Raine Qian
Why did you choose to attend OCAD U?
I have always had an interest in visual design. When I landed in Canada, I had no idea which design school to apply for. I searched online for best design schools in Canada. The iconic architecture of OCAD’s Sharp Centre for Design got my attention right away. I quickly decided that OCAD is the university I would like to attend.
Please briefly describe your current job / practice.
I'm the manager of product design at Pivotal Labs. Pivotal Labs is an agile software consultancy that designs and builds web and mobile Apps across different platforms. At Pivotal Labs, I work closely with startups and enterprise clients, development and product team to research, ideate, prototype, test, and designs Apps. I also help in improving design process and practise, growing the multidisciplinary design team.
How did you get started in your career?
My career began with clicking the ‘Apply” button online for a mobile UI designer job. It was a time that product designers (UI/UX) barely exist. I didn’t know much about mobile app design, but I had all the fundamental design skills they required. So I applied and then I got the job. After 2 years of learning and practicing at work, I became a product designer.
Most of the time, you don’t get a dream job right away. You might not even know what your dream job could be. But when things happened for you, you need to be ready to seize the opportunity.
Did you volunteer or work in your field while you were a student?
Sure, I did. I was eager to gain real working experience when I was in school. I thought real job experience is key to employment after school. I found a 3-month summer internship at a fashion magazine company in my third year. Good thing is, after working there, I realized that I actually didn’t enjoy working as a magazine designer.
What were your policies regarding internships, volunteering, and paid work?
I remembered that in 3rd year semesters there was a program offered class credits for doing internship at assigned design companies and studios. Because I was timid at that time and thought I wasn’t good enough to compete for the limited internship spots, I did not apply for the program. Thinking back now, I should have applied for that.
What do you enjoy most about your work?
What I enjoy the most is, with technology and design, I’m building applications that will be used by thousands and millions of people and will make their everyday life easier and happier.
What is the most challenging aspect of your work?
To be honest, I think the most challenging aspect is people. You need to empathize your users. Empathize how they feel and think and why they behave in certain ways. You need to understand your clients. Understand their needs and goals and how to best communicate with them. You need to know your team. Know how to efficiently and effectively work with cross functional teams.
What skills or relationships developed at OCAD U helped you participate in your field?
I learned a lot in my 4th year while working on my thesis project. Closely working with my professor, really helped me develop my problem-solving skills.
Is there anything you would have done differently?
I was so introverted when I was in OCAD. I didn’t enjoy talking to new people and engaging in any social activities while in school. If I could have done it differently, I would definitely have taken all the opportunities that school has offered, things like design competitions, volunteer jobs.
What are the key responsibilities you maintain for your practice? Are there any specific tools or ideas you need to know about?
As a product designer, my responsibilities are not only designing intuitive and aesthetic UI and interactions but also understanding product roadmap, technical feasibility and most importantly, determining what is the right problem to solve for your user and how to solve it. You really need to know how to do user research, synthesize findings and use real data feedback to inform your design decisions.
Any other activities (e.g. networking events, a side job…etc) that you need to sustain your practice?
I think continuous learning is a must. Networking events, conferences, design blogs and online classes are all great resources for continuous learning. That’s how you improve and stay ahead the wave. I also speak at conferences and organize Meetup event. By doing so, I sharpened my knowledge in design and stay engaged with the industry and community.
What are your personal and professional goals for the coming years?
For my personal goals, I want to try as many new things as possible in life. Things that I was afraid of or I have never done before. Last year I joined surf camp spontaneously, and I love surfing so much now! I want to try pilot flying lesson and sailing lesson next.
Professional goals, I want to broaden my knowledge across fields. In addition to interaction design and UX research, I start to learn more about psychology, business strategy and front-end development.
What was your first job out of school?
My first job was a graphic designer job at a media production company. I worked on many marketing collaterals and TV graphics. It’s not a very exciting job, but I was excited because it’s my first full-time design job.
What are some of the other jobs you subsequently held?
After my first job, I worked as UI designer at a mobile app development company, where I gradually evolved into a product designer.