Hi, I’m Xinyu, a Master’s student in Service Design (2023/24) at the Royal College of Art, with a background in Industrial Design and 3 years of work experience. My passion for design extends beyond aesthetics and functionality; I am deeply committed to addressing and solving social issues through thoughtful and innovative design solutions.

Throughout my career, I have consistently focused on pressing social issues and have been actively involved in projects that tackle these challenges. My work primarily revolves around social care, sustainability, and finance. These projects have not only honed my design skills but also strengthened my belief in the transformative power of design.

I firmly believe that design is a powerful catalyst for improving the way people live. It has equipped me with a keen eye for detail, enabling me to identify problems and proactively seek out practical and effective solutions. For me, design carries a profound sense of mission and responsibility. Through my work, I hope to make a meaningful impact on society and enhance the quality of life for individuals and communities.

PROJECT EXPERIENCE

• Grand Challenge: Bexley’s EElvolution is an interdisciplinary project, which aims to address London's most pressing marine issues. Taking the London borough of Bexley as a research object, our team attempted to establish an eel conservation community in Hall Place and Gardens, utilising the original topographical environment, redesigning the eel pass, building gazebo for tourists to rest and learn about the eel, and using an app to unite different London boroughs and eel conservation areas, to let the local people know about the eel and take part in the conservation of the endangered species-eel.
• Challenge Lab: Zegon is a treasure-hunting game as a carrier to educate Generation Z while providing a community forum for communication, petitioning, and voting. It allows Generation Z to reflect on the impact of their pension investment on climate change and to make behavioural changes that will further influence the pension investment behaviour of employers, pension providers and society, ultimately helping tackle climate change with sustainable pensions. Our team got a recommendation from our partner Aegon to participate in the Terra Carta.
• Across RCA: Does Orderliness Matter studies how image order affects emotions to achieve art healing. Using the Chinese Medicine Emotional Wheel, our performance art employs five colours of sand to represent ‘Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth’. By mixing these colours, we illustrate the movement of the universe. It is hoped that the changing colours and image order will offer different audio-visual sensations, evoke emotional responses, and stimulate infinite thinking in the audience.

ACHIEVEMENT

• Third Place, Grand Challenge 2023/24, Royal College of Art