Ciao~ This is Nanwei Cai (he/him)
This Nanwei is scrollable ☝️
Nanwei is a designer, a creative maker, and a storyteller, currently based in New York City.
He holds a B.E. in Industrial and Interaction Design from South China University of Technology and is currently a new grad from MFA Design & Technology at Parsons School of Design. He was a former intern at GE Appliances and UX research assistant at The New School.
With a belief that everything is someone, he designs things that are warm and alive, copes with people's needs, and touch their emotions.
He works across a range of cross-platform UXUI design and creative research practices. He is passionate about solving complex problems with simple yet creative solutions with the power of design and technology.
In his free time, he can be found tinkering with interactive objects🤖 with all sorts of materials and sensors. You can also find him humming on road trips🗺, wandering in museums🏛, and playing guitar🎸 and badminton🏸 with his friends.
Feel free to say hello↗︎ and connect↗︎
Education
Parson School of Design | The New School
2019-2022 | New York
MFA Design and Technology
South China University of Technology
2015-2019 | Guangzhou, China
B.E Industrial Design(Information and Interaction Design Pathway)
Experience
Interaction Design Intern · GE Appliances
2020.06-2021.07
- Responsible for the UXUI of SmartHQ Management™ app and Launderday™ app (beta launch), delivered user flow and high-fidelity prototypes, and created design system to ensure consistency and scalability of the products.
- Redesigned the connecting(launched) and controlling experience in the SmartHQ™ app, significantly improved the ease of use and user satisfaction (SUS score increased by 18).
- Collaborated with a multidisciplinary team including PMs, engineers, market analysts and UXRs on the UXUI design and testing, delivered high-fi prototypes for 3 consumer-facing apps and 5 IoT appliances.
UX Research Assistant · The New School
2021.10-2022.03
Conducted user research and qualitative usability testing in the Interactive Audio Description Project, which focuses on enabling just and equitable access to entertainment media for blind people with Machine Learning facilitation.
Drafted discussion guide, conducted recruitment and accessible online study sessions with 30 visually impaired participants, and organized an online discussion panel.
Synthesized research findings into insights for prototype iteration, which significantly improved the usability and user satisfaction of the prototype.
Design Technologist Intern · SCUT Innovation and Entrepreneurship Base
2018.08-12
- Collaborated with PMs on user research and concept development, created prototypes for the products and mobile app design of the Smart Coaster Project.
- Assisted in the front-end development to deliver the WeChat mini program;
- Early-stage prototypes were granted two utility model patents and applied for two invention patents.
Industrial Design Freelance · Neptum
2017.10-12
- Conducted user research, designed and iterated washstands for the Elderly Integrated Bathroom Project, and tested the ergonomics of the product models.
Awards
- 2022 Finalist, Adobe Creative Jam + Sonos
- 2018 Bronze, SCUT Trials, China College Student’s “Internet +” Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition
- 2018 Intangible Culture Heritage Star Award (national · top 3%), Intangible Culture Heritage Innovation Design Competition
- 2016 National Scholarship Winner, the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China
Skills
- Resarch & Design: Design Thinking, User Research, Storyboarding, User Journey, Service Blueprint, Rapid Prototyping, Usability Test
- UX/UI: Figma, XD, Adobe Suite, Protopie, Sketch, Flinto
- Programming: HTML, CSS, Javascript, Unity(C#), Processing(Java), Arduino(C, C++), Raspberry Pi & Python
- 3D: Rhino, Cinema 4D , Solidworks, Alias, Keyshot, 3D Printing, Woodshop, Laser Cut