Meet Ruolin Tu | Multidisciplinary Experience Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ruolin Tu and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ruolin, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
I don’t have the typical “artist overcoming obstacles” story. As a kid, my future aspirations changed daily—from scientist to comic artist, lawyer, and even coroner. I always wanted to be a polymath, fascinated by the vast expanse of knowledge and skills to master.

What intrigued me most was the human mind. Throughout elementary and middle school, I devoured popular science books about the psyche and the brain (although, looking back I realized some of those popular science books weren’t exactly very scientific) and loved soft science fiction that delved into these topics. Despite my diverse interests, I still have a passion for art and design. I always vaguely believed I would continue creating art no matter my career path.
During the summer before my senior year in high school, I attended a summer school in sculpture and enrolled in an online research program focused on Science, Technology, and Society. Working on studio arts and writing a research paper on a tight schedule was exhausting, but this experience ignited my passion for interdisciplinary study and granted me some confidence.

Then I decided to pursue a dual degree in Design and Neuroscience for my undergraduate study. I received professional training in art and design as well as a chance to learn about the cognitive process more rigorously. While studying both subjects was great, something felt missing. Luckily, I got into a graduate program in Interactive Media, Games, and Health, which encourages interdisciplinary practice. The program introduced me to new media and allowed me to integrate my knowledge across various fields.

People often say, “If you want to get good at many things, you usually end up mediocre in everything.” Can’t quite argue with that (though technically speaking only focusing on one thing doesn’t grant one excellence either). I may not excel in every skill, but I have a unique combination of abilities that allows me to achieve things only a polymath can.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’ve worked as a product designer, web designer, and illustrator, designed UI/UX for games, and developed small games. I’ve been making prints and continuing my webcomic for six years. I’d call myself an experience designer since many of my works involve interaction, and I believe creating anything is essentially designing an experience.

Currently, I focus on UX and interactive media, where I integrate my knowledge across subjects and art and design skills to solve real-life problems. Transforming theories and research into tangible design is challenging yet rewarding. During my graduate studies, I worked on several research projects using games as health interventions. I also initiated a project—a casual game to improve attention using biofeedback for difficulty adjustment, aiming for an engaging and smooth experience.

My personal works are more experimental. In one of my recent projects, I replicated gradual change blindness, a perceptual phenomenon that’s mostly studied in 2d media, in VR environments. I create games that play with people’s perceptions and expectations of the medium to bring some novel experiences and hopefully also reflections on how we interact with the medium in certain ways.

I also draw inspiration from my science background for storytelling. I continue working on a comic series where I discuss some of my thoughts on science, technology, and philosophy in a humorous way. Some of them are slice-of-life comic strips, and some others are short science fiction stories, aiming to provoke thought and perhaps a grim.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If a friend were visiting LA, I’d recommend the Getty Center. Designed by modernist architect Richard Meier, its architecture alone is impressive and worth the trip, even if you’re not interested in the exhibitions inside. I’d also suggest the aquariums in Long Beach and San Diego—marine animals always have a special charm. Additionally, the Museum of Jurassic Technology is a lesser-known spot that offers a weirdly fun experience. Maybe also the aquariums in Long Beach and San Diego as well. Marine animals always have a special charm. Additionally, there’s also the Museum of Jurassic Technology, a lesser-known place that definitely offers a weirdly fun experience.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d like to express my gratitude to my family and friends for their support, my teachers and professors for their mentorship and inspiration, and everyone else who has played a part in my life. It’s serendipitous to encounter them, and it’s kind of romantic to realize that it’s all the chances that added up to bring us to where we are now.

I also recommend the SMBC (Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal) webcomic series. It offers witty discussions on science, philosophy, society… and superheroes. Very interesting and fun to read, especially if you enjoy nerdy jokes.

Website: https://www.lynntu.com/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruolin-tu-709978225/