San Jose, California, United States
Tammy is a creative, enthusiastic integrated designer with a global perspective and a strong background in human-centered design and mechanical engineering. Graduated from MIT’s inaugural Integrated Design Management class. She is not only a designer, engineer, but also a thinker, tinker and dreamer. Prior to MIT, she co-founded a social enterprise by designing a special water bottle that encourages children to drink enough water each day. Meanwhile, she completed her first master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. Starting from scratch, she developed a storytelling robot that engaged with children suffering from autism and language impairments to improve their linguistic capabilities.
• Led and coordinated with in-house engineering team and outsourcing design firms to develop company’s next version robot • Defined user workflows and layouts focusing on usability; produced graphic user interfaces for tablet and mobile devices • Spearheaded design-thinking process with a cross-functional team to create a whole new dining experience with technologies • Ideated and prototyped 30+ ideas for innovative form-factors and interfaces to improve usability, outcomes, adherence & costs based on different target restaurant needs • Designed external branding materials (e.g., logo, website, business cards, and marketing publications) • Created concept sketches, marker renderings and computer renderings in Photoshop and Illustrator, and CAD in Solidworks
AVIR offers low cost diagnostic tools using a smartphone to create equal access for all by humanising technologies for impacting the current Indian healthcare system in the area of maternal and pulmonary diseases. • Spearheaded design-thinking process with a cross-functional team to design a low-cost, child-friendly peak flow meter and piezoelectric stethoscope to diagnose asthma for rural pediatric care workers in India • Ideated and prototyped 30+ ideas for innovative form-factors, interfaces, and complementary mobile diagnostic applications to improve usability, outcomes, adherence & costs based on different target user needs (i.e. doctors, parents, & children)
Chineasy is an award-winning educational entertainment company to help people learn about the Chinese language and culture with fun. • Led and coached executive team through the user-centered design process customized for toy & gaming development • Researched educational toys landscape and brainstormed 80+ product ideas which enable children to learn Chinese with fun; research led to recommendations on the strategic focus of Chineasy’s new product line to be educational table games • Improved product design based on insights gained through home-visit interviews and user testing with 30+ target customers; user research shaped prototypes for two Chinese learning games with a goal to establish co-brand partnerships with leading toy brands • Created twelve animal mascots in visual and hand-made model based on Chineasy’s brand guideline • Assess manufacturing feasibility and built CAD model with Solidworks for Chineasy Tiles to ensure success in mass production • European Design Award: Gold prizes in Board Game / Teaching aids; Sliver prize in Educational Toy (Chineasy Tiles)
Selected out of the inaugural class of 18 students to led curriculum development and logistical support & coordination for the Integrated Design Management Core Course.
Developed emergency broadcast system for deaf vacationers with Horace Mann School of Hard of Hearing • Conducted 50+ hours of interviews with potential customers and users (i.e., hospitality staff, deaf vacationers, cruise safety crew) to uncover key safety system design requirements; generated 200+ ideas through ideation & prototyping sessions • Prioritized critical assumptions to develop 10 sketch models & functional circuit prototypes; facilitated 2+ feedback sessions with Horace Mann School for the Deaf to refine concepts based on desirability, feasibility & economic viability criteria • Developed & integrated product design blueprints (i.e. product specs, packaging) and detailed engineering schematics (i.e. assembly drawings, bill-of-materials) for a comprehensive design-for-manufacturing package (tech-pack) for proposed RFPs