Hey, I’m Linda. Nice to meet you!

I’m a design strategist and design ethnographer with over 13 years of experience in social innovation, driven by a deep curiosity about the untold stories of power, culture, and desire behind how we co-design the world.

I'm currently a partner in Make-a-Point Design Consultancy,

and a co-founder of CommuniD.

In parallel universes, I’m also an evolutionary biologist, a visual artist, and a rock climber.

Newest Blog Posts

Featured
Design’s subplots and the time that goes missing
Design’s subplots and the time that goes missing

Looking back from some imagined future, I think this paper will feel pivotal in a personal way. Not because it is extremely very well written (I carry many regrets), but because it marks my first departure from trying to demonstrate “competence” in the tools and processes of my practice.

A 10 minute performance of my PhD: On becoming a backdoor designer (script included)
A 10 minute performance of my PhD: On becoming a backdoor designer (script included)

(Linda gets off a car, holding a clipboard and a tote bag full of Post-its.) Linda (L): I'm so happy to be here!  It took me 6 months to finally convince my NGO sponsor to support my co-design work with this village!

Recreating first encounters
Recreating first encounters

We were walking across the rice fields with teachers and parents to do home visits when someone asked about the cost of our plane tickets. We casually shared how much we each spent on flights from the U.S., Canada, and Malaysia. Gasps rippled through the group as they did the math. “You spent that much just to bring some books to our school?” they asked, bewildered.

Between wrapping and unwrapping yarn
Between wrapping and unwrapping yarn

With the man still lingering nearby, clearly waiting for us to leave, I wanted to end on a note of pride. I reminded the children that many cool spaces—like campsites, music festivals, and markets—are designed to be temporary. I also reminded everyone that we discovered many ways to use the chunky yarn, and that we captured photos to showcase our work. I asked everyone, myself included, to think about what we can do with these things.

Projects I led

Here you may find a selected list of projects I’ve conducted in the past 9+ years, either as the lead designer, researcher or facilitator.

There is an explosion of projects starting from 2018, and that is when I partnered up with my good friend Janson Cheng to build Make-a-Point, a design consultation firm, with which we work with a small team of dedicate young talents.

Design and strategy: Playing together as a community building tool in post-COVID immigrant communities in Hangzhou Blog post

Supported by Dunhe Foundation 2023

Open-ended Design: Co-creation with rural community & Xinlong Village Innovation Centre Details in Chinese, Blog posts1,2

Supported by Shaoguan Rural Revitalization Foundation - 2022 and ongoing

Design: “First 1000 Days Nurturing Calendar” for scientific early child development Details in Chinese

Supported by Mustela - 2022

Article: Designers share: What are Social Design Practices like in China Now? Chapter 1 Details

Stanford Social Innovation Review China (Web) - 2021

Design: Wayfinding system to facilitate co-habitation between all city dwellers Details

Commissioned by Shenzhen Futian Mangrove Ecological Park - 2020

Design: Mini-APP that sparks gender-talk in rural communities Details

Commissioned by Rural Women Development Foundation Guangdong 2020 

Design: Interactive Eco-Discovery Maps of Shenzhen Details

Commissioned by Shenzhen Foundation for International Exchange and Cooperation - 2019

Research: Perceived challenges in maintaining parent-child intimacy in middle class urban families in China

Make-a-Point - 2019

 

Design: “Ding & Dou Curious Battle” Sex Education Board Game for lower level elementary school students Details

Commissioned by Rural Women Development Foundation Guangdong - 2019


Research: Current perceptions on sex and gender in rural elementary school students in China Details

Commissioned by Rural Women Development Foundation Guangdong - 2019

 

Teaching: Ethnography workshop on the humans of Beijing (3 days) Details

Commissioned by Monash University - 2019

 

Design: Program and digital interface design for employee charity event

Commissioned by Danone China - 2019

 

Research: Villagers' attitudes toward government-run "Charity Supermarket" as an intervention for poverty relief, an Inner Mongolia-based case study Details in Chinese

Commissioned by Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Science - 2018

 

Research: Challenges in personal capacity building in female convenient store owners in response to rapid digitalization

Commissioned by Coca-Cola China - 2018



Teaching: Design for the Common Good seminar series (6 weeks) Details in Chinese

Commissioned by Yen Ching Academy of Peking University - 2018

 

Design: “Building Better Business” Board Game Details in Chinese

Commissioned by B Corps China - 2018

 

Research: Possible interventions for encouraging social and community leadership in youths living in second-tier cities in China Details in Chinese

Commissioned by Ginkgo Foundation - 2018

 

Design: “Faya Day” Annual Social Innovators Summit

Commissioned by Ginkgo Foundation - 2017

 

Talk: How I defeat pests with 36 Strategems Details

TEDxXiguan - 2016

 

Branding: Rebranding Rice Harmony,a South-China based social enterprise

2015

 

Design: Disaster Relief Student Toolkit

Commissioned by ONE Foundation - 2012

 

Design: The 1KG Box system for educational equality

1KG More - 2011

 

CV

I have had an unusual career path.

I began my academic career in molecular biology, studying the evolution of antibiotic resistant bacteria using quantitative methods. Due to a passion for rural development work, I moved back to China in 2009 and ventured into the world of social innovation when it was still very new here. It is for the purpose of creating truly effective solutions to real world problems that I started to develop skills for qualitative social research and design. Today, I work with a broad range of pressing social issues, with a personal passion in urban-rural disparity, gender equality and environmental sustainability.

 

Experience

Managing Partner
Make-a-Point Design Consultancy
Feb 2018 to present

Managing partner
Rice Harmony Cooperative
May 2014 to Dec 2016

Communications Consultant
Ginkgo Foundation
Apr 2017 to Jan 2018

Design Director
1KG More
Aug 2011 to Apr 2014

Research assistant
Ontario Agency of Health Protection and Promotion
Sep 2008 to Aug 2009

 

Education

PhD Candidate in Design

(ongoing, commenced Feb. 2023)

Monash University, MADA

 
 

Master of Science

University of Toronto, Department of Cell and Systems Biology

Molecular evolution and bioinformatics

Bachelor of Science

University of Toronto

Major in biology and minors in mathematics and physics Graduated with High Distinction

 

Volunteer Experience

Executive and Board member
Dream Corps International   
2005 to 2011

 

Languages

English

Mandarin

A bit of French (DELF A2)

 

Contact