Ni hao 👋
I am Ruiwen, a Transnational individual and proudly international Chinese. Having made the journey to Sydney at the tender age of 15, away from my family in a homestay. This early experience has instilled in me an appreciation for different cultures, shaping me into a multicultural individual. After receiving my permanent residency in Australia, I have resolved to establish my roots here, using it as a base from which to reach greater heights.
About my profession 🤜
I love the journey of discovering customers’ pain points, genuine desires, and jobs to be done for businesses.
My passion for people makes me naturally inclined towards empathising with users and considering various perspectives to their experiences. The iterations a design process goes through to generate a solution at the end excites me thoroughly because it eventually aims at enhancing the customer experience. Helping people grow their businesses gives me purpose and adds meaning to my life.
Inspired by Steve Jobs's words: "the only problems worth solving were ones that would take years to tackle." I desire to go as deeper as I can and get as closer as I can to the essence of the fact.
My Journey about DESIGN 🎯
Having completed a Master's degree in Strategic Design and Design Innovation at the University of Sydney, I bring with me a diverse and expansive journey in design.
🧡 My passion for design was ignited in Year 10, during a 🧶 textile design course.
Subsequently, I got to experienced 👗 fashion and 👩🎨 graphic design, 👩💻 product design during my bachelor of Industrial studies, and explored 📱 UI to 🤳 UX design while running a 🤯 startup during my university days.
My understanding of design transcends traditional boundaries. I had the opportunity to take 🔏 MBA courses and work with a Business University and Consultancy in China, a period that significantly broadened my perspective on design, particularly during the lockdown enforced by the COVID-19 pandemic.🎯, While pursuing my Master's degree, I delved into 🧑🦯 experience design and 👷♀️ workshop facilitation, gaining valuable hands-on experience. I navigated through the often-ambiguous field of 🌎 strategic design, realising the importance of practical experience in grasping its nuances.
As of now, I am in the process of seeking an intermediate experience or service designer role. My journey, laden with diverse experiences and an extensive skill set, has prepared me to take on challenging design roles, as I continue to grow and evolve in this dynamic field.
📍 2020-2023
Short story during COVID-19 🤒😢🤕🤯🤔🤠🤗
Despite feeling devastated and lonely when Australia implemented a travel ban in 2021, I pushed myself to seek new experiences in China after the COVID-19 lockdown. I actively participated in online competitions and conferences to expand my knowledge in business and design. During a national competition, I impressed a judge who referred me to work as a direct research assistant for the Founder of Hundun University, which has the largest business learning network globally. After two years, I built a solid network with excellent start-up owners and entrepreneurs while completing online university courses. (I returned to Sydney until I was granted an Australia PR in 2023.) Thanks to my proactive attitude, I thrive on learning, finding meaning in life, and proving my values wherever I am.
My Career Goal ☀️
I am on a journey to explore the role of a strategic designer, or a design strategist, you would say. I believe a responsible strategic designer should get involved in the entire life-cycle of a product or service, whatever the solution has been created.
I aim to maintain a high efficiency working progress which always repeats on iterating.
My innovative solution is created with the formula of synthesised design tools and methodologies.
I am keen to engage and encourage co-designing and co-creating with any stakeholders who are involved in discovering, defining and developing in the research or designing phase.
I welcome failure as it guides me to the next breakthrough and iteration.
Lastly, I will not succeed without a cross-disciplinary team powered by solid leadership. Even though it could be one of the most challenging tasks that make outstanding people conduct excellent design practices together.
Living for a better purpose 💛
Embarking on the Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award was an enriching experience that fostered my personal growth and development. I have done a range of activities while completing the award. Archery taught me the significance of precision and patience, instilling in me the values of resilience and focus. Volunteering at a wildlife rescue introduced me to a world of empathy and responsibility, deepening my understanding of wildlife animals' unique needs and the importance of our ecosystem's balance. The adventurous kayaking journey pushed my physical boundaries and heightened my appreciation for the natural world. Throughout this journey, I got the chance to absorb the culture within my environment, which gave me a broader perspective on life.
I love trying new things which can shape my character and equipping me with the necessary life and work skills.
