Internship Projects
Consumer innovation and industrial design
Two early-career projects where I worked across user research, product thinking, visual design, industrial design and interface design.
- Role
- Design Internships
- Timeline
- 2020–2023
- Impact
01 / Industrial Design
Good Matter Design Studio × FOTILE
Where Cool Air Meets Cooking Heat
Research, product concept and interface design for FOTILE's A1.i Integrated Cooling Range Hood.
- Role
- UI/UX Design Intern
- Timeline
- Jan 2020 — Sep 2020
- Location
- Shanghai
- Scope
- Contextual Research · Product Concept · 3D Form Studies · Interface Design
Introduction
Rethinking comfort in the Chinese kitchen
FOTILE is China's leading kitchen appliance brand. The Good Matter design team developed a cooling range hood that combines smoke extraction, cooling and easier cleaning for Chinese stir-fry cooking.
I designed the “Skyline” UI, with a horizon-like glow that changes in size and brightness with the airflow. Launched as the FOTILE A1.i, the product received a 2022 iF Design Award and Gold at the 2022 China Excellent Industrial Design Award.
01 — Contextual Research
Understanding the real kitchen
The GoodMatter design team visited target users in their homes and conducted focus groups and qualitative research.
We observed how people cooked, cleaned and used limited kitchen space. The research showed that heat, oil smoke, difficult cleaning and lack of space were closely connected problems.
02 — Design Development
From Insight to Product
Working with the GoodMatter design team, I supported the development of the product concept, physical form and touchscreen experience.
For the physical product, we focused on making the range hood easier to clean. The front was designed as a seamless black crystal glass panel that could be wiped clean, without the exposed oil filters found on traditional range hoods.
We also integrated an extra-long oil cup into the product form. With twice the capacity of a standard oil cup, it significantly reduced how often users needed to empty and clean it.
Designing the Skyline UI
I designed the “Skyline” touchscreen interface around the product's cooling and extraction system.
Blue light represented cool airflow descending from above, while warm orange light represented heat rising from the hob. The two colours met at the centre to form a clear horizon line. The brightness and spread of the glow changed with the airflow level, allowing users to understand changes in the hood's operation at a glance.
Outcome
From studio concept to commercial product
The project developed into FOTILE's commercially launched A1.i Integrated Cooling Range Hood, combining cooling airflow and smoke extraction within one appliance.
The Skyline metaphor was carried into the production interface, with its visual treatment refined for the final hidden-glass control panel.
2022
China Excellent Industrial Design Award
Gold
The FOTILE A1.i received Gold at the 2022 China Excellent Industrial Design Award, one of only ten Gold-winning projects that year.
2022
iF Design Award
Product Design Winner
The FOTILE A1.i also received a 2022 iF Design Award for its integrated cooling and smoke-extraction experience, ultra-thin form and responsive Skyline interface.
View iF awardI contributed to the project as a UI/UX Design Intern within the GoodMatter design team. The final product was developed collaboratively with FOTILE.
02 / Consumer Innovation
Illuminera × Suntory
Suntory Qingxiang Oolong Tea
From consumer insight to a market-ready tea proposition
Illuminera, Shanghai · Design Intern
Consumer Research · Product Positioning · Persona · Packaging Design
Suntory wanted to identify a new growth opportunity within China's increasingly competitive ready-to-drink tea market. Working with Illuminera's innovation team, I supported the development of a new tea proposition by translating consumer and market research into a clear target audience, positioning direction and packaging concept.
The Challenge
Sugar-free tea was growing rapidly, but many products were communicating similar claims and beginning to look interchangeable.
The challenge was to create a proposition that felt relevant to changing health expectations while remaining credible to Suntory's established tea heritage.
My Contribution
My focus: Positioning · Persona · Packaging
My focus was turning research findings into a consumer-facing product direction.
I synthesised consumer needs and competitor patterns, helped define the target positioning, developed the core user persona and translated the strategy into the final packaging direction.
The design aimed to communicate a tea that felt natural, light and suitable for everyday consumption—without becoming overly clinical or aggressively health-focused.
Impact
No.1 Suntory new product by GMV within six months
The resulting product, Suntory Qingxiang Oolong Tea, successfully entered the market and became Suntory's highest-performing new product by GMV within six months of launch.
This project showed me how consumer research, positioning and visual design can work together to turn an emerging market opportunity into a commercially successful product.
Research
Market and consumer signals
Positioning
Natural everyday balance
Design
Persona and packaging direction