Yuhan is one of the amazing UX/UI designers who have worked on our app’s sleek design and usability. She studied design at California College of the Arts, worked for one of the biggest American video game companies, and the Chinese company ByteDance that developed TikTok.
Today, she will share with us what it takes to be a successful UX/UI designer and why working for startups is the best!
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Yeah, sure! I’m originally from China but I first studied Physics and then UX/UI Design in the US. After that, I worked at EA Electronics for a year and then moved back to China.
Oh wow, EA Electronics is a big video game company! What have you worked on there?
I worked as a user experience designer. Unfortunately, I wasn’t working on any of their games but on the gaming platform that allows buying, downloading, and managing the games. It was still a valuable experience that taught me a lot!
That’s awesome! What are other cool projects that you’ve worked on?
Besides AngeLink, I also work at ByteDance, a Chinese company that designed the video-sharing social networking apps TikTok and Douyin (the Chinese-specific version of TikTok). I still think that AngeLink is the most exciting project that I’ve worked on so far because we basically went from zero to one.
It all started with an idea, and we didn’t have anything at first! Today, we have a fully functional app and a website that we built from scratch. Working at a startup is a completely different experience that I sincerely enjoy.
What influenced you to start this career? How did you go from studying physics to design?
I really enjoy UX/UI design because it’s all about problem-solving. From envisioning what a final product will look like to prototyping, wireframing, and creating mockups, it’s a very creative field aimed at helping people.
Why AngeLink?
I feel like AngeLink is a very special company. Because we have so many girls, the company culture is very different. Sometimes, I feel like it’s easier to communicate and collaborate because we are kind of on the same page, you know?
What do you think is the most important part of being a designer?
I think empathy is one of the most important skills within UX design. Being able to put yourself in someone else’s shoes means understanding your users’ problems. And when you understand the problem, you are able to solve it.
What software do you use? Which one is your favorite and why?
I use Figma on a regular basis for prototyping and wireframing. My favorite tool is probably Lark. They have a feature called Bitable that allows creating lightweight databases for various needs. It’s kind of like Airtable…I use it a lot to manage my time and keep track of the tasks to do.
What would you recommend to a woman who’s thinking about starting a similar career?
If you are interested in creating beautiful and easy-to-use digital products, just go for it!
What is the one thing you wish you knew before starting your career?
Hmm…interesting question. I wish I knew that user experience design is a very comprehensive subject and everything that you learn might come in handy later on. Your background and things you know have a big impact on the way you think and create your designs.