often suppress self-expression.
“I want my program to be a space where students rediscover their uniqueness,” she explains.
“Your background shouldn’t define your career path—you should have the freedom to choose who you want to be.”
Currently, CREBA is volunteer-run, but Annie hopes to grow it into an independent organization or creative studio in the future.
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Annie Hoang’s career is more than just a transition between job roles and a continuous journey of exploration, driven by a design-centric perspective. Leveraging her experience as a UX designer, she has shaped corporate culture, advanced employer branding, and created spaces for creative education—constantly expanding the possibilities of design.
Annie believes that “even human connections can be designed.” Her words reflect not only her personal career philosophy but also her deep insights into communities, companies, and society as a whole.
In the future, design will no longer be just a skill for creating aesthetically pleasing things; it will serve as a powerful tool to shape cultures, values, and human potential. We hope Annie’s journey inspires many others to carve their own paths in this evolving landscape, especially those who believe in designing for culture and community.
Thank you for reading until the end!
I’ll keep interviewing inspiring people and hope their stories will inspire your career!
– Saaya Miyazaki
Read Part 1 of my interview with Annie, my interviews with creative leader Takano Kimihiro and more articles on our Blog.