Hello! My name is Cristal Jiang.
I am a product designer.
At five, I navigated three miles alone in a city of 15 million - I've been designing my path ever since…
Curiosity is my engine, and design thinking comes naturally.
As a kid, I asked so many questions that my family eventually gave up. Design gives me the rare privilege not just to ask “why,” but to decide it—turning insight into impact. Teaching design studio at UW was proof of that mindset in action: shaping ideas, mentoring others, and refining my own approach through collaboration and critique.
"Thinking by doing"
is what I learnt at RISD. In the glassblowing studio — where working under heat and pressure taught me to make decisions in real time. I’m comfortable starting with ambiguity, unafraid of the blank page, and I design through making, iteration, and continuous evolution.
0-1 Product builder
I made my own camera from scratch using handblown lenses and Raspberry Pi with some shattered lenses in true prototyping spirit. I built a website for documentation, turning the camera into a storytelling tool.
Trained as a landscape designer,
I understand real world constraints. A system thinker. I naturally think about user movement, environment, and behavior—not just screens.
I design for inclusion and sustainability
As part of a team, I co-created an SEGD-awarded installation for its excellence in inclusive, community-centered experiential UX, visited by thousands during the Design Festival. I believe great design invites participation, sparks engagement, and brings people together.
A map lover! I once made my own—created through site surveys (yes, with those yellow tripods), measurements, and a lot of wandering.
One of my superpowers is an unusually strong spatial memory: once I walk through a space, I never forget the route.
Other fun things to charge my curiosity & creativity….
