
Piper
DongWen Xu
Designer
Essentialist
Meditator
Stylist
Piper is an interdisciplinary experience designer based in Pittsburgh and Toronto, who is passionate about using human-centered design to facilitate positive lifestyle changes. With a master's degree in Product Innovation from CMU, she is set to graduate in May 2023.
Over the past 5 years, Piper has worked with 20+ leading brands and IT companies, including Alibaba, Tencent, Mercedes Benz, Samsung, NEIWAI, etc., helping clients build unique assets and advanced images in the competitive market. She's driven by blending design, strategy, technology, and storytelling to create memorable, engaging, and intuitive user experiences across both digital and physical environments.
After exploring in diverse fields such as stage, branding, and exhibition, Piper discovered her passion for transforming complex problems into joyful user experiences and intriguing narratives that connect individuals to cultures, communities and opportunities across the internet.
Her background in scenic design has shaped her unique aesthetic sense in scenography and new media arts. For her, design is not just about creating visually stunning experiences but also a means of changing, thinking, and communicating.
Aside from her design work, Piper also has a passion for the concepts of essentialism and slow fashion. She believes that the idea of "less but better" can be applied to all aspects of life, not just design. She also loves to use her imagination and ingenuity to create works of art or crafts.
When she's outside, you'll often see her deep in thought...and occasionally walk into a pole.