👋 Hi, I’m Gia
Between culture and code, I trace stories that deserve to be felt.
I’m a designer who starts with concepts that matter—often born from overlooked cultures, quiet rituals, or “strange” perspectives others might miss. I believe good design doesn’t just solve problems—it warms, connects, and respects the people it touches.
I specialize in XR, UX/UI, and interaction design, using tools like Unity, AI, and Adobe Suite to build experiences that blend technology with empathy. My work often explores how digital space can carry human temperature, especially in cultural storytelling and participatory experiences.
About Me
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Phone: 510-662-2330
Email: gia0105gia@gmail.com
MISINTERPRETATION TO RITUAL: RETHINKING TEA CULTURE
What Does Tea Mean to You?
XR experience video
The order of the videos：Onboarding
Nostalgia (understanding the background of the story)
Office sceneMR scene
Camping sceneMR scene
Slide to play next
Background
Tea Was Home：I grew up in Ankang, a tea-growing region in southern Shaanxi, China. For me, tea wasn’t just a drink—it was part of daily life. I remember sipping green tea from my grandmother’s porcelain cup, where the tea stains slowly marked the passage of time. Every spring, the scent of fresh buds and the lively morning market signaled that life had begun again.
Later, when my parents joined the tea industry, our home became more than a place to enjoy tea—it became a space for making, drying, packaging, and storytelling. Tea was our rhythm, our connection, and our way of being together.
After moving to the U.S., I started to notice something: the rituals I grew up with—pouring, waiting, sharing—didn’t always make sense to others. What felt warm and familiar to me felt distant or overly formal to them.
It was not until I came to the United States that I realized that the "ritual sense" that I felt natural since childhood may seem strange and incomprehensible in other people's cultures. At that time, I began to think about a question:
"When there is no common background, how can we feel the meaning of ritual?"
That got me thinking:
- How do we share cultural rituals in a way that’s not just about tradition, but about emotion?
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Can people from different backgrounds connect with Chinese tea culture—not by copying it, but by reshaping it?
These questions led me to a different approach—not teaching, but inviting. Not instruction, but interaction.
Experiment | Re-experiencing the ritual process
To explore this, I did a fun cross-cultural experiment. I invited people from different backgrounds to make tea together—but this time with a twist. No instructions, no traditional teaware. Just everyday items: coffee pot, kitchen strainer, napkins, etc.
At first, most participants were confused.
“I’ve never made tea with these things before.”
But soon, they started getting creative. Pouring. Stirring. Tasting. Laughing.
When we talked afterwards, something surprising emerged:
Many said their tea tasted “unexpectedly good.”
Some said it felt like a ritual—even if they invented it on the spot.
This simple moment—using the “wrong” tools to create something meaningful—was eye-opening.
What if ritual wasn’t about following exact steps…but about creating space for meaning to happen?
It made me wonder:Could I make this into an experience that people around the world could experience in their own way?
Outcomes
| Design that turns "misreading" into "reshaping"
Inspired by this experiment, I created an XR experience that allows everyone to create their own tea ceremony - even without the "right" tools.
Before entering the virtual world, users will first log in and return to a "home of my childhood" - where tea culture first touched my emotions.
In this initial scene, users can pick up various tools with memory colors from the table, such as the enamel cup used by grandmother, the old-fashioned teapot, and the tea tray used for many years. Each item will trigger a short story about the author and tea, leading users to think: Does the meaning of ritual come from "misuse"?
This is not a class on how to make tea – it’s an invitation to explore what tea means to you.
Starting from the "home of childhood", users will gradually enter three other scenes:
Office: Use a mug, coffee filter, and hot water kettle to brew a cup of tea for after get off work;
Campsite: Use gauze, socks, and coconut shells to improvise a cup of meditation tea in the wild;
For each tool selection and tea brewing behavior, the system will generate a unique "Tea Card" entry card for the user, recording their combination and intention, forming their own personalized tea ceremony. This card is both a digital memorial and a product of cultural participation.
Personal Ceremony Card
After the experience is completed, users can enter the mixed reality (MR) mode to overlay the real teacup with the virtual tea mist and entry cards. The sense of ritual transcends virtuality and reality and finally "landed" in everyone's hands.
Mixed reality scenes
Exhibition records
Publication
Conclusion
The project started with a simple goal:
To share the essence of Chinese tea culture with the world - not by explaining it, but by inviting people to experience it, reshape it, and make it their own.
It can be used in tea shops as a sales support system: when customers choose tea, they can experience this XR system to form their own "personal tea ceremony story card". Tea is no longer just a commodity to be consumed, but a cultural experience to be participated in, perceived and created.
Usage scenario (tea shop)
It is also suitable for tea culture promotion, family entertainment, and even immersive interaction in social scenes - users can also redefine their daily tea drinking time at home through digital tools.
Usage scenario (user’s home)
In my design, XR is just a means. What really connects people's hearts is those seemingly "wrong" but real and moving creativity and memories.
Tea is no longer a traditional protector, but a cultural generator.
In this system, everyone can be the designer of their own ceremony.