From Personal Struggle to Design Direction

“After I graduated from university, I struggled with my mental health,” Wenxi says. “I couldn’t go into a corporate environment, so I started freelancing and eventually began working with startups in Silicon Valley.”

What began as freelance work gradually evolved into a more focused practice. Over time, Wenxi took on increasingly complex projects with early-stage startups, eventually becoming the director of Aproject Factory, an innovation studio that helps startups navigate product development from concept to execution.

As she worked across more client cases, a pattern began to emerge. Most of her clients were developing frontier technologies, but something felt missing. “There were breakthroughs, but it was all very technical. Users couldn’t really understand it or connect with it.”

For Wenxi, that’s when it clicked. The missing part was the emotional experience, and striving to combine technology, design, and human understanding became her personal passion.

Giving Back: Mentorship and Community Service

Today, Wenxi contributes to the design community not only through her work but also through mentorship and community building. As part of the 2026 Indigo Design Award jury, she sees judging as a way to support emerging designers.

“I want to give the younger generation the same opportunities I had,” she says.She is also actively involved in the 9K Club, a fast-growing founder community in North Texas that supports early-stage startups through monthly pitch sessions, mentorship, and access to resources. Through these efforts, Wenxi has positioned herself not just as a designer but as a connector across design, technology, and entrepreneurship.

PaniniClub: Reframing Our Relationship with Technology

As the co-founder of PaniniClub, Wenxi translates her ideas into tangible products. The brand represents a new generation of designer-led consumer electronics companies, where products are not only functional tools, but also cultural and emotional artifacts.

Panini 101, the brand’s flagship product, takes the form of a miniature retro computer tower while functioning as a high-performance desktop charger.

It addresses a simple and nearly universal problem: the nervousness and uncertainty people feel around technology. “I think that as a user, there’s an element to it that’s both mysterious and scary,” Wenxi says. She believes that technology is moving too fast and that people yearn for the old times when things were much simpler. “People are looking for something that they can understand, use, and build an emotional connection with,” Wenxi says. Panini 101 is an inspired mix of nostalgia and function. The front of the small computer tower opens to reveal additional high-speed USB charging ports, and there’s a transparent window on the side where users can actually see the inner workings of the device.

“I put significant effort into the design,” Wenxi says. “You have plenty of chargers in your life, and they all look the same. They’re just rectangular cubes. Most people intentionally hide these devices behind a desk. I wanted to think differently and give people a tiny computer tower that they can look at and think, ‘I used to write my grade school and college papers on that, or I used to play video games on that’.”

The transparency window is another smart touch, inviting users to get curious about how their technology works. As a child, Wenxi used to take devices apart to figure them out, and she wants to instill this sense of wonder into product users. “Back in my time, technology was something more understandable,” Wenxi says. “Now, all products look the same, and everything is tiny. It all feels so abstract. That’s why I want to open a window and let people feel the beauty of technology.”

Panini 101 is just the beginning of PaniniClub’s Neo 90s line. “I wanted to bring back the old 90s nostalgia and memory,” Wenxi says. “I use old-school style combined with modern technology.”

Ayama: A Simple Tool for Self-Regulation

Ayama’s simple design and thoughtful functionality earned it an iF Design Award in 2019, and it is currently being brought to life by a Belgian startup, with strong market performance. It’s an elegant and straightforward product: a smooth oval form that contracts and expands according to pranayama breathing techniques, imitating the movements of a yoga master’s lungs.

“Ayama was the result of my thesis on how design can support emotional well-being,” Wenxi says. “I wanted to build products that help people cope with emotional fluctuations and everyday challenges. My struggles with anxiety led me to yoga, where I learned about yogic breathing techniques. I felt I had to bring this solution to more people who are facing similar challenges and looking for help.”

The product features four different modes designed to calm the mind and body, support breathing, and promote concentration. As it expands, you inhale; as it contracts, you exhale. Ayama comes with a small charging dock and is lightweight and portable, making it ideal for travel.

“Recognition from the iF Design Award expanded the project’s visibility globally and accelerated its transition into the real world, where it now serves as a tangible tool for emotional support,” Wenxi says. “That’s also why I actively contribute to judging panels for international design awards, helping more talented designers gain the visibility and recognition they deserve.”

Emotional First Aid Kit: Quick Relief for Strong Feelings

Perhaps Wenxi’s most conceptually ambitious project is the Emotional First Aid Kit, a research-driven system that reimagines how people respond to emotional distress in everyday life. Inspired by the ubiquity of physical first aid kits, it proposes an equivalent system for emotional emergencies, translating coping strategies into tangible tools and guided actions.

In many ways, it mimics a standard first aid kit, with tools to manage emotions such as anger, stress, and anxiety, alongside accessible information, including the restorative role of crying. “I interviewed many people and realized that men often feel embarrassed about expressing their emotions,” Wenxi says. “There’s a stigma around vulnerability, but this is something I find very familiar. That sense of shame is universal, but crying is actually a healthy way to release stress.”

Each component provides guidance on why these emotions arise and how to respond to them in a healthy way. “That way it doesn’t feel scary,” Wenxi says. The kit includes items such as soothing mints to ease anger, as well as chamomile tea and hand warmers for anxiety, packaged in soft pastel tones like buttery yellow and pale mint green.

“You can install these kits in workplaces or public spaces,” Wenxi says. “They function just like traditional first aid kits. Nobody questions why Band-Aids are available in public. Emotional well-being deserves the same level of care.”

Exploring and Expanding the Role of Design

Wenxi has several pots on the fire, but rather than feeling overwhelmed, she embraces the process. Her work points to a broader role for design—one that builds emotional connection, restores a sense of understanding in an increasingly complex technological landscape, and supports people in their everyday lives.“I found the meaning of my life,” she says. “It’s caring for people.”