Xiaoheng Li, Yicheng Zhao and Yuxiang Qi
1. Please give us a brief bio of yourself and your background.
Our team is a multidisciplinary group with diverse backgrounds in architecture and user experience design. We bonded over a shared passion for creating products that address real-world problems and enhance meaningful and delightful user experiences.
2. What made you become/why did you choose to become a product designer?
We are motivated by a passion for solving problems that genuinely matter to people through our design expertise. We remain constantly curious about the applications of design in today’s dynamic and fast-paced world.
Furthermore, we seek to explore the balance between addressing user needs, achieving business objectives, and navigating technical trends and constraints. This enthusiasm and inquisitiveness have driven us to immerse ourselves in the product design field, where we strive to make a meaningful impact.
3. Tell us more about your business/company, job profile, and what you do.
We are a pioneering design team focused on crafting human-centered solutions for both humanitarian and business needs. By combining empathy with advanced technology, we create digital products that streamline workflows and elevate user experiences.
Collaborating closely with NGOs, we tackle critical humanistic challenges, while also partnering with commercial enterprises to optimize their operations. Our award-winning project, MediConnect, exemplifies our commitment to designing impactful products, especially for underserved rural areas. Through a collaborative and multidisciplinary approach, we ensure our designs are both practical and transformative.
4. What does “design” mean to you?
For us, design is about uncovering the most effective ways to blend creative ideas to address meaningful problems. It’s not solely about the final product but also about the journey we undertake to achieve it.
This journey involves constant experimentation and refinement of our methods to enhance collaboration and streamline our product development processes. By doing so, we ensure continuous improvement, both in the quality of our creations and in our teamwork dynamics.
5. To you, what makes a “good” design?
To us, a "good" design combines effective problem-solving with ideas that highlight empathy for users. Specifically, we prioritize user happiness in our design process, aiming to create products that are not only effective but also enjoyable to use.
6. Describe your design style and its main characteristics.
Our design style combines efficient functionality with delightful elements, reflecting our mission to create human-centered designs that address real-world problems.
For instance, in our project "MediConnect," while our primary goal is to enhance the efficiency of volunteer tasks, we infuse the product interface with dynamic elements such as playful illustrations, encouraging language, and an elegant color palette. We believe that the emotional aspect of design is just as crucial as its functionality, as it motivates users to perform better in their tasks.
7. Tell us about your design process.
We incorporate design thinking frameworks like the “Double Diamond” into our process, which allows us to create a flexible methodology for addressing unique challenges. Our approach begins with thorough user research to deeply understand their needs and pain points.
From there, we brainstorm innovative solutions that not only tackle these issues but also aim to bring joy and motivation to users. Our process remains adaptable; we continually experiment and test hypotheses to develop tailored approaches for each scenario, striving for optimized results.
8. Do you think your country and its cultural heritage has an impact on your design process?
Yes, while we are based in the United States, our roots in China significantly shape our design process. Our culture's traditional values of caring for those in need, especially the elderly, are deeply ingrained in us. This heritage drives our commitment to prioritizing the needs and well-being of vulnerable groups in rural areas through our designs.
9. Congratulations! As the winner of the 2024 NY Product Design Awards, what does it mean to you and your company and team to receive this award distinction?
Winning in the 2024 NY Product Design Awards means a lot to us. It provides greater exposure and validates our work, giving us a sense of achievement.
Through this award, we can amplify the ideals of new generation designers and call for more people to pay attention to social issues, allowing us to continue making a positive impact through our designs.
10. Can you explain a bit about the winning work you entered into the 2024 NY Product Design Awards, and why you chose to enter this project?
Our project MediConnect was designed to facilitate medicine delivery in rural China. This project embodies our commitment to NGO work, human-centered design, and workflow optimization. MediConnect reflects our core values of designing happy products that help people and improve their lives.
11. What was the biggest challenge with this project?
The biggest challenge was dealing with the evolving situation and the urgency of saving lives. Coordinating efforts across different time zones, managing disorganized initial stages, and pitching our design were also significant hurdles. Despite these challenges, our team remained dedicated and adaptive.
12. What are your top three (3) favorite things about our industry?
Firstly, the dynamic and ever-changing market that keeps us always learning. We also got intrigued by user-centered design, which allows us to connect deeply with the users. Additionally, the opportunity to interact with the latest technology, which is always exciting and fun to us.
13. Where do you see the evolution of design industry going over the next 5-10 years?
Over the next 5-10 years, I envision the design industry evolving with a stronger integration of AI, an increased emphasis on accessibility, and a greater focus on addressing the needs of the elderly. These trends will create a more inclusive and advanced design landscape.
14. If you were a student entering this industry or an aspiring NY Product Design Awards submitter, what advice would you give them?
To excel in the product design industry and in competitions such as the NY Product Design Awards, it is essential to commit to continuous learning, cultivate empathy, thoroughly understand the competition criteria, and sustain resilience and passion.
15. What resources would you recommend to someone who wants to improve their skills in the design industry?
Engage in more activities, competitions, and forums. For a designer, it is vital to connect with as many people as possible and share design ideas. These interactions offer opportunities to learn numerous new concepts and gain inspiration.
16. Tell us something you have never told anyone else.
The initial version of MediConnect was not an app but an onboarding manual. This was the quickest way to provide an effective solution within limited time and resources to assist volunteers with the medical match task. Subsequently, we decided to design an app, integrating technology such as geo-location auto-matching to help volunteers address problems more efficiently.
Moreover, due to the volunteers' enthusiasm for our product, we continue to receive feedback about their user experience and inquiries about future updates even six months after the medication assistance campaign concluded. This ongoing feedback reassures us that our design is truly benefiting users.
17. Who has inspired you in your life and why?
The enthusiasm of volunteers fuels our perseverance. Each time we develop a design and witness the volunteers' keen interest, active participation in interviews, and eagerness to use our products while offering abundant feedback, it reinforces the significance and value of our work. This enthusiasm is our driving force, motivating us to continue progressing.
18. What is your key to success? Any parting words of wisdom?
Honestly, the key is simple: happiness. After a year and a half of working together and creating numerous products, our joyful collaboration consistently fuels our design inspiration. We aim to infuse this happiness into our design process, maintaining a balance of efficiency and clarity.
Our goal is to create products that are easy and enjoyable for users to use, which we view as our responsibility as designers.
