About Me
Hi there, I'm Rui Jie Wang, a Designer, Creative, and Builder who believes the best work lives at the intersection of structure and intuition. I approach design as a systems problem - understanding the full picture before making decisions about the details.
My work spans product strategy, interaction design, and experimentation with emerging technologies. I'm drawn to projects where thoughtful structure can unlock better experiences for everyone - whether that means simplifying a complex onboarding flow or building out virtual simulations from first principles.
I deeply care about craft, clarity, and the small decisions that compound into something meaningful. Navigating between messy, complex systems and simple, elegant solutions. When I'm not designing, I'm usually writing about the thinking behind the work or exploring and experimenting with new tools and techniques.
Work Experience
- 2023 — NowSr. Product Designer·Toboggan Labs
Remote
Creative & strategic design partner helping startups and businesses with redesigns, product discovery, experiment design and 0-1 product initiatives in healthcare, education, AI and social-impact. Clients include: Elion Health, Trans Lifeline, Seen Health.
- 2022 — 2023Sr. UX Designer Prototyper·ATB Ventures
Remote
As part of the advanced concepts team, worked with multiple parties to lead design thinking processes, establish exploratory research methods and prototype horizon 3 concepts with emerging technologies.
- 2020 — 2022Sr. Product Designer·Lumeto / DarkSlope
Toronto
Led the design function for product discovery, design and delivery of the Involve XR platform. Worked closely with end users, SME partners, engineering and PMs to understand user needs, learning efficacy and ensure feature concepts and improvements are optimized for next generation XR modalities. Focused on upfront rapid prototyping and experimentation for immersive learning.
- 2017 — 2020Lead UX Designer·PATIO Interactive
Toronto, Canada
Designed and developed digital, AR, VR & product experiences for industries ranging from cannabis, educational, industrial to medical applications.
- 2018Innovator in Residence·Toronto Public Library
Toronto, Canada
Facilitated hands-on learning about Augmented Reality at the library's Digital Innovation Hubs. Taught AR basics and how to create AR experiences with 30+ programs and classes at North York Central Library, reaching 400+ patrons over 10 weeks.
- 2016Service Designer·Bridgeable
Toronto
Worked with the Heart & Stroke Foundation to develop an omni-channel health and wellness program for adults 55+ at risk of hypertension. Performed user research with 60+ stakeholders, designed visual/brand assets, and developed digital prototypes for the health platform.
Education
- 2017Bachelor of Arts·Queen's University
Kingston, Canada
Computing & Creative Arts BAH, Art History Specialization. Principal's Scholarship 2013-14, Dean's Honour List with Distinction 2013-14, Harold & Helen Cave Scholarship 2015-16.
Certifications
- 2024Design MBA·d.mba
- 2022Games UI/UX·ELVTR
- 2019Product Management Intensive·Brainstation
- 2017CIID Summer School·Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design
Interaction Design Basics, Designing Connected Products, Designing Connected Spaces, Designing Impactful Digital Experiences.