Master of Arts
Bachelor
Cooperation Student
Service Design
Service Design
Shantou, China
Dessau, Germany
Guangzhou, China
Sept. 2017 - Jun. 2020
April. 2019 - Nov. 2019
Sept. 2013 - Jun. 2017
GPA: 86/100 (Top: 5%)
ECTS Grade: A
GPA: 77.9/100
Design
Chen, M. X., Hu, H., Yao, R., Qiu, L., & Li, D. (2024). A Survey on the Design of Virtual Reality Interaction Interfaces. Sensors, 24(19), 6204.
https://doi.org/10.3390/s24196204
Guangdong Administration for Market Regulation. (2025). User Experience Design Standard for Age-Friendly Mobile E-Government Services (DB44/T 2678—2025).
(Co-authored by Ruiqi Yao, contributing lead designer and primary drafter.)
https://std.samr.gov.cn/db/search/stdDBDetailed?id=3A7F82B3DAABD54AE06397BE0A0AC7F8
Wu, Y., & Yao, R. (2025). Supporting Sustainable Island Tourism through Infrastructuring Co-Design: A Case Study from Mayu Island. Island Studies Journal. (Co-first author)
https://doi.org/10.24043/001c.142953
A’ Design Award 2021 Silver Winner (Top 5%) - Meta, Stratrgic and Service Design
IF Design Award 2019 - Discipline Service Design
Certified Level-II Talent in Service Design, Issued by the China Service Design Qualification System, 2020.
My job is doing field research and co-design projects focused on rural revitalization, social innovation, and participatory design. Contributed to city-funded initiatives in both island and rural communities, producing policy reports and participatory frameworks that continue to guide community initiatives and local governance.
Founded and managed a service design and social innovation consultancy focused on public sector and community development projects. Oversaw design research, stakeholder engagement, and project delivery. Clients include local governments and cultural organizations.
Advised the company on integrating participatory design strategies into community innovation projects under Chengdus governance reform. Provided design tools and frameworks for rural co creation workshops and public engagement activities.
Drawing on my research in digital transformation and user experience, I took on the role of project monitor at our school's IT Center. In this capacity, I led service system innovation projects such as the One-Stop Student Service Hub and campus data visualization dashboard. Coordinated cross-functional teams including developers, designers, and administrative departments to ensure project delivery and implementation.
Since 2021, I have been a Teaching Assistant at the School of Design, where I assisted in courses on service design, design research, and project-based learning, and mentored students conducting fieldwork related to community innovation and user experience.
Design and Project Management, Spring 2023
Postgraduate Courses:
Project Management, 2022–2023
Undergraduate Courses:
Project Practice, 2022–2024
Cultural Inheritance and Innovation, Fall 2022
Social Information and Creative Research, 2021–2022
In 2022, we initiated a collaborative redesign of digital social security services with government agencies, developers, and older adults, aiming to enhance accessibility and inclusion. The resulting age-friendly version has since benefited nearly 500,000 users. Building on this pilot, we contributed to the drafting of Guangdong’s first provincial design standard for age-friendly digital services (DB44/T 2678—2025), officially released in 2025, which institutionalizes user experience principles at the policy level.
In 2022, we worked with residents, students, and local authorities on Mayu Island to explore new approaches to sustainable tourism and cultural preservation. Using ethnographic research, collaborative mapping, and co-design workshops, the project culminated in the Masu dérive exhibition and informed a published paper in Island Studies Journal (2025).
Led the design and implementation of a campus-wide student service hub, coordinating with stakeholders to ensure smooth integration into the university’s digital system.
Redesigned the orientation process to improve cross-department collaboration and student onboarding. The system has been in use since 2023.
Commissioned by CP Group, I led the redesign of layouts and workflows for a university-based community supermarket, improving customer flow and reducing staffing costs. Operated successfully from 2020 to 2023.
Between 2024 and 2025, we worked with social workers and community staff in Pujiang County, Chengdu, to explore how participatory design can support community governance. Through the "Lakeside Conversations" and the "Community Growth Wall", we developed infrastructures that embedded care and everyday participation into local practices. These interventions sustained resident-led actions beyond the design team’s presence, and informed the county’s policy decision to expand the model to 16 sites with new funding.
A practice-based research exhibition integrating service design theory (Breachingthrough-Service) and local food culture, co-led with Dr. Yiying Wu and Dr. Kartikeya Acharya. Featured immersive performances, on-site cooking, and participatory installations by student teams.
A locally embedded exhibition showcasing ten years of cultural memory and spatial transformation in the Nanbin neighborhood, co-produced with community members and local government.
rqyao@stu.edu.cn
Click to mail meShantou University