Graduate / Application for Master of Design program - Illinois Institute of Technology [3]

Hi all,

It would be much appreciated if you could help review my SOP for the application of Master of Design program to make it stronger. Any suggestions would be welcome! I have more years working experience so I'm not sure if I've put too focus on that part in my SOP. For your easy reference, I added a sentence with [ ] as the purpose of the following paragraph.

Thank you all!

Requirement of SOP from IIT
[Typical statements are 1-3 pages (500-2000 words), including your reasons for pursuing graduate study at the Institute of Design, academic background, research interests (if applicable), relevant professional experience or related accomplishments, and career goals. Also include any significant activities (i.e., jobs, volunteering, community involvement, leadership at your university, organizations, awards, honors, etc.) that showcase your breadth of experience.]

[ opening - describe what i want to study in IIT]
"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." After years of design education and professional practices, I have a strong urge to advance my 'fishing' skills through a systematic master education. My focus of the master study is not merely to get answers but rather to learn the methods of pursuing answers, to explore more possibilities, and eventually to build up my own fishing system that inspire others. System and service design, business strategic planning, as well as user research are my particular interested areas of study in the Master of Design program at Illinois Institute of Technology.

[brief intro of academic background, and overall understanding of design as service]
My undergraduate study was a journey of explorations, which started from leaving my hometown - ABC to pursue design study in XYZ University. Majored in Environment and Interior design, I explored different areas of design in visual communication, art installation, architecture and urban planning. It was in my final year at university that I first explored design through systems. The topic of my graduation project was to reinterpret an old vernacular building typology - 'Liyuan' for new uses in ABC city. With a history almost as long as the city itself, it combined traditional Chinese courtyard house with German architectural influence, but was facing with the threat of demolishment due to its rundown states. Instead of directly jumping onto bringing whimsical new design elements and programs, my approach started from the research on existing systems that related to the building. The architectural system - the uniqueness of its structure, material and construction method; The urban system - its organisation and expandability in the neighbourhood; The social system - its cultural values, functions and residents' activities. The investigation and analyse of the various systems gave me a clearer insight onto the site, users and activities, and as a foundation to further discover the new potentials from the old. Looking at design through systems enabled me to examine one big topic from different perspectives by breaking down into smaller issues, and solve them in a more organised and logical method.

[overall understanding of design as system/service + working experience 1]
While academic study enabled me to build up solid foundation of design thinking, my five years' professional practice in interior design industry offered me concrete platforms to understand the industry from different perspectives. Started as a designer after graduation, I gradually developed my strengths in the management of project and design. I perceive design as an organised and logical process that solves real life problem through multi-disciplinary collaborations, and a systematic delivery of services rather than a final product. A year shortly after school, I successfully took on the challenge as the project lead for Sheraton Tangshan hotel. Being the bridge between a Chinese client and an American chief designer, I thrived from a fresh graduate who barely knew any technical terms to a confident presenter in front of clients and hotel operators. Through coordinations with stakeholders such as clients, architects, mechanical engineers and contractors, I managed to handle changes, constrains, and conflicts to facilitate the design delivery process. I saw a bigger picture through working with project scheduling, which enhanced my lateral thinking ability to identify risks and to be well prepared with contingencies.

[ describe working experience 2 - system & business ]
Recently, I furthered my career in design and project management at ABC company, an USA based real estate development company that leased, managed and marketed shopping mall development in Asia and US market. I was part of the Retail Development Team and worked on XXX property, a Hollywood-themed casino complex. Managing a portfolio of projects 12 luxury retail brands concurrently and monitoring their entire lifecycle from project initiation to timely completion helped me understand design service in a series of system in a macro-system. Each retail store to me is a small but complex system that connects products, space and business, while a portfolio of stores made up the dynamic system of shopping mall. Additionally, working on the developer side offered me great opportunities to perceive design issues with a stronger business sensibility through collaborations with internal members from leasing, operation and marketing. Intangible elements such as brand identity, marketing strategy, and services are powerful forces to drive creative tangible design elements such as layout, material finishes and visual merchandising. I have become increasingly interested on how business strategic planning works with design to maximise the end user experience.

[ some reflective thinking and why I want to study on user research ]
As more customers are seen migrating from physical stores to e-commerce, it becomes critical for brands to sustain the attraction of physical stores, provide exceptional experiences beyond shopping, and create "destination stores" as opposed to "cookie-cutter stores". In the fast changing sharing economy, how could designers contribute in introducing new business models and deliver them in multi-channels to enhance, extend and evolve the established brand? Some of the most innovative start-up companies have already successfully combined new services with innovative business models in the recent decade by focusing on creating unconventional experiences to users. Though having accomplished several large scale projects, I realised that I didn't have a real chance to deeply understand the end users, i.e. guest who stayed in the hotel or customers that visited a particular retail store. The user needs that I projected into design was not directly from the end users but rather through the interpretations of hotel operators, retail brand managers, and developers. I am eager to expand my knowledge in the area of user research, particularly through the courses of 'Behavioral Economics', 'Research Planning & Execution Share' and 'Experience Modelling' to learn how to understand the users' needs and choices, and eventually bridge complex systems, exceptional services and end users.

[ Why IIT suits me, what do I want to study there, how I could contribute ]
I find the Master of Design program at IIT suits me in three particular aspects - intense business collaboration, high course flexibility, and diverse student culture. The design education embraces high level of integration with real world business practice collaborations, meanwhile the dual MBA program will provide me business skill training to better implement strategic ideas. The program offers theoretical knowledge of frameworks and methods, as well as, practical knowledge that will inspire innovative solutions for design and business issues. With my professional experience, I have more points of reference from previous practices, I could immediately reflect to the real situation by applying what I'm learning, then share it with the group. Based on my interests, competencies and career goals, I would like a tailor-made master program consisting of 80% selective courses. My study will focus on 'Communication', 'Planning + Strategy', 'Systems' and 'User research'. Having travelled to 20 countries, I always enjoyed communicating with people and understanding their unique culture. It would be an excitement to meet with other students from various cultural and career backgrounds. Not only could we exchange knowledge from our academic and professional background, but also personal interests and life experience to spark ideas and bond the teamwork. I believe my creative design flair, hands-on project management skills and business sensibility will contribute in the collaboration with IIT peers and faculty. I look forward to embark on the new journey to IIT very soon.