Cultural Identity as a Design Superpower
Senior Digital Product Designer Patricia Tan and Pricipal Product Designer Rod Acevedo took the stage at NZ Tech Rally 2025 to explore how cultural identity shapes design thinking and creates stronger, more innovative teams.
Tldr? We’ve included their framework at the end of this article so you can download and share.
Different Perspectives Are Your Greatest Asset
The tech industry often celebrates innovation but overlooks one of its most powerful catalysts - diverse cultural perspectives. In their talk "Leveraging your team's identity: Converging identity, culture and lived experiences in design," Patricia and Rod shared how immigrant experiences have shaped their design approach and professional journeys.
For Patricia, being a 1.5 generation immigrant meant growing up with a sense of being 'other'. Born in the Philippines and raised in Aotearoa, her early experiences navigating between cultures developed into a professional strength that allows her to approach design challenges from multiple angles.
Rod, who emigrated from Chile to New Zealand, shares a similar journey. Being dropped into an unfamiliar culture without support made him feel invisible initially and was hesitant to speak up. This now informs his approach to decolonising design practices and prioritising empathetic, human-centred thinking: "We have to break the loop of micro-abuse and create equal opportunities for talent and aspirations."
Beyond Diversity Statistics & Building Cultural Frameworks
Their frameworks includes four critical elements:
•Defining organisational purpose with genuine cultural inclusion
•Understanding cultural dimensions and how they shape work environments
•Defining values that bridge cultural differences
•Building practical cultural roadmaps with clear initiatives
The Ripple Effect
By transforming how we think about cultural diversity in tech workplaces, Patricia and Rod are helping to create an industry where different voices are heard and valued for their unique contributions.
