Hello, hello! This is Nina. Thanks for dropping by.
I'm a psychologist turned product designer with a CMU design degree and solid industry experience.
Design Skills:
User research
Information architecture
Wireframing
High-fidelity mockups
Prototyping
Usability testing
Animation
Video production
3D modeling
Software:
Figma
XD
Illustrator
After Effects
Photoshop
InDesign
Fusion 360
Maya
Soft skills:
Teamwork
Problem-solving
Communication
Task prioritization
Adaptation
Public speaking
Languages:
English
Chinese Mandarin
Evolvement of Aspiration: A Journey from Psychology to Design
I studied psychology for my bachelor's degree and built a strong research foundation through hands-on experiments—especially those involving emerging technologies like audio, 3D, and VR. This sparked my interest in Human-Computer Interaction and led me to pursue a master’s in interaction design. My psychology background shaped my approach, but I soon realized the importance of storytelling, prototyping, and visual communication to bring ideas to life. During grad school, I explored a wide range of design practices, including UI/UX design, service design, VR/AR, game design, video production, and animation. I’m always excited to keep learning and experimenting across disciplines.
Professionally, I've been working as UX/UI design intern at a number of startups and started my first full time job as a product designer at XP Health, where I design end-to-end experiences across vision insurance, eye exams, and eyewear shopping. More than 2 years of experience in fast-paced startups has made me highly adaptable, with strengths in task prioritization, cross-functional collaboration, public speaking, and managing pressure with clarity.
Education:
Carnegie Mellon University
May 2024
MDes Design for Interactions
University College London
Sep 2019
MS Human-Computer Interaction
Durham University
June 2018
BS Psychology
Experience:
XP Health
Jun 2024 -- present
After graduation, I joined XP Health as a product designer. It's a Series B B2B startup focused on streamlining the vision care journey—including insurance, exams, and eyewear. Over the past year, I led several large-scale projects such as the vision care dashboard, checkout flow, and face scan experience. Working cross-functionally with teams across engineering, sales, marketing, and client success, I’ve learned to design with a broader, strategic lens—balancing user needs with business goals. I also tracked live metrics post-launch to assess impact and continuously improve. Beyond design work, I regularly present in company-wide meetings to bring visibility and alignment to our efforts.
Trusli
Sep 2023 -- Mar 2024
At Trusli, an early-stage legal tech startup using AI to generate contracts, I worked as a UX design intern collaborating closely with the CEO and CTO to gather project requirements. I received feedback from coworkers and partnered with an outsourced engineering team through implementation. This experience taught me how to work directly with leadership, quickly adapt to shifting priorities—whether due to technical constraints or client feedback—and confidently advocate for design decisions when needed.
CertiK
May -- Aug 2023
During my summer internship at CertiK, a leading Web 3 security company specializing in cryptocurrency security data, I contributed to a range of impactful projects in UI/UX design, enhancing user experience and engagement of the CertiK Skynet website. This experience enriched my UX design skills, emphasizing collaboration, innovation, and user-centered design principles, and allowed me to translate innovative ideas into practical solutions through cross-functional teamwork.
LearnLab, CMU HCII
Jun -- Aug 2022
Feb -- May 2023
CTAT, or the Cognitive Tutor Authoring Tool, is an intelligent suite designed to facilitate the creation of personalized, flexible tutors for various problem-solving scenarios. During this internship, I designed for the collaboration features, including version control and synchronous editing. This experience taught me the significance of user research and empathy, as well as effectively utilizing prototyping as a means to articulate and showcase my work.