hi there. i'm gaby!

I'm a designer and photographer based in NYC

‍I strive to make delightful experiences that resonate with their audience by tailoring products to embody the core values they promote. I hope to shape how emerging technologies are being embedded into our lives, while being cognizant of how the
diversity of the human experience informs its design.

I have been bouncing around California and Seattle over the last
3 years developing my technical skills and design thinking at the University of Washington and UCLA, while working on various start-ups and nonprofit projects like Omou and ShelterSmart.

gabriellaychan@gmail.com

I care about creating a future where..

✦

We exercise our creativity.

We all have the potential to develop creative processes around our interests. I love to encourage people to explore their interests, and offer any support to help them make it a reality. I aspire to have that impact on a bigger scale, and create tools that enable the creator within us.

✦

We reinvent learning practices.

The typical classroom model of learning does not always prove successful for everyone. We have the opportunity to personalize learning in a way that gives people agency over how and what they learn.

✦

We experience beyond screens.

Even though we live in a dynamic, 3D world, we have limited ourselves to interacting with 2D interfaces. I hope to design around human physicality and embed technology into our environment for people to engage with.

if you work with me,
you will discover..

I will advocate for emotionally durable design.

I promote creating durable, meaningful relationships with the things we bring into our lives, and combating planned and perceived obsolescence. As a designer, I believe it's important to consider how users will adopt a product, how to remain purposeful over time, and how to adapt as their desires and behaviors change in a sustainable way.

A great book into this perspective!

My master's capstone team delved into this concept from the consumer perspective, looking into ways to make ownership a meaningful experience.

I work towards building community wherever i go.

While navigating through my education and early adulthood, I've fostered relationships over shared interests, and created spaces for collaboration with a mindfulness of diverse perspectives. I want to bring this same energy into the workplace where we can learn, share, and challenge our ideas respectively.

I try to work smarter, so we can all work better.

My strength lies in planning for what is most important to the development of a project and how we can make it more efficient. I am proactive in organizing productive workspaces and finding ways to streamline workflow. That foresight saves time for me and my team by giving everyone a framework and tools they can easily work from.

I think a lot about the future we could create.

I think about creating technologies that help us perceive the world better. I think comes to rising up individually and moving forward collectively as a society.

now, let's get more personal.

I've been recently into physical computing & fabrication.

This past year, I've been fascinated with interactive systems that can sense and respond to the world around them. I took a few courses in grad school learning to work with microcontroller electronics, sensors, and actuators to program some playful physical interactions!

I also loved the process of building physical things. Laser cutting and 3D printing were fun tools to learn and experiment with. It takes me back to middle school woodshop class.

Games

online Content

films / Shows / Documentaries

Things I've enjoyed in 2020.

In a year as challenging as this one has been, there were still many things that brought joy to my life!

Gaming has kept me entertained and connected to friends far away. Informative programming kept me engaged and reflecting on the wider world. TV, film, and recently, live streamers have given me so many laughs, sent me on emotional journeys, and evoked my love of storytelling.

Lately, I've been missing
live music & shows.

While I love listening to music daily, nothing beats jamming to it live at a concert or music festival. The lights, sound, and the energy created by the crowd makes it a magical experience ~

I've been missing live music, concerts, and festivals this year so I made a playlist of songs and artists that I would like to hear when things start opening up again!

places I've called home

I created a polaroid series: “Every Place I’ve Called Home”, to capture the strong memories of each period of my life. With each photo, I can fondly recall this place as a constant I had in life and the connections I’d made living there. Because while I may move on to a new city, even a new country, I’ll carry the things I learned with me wherever I go.

Hong Kong

san jose, ca

Seattle, WA

Attending grad school in Seattle, I wanted to be surrounded by people with similar career goals. But the discussions we had went beyond design, and motivated me to engage critically with topics on modern world affairs.

Los Angeles, CA

I moved away to LA for undergrad, becoming self-reliant and taking control of my future. I was able to bring new people into my life thanks to the diversity of this city and my university.

San Jose, CA

During my formative years, my parents created an environment where I was encouraged to pursue my interests as long as I gave it my all. I'm grateful I was raised to believe that I didn't have limitations in what I could pursue or achieve in the future.

Hong Kong

From childhood, my mom's family has lived in this apartment in Shatin. With them, we got to experience this other culture we are a part of but can't fully experience in America.

Los angeles, ca

Seattle, Wa

Nothing beats dancing
to some live music

While I love listening to music daily, nothing beats jamming to it live at a concert or music festival. The lights, sound, and the energy created by the crowd makes it a magical experience.

With the shutdown of all live events and music venues, I created this playlist to jam at home and

My first music festival was Hard Summer in 2014
and I've attended it every year since!

And I became

fjsdkf

Photography Page

Hong Kong

san jose, ca

Los angeles, ca

Seattle, Wa

Seattle

With

just focusing on getting more stuff to enjoy the short-lived buzz of 'gaining' – to be followed so soon after with yet more 'wanting'.

LA

Between that initial purchase to time of disposal, these items are present in our lives. However with the average U.S. household holding about 300,000 things, it can be hard to keep track of and use all of these items as much as may have been intended.

San Jose,
CA

During my formative years, my parents created an environment where I was encouraged to pursue my interests as long as I gave it my all. I'm grateful I was raised to believe that I didn't have limitations in what I could pursue or achieve in the future.

Hong Kong

From childhood, my mom's family has lived in this apartment in Shatin. With them, we got to experience this other culture we are a part of but can't fully experience in America.

Hong Kong

From childhood, my mom's family has lived in this apartment in Shatin. With them, we got to experience this other culture we are a part of but can't fully experience in America.

san jose, ca

During my formative years, my parents created an environment where I was encouraged to pursue my interests as long as I gave it my all. I'm grateful I was raised to believe that I didn't have limitations in what I could pursue or achieve in the future.

Los angeles, ca

I moved away to LA for undergrad, becoming self-reliant and taking control of my future. I was able to bring new people into my life thanks to the diversity of this city and my university.

Seattle, Wa

Attending grad school in Seattle, I wanted to be surrounded by people with similar career goals. But the discussions we had went beyond design, and motivated me to engage critically with topics on modern world affairs.

Ohno!

Hey there! Your screen size is a bit too small to view this page at this time. My website is best viewed on desktop screens. If you would still like to see some of my work in this screen size, head over to my photography page!

— Gaby Chan

photography Page →