Hi, I'm Julie.

Orka hired me in 2019 while I was finishing my degree at Donghua University. The company needed one designer to do everything: web design, video, marketing design. I did all.

As the company grew I hired and managed a inhouse design branding team to distribute the tasks of marketing and service. In the meanwhile I developed myself in the software design field. Over four years I shipped more than 500 screens and hundreds of prototypes across the e-commerce site and the hearing aid companion app.

By 2023, I took more managerial tasks than design execution, which made me want to understand what sits above design. KIT offered me a place in their Management of Product Development master's program. My husband was relocating to Germany. So I packed and started my next chapter.

At KIT the program ran like a studio: engineering lectures alongside live product development. The exams were always case study pitches and practical development reports. I learned software development, hardware-software integration, project finance management, and how to communicate across engineering disciplines.

Besides the master program, I worked eight months across two KIT institutes on literature research and data analysis. I trained to organize knowledge and synthesize it into insights. I also published an academic paper at the European Conference on Innovation and Entrepreneurship. The transferable skill: I now catch faster on why and what to deliver for stakeholders.

Besides the master program, I worked eight months across two KIT institutes on literature research and data analysis. I trained to organize knowledge and synthesize it into insights. I also published an academic paper at the European Conference on Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Thanks to this experience, I now catch precisly on why and what to deliver for stakeholders.

At the end of 2025 I received my graduation certificate with an excellent score of 1.4. That score opened a path toward a doctorate, but I decided to return to Shanghai. My husband received an expat position at Bosch. Time to start a new chapter.