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Read more..Qihang Zhang and Ruijingya Tang is a magnificent designer working hard to make the World a better place with their original and innovative award-winning designs and creations.
Qihang Zhang and Ruijingya Tang ("QZART") interviewed on Saturday, 14 June.
QZART : Qihang Zhang I’ve been working professionally as a designer for over three years, creating digital experiences at the intersection of data, storytelling, and human connection. I hold a Master’s degree in Learning Design, Innovation, and Technology from Harvard University, and previously studied at UCLA and the University of Oxford. Most recently, I served as Senior Product Designer at Chartmetric, a leading music data analytics company used by professionals at Universal Music Group, Sony Music, Warner Music Group, Disney, and SM Entertainment. At Chartmetric, I led the design of several award-winning features — including Talent Search and the Mobile App — which have been adopted across the global music industry. Beyond industry work, my projects have been exhibited at venues such as Art Shopping Paris (Louvre) and NYCxDesign 2025, and I’ve served as a mentor, speaker, and international design judge. I see design not just as a tool for solving problems, but as a language for cultural and emotional expression. Ruijingya Tang I’m an award-winning product designer with several years of experience creating impactful, data-driven solutions in the music and healthcare industries. I currently work at Chartmetric, where I led the design of the Talent Search tool, which helps record labels discover the next generation of music talent through data-driven insights. This project has won multiple international design awards, including the iF Design Award and Gold at the London Design Awards. Prior to Chartmetric, I worked at Babyscripts, designing digital tools that improved maternal health outcomes for patients and healthcare providers across the U.S. My educational background includes a Master’s degree in Human-Centered Design and Engineering from the University of Washington, where I honed my skills in accessibility, research, and design systems. I’m passionate about creating solutions that bridge the gap between complex data and human experience, and I believe design has the power to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives.
QZART : Qihang Zhang I didn’t grow up knowing I wanted to be a designer — I grew up wanting to tell stories. Early on, I was drawn to journalism, documentary, and cultural research. I studied communications and history at UCLA, with a deep interest in how narratives shape identity. But I always felt that traditional media wasn’t quite enough — I wanted to build things, not just describe them. That shift happened during my graduate studies at Harvard, where I explored how technology, data, and storytelling could come together in service of human connection. I began prototyping interfaces, visualizing systems, and realizing that design could be a new kind of language — one that spoke through experience, not just words. There wasn’t one person who made me become a designer. It was a gradual realization: that I could use design to make complexity feel clear, to give form to feeling, and to create tools that empower others. That’s still what drives me today. Ruijingya Tang I became a designer because I’ve always been drawn to how people interact with the world—how they process emotion, make decisions, and navigate systems that are often more confusing than they need to be. That curiosity started early, through art, writing, and a constant urge to make things more intuitive and beautiful. But it wasn’t until later that I realized this instinct was design thinking. I first studied biology and international relations—fields that taught me how to observe patterns, think across disciplines, and care about systems. But I kept coming back to visual storytelling and the desire to shape experiences. That drive led me to pursue a Master’s in Human-Centered Design and Engineering at the University of Washington, where I formally transitioned into design. There, I built a foundation in accessibility, user research, and digital systems that supported my shift into UX. What drove me wasn’t just a love of aesthetics—it was an internal drive to do good through good design. I wanted to help people feel less overwhelmed, more understood, and more in control—whether they’re navigating complex health data or honoring a memory. That mission continues to guide my work today.
QZART : Qihang Zhang When I design, I prioritize three things: clarity, empathy, and narrative. Clarity means making sure the user understands not just what to do, but why it matters. Whether I’m working on a music analytics tool or a storytelling app, I strive to turn complexity into intuitive systems. Empathy is about understanding the emotional context behind every interaction — what someone might be feeling, not just what they’re trying to accomplish. And narrative gives the work meaning. I always ask: what is the story this experience is telling, and how can I design to support it? I mostly work with digital tools — Figma, prototyping software, motion tools — but I also sketch frequently. For me, it’s not about the tool itself, but about thinking through form and feeling. I treat each project as a new language system: who are we speaking to, and what’s the clearest, kindest, most compelling way to say it? My design process is part systems thinking, part emotional translation. It starts with listening, and ends — hopefully — with resonance. Ruijingya Tang I became a designer because I’ve always been drawn to how people interact with the world—how they process emotion, make decisions, and navigate systems that are often more confusing than they need to be. That curiosity started early, through art, writing, and a constant urge to make things more intuitive and beautiful. But it wasn’t until later that I realized this instinct was design thinking. I first studied biology and international relations—fields that taught me how to observe patterns, think across disciplines, and care about systems. But I kept coming back to visual storytelling and the desire to shape experiences. That drive led me to pursue a Master’s in Human-Centered Design and Engineering at the University of Washington, where I formally transitioned into design. There, I built a foundation in accessibility, user research, and digital systems that supported my shift into UX. What drove me wasn’t just a love of aesthetics—it was an internal drive to do good through good design. I wanted to help people feel less overwhelmed, more understood, and more in control—whether they’re navigating complex health data or honoring a memory. That mission continues to guide my work today.
QZART : Qihang Zhang Designing, for me, is a deeply emotional process. At different stages, it brings out different kinds of feeling — curiosity at the beginning, tension during iteration, and quiet joy when something finally resonates. The part I love most is the moment of translation — when a vague idea, a feeling, or a pattern suddenly takes shape in a form someone else can understand and feel. That’s when I feel most alive — when I realize I’m not just making something usable, but something meaningful. There’s also a kind of peace in the process. I enjoy working through constraints, testing possibilities, and refining details that may seem invisible to others but feel essential to me. The work gives me focus, purpose, and the sense that I’m contributing something thoughtful to a noisy world. Design fulfills me because it’s both personal and shared — it lets me embed my own sense of care and curiosity into something others can experience. Ruijingya Tang Designing for me is an emotionally layered experience. In the early stages—when I’m just starting to explore a problem or sketch out ideas—I feel curiosity and creative energy. There’s something thrilling about the unknown, about teasing out early patterns from research and translating them into something visual or spatial. As the project takes shape, I often feel a mix of focus, empathy, and responsibility—especially when I’m working on something emotionally charged, like Memory Land, or data-heavy, like Talent Search. I care deeply about how people will feel when they interact with what I create, and that drives me to be intentional with every decision. But the moment that fulfills me most is when the design starts to come alive—when users respond with, “this makes sense,” or “this feels like it was made for me.” That sense of clarity and emotional connection is what gives me joy. It’s not just about completing a task—it’s about creating something that helps people feel more confident, calm, or understood. Design brings me happiness because it’s a rare blend of logic, creativity, and care. It’s how I make sense of the world and give back to it, one experience at a time.
QZART : Qihang Zhang Before I became a designer, I studied communications, history, and education technology — and those non-design fields continue to shape how I approach every project. From communications, I learned how to frame a message, understand audience psychology, and tell stories with clarity and impact. From history, I gained a sensitivity to context — how culture, memory, and meaning evolve over time. And from my graduate studies in learning design at Harvard, I developed a strong foundation in systems thinking, user-centered research, and technology ethics. I also think being multilingual and having lived across different cultural environments — in China, the U.S., and the U.K. — has made me more attuned to invisible nuance: what people assume, what they hesitate to say, and how that affects experience design. One of my biggest influences wasn’t a designer, but a professor of narrative theory who taught me that form is never neutral — it always carries values, assumptions, and emotion. That idea has stayed with me: design is never just what something looks like — it’s what it enables, resists, and reveals. Ruijingya Tang Several aspects of my background have shaped me into the designer I am today—especially the non-design skills I developed early on. My undergraduate studies in biology and international relations trained me to think in systems, observe details, and make sense of complexity across disciplines. That experience gave me a strong foundation in research, pattern recognition, and critical thinking, which now deeply inform my approach to user experience, strategy, and data visualization. My time as an art journalist also sharpened my ability to analyze and communicate ideas clearly. Writing about art and film helped me understand how meaning is created—and how emotional, cultural, and societal layers shape how people perceive design. This cultivated a narrative sensibility that’s crucial to my work, whether I’m designing a memorial platform like Memory Land or building explainable data tools like Talent Search. One of the biggest influences on my design work has been the intersection of emotion and structure—a theme I explore in both personal and professional projects. My journey into design wasn’t linear, but that’s been a strength. It’s allowed me to bring curiosity, empathy, and multidimensional thinking into every part of my process.
QZART : Qihang Zhang My growth path as a designer has never been linear — it’s been a series of translations. From journalism to education, from cultural research to data design, I’ve always been chasing the same question: how can we make complex things feel human? Looking ahead, I’ll be joining the MBA program at Stanford Graduate School of Business, where I plan to deepen my understanding of product strategy and social innovation. I want to become not just a designer of interfaces, but a designer of systems — someone who helps organizations build more meaningful, equitable, and emotionally intelligent tools. As for dream projects: I want to create a platform that preserves collective memory in the age of AI — something that helps communities archive, reinterpret, and pass down lived experiences across generations. I want to design tools that slow people down, that invite reflection, and that restore agency to those often left out of the narrative. In the long run, I hope to be remembered not just for the products I’ve built — but for how they made people feel. Seen. Heard. Understood. Ruijingya Tang My growth path has always centered on using design to simplify complexity and create emotionally meaningful experiences. I’ve evolved from interpreting systems as a science student, to visualizing them as an art journalist, to shaping them as a human-centered designer. Along the way, I’ve led award-winning projects like Talent Search and Memory Land, each deepening my ability to combine logic, storytelling, and empathy. Looking ahead, I’m interested in building or co-leading a studio or platform that works at the intersection of design, emotion, and emerging technologies—where tools aren't just smart, but humane. I want to continue exploring ideas around digital memory, identity, and healing, and to design products that make people feel more understood in moments of vulnerability, transition, or reflection. My dream design project would be a hybrid of art, UX, and emotional intelligence—something like a cognitive museum for the digital self, where people could revisit and reframe their personal histories through interactive media, AI, and visual storytelling. Ultimately, I hope to be remembered as a designer who cared deeply, listened well, and created with both clarity and compassion—someone who helped shape a more thoughtful and emotionally connected future.
QZART : Qihang Zhang To designers just starting out: your job is not to impress — it's to understand. In the beginning, it's easy to chase aesthetics, tools, or trends. But the real growth comes when you start asking deeper questions: Who is this for? What is the context? What emotions, assumptions, or barriers are involved? Design is not just about making things — it’s about listening deeply and building with care. One piece of advice I once received — and still return to — is: “Don’t design for approval. Design for clarity.” That’s helped me stay grounded through feedback cycles, stakeholder pushback, and the temptation to over-polish. I’ve also learned that growth doesn’t come from just designing more — it comes from reflecting more. Read widely. Watch people use your work. Ask better questions. Say “I don’t know” often — and mean it. Finally, don’t let your background make you feel behind. Some of my most valuable skills — storytelling, systems thinking, emotional intelligence — didn’t come from design school. They came from life. And they’ve made all the difference. Ruijingya Tang For designers just starting out, my biggest advice is: don’t chase perfection—chase clarity and care. Early in my career, I thought great design was about flawless visuals. But what matters more is how deeply you understand the problem, the people, and the system you’re designing within. My mentors taught me to design with intent, not just aesthetics, and to always ask why. That mindset has helped me grow not just as a designer, but as a collaborator and critical thinker. One thing I’d warn new designers about is burnout from trying to do everything alone. Design is a deeply collaborative discipline. Learn to ask questions, invite feedback, and share your thinking early and often. It’s not a weakness—it’s how you grow faster and build better work. I’ve grown most by working on high-stakes, ambiguous problems, saying yes to challenges I wasn’t “fully ready” for, and learning through doing. Surround yourself with people who care deeply about the craft, the user, and each other—and stay curious, humble, and open. That’s the real secret to sustainable success.
QZART : Qihang Zhang If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that successful design is less about talent, and more about trust. Trust in your collaborators. Trust in your users. And trust in your own process — even when it’s messy, slow, or nonlinear. To fellow designers and creatives, I’d offer three reminders: First, design is translation. Between people and systems. Emotion and data. Vision and execution. The better you listen — across roles, languages, and disciplines — the stronger your work becomes. Second, success isn’t always visible. Some of my most meaningful contributions weren’t in what I created, but in what I prevented: a harmful feature, a confusing flow, a missed opportunity for dignity. Learn to take pride in invisible wins. And third, don’t rush clarity. Not everything needs to scale tomorrow. Some of the best design decisions come after sitting with ambiguity, discomfort, and the willingness to ask, “what are we really solving for?” Success in design isn’t a milestone — it’s a mindset. One that balances vision with humility. Ruijingya Tang One principle I always return to is: design is not just about what you make—it’s about how and why you make it.Success comes from being both strategic and human: grounding your work in real needs, staying curious about context, and being willing to evolve your approach as you learn. Some pro-tips I live by: Design the thinking, not just the visuals. Be able to explain your decisions clearly—especially across disciplines. Hold space for both structure and feeling. The best work happens when logic and emotional intelligence meet. Bias toward clarity. If something feels unclear—on screen, in process, or in communication—pause and untangle it early. Don’t over-polish at the cost of progress. Share early, test often, and treat feedback as a creative tool. Respect your own energy. Creative work requires rest, reflection, and the courage to say “no” to things that don’t align with your values. Avoid chasing trends without purpose. Instead, invest in systems thinking, accessibility, and long-term resonance. That’s where truly meaningful and lasting design lives.
QZART : Qihang Zhang My days usually begin quietly — with tea and music. I like to start by reviewing my to-do list, checking Slack or Notion for any cross-team updates, and reading something short: a design article, a song lyric, or a paragraph from a book. Mornings are when I focus best, so I try to block out time for deep work — whether it’s prototyping a new feature, iterating on a visual system, or mapping out user flows. Afternoons are usually more collaborative: syncs with product managers, feedback sessions with engineers, or mentorship chats with junior designers. Even on the most “boring” business days, I find joy in small things — the elegance of a solved layout, a thoughtful comment in Figma, or the moment when a teammate says, “Oh, now I get it.” Those moments remind me why I love this work. Design is a long game. But if you pay attention, even a regular Tuesday has something quietly meaningful to offer. Ruijingya Tang My day-to-day varies depending on the project phase, but I try to start each morning with a moment of quiet structure—usually reviewing my top goals for the day, checking Slack for updates, and glancing through saved design reads or news for inspiration. I’m not a fan of jumping into meetings first thing; I prefer to begin with 1–2 hours of deep focus—sketching flows in Figma, writing UX copy, or synthesizing research notes. Mid-morning often involves syncs with product managers or engineers, aligning on decisions or unblocking implementation. I enjoy these touchpoints—especially when we’re untangling complexity together. I try to block off afternoons for uninterrupted creative work, whether that’s refining a design system component, mapping out a user journey, or prepping materials for usability testing. Even on slower days, little things keep me energized: a teammate leaving a thoughtful comment, a moment when a messy concept clicks into clarity, or even just hitting a visual rhythm in Figma. I always end my day by jotting down what went well and what needs more time—it's how I close the loop and stay intentional.
QZART : Qihang Zhang I follow design trends — but I don’t follow them blindly. Trends help us understand where collective attention is going. They can be inspiring, insightful, and sometimes even necessary — especially in fast-evolving digital spaces. But I believe style without substance doesn’t last, and my goal is to create work that resonates beyond a season or aesthetic wave. I pay attention to trends through design blogs, product updates, and visual culture — but I balance that with a deeper curiosity about human behavior, music, memory, and systems. I often find more lasting inspiration in poetry, cities, cultural rituals, or a well-designed subway map than in a UI roundup. So I try to design with one foot in the now, and one foot in what matters. I want my work to feel current, yes — but also rooted, relevant, and ready to grow with its users. Ruijingya Tang I keep an eye on design trends—but I don’t chase them. I believe trends are valuable as signals—they reflect cultural shifts, emerging technologies, and evolving user expectations. But my goal is never to make something that’s trendy; it’s to make something that’s timeless, intentional, and emotionally resonant. I stay current by observing pattern changes in digital products, skimming design publications, and following work from respected peers across UX, visual storytelling, and digital art. But I treat trends more as context than direction. If a trend aligns with the project’s goals and user needs, I’ll adopt it. If not, I trust my instincts and research to lead the way. My own design language tends to emphasize clarity, warmth, and restraint—qualities that outlast what’s “in season.” Whether I’m working on a product, system, or visual concept, I want it to feel grounded in purpose rather than passing aesthetics.
QZART : Qihang Zhang To me, good design is clear in intention, honest in function, and generous in experience. It doesn’t try to be clever for the sake of it. It doesn’t hide complexity behind shallow aesthetics. Instead, it listens, it guides, and it resonates. When I look at a product or project and instinctively feel, “This just makes sense — and it feels right,” that’s when I know the design is working. I evaluate good design not just by how it looks, but by how it works — for real people, in real contexts, under real constraints. I ask whether it solves the right problem, whether it serves its users with empathy, and whether it leaves behind clarity instead of confusion. A common mistake is over-designing — trying to impress rather than connect. But the best design choices often disappear. They don’t demand attention — they earn trust. In the end, good design is not about perfection. It’s about intention, and impact. Ruijingya Tang For me, good design is defined by clarity, purpose, and emotional intelligence. A well-designed product doesn’t just “look good”—it feels inevitable. It solves the right problem in a way that’s intuitive, respectful, and deeply aligned with user needs. The moment I think “Aha! That’s it” is usually when a design balances simplicity and depth. It makes complex decisions feel effortless, and leaves the user feeling empowered—not overwhelmed. I ask: Is the experience clear without explanation? Does it meet the user where they are, emotionally and cognitively? And does every detail feel intentional, not decorative? One common mistake I see is designing for aesthetics before purpose—prioritizing visual trends over what the user actually needs. Another is overcomplicating the solution instead of focusing on what’s essential. Good design, to me, is invisible in the best way—it just works, feels right, and builds trust. That’s what I aim for in every project I take on.
QZART : Qihang Zhang I don’t believe a design is ever truly “finished” — only ready for the world at a particular moment in time. For me, a design is ready when it has clarity, coherence, and confidence — when every element has a reason to be there, when the story holds together, and when further changes would start to dilute rather than improve the experience. Of course, I always see small things I could tweak — a type weight here, a motion timing there — but I’ve learned to distinguish between refinement and over-polishing. Real success comes not just from what’s in the file, but from how people interact with it in the real world. Sometimes, the most useful measure is emotional: when I look at the design and feel calm. Not because it’s perfect, but because I know it’s ready to serve. I try to leave each project with the door slightly ajar — enough to revisit later with new insight, but not so open that I never move forward. In that way, every project is part of a larger arc — a conversation, not a conclusion. Ruijingya Tang For me, a design is “ready” when it meets three key conditions: it solves the right problem clearly, it aligns with user and business goals, and it holds up under real-world use. That moment usually comes after multiple iterations, feedback loops, and careful testing—not just when it looks good, but when it feels right in context. That said, I don’t think design is ever truly finished in an absolute sense. There’s always more to learn and ways to improve—but part of being a professional is knowing when to pause with intention, deliver value, and move forward. I try to balance rigor with momentum: refine until the design is thoughtful, usable, and resonant—then let it breathe, observe how it performs, and revisit it only with purpose, not perfectionism. Success, to me, is when a design holds up in the wild—when users engage with it effortlessly, when stakeholders feel aligned, and when it continues to serve its purpose without friction. That’s when I know it’s ready to launch—and ready to let go.
QZART : Qihang Zhang The most significant design work I’ve created so far is Talent Search, a music discovery tool I led while working as Senior Product Designer at Chartmetric. From the beginning, I knew this project was different. The idea wasn’t just to build another data dashboard — it was to reimagine how the music industry finds talent. We wanted to create a system that could surface emerging artists from around the world based on real performance data — not just industry connections or visibility. That vision felt urgent, meaningful, and personal. I led the design from zero to launch — from early discovery interviews and UX strategy to interaction design, visual hierarchy, and the final product. The biggest challenge was turning millions of rows of noisy data into something human-centered and actionable. It required clarity, empathy, and constant iteration. It also meant aligning product strategy with business goals and user realities — a balance I had to fight for at every stage. What makes Talent Search special to me isn’t just its adoption by clients like Universal Music Group, Sony Music, and Warner. It’s knowing that someone used it to discover an artist they otherwise wouldn’t have found. That behind the interface, someone’s career might have started — or accelerated. This project taught me that design isn’t just what people see — it’s what people are able to do. And when design expands opportunity, that’s when it matters most. Ruijingya Tang One of my biggest and most meaningful design works is Memory Land—a digital platform I co-created to help people honor and preserve the memory of loved ones through personalized virtual spaces. It blends emotional storytelling with emerging technology, allowing users to fill their memorial spaces with 3D-scanned objects, photos, voice notes, and AI-generated recreations. I designed Memory Land because I wanted to reimagine how we process grief in an increasingly digital, globalized world—especially when traditional mourning rituals may feel inaccessible or isolating. My initial aspiration was to create a space that felt gentle, customizable, and emotionally supportive, without being overly somber or sterile. The project pushed me in every direction—as a UX designer, visual artist, and systems thinker. I worked across narrative flow, interface design, accessibility, and emotional tone, while testing with users navigating real experiences of loss. It won multiple international design awards, but what makes it my proudest work isn’t the recognition—it’s hearing users say it helped them process memories in a way that felt personal and healing. What made it special was the complexity: designing not just for function, but for grief, memory, and dignity. And I carry those values into every project I take on.
QZART : Qihang Zhang One designer I greatly admire is Bruno Munari. His ability to move fluidly between design, art, and education — while always centering clarity, play, and cultural meaning — has shaped the way I think about communication. He showed that simplicity can be poetic, and that good design doesn’t just solve problems — it expands perception. But beyond the design world, one of my biggest creative influences is Beyoncé. While not a traditional designer, she is a master of experience architecture — weaving music, visual identity, movement, and symbolism into deeply intentional narratives. Her work reminds me that design can live through rhythm, silence, texture, and feeling — not just pixels or print. I’m most inspired by creators who build systems of meaning — people who don’t just make things, but design worlds. Ruijingya Tang One designer I deeply admire is Charles Eames. His belief that “the boundaries of design are the boundaries of the problem” has been a guiding philosophy in my own work. I’m inspired not just by his aesthetic sensibility, but by the way he and Ray Eames approached design as an act of inquiry, empathy, and cross-disciplinary thinking. If I could speak with any designer from the past, it would be him—I’d want to ask how he balanced beauty and function while staying endlessly curious. I also greatly respect Dieter Rams, whose commitment to clarity and restraint continues to influence how we think about simplicity and timelessness. In the data-heavy systems I design, his principles help me remember that less, done well, is more. Beyond industrial design, I admire artists and architects who design with emotion, memory, and cultural sensitivity—people like Maya Lin, whose work on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial taught me how design can hold grief and meaning through form, without words. To me, great designers are those who don’t just create beautiful things—they change how we relate to the world, and to each other.
QZART : Qihang Zhang My lifestyle and design practice are both deeply shaped by culture, memory, and music. I was born and raised in China, studied in the U.S. and the U.K., and currently split my time between San Mateo and Shanghai. That cross-cultural lens has made me deeply aware of how people see, interpret, and experience the world differently — and how design can be a bridge, not just a solution. Music plays a huge role in my creative process. Whether it's a Beyoncé track that sets the emotional tone, or a traditional Chinese melody that evokes a memory, I often begin with sound before I begin with form. Music helps me feel the rhythm of a project before I define its structure. One of my favorite cities is Kyoto, for its quiet precision — the way centuries of tradition live inside subtle modern interventions. That kind of design — quiet, intentional, layered — is what I try to bring into my own work. Over time, design has also changed how I live. I’ve become more observant, more structured, and more attuned to small details — from how I arrange my desk to how I communicate with others. Design has taught me that even small decisions can create positive, incremental shifts — in workflows, in relationships, and in society. Ultimately, I believe good design is necessary for the advancement of society because it reminds us to be thoughtful. To listen before we speak. To care before we build. Ruijingya Tang I’m originally from China and currently based in Seattle, and I carry both cultures with me in how I live and design. From my Chinese background, I’ve inherited an appreciation for subtlety, symbolism, and emotional restraint—values that shape how I handle sensitive topics like grief, memory, or identity in my work. From living in Seattle, I’ve embraced a mindset of openness, systems thinking, and cross-disciplinary collaboration, which helps me move fluidly between UX, research, and visual storytelling. Music is a big part of my creative life—whether I’m designing for music professionals at Chartmetric or simply listening while sketching, I treat music as both inspiration and structure. It helps me think in rhythm, mood, and narrative flow. I believe good design is not just decoration—it’s infrastructure for human experience. It’s what makes things feel trustworthy, accessible, and meaningful. In my own life, design has taught me to approach everything—from communication to space to routines—with more intention and care. Something as small as reorganizing how I navigate my day—or as big as co-creating Memory Land—can create ripple effects toward calm, clarity, and connection.
QZART : Qihang Zhang I strive to create a work culture that is collaborative, thoughtful, and quietly ambitious. Whether I’m leading a product initiative or working alongside engineers, I prioritize clarity, emotional intelligence, and shared purpose. I believe in designing with people, not just for people — and that includes colleagues. I’m known for being highly structured, but also empathetic and flexible. I listen actively, ask clear questions, and try to make the invisible parts of the design process visible to others. When selecting partners or collaborators, I look for people who are curious, generous with ideas, and calm under ambiguity. I care less about where someone studied and more about how they think, how they learn, and how they treat others. I’ve worked both independently and in cross-functional teams, and I find the best outcomes happen when everyone feels ownership — not just over their tasks, but over the values behind the work. To me, a good designer isn’t defined by their software skills or how trendy their visuals are. What matters more is systems thinking, emotional sensitivity, and the courage to ask uncomfortable questions. One of the core challenges of our profession is being the bridge between complexity and clarity — and doing so without losing our empathy or voice. Design, at its best, is an act of care. And I try to bring that care into every conversation, every layout, every line of code I collaborate on. Ruijingya Tang My work culture is built on clarity, empathy, and mutual respect. Whether I’m working independently or with partners, I prioritize open communication, shared understanding, and a sense of emotional intelligence in every collaboration. I’ve led solo design efforts, but I thrive most when I’m part of cross-functional teams—co-creating with product managers, engineers, researchers, and artists to bring complex ideas to life with care and precision. I’m told it’s easy to work with me because I’m a good listener, I communicate proactively, and I approach ambiguity with calm. When selecting partners or teammates, I look for people who are curious, generous with feedback, and deeply invested in purpose over ego. Great collaboration happens when people care about both the big picture and the human experience at the center of the work. The core challenge of my profession is balancing emotional nuance with technical and business constraints—especially when designing for systems like healthcare, grief, or streaming analytics. But that’s also what excites me most. I believe good designers—and good collaborators—should be empathetic, rigorous, adaptable, and self-aware. Skill matters, but so does how you hold space for others and bring meaning to what you create.
QZART : Qihang Zhang I believe that design is not just a profession — it's a form of service. And I try to carry that belief into everything I do. I’ve contributed to the design community through mentorship, judging, and social impact work. I serve as a mentor on platforms like ADPList, where I support early-career designers around the world — especially those from non-traditional or underrepresented backgrounds. I’ve also judged numerous international design competitions and student hackathons, not just to evaluate, but to encourage and uplift. I’ve worked on projects with civic and humanitarian goals, including Blueline, a public safety app designed to rebuild trust between law enforcement and underserved communities. I believe that good design can drive equity — and that designers have a responsibility to contribute beyond commercial work. To me, giving back isn’t a side project — it’s integrated into how I practice. I make time for conversations, portfolio reviews, and design education because I remember how much I relied on others’ generosity when I was just starting out. I believe in a design culture where people are seen, ideas are shared, and care is part of the process — not just the outcome. Ruijingya Tang As a designer and artist, I believe deeply in using design as a tool for care, dignity, and inclusion—especially for people and communities who are often overlooked by traditional systems. My most personal contribution in this area is Memory Land, a digital memorial platform I co-created to help people grieve, reflect, and connect across distance and culture. The project began not as a commercial product, but as a humanitarian response—rethinking how we hold space for loss in a digital world. I’m a strong believer in pro bono and purpose-driven work, especially when the mission aligns with my values. I’ve contributed to healthcare access initiatives through my work with Babyscripts, supported digital equity through inclusive UX design practices, and volunteered time mentoring design students and junior professionals navigating their own creative paths. I also stay connected to the design community through talks, panels, and critique sessions—sharing what I’ve learned and creating space for emerging voices. To me, giving back isn’t separate from design—it’s embedded in how we listen, advocate, and build systems that reflect care for the people we serve.
QZART : Qihang Zhang Participating in the A’ Design Award has been one of the most meaningful experiences in my career so far — not just because of the recognition, but because of the community, visibility, and reflection it encouraged. One of the most positive moments was being named Designer of the Day. That recognition felt deeply personal — not just a celebration of a single project, but an acknowledgment of the values and vision behind my work. It gave me confidence to keep designing in my own voice. For me, there are three major benefits to entering design competitions: First, reflection — the process of submitting forces you to articulate your design decisions, impact, and purpose, which sharpens your thinking. Second, connection — being part of a global network of designers opens up unexpected collaborations and cultural insight. Third, credibility — awards create external validation that helps clients, collaborators, and even yourself recognize the value of your work. I believe competitions like the A’ Design Award matter because they give designers a platform to be seen — especially those working outside the traditional centers of influence. They celebrate not just trends, but thoughtful, impactful, and culturally diverse design. Ruijingya Tang Participating in the A’ Design Award has been an incredibly rewarding experience. It provided us with a rare opportunity to step back from day-to-day execution and reflect deeply on the strategic intent, emotional impact, and societal relevance of our work. Preparing the submission helped us articulate not just what we built, but why it matters—to both our users and the broader creative industry. One of the most positive aspects was the international visibility it brought to our design. Being recognized by a global, multidisciplinary jury affirmed that data-driven tools like Talent Search can be celebrated not just for their functionality, but also for their clarity, accessibility, and inclusiveness. The award also connected us with a broader community of designers, artists, and thinkers who share a commitment to using design for impact. It was especially meaningful to be named Designer of the Day, as it signaled that even work in niche or B2B spaces can contribute to the global design conversation in significant ways.
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