Meet Xiaobi (Iris) Pan | New Technology Designer & Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Xiaobi (Iris) Pan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Xiaobi (Iris), is there something you can share with us that those outside of the industry might not be aware of?
Most people think of design as a heavily visual process, but as someone who’s been in the design industry for over 10 years, I’d say visual excellence does not equate design excellence. There’re many ways to approach design and many ways to deliver design, and visual is only one of them, albeit an important one. When I judge someone’s design work, I look for intent, clarity, the thoroughness and completeness of one’s thought process, before I look at the visual presentation itself. Thus, I think it’s a common misconception that designers are mostly dealing with visuals and they have to be naturally good at visual presentation (Yes, it can be learned).

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
As a designer with an engineering background, I always see design as a type of creative problem-solving. Over the years, I discovered that, the problems that I’m most passionate about solving, usually have both a business aspect and a social aspect.

For example, I designed the Mastercard donation platform that uses micro-donation strategies and positive social reinforcing techniques to nudge young working professionals to donate to their favorite charities and feel proud of themselves for doing good.

In another case, I spearheaded design for the Mastercard Green Initiative project, which encourages environmentally conscious shopping behaviors. Each consumer will be rewarded with “green points” every time they take public transit, or shop in environmentally-friendly stores, etc. They can then use those green points to buy and plant real trees in designated places, and witness their impact on a greener planet grow over time. This project became the Mastercard Priceless Planet Coalition (launched Jan, 2020) which is about to plant 100 million trees on the earth in 5 years.

Through these works, I discovered the power of design to make the world a better place, and made up my mind to keep using design as a force for good. That is why I co-started HMW Design Studio with my partner Jennie (Junru Xu) and together we’re trying to create more social-impact driven design works that aim to help various communities and address social challenges with a wholistic design approach.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’d recommend visiting LA for its architecture. It’s definitely one of the most fascinating city with a diverse set of iconic buildings. For example, Central Los Angeles Area High School #9, Caltrans District 7 Headquarters, Emerson College, etc.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I started my design studio, HMW (How Might We) Design Studio (https://www.hmwdesign.studio/) with my partner Jennie, Junru Xu in 2024. And It has been a great adventure so far.

As a design force, our studio is committed to shaping a future where creativity serves as a catalyst for positive social change. With a focus on social impact-driven design innovation, our studio crafts experiences that are both forward-looking, and deeply grounded in today’s societal challenges.

For example, our first studio project, HEAR ME (https://www.hmwdesign.studio/), is an app that helps people with hearing and speech disabilities better connect with the world and live a more fulfilling life. It has been nominated by the prestigious UX Design Award, as we’re thrilled to have received this recognition.

Website: https://irispan.net/ https://www.hmwdesign.studio/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/irisxpan/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@HMWDesignStudio

Image Credits
Xiaobi Pan