Hi I’m Xiaoxue,
pronounced as /shiau_shweh/,
I translate design thinking into design doing, by leading teams,
shaping strategy, and shipping products that scale growth and impact.
My Design Ingredients
A decade ago, people asked me, "What is service design?" These days, I ask myself, "What kind of service designer have I become?"
I've moved between consultancy and in-house roles across various industries, driven by the same passion: design that creates meaningful change in people's everyday lives.
As a food enthusiast, I view service design less like cooking with a rigid recipe and more like improvisation in your own kitchen. You assess what you're working with, understand what your guests actually need, collaborate with your team, and combine the right ingredients at the right moment.
-
Design begins with inquiry. People are complex, and service systems can be intricate. I assist clients in exploring, analysing, and understanding human behavior with its context. I carefully select and blend the most appropriate research methods that lead us to actionable insights.
-
A North Star vision won't travel far without a strategy aligned with business goals. I guide clients in pinpointing the intersection of experiential opportunities and business ambitions. I believe design actions should demonstrate a measurable business result, and that improvement of experiences should yield a tangible impact.
-
Digital & AI transformation emerges as a facet of broader business evolution. I partner with businesses to define the actions required to accommodate and sustain changes. This might range from identifying new operational models that foster business agility to customising tools and frameworks for heightened team efficiency.
-
Developing CX capabilities isn't about converting everyone into a designer. Rather, it's about infusing user-centricity and systematic thinking into a company's decision making mechanism. I collaborate with teams to reveal the value of a user-centered approach in their roles. By providing teams with hands-on tools and embedded steps, I aim to elevate their service literacy and strengthen the overall CX confidence across the business.
-
What essential sustainability actions must businesses prioritise?
How do we assess inclusivity in new service launches?
What are the ethical implications and guardrails of AI in healthcare?
These aren't just buzzwords; they represent the inevitable future. They're about elevating the designer’s role and value, and harnessing the true potential of our offerings. I engage with these topics mindfully in every project.
Selected Works
Designing for care delivery
Building the infrastructure to deliver precision medicine at scale
Pharmaceutical companies developed breakthrough treatments but had no way to get them to patients. As the design lead working with product, branding, and engineering, I drove the business transformation that created an end-to-end service system, from lab to hospital, enabling the commercial launch of a life-saving advanced therapy across 10+ global markets.
Disciplines
Service Design
Strategy
Product / UX
Research
Industry
Healthcare/pharma
Duration
14 month
Happy customers, healthier business
Reducing e-commerce returns through cross-functional Design
"Buy-to-try" behavior was costing a luxury fashion retailer £20M+ annually in returns. Leading a cross-functional squad team, we delivered a 6-month program designing integrated solutions, from purchase guidance and data strategy to warehouse operations, that reduced returns by 10%.
Disciplines
Service Design
Research
Data Strategy
Product / UX
Industry
E-commerce
Duration
6 month
Unlocking the data black box
Using AI to help dealerships convert more leads
A leading automobile brand struggled with fragmented sales processes and poor visibility into customer journeys. Working with a team of designers, we developed an intelligent lead management system that uses AI to help dealers accelerate conversion while delivering consistent customer experiences.
Disciplines
Service Design
Research
Product / UX
Industry
Finance
Duration
12 weeks
Compliant and creative
Bringing innovation to regulated corporate lending
A corporate bank's manual lending workflows frustrated clients and created competitive risk. I led discovery across lending operations and evaluated AI applications against regulatory requirements to create a prioritised product roadmap for transformation.
Industry
Automobile
Duration
8 weeks
Disciplines
Service Design
Product Strategy
