Hello,
I am Rachel Qian.
The Most Important Things About Rachel
I grew up in Hangzhou, China, a beautiful city in the southeastern part of the country. I moved to Los Angeles to attend ArtCenter College of Design for my undergrad and ended up staying in California for more than eight years.
​
I chose design because I’ve always been driven by the desire to solve problems and create solutions that alleviate pain and bring joy to others. I thrive on finding ways to make people’s lives easier through thoughtful design.
​
I’m constantly inspired by others, especially people who are passionate about what they do, such as entrepreneurs and volunteers for social work.
My Beliefs As A Designer
I believe that design does not happen in a vacuum —collaboration with other functions and teams is key to creating successful outcomes.
​
I believe that while it can be challenging, it is crucial to design for users, not for ourselves.
I believe that understanding the business context behind user needs is just as important as understanding those needs themselves.
​
And most importantly, I believe that design should be fun!
Why did I pursue an MBA
As you might have gathered by now, my design journey eventually led me to pursue an MBA. Here are a few reasons why MBA is helping me grow as a designer:
-
To learn how to translate business goals into design objectives and understand the business implications of design decisions.
-
To improve my ability to collaborate with other key stakeholders, such as PMs, engineers, and the marketing team.
-
To become more effective at presenting ideas and advocating for innovative changes.
-
To harness quantitative tools and data analysis to inform my design work and decision-making.
And Some Fun Things About Me
I’ve been dancing for 9 years and have performed in concerts and film festivals. I’ve also taught dance classes in LA!
I love animals—cats, dogs, turtles, hamsters, you name it. On weekends, I volunteer at animal shelters.
This summer, I picked up a tennis racket for the first time. I’m practicing hard and working on getting better every day.
​
I love cooking. Ask me anything about making Chinese food, Korean food, pasta, steaks, or pies!