Annie Tang
About
Annie is a design engineer working primarily within healthcare and inclusive design spaces. Prior to GID, Annie completed her degree in Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering at the University of Warwick. She uses her technical training in conjunction with human centred design practices to create meaningful solutions, geared towards communities who are typically not designed for.
Education
MA/MSc Global Innovation Design - Royal College of Art and Imperial College London (2021-2023)
Exchange Partners: Keio University, Japan | Pratt Institute, USA
BEng Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering - University of Warwick (2017-2021, 1st Class Hons)
Exchange Partner: TU Darmstadt, Germany
Work Experience: Product Engineer, Jaguar Land Rover
Awards/Scholarships
Industrial Design Studentship, Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851
Turing Grant, The Turing Scheme
JASSO Scholarship, Keio University
Statement
Hi, I'm Annie, an engineer-turned-designer passionate about creating a more equitable world. My work focuses on removing barriers for underserved communities.
Through the course of my GID journey, I have had the pleasure of exploring design from multiple cultures across the world. This has brought an appreciation for designing mindfully with local cultures and more inclusivity into my practice.
Presented below are my three latest projects that I conducted whilst in New York and back home in London.
Reset is a facilitation tool for effective family Carepair dynamics. Smart home devices are used to create a calming and intimate environment at home and community-based insights are used to open important care topics. Reset's aim is to help Carepairs better understand and connect with each other, creating more opportunity for moments of joy.
Pod is a continuous health monitor helping people with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) better manage their symptoms. By combining ECG technology with conductive temporary tattoos, Pod aims to monitor a person’s vitals with medical grade recordings, whilst remaining comfortable to wear over a long time.
Lafayette Gardens was a 7-week community led project within a social housing development in Brooklyn, New York. 'Mr Ty's Words of Wisdom' was created as a logbook and guide to help residents better access resources available to them. This project was created by the residents, for the residents.
Ultimately, my design reflects a key belief, which is that everyone deserves care.
Please get in touch if you would like to discuss current or potential future projects more!
Reset
Reset is a smart facilitation tool for effective family Carepair dynamics.
We are all affected by caregiving at some point in our lives. Increasingly more of us will have to care for a loved one in the future and yet we are taught little about how to do it, let alone all the ways it affects our lives. Reset recognises specifically the relational challenges in caregiving, such as misunderstandings and emotional tension, by bringing insights from others with similar experiences.
By providing personalised guidance for each Carepair, Reset promotes the importance taking time to ‘reset’ and connect again. The tool leverages smart home technology to create calming environments and facilitate care conversations that bring Carepairs closer together.
By fostering better communication, Reset not only helps lessen caregiver burden but also allows for more moments of joy in the care relationship. Ultimately, Reset is about creating a balanced care environment where complex experiences are addressed, voices are heard, and experiences together are cherished.
Pod
Pod is a continuous health monitor helping people with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) better manage their symptoms.
Post Exertional Malaise (PEM) is one of the cardinal symptoms of CFS, a disease that can stop people from carrying out basic functions due to extreme exhaustion. Numerous studies describe this as the delayed onset of increased fatigue. PEM is not only difficult to experience but also can worsen overall symptoms and recovery time.
Currently, there are no approved treatments for CFS. People are advised to keep diaries to track their fatigue, but these techniques are tiring in themselves.
Pod aims to be the next step in CFS management by using heart rate and heart rate variability to predict fatigue levels and overexertion. Both a dedicated app and the device alert the person through a buzz when to rest. The data collected is used to improve fatigue predictions and with consent, can also be sent to researchers working in the CFS field for scientific breakthrough.
By combining ECG technology with conductive temporary tattoos, Pod aims to monitor a person’s vitals with medical grade recordings, whilst remaining comfortable to wear over a long time.
Lafayette Gardens
Lafayette Gardens was a 7-week community led project within a social housing development in Brooklyn, New York.
This project came as a response to the growing confusion many, particularly older, residents felt from the rapidly changing and digitalisation of the social housing system in New York. Whilst many fantastic resources were provided, it was found that taking advantage of them was difficult for many people.
Alongside the Resident Association Chair, Mr. Ty, a guide and logbook were developed to help residents better understand what resources were available, how to access them and to ensure complete access.
A book format was chosen by the residents as an affordable, accessible, and scalable solution to meet the needs of the Lafayette Gardens and was created through a series of workshops with various residents and association members.
Thank you to Mr Ty and the residents of Lafayette Gardens for welcoming me into the community and allowing me to work alongside you!