I started painting since I was six then I decided to study design in college. After that I went to New York for Master program.
01Could you please tell us about your experience as a designer, artist, architect or creator?
I started painting since I was six then I decided to study design in college. After that I went to New York for Master program. Later I was working for Conde Nast, where I had chance to work closely with lots of famous magazines.
02How did you become a designer?
My parents were majoring in science and engineering so they were a little bit hesitated about my decision. They felt I should be a scientist or an engineer. But I love painting since my childhood, so they are supportive and encourage me to do what I want.
03What are your priorities, technique and style when designing?
I am always obsessed with complexity of structures and patterns. That is why I am doing data visualization because I like charts and numbers. I feel the visualization shows the beauty of statistics.
04Which emotions do you feel when designing?
For most of my work, design is not my first step. Most of time I will write down my feeling when the feeling hits me. The words are more abstract and linear, while the visual language has more dimensions. In my work I am trying to explore the both parts.
05What particular aspects of your background shaped you as a designer?
I think the logical thinking coming from my parents' background definitely influences me a lot. In my daily work as a lead UX designer, I like reading metrics by myself.
06What is your growth path? What are your future plans? What is your dream design project?
User Experience Design is my dream design field. It is hybrid, including information architecture, interaction design, visual design and research. It is a great area that I can integrate both my design aesthetics and logical thinking together.
07What are your advices to designers who are at the beginning of their career?
Explore the world and discover yourself. Know what you like and what you are good at.
08You are truly successful as a designer, what do you suggest to fellow designers, artists and architects?
Embrace every opportunities and do not say "no" to yourself at the beginning.
09What is your day to day look like?
My daily work is quite busy. Now there are lots of meetings with stakeholders which means I have less time designing compared to the past; on the other hand, I learnt a lot about business directions and product strategies, which are helpful for design. Sometimes you really need to see the vision, then you can evaluate and execute the idea.
10How do you keep up with latest design trends? To what extent do design trends matter?
I am reading tech and design blogs during my commute. In the technology industry, everything changes so fast. Even for designers, it is important to know the new techniques and trends.
11How do you know if a product or project is well designed? How do you define good design?
Definitely designers will evaluate any products or projects from aesthetic standpoint, but most importantly is whether it makes sense to its users. Balancing the aesthetics and utility is one of my rules to evaluate projects.
12How do you decide if your design is ready?
To be honest, design is never FULLY ready. Everyday you can still find some parts in the design that you want to change. But for work, you need to launch your products. So it is essential in work to collaborate with other team members like Product Managers and Developers and prioritize design by different phases. No product can launch all the features at the same time.
13What is your biggest design work?
My most favorite work is 5000 Years Chinese History Visualization, which is my college capstone project. That time I spent nearly one year researching history, which I am always interested in. I really appreciate my school gave me one year to explore the things I love.
14Who is your favourite designer?
I likes German and North European Design since I was in school. Also I am really into the data visualization published by the New York Times. Actually that was one of the reason I decided to move to New York for my graduate school.
15Would you tell us a bit about your lifestyle and culture?
Beijing is my hometown, which is the capital in China. It is a fast-growing city and has over 20 million population. I think that might make me try to discover the beauty of complexity. There are lots of things going on and they are all connected in some ways.
16Would you tell us more about your work culture and business philosophy?
As a UX designer, I believe the best product coming from a perfect "triangle:" design + technology + business/product. Design's mission is to find and push for the features that are benefit for users; technology is about the current technique capability whether we can make the product come true; while business is about when and how we can make the products survive in the reality.
17What are your philanthropic contributions to society as a designer, artist and architect?
I always feel local design communities are so helpful. I was serving as a mentor for NXPA NYC last year and my mentee was still in school. We kept talking for almost half a year, about her portfolios, interviews, jobs, future career, etc. The responsibility as lead designer is not just designing, but also mentoring. I even learnt a lot from helping her.
18What positive experiences you had when you attend the A' Design Award?
I think the most impressive part is how A' Design Award is keep connecting you to multiple activities.
បទសម្ភាសន៍ទេវតារចនា
40 សំណួរ
I studied Visual Communication Design at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. Then I got a scholarship to pursue an MFA degree at Pratt Institute in New York, USA.
01Could you please tell us a bit about your design background and education?
I studied Visual Communication Design at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. Then I got a scholarship to pursue an MFA degree at Pratt Institute in New York, USA.
02What motivates you to design in general, why did you become a designer?
I studied painting since I was 6 years old and won several China national painting awards when I was little. From that time, I discovered that art and design are my true passions.
03Did you choose to become a designer, or you were forced to become one?
Unlike my parents who both majored in Science and Engineering, I am always interested in visual languages, and eventually, I decided to be a designer.
04What do you design, what type of designs do you wish to design more of?
I am interested in User Experience Design, Data Visualization, Infographic, Book Design and Graphic Design.
05What should young designers do to become a design legend like you?
Learning from your peers; taking challenges as opportunities; being open-minded.
06What distinguishes between a good designer and a great designer?
Whether this designer has a clear long-term career goal and how he/she influences younger designers.
07What makes a good design a really good design, how do you evaluate good design?
Good design should receive positive feedbacks from both designers and its audiences.
08What is the value of good design? Why should everyone invest in good design?
Design builds the bridges between audiences and brands. Good design can benefit both parties, eventually, affects societies.
09What would you design and who would you design for if you had the time?
A series of infographics illustrating the relationship between design, business, and engineering in the technology industry.
10What is the dream project you haven't yet had time to realize?
Research projects focusing on design principles and methodologies.
11What is your secret recipe of success in design, what is your secret ingredient?
An organized design process.
12Who are some other design masters and legends you get inspired from?
Jingren Lu, Edward Tufte, Donald Norman, John Maeda
13What are your favorite designs by other designers, why do you like them?
"We Feel Fine" by Jonathan Harris.
His work aims at exploring human emotion from weblogs all over the world. It picks up the emotional words in the phrases “I feel” and “I am feeling,” and expresses them in a visually attractive system.
14What is your greatest design, which aspects of that design makes you think it is great?
5000-Year History of China. It is a big challenge to visualize the huge amount of uncountable historical data.
15How could people improve themselves to be better designers, what did you do?
Talking to peers and asking their objective opinions on you.
16If you hadn't become a designer, what would you have done?
Data Scientist or Architect.
17How do you define design, what is design for you?
Design is to build the bridges between two separated things.
18Who helped you to reach these heights, who was your biggest supporter?
Professor Jingren Lu. He was my college thesis advisor, who encouraged me to study design in the United States.
19What helped you to become a great designer?
Always asking myself who I want to be as a designer.
20What were the obstacles you faced before becoming a design master?
Trying to find my career path as a designer.
21How do you think designers should present their work?
Maintaining the voice of design but speaking from your audiences' perspectives.
22What's your next design project, what should we expect from you in future?
A series of infographics illustrating the relationship between design, business, and engineering in the technology industry.
23What's your ultimate goal as a designer?
A designer who can present the design's value in the technology field.
24What people expect from an esteemed designer such as yourself?
Opinions from cross-culture perspectives.
25What are you currently working on that you are especially excited about?
I am currently working for Moda Operandi leading the design of their internal systems. It is exciting to see how technology and design are changing the fashion and luxury industry.
26What would you like to see changed in design industry in the coming years?
More collaborations and sharings across different countries and cultures.
27Where do you think the design field is headed next?
The leadership in technology innovation.
28When you have a new design project, where do you start?
Research.
29What is your life motto as a designer?
Knowing where you want to go, then you can find how to get there.
30What is the role of technology when you design?
Technology makes design come true.
31What kind of design software and equipment do you use in your work?
Adobe Creative Cloud, Sketch, and other prototyping tools.
32Who is your ideal design partner? Do you believe in co-design?
Respectful.
33Which people you interacted had the most influence on your design?
My supervisors. They taught me how to launch a design in the reality.
34Which books you read had the most effect on your design?
Donald Norman's Emotional Design.
35How did you develop your skills as a master designer?
Doing some side projects to extend my skills.
36Irrelative of time and space, who you would want to meet, talk and discuss with?
Design leaders working in different industries. I want to know how they set the position of design in their areas.
37What is your favorite color, place, food, season, thing and brand?
Blue and orange, historical towns, hot pot, autumn, reading and collecting books.
38Please tell us a little memoir, a funny thing you had experienced as a designer?
My dad, who studied Physics before, still does not understand what my job is.
39What makes your day great as a designer, how do you motivate yourself?
When my developers told me that they are so proud of building my design, I felt really honored and motivated.
40When you were a little child, was it obvious that you would become a great designer?
I knew I love colors and painting, but I did not the difference between being an artist and a designer.
បទសម្ភាសន៍អ្នករចនា
37 សំណួរ
I studied painting since I was 6 years old and won several China national painting awards when I was little. From that time, I discovered that art and design are my true passions.
01Could you please tell us more about your art and design background? What made you become an artist/designer? Have you always wanted to be a designer?
I studied painting since I was 6 years old and won several China national painting awards when I was little. From that time, I discovered that art and design are my true passions. Unlike my parents who both majored in Science and Engineering, I am always interested in visual languages, and eventually, I decided to be a designer. I studied Visual Communication Design at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. Then I got a scholarship to pursue an MFA degree at Pratt Institute in New York, USA.
02Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
I am currently working as a Senior UX/UI Designer at Moda Operandi in New York, which is a global online luxury retailer.
03What is "design" for you?
"Design" is to build the bridges between two separated things.
04What kinds of works do you like designing most?
I am interested in User Experience Design, Data Visualization, Infographic, Book Design and Graphic Design.
05What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
"We Feel Fine" by Jonathan Harris.
His work aims at exploring human emotion from weblogs all over the world. It picks up the emotional words in the phrases “I feel” and “I am feeling,” and expresses them in a visually attractive system.
06What was the first thing you designed for a company?
Glamour Beauty's site lipstick.com's Slideshow template.
07What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
Books and websites.
08When do you feel the most creative?
Sketching on papers.
09Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
Collecting and sorting information, then narrowing down the design concepts based on the analysis.
10What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
Pleased and satisfied.
11What makes a design successful?
Maintaining the voice of design but speaking from your audiences' perspectives.
12When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
Good design should receive positive feedbacks from both designers and its audiences.
13From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
Designers should use their skills to improve people's lives and change the prejudices.
14How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
Design might exist in more media because of technology, but its methodologies are unchanged.
15When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
2014, "Pending Exhibition," All Things Project Gallery, With 19 other designers, NEW YORK/USA.
16Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
I have my personal digital inspiration "library" collecting the design I found in exhibitions or online.
17How would you describe your design style? What made you explore more this style and what are the main characteristics of your style? What's your approach to design?
Designing a complex structure to make audiences easy to use the products.
18Where do you live? Do you feel the cultural heritage of your country affects your designs? What are the pros and cons during designing as a result of living in your country?
I currently live in New York, the United States, but I am originally from Beijing, China. The cross-culture background definitely influences my thinking and design.
19How do you work with companies?
Most of the time I work as an in-house designer collaborating with other teams, like engineering, product, and QA.
20What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
Talking to the designer personally to see whether both of you share the similar understanding on the upcoming project.
21Can you talk a little about your design process?
Research, paper sketches, design iterations and testing.
22What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
A vase I got from MoMA, antique lamp, wall bookshelf, hand-made glasses, hand-drew cups.
23Can you describe a day in your life?
On weekends I usually go to the coffee shop downstairs and spend several hours reading books or writing blogs there.
24Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
Learning from your peers; taking challenges as opportunities; being open-minded.
25From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
Positive: being a designer allows you to dream big every day;
Negative: being a designer also need to find ways to make dream come true.
26What is your "golden rule" in design?
Trust yourself but also being open-minded at the same time.
27Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
Adobe Creative Cloud, Sketch, and other prototyping tools.
28Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
An organized design process.
29How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
Depends on the scale of the project. It might vary from one day to one year.
30What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
What is User Experience Design?
31What was your most important job experience?
When I served as a User Experience Designer at Conde Nast Digital, I worked on multiple global brands' website redesign projects, including Glamour, Conde Nast Traveler, Epicurious, Teen Vogue and Golf Digest. Those projects have been nominated by the Webby Awards in 2015 and 2016.
32Who are some of your clients?
Lenovo, Glamour, Conde Nast Traveler, Epicurious, Teen Vogue, Golf Digest, W Magazine, Self, Moda Operandi, etc.
33What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
Infographic and data visualization. I can use design skills to illustrate my point of views.
34What are your future plans? What is next for you?
Participating multiple international conferences.
35Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
Most of the time I lead the design by myself, but I do collaborate with other designers on some projects.
36Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
A series of infographics illustrating the relationship between design, business, and engineering.
A' Design Award គឺជាពានរង្វាន់រចនាល្អអន្តរជាតិដែលវាយតម្លៃដោយគណៈកម្មការ។ ចូលរួមក្នុង A' Design Award ដើម្បីទទួលបានឱកាសក្នុងការទទួលស្គាល់ដោយគុណសម្បត្តិ ទទួលបានកិត្តិនាម កិត្តិយស និងការផ្សព្វផ្សាយសម្រាប់ការងាររបស់អ្នក។ ដាក់ស្នាដៃរបស់អ្នកសម្រាប់ A' Design Award ហើយប្រកួតប្រជែងដើម្បីឈ្នះ A' Design Prize ដ៏គោរពរាប់អាន។
