Hi, It's Linh
What a great chance to get to know you!
I am an Interaction Design student at Emily Carr University in Vancouver, BC. Through my journey of learning about user-centric design, I fell in love with Service Design and discovered my passion for solving complex social issues with my work. I deeply care about people's well-being and nurturing personal growth. Through the practice of Participatory Design and Co-Design, I work closely with stakeholders and people with lived experience to build connections, form empathy and co-create accessible and sustainable solutions that meet their needs.
What is Service Design?
According to the Interaction Design Foundation website, Service Design is a process where designers create sustainable solutions and optimal experiences for both customers in unique contexts and any service providers involved. Designers break services into sections and adapt fine-tuned solutions to suit all users’ needs in context—based on actors, location and other factors.
For me, Service Design helps organizations form holistic systems for meaningful and long-lasting relationships with their clients/ users, as well as beneficial for stakeholders and staff.
Why Service Design for me?
I am excited about tackling societal challenges and view service design as a fantastic avenue to channel my skills and values. My strength lies in attentive listening and wholeheartedly understanding the difficulties and issues people face. Prior to my time at Emily Carr, I spent six years honing my expertise in the realm of customer service, gaining invaluable insights into a wide range of services spanning from airports to medical clinics. I find immense joy in how these experiences enrich my approach to design. In my eyes, dependable and inclusive services form the bedrock of a well-operating society.
About my design practice
Design Philosophy
- Playful and whimsical
I embrace chaos and imperfection in design. Nowadays, we often see designs that seem extremely polished, from websites to apps to products. And we are less forgiving of imperfections in designing work. However, life is rarely flawless. On the other hand, it's filled with the unexpected. Keeping an open mind and a playful attitude in design allows me to create services that are simple yet effective, accessible and sustainable. I see room to improve in any service as design opportunities.
- Affirmative, Critical and Activism Design
Affirmative design seeks positive change and inclusivity by uplifting marginalized voices. Critical design questions societal norms with unconventional creations, sparking discussions on technology and power. Activism design merges creativity with activism to drive social change and raise awareness. Striving for diversity, equity and inclusion in my design, I wish to improve the experience of underrecognized users, challenge social issues, and create meaningful changes in the world.
Fields of interest
- Health Care
- Education, especially consent education for young children and teens.
- Advocacy and Leadership
Besides UX and Service Design skills, I also focus on the following qualities that are valuable to designers.
Empathy
I wish to improve lives by deeply understanding and connecting with diverse perspectives, acting as a bridge between user expectations and organizational constraints to create user-centric design.
Communication
My strong communication skills help me connect with clients and convey their visions, as well as work effectively in a team. My ability to tell compelling stories helps to make ideas understandable, connect with audiences emotionally, and communicate the holistic narrative of a service experience.
Facilitation
I'm able to facilitate user test and feedback sessions and guide diverse teams through processes, workshops, and activities, often uniting parties who haven't worked together before.
Systems Thinking
I recognize issues on a systems level and comprehend how various components and dimensions of a service interact within the larger service ecosystem.
Learning though Making
I enjoy doing user research as much as ideation, visualization and prototyping. My favourite part of the design process is user testing and developing iterations according to user feedback.
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