Interview with Yueyue (Zoey) Zhang

Yueyue (Zoey) Zhang ("Y(Z") interviewed on Tuesday, 5 May.

Could you please tell us about your experience as a designer, artist, architect or creator?

Y(Z : The first time I access industrial design was my undergraduate in 2010. Then my ranked no.1 academic performance promoted my smooth admission into my graduate school in China. Now, I have been still worked on my MFA program of industrial design at the Rochester Institute of technology. While in China, I worked as a freelance designer for 2 years, and I collaborate on a wide variety of projects such as appliances, toys, furniture, automotive, drone, etc. During my RIT career, I have been working for AccessAbility@RIT, which is the partnership for effective access technology R&D at RIT for more than one year. All the projects I participated in were about discovering innovative solutions for people with varying abilities. After the second year at RIT, I worked at FirstBuild for a four-month design internship. I participated in the food cart design project for Churchill downs.

How did you become a designer?

Y(Z : I have been fond of innovative activities since childhood. I think that my decision on the undergraduate major direction in industrial design is made more rationally and independently than most of the students even this professional major was just an emerging and rising major field in the nation at that time. Traditional subjects are always the last choices for me. I prefer to challenge myself to take my undergraduate study in a fresh-new field even it means that I need to face more difficulties. I have been keeping close attention to major fields in industrial design since I first got to know this fascinating area through regular widespread readings during my first year in high school. The more I know, the deeper I am attracted. I am convinced that the major study in industrial design is what I strongly would like to get involved in and I also believe such specialized undergraduate study could enable me to get more work opportunities in the future. As I learned more, I felt more interested and motivated to explore more in this professional field. I could forget time to repeatedly modify and adjust my design works and I also could stay up in order to perfectly complete design works for competitions. Gradually, I found that I am not just interested in this professional field, moreover, I actually love this field. I am more than willing to contribute to this field.

What are your priorities, technique and style when designing?

Y(Z : In the design process, the three aspects that I value most are the effectiveness, useability, and user-friendliness of a design. The effectiveness here refers to whether this design addresses the needs of the target user, and whether these problems are solved without adding new problems. The usability lies in whether the design is easy to use and clever; whether it allows users to learn how to use it easily. Usually, in my design process, I’d like to make a lot of physical models through 3d-printing, pink foam, foam cord, etc. I like to invite different people to interact with these mock-ups and obtain user feedback through observation and interviews, which will serve as a basis for design improvement.

Which emotions do you feel when designing?

Y(Z : When a new design project appears, it will give me a sense of excitement to meet new challenges. This excitement is not only a curiosity about an unknown field but also an expectation of life. In my opinion, the various field of design is riching my life and cognition, meeting different people and learning different cultures. Sometimes, I will have a sudden and cheerful feeling. Sometimes, I will have a sense of satisfaction. Because when I do design, I will hope that my ideas and design solutions can really help people in need to a certain extent and bring them happiness.

What particular aspects of your background shaped you as a designer?

Y(Z : When I was very young, I found that I was curious about multiple things at the same time, and sometimes there were some contradictory rules between these things. For example, I like to play basketball, which is an activity that can easily hurt my fingers. But I also love playing the electronic keyboard. When I was in high school, I chose science as a subject, but I was a very emotional person. I like to observe people and figure out their thoughts and purpose from their words and behaviors. I often think that all these seemingly mismatching things are life itself. I like to observe life and grasp every detail. I think these are the factors that make me a designer. Design gives me the opportunity to access different fields and experience various life.