Katherine Ye Jin Lee
Work Archive AboutRésumé

Designer bridging meaningful interactions across products and research.

Katherine Ye Jin Lee is a RISD-trained designer and educator drawn to material honesty and small mechanisms that make an object feel considered. She is currently exploring the space between design research and physical prototyping.

About Résumé Email
Selected work(04)
한 HanLighting
한 Han
Adjustable desk lamp made with aluminum and hanji paper
TypeLighting / Desk lamp ContextRISD Industrial Design
Lockit parked beside a desk in an open officeProduct
Locket
A mobile personal locker, designed to foster office interactions
TypeProduct / Furniture ContextRISD Industrial Design
GrabbiProduct
Grabbi
Ergonomic handle insert for cardboard moving boxes
TypeProduct / ConsumerContextMIT X RISD PRODUCT DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT
Part-Time Faculty in Art and Design Higher Education: Support & ChallengesResearch
MA Thesis
Part-Time Faculty in Art and Design Higher Education: Support & Challenges
TypeResearch / DESIGNContextRISD Teaching + Learning IN ART AND DESIGN
Objects, posters & graphics → Archive
KATHERINE YE JIN LEE · RISD · PORTFOLIO
Katherine Ye Jin Lee
Work Archive Résumé About
Résumé

Katherine Ye Jin Lee

Industrial Designer · Researcher · Educator

katherineyjnlee@gmail.com San Diego, CA Download PDF ↓

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Jul – Aug 2026


Interpreter
Hyundai Motor Group x RISD
Jul 2026
Teaching Assistant, Digital Product Design
Brown Pre-College
Feb – Jun 2026
Graduate Research Intern, Teaching & Learning Lab
Rhode Island School of Design
Jan – Jun 2026
Graduate Exhibition Designer & Project Lead
Rhode Island School of Design
Sep – Dec 2025
Teaching Artist
Project Open Door x RISD

Education

2025–2026
Rhode Island School of Design
MA, Art + Design Education
2021–2025
Rhode Island School of Design
BFA, Industrial Design + Concentration in Nature, Culture, and Sustainability Studies
2025
MIT
Cross Registered Student
2024
University of the Arts London, London College of Communication
Spring Semester Study Abroad

Exhibitions & Awards

2026
RISD Graduate Show MA Thesis Exhibited
2026
Master's Thesis Part-Time Faculty in Art and Design Higher Education:
Support and Challenges
2025
Industrial Design Graduate Exhibition 한 Han
2022
EFS Drawing Exhibition Selected Works

Skills & Tools

Sketching Rhino SolidWorks Keyshot Figma Adobe CC Rapid Prototyping Laser Cutting Metal Fabrication Sandblasting User Research Survey Design
Projects →
KATHERINE YE JIN LEE · RESUME
Katherine Ye Jin Lee
Work Archive Résumé About
← Work Han desk lamp, hero view

한 Han

Inspired by hanok, made with hanji. A desk lamp that explores adjustability and the contrast between cold tactility and warm lighting.
MaterialsAluminum, hanji paper, acrylic
Dimensions5.05 × 4.00 × 9.23 in
00 — Brief

Design a desk light that explores adjustability and material contrast, specifically the tension between a cold, tactile shell and a warm interior light source.

01 — Research & Moodboard

Research drew on minimalist gallery lighting and the sliding-door construction of the hanok. Material studies focused on frosted glass, hanji paper, and brushed metal, supported by references for adjustable hardware.

Material and reference moodboard
Material and reference moodboard
02 — Concept Development

Three directions were explored: a rotating cylindrical diffuser, an articulated arm lamp with sliding counterweights, and a box with sliding paper panels that reveal or conceal the bulb. Paper mockups tested proportion and the sliding action before final materials were selected.

Early paper and card prototypes
Early paper and card mockups, testing proportion and the slide
03 — Engineering & Fabrication

The sliding-panel concept was developed into a dimensioned model: an aluminum frame with a track and acrylic stop, a fixture housing a G4 bulb, and hanji panels that slide to diffuse or block the light.

Dimensioned drawing and render
Dimensioned drawing and render, final proportions
01

Sandblast

Aluminum textured for a matte, non-reflective surface.

02

Buff

Edges refined by hand to a soft brushed finish.

03

Assemble

Frame, track, and hanji panels fitted around the fixture.

Fabrication process
04 — Outcome

When closed, the lamp reads as a slim aluminum block. Sliding the hanji panel releases a warm glow through the paper's natural translucency, resolving the contrast between cold shell and warm light in a single gesture.

Hands sliding the hanji panel open
Sliding the panel open
Han standing, panel closed
Closed
Warm light glowing through the hanji
Open, light through the hanji
05 — Form & Use

The front elevation presents two layered panels, while the side profile reduces to a narrow aluminum slab. A compact, upright footprint keeps the lamp unobtrusive on the desk.

Front view with both panels Side view of the aluminum shell
Han on a wooden desk, three-quarter view Han on a wooden desk, side view
In context on the desk
Light source
G4 LED, warm white
Mechanism
Sliding panel on acrylic track
Finish
Sandblasted & buffed aluminum
Next: Lockit →
KATHERINE YE JIN LEE · WORK
Katherine Ye Jin Lee
Work Archive Résumé About
← Work Lockit parked beside a desk in an open office
Furniture · Solo · 2024

Locket

The comfort of a personal locker, with the added surprise of huddling.

StudioHow Do We Work? — Advanced Studio
TermFall 2024
RoleSolo — research to prototype
SizesSmall / Medium / Large
01 — Context

Offices are getting quieter.

How Do We Work? was an advanced studio on workflows and office space. As work turns more remote and self-directed, the unplanned moments that hold a team together are disappearing.

47%

of Gen Z and Millennial workers say casual collisions matter more for career progression now.

SHRM, Loneliness and the Power of Casual Collisions
A conventional wall of lockers
Existing systems

Rows bolted along a wall or under desks. Storage, but no reason to linger.

02 — The insight: casual collisions

At the park, leashes tangle and owners end up talking. Could office furniture do the same?

01 — Wander

Pets drift off on their own route.

02 — Tangle

Leashes cross. Paths collide.

03 — Talk

Owners meet. A conversation starts.

Lockit borrows that choreography: a locker that roams the floor and huddles with others, giving teammates, and people from other teams, a reason to cross paths.

03 — Design goals

Two goals, held in tension.

Functional

Still a locker.

Storage, security, and a personal space that's yours.

Disruptive

A gentle disruption.

Just enough movement to break routine and brighten the room.

04 — User testing

What actually goes in a locker?

Testing asked three things: what people carry day to day, what range of sizes is useful, and which way the door should open.

Lunchbox Notebooks Lip balm Heels Chargers
Testing the front panel and reach on the prototype Swapping the removable leaf antenna
Testing reach and door swing. The leaf antenna is removable, so every unit can be personalized.
05 — Prototype

Cart-sized, and at home under a desk.

A hinged front panel, a lower bay for bigger things, and an upper drawer for the daily essentials.

Opening Lockit's front panel beside a desk Lockit interior with upper drawer and lower bay

Face

A simple expression gives each unit a personality.

Antenna

A swappable leaf or flower, easy to spot across the room.

Upper drawer

Keys, chargers, lip balm, within reach.

Lower bay

Bags, shoes, and larger items behind the hinged panel.

06 — How it works

A day with Locket.

01

Receive

A base unit on your first day.

02

Customize

Pick a face and a leaf to make it yours.

03

Store

Big things below, daily things up top.

04

Wander & huddle

Units drift and cluster with other Lockits nearby.

05

Summon

Call it back, or send it to someone.

07 — In the field

Tested in a real co-working space.

The office cat inspecting Lockit The office cat climbing into Lockit's lower bay
…and approved by at least one office cat.

Belonging, by accident.

Locket turns the walk to your locker into a chance to bump into someone, whether that's a teammate or someone from another team.

Next: Grabbi →
KATHERINE YE JIN LEE · WORK
Katherine Ye Jin Lee
Work Archive Résumé About
← Work Grabbi, hero view

Grabbi

Makes moving boxes effortless, efficient, and stress-free.
RoleProduct Design Lead
00 — Problem

Carrying taped cardboard boxes by their cut handle holes tears hands raw, a problem the team felt firsthand after a single moving day.

Hands after a moving day
Evidence from the team's own move
01 — Evolution

Early sketches explored dollies and foot-pump lifts before narrowing to a handheld accessory; magnetic and clip-on handle concepts followed, then dozens of 3D-printed forms tested for grip, thickness, and insertion angle.

Concept evolution to prototype
Box-lifting mechanisms → handle concepts → prototype iteration → Grabbi
02 — How It Works
Insert

Push up

Into the box's existing handle hole.

Use

Carry

Grip is padded and load is spread across the palm.

Remove

Pull down

Side grooves release it from the box.

Cut

Reuse

Built-in blade edge opens taped boxes.

Grabbi in use
03 — Competitive Position
Grabbi
U-Haul Gloves
Click & Carry
Added Comfort
✓
✓
✓
Works on Boxes
✓
✕
✕
Prevents Tearing
✓
✕
✕
Doubles as Cutter
✓
✕
✕
04 — On the Shelf

Pictured in-store at U-Haul with retail packaging. Sized against a 25M-mover total addressable market, modeled to roughly $117M in potential revenue with an estimated base-case NPV of $41.9M. A life-cycle assessment favored polypropylene as the lowest-impact material choice.

Grabbi on shelf at a U-Haul store
On shelf at a U-Haul store
Next: Thesis →
KATHERINE YE JIN LEE · WORK
Katherine Ye Jin Lee
Work Archive Résumé About
← Work

Part-Time Faculty in Art and Design Higher Education: Support & Challenges

This thesis investigates the challenge part-time faculty in art and design higher education face and the institutional support they receive through a case study conducted at Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). Through an extensive, anonymous and voluntary part-time faculty survey across different departments at RISD, it examines: 1) current perceptions of available institutional & departmental teaching support, 2) teaching approach & practice, and 3) student-faculty engagement. The research aimed to gather data on challenges that are unique to part-time faculty in art and design fields, especially in relation to faculty-student engagement to understand areas where they can be better supported. This was supported by a comprehensive literature review in higher education and part-time faculty challenges, where a gap in data and literature emerged specific to art and design part-time faculty in higher education. The findings of the study revealed the complexity and tension between faculty's dedication to supporting and teaching their students and their need to balance the commitment and compensation they receive as part-time faculty. Opportunities to foster community and belonging are presented as methods of care and support for part-time faculty.

A thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Art + Design Education, Teaching & Learning in Art + Design, at the Rhode Island School of Design. 2026.

Printed and bound thesis. Exhibited at the RISD Graduate Show, 2026.

Read here →

Part-Time Faculty in Art and Design Higher Education: Support & Challenges
Thesis spread — dedication Thesis spread — table of contents Thesis spread — chapter 1 opening Thesis spread — survey data Thesis spread — survey data
Dedication · Table of Contents · Chapter 1 opening · Survey data
Back to Work →
KATHERINE YE JIN LEE · RESEARCH
Katherine Ye Jin Lee
Work Archive Résumé About
Archive

Material studies, smaller objects, posters and graphics.

Looking for the full case studies? Selected work →
KATHERINE YE JIN LEE · ARCHIVE
Katherine Ye Jin Lee
Work Archive Résumé About
Based in
San Diego, CA
Say hi
katherineyjnlee@gmail.com

Hi, I'm Katherine [이예진].
I design objects, teach, and spend my remaining time at the pottery wheel or behind a camera.

I'm drawn to objects that reveal how they work: sliding mechanisms, honest material contrast, small gestures of personality. The same curiosity follows me out of the studio.

Portrait of Katherine Ye Jin Lee ceramics photography traveling cafe hopping

Ceramics

(01)
Trimmed stoneware bowl held in hand Cup cut open on the wheel to check wall thickness Bisqueware bowls and cups on a shelf Glazed cups and vases from above on a dark table Glazed white and blue pieces grouped together Greenware cups and bowls drying on a studio board Pots stacked inside the wood kiln
Fired pots unloaded from the RISD kiln Row of hourglass cups Wood kiln firing in daylight Wood kiln firing at night Handbuilt mug with a loop handle under an espresso machine Image-transfer mugs, plates and coasters

Thrown, trimmed, and fired across San Diego, Providence, and London.

Travel & Photography

(02)
Say hi
katherineyjnlee@gmail.com
KATHERINE YE JIN LEE · ABOUT