👋 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
XR PROJECT
UX PROJECT
Others
Phone: 510-662-2330
Email: gia0105gia@gmail.com
THE LAST HARPOONER
An AR experience that revives a forgotten whaling monument—by letting visitors hear, feel, and question history.
Background
At first glance, the tall yellow pillar at 733 The Embarcadero looks like any other city marker—faded, vertical, easy to miss. Only a black-and-white image of an old ship hints at a deeper story:
“Whaling Out of San Francisco.”
Like many urban markers, it stands quietly at the edge of history—seen, but not truly experienced.
As a designer who walks these streets as both a newcomer and a researcher, I started asking:
Why do we walk past these landmarks without understanding them?
Can we turn passive looking into active feeling?
My motivation wasn’t just to tell the story of whales or whalers—but to challenge how we remember.
I created The Last Harpooner to bring back the narrative layer of this space—not through traditional text, but through immersive, location-based storytelling.
Using AR, I invited visitors to step inside the emotions, contradictions, and consequences behind a forgotten industry—and to speak with a man who once lived it.
It’s not about glorifying the past.It’s about activating the past—so it can speak, feel, and ask questions in the present.
Design Challenge
Most historical monuments rely on plaques, dates, and fading imagery. But how can we spark emotional resonance with visitors—especially those unfamiliar with San Francisco’s maritime past?
The challenge:
How might we use location-based AR to transform a passive marker into a portal of empathy and reflection?
5W1H
Positive change
This project not only reactivates a forgotten historical landmark, but also reshapes how people engage with public memory and place.
What People Told Me
👤 “I always pass by this pillar but never thought it meant anything.”
👩 “I never thought there was a story behind this pillar. I’ve only been in SF for a year and I always thought it was a street sign.”
👨🦳 “I wish I could actually see what whaling looked like, not just read about it.”
These quotes shaped my decision to design an AR layer that transforms passive reading into active feeling.
Design Methodology
To turn passive reading into embodied experience, I followed a research-driven, narrative-led XR design approach:
1. Location-Based TriggeringThe experience begins when visitors scan a QR code at the actual site. The AR unfolds only at this precise location, grounding the story in its historical context
2. Emotion-Centered StoryboardingInstead of linear narration, the story unfolds through ghostly voiceovers, questions, and moments of silence—designed to trigger reflection, not just information retention.
3. Empathy Through EmbodimentIn the second AR scene, users metaphorically step into the belly of a whale. Surrounded by rising water and alarms, they feel the claustrophobia of history swallowing them whole.
4. Multi-language UI for Cultural AccessibilityA minimalist mobile interface welcomes users in multiple languages and introduces the experience before they launch into AR—bridging cultural and linguistic gaps.
5. Social Extension DesignAfter the experience, visitors see a digitally "restored" version of the stone marker and receive a digital postcard, which they can share on social media to extend the message beyond the site
User Flow
Storyboard
Future Potential
This project is more than a standalone experience—it can redefine how we interact with urban memory.
1. Expand to other invisible landmarks
Bring AR reinterpretations to neglected monuments across San Francisco (e.g., Chinatown Immigration Sites, Bayview Shipyards).
Turn a “city walk” into an emotional, multi-stop immersive heritage tour.
2. Empower community co-creation
Let locals submit oral histories, old photos, or personal memories related to a place.
Create an “AR memory archive” that grows over time and as the community expands.
3. Cultural + Civic Partnerships
Launched in public beta with San Francisco’s Department of Cultural Heritage, Museums, and Tourism.
Pitched the educational program as a new form of place-based storytelling and historical empathy education.
4. Adaptation Toolkit
Package this experience into a white-label framework that other cities can adopt.
Provide templates for UI, storytelling structure, and marker scanning process.