Welcome to my digital world! 😁 I’m a product designer passionate about providing value at the intersection of human-centered experiences and business thinking. Read on to learn more about me as a designer... and as a person!
A business major turned designer
I’m a junior at the University of Michigan studying business with a minor in UX design. While it may be a bit unorthodox, I decided to pursue business as a designer because of its endless practical applications in the corporate world, lessons taught about product innovation and value creation, and development of strategic thinking skills in general, all of which complement and support my ability as a product designer.
On campus...
I lead weekly workshops at the Michigan Advertising & Marketing Club to teach new members all about design thinking, tools such as Figma and Photoshop, and guide them through the details of professional development as designers. I’m also a digital product designer at The Michigan Daily, the largest news organization at Umich!
💗 People first, users second
Solving complex problems require deeper-level empathy. I accomplish this by considering all parts of users’ lives to understand them as people while involving them at every stage of the design process.
📈 Data-driven innovations
Every design decision should be intentional, but it can be difficult to do so without bias as emotional beings. When in doubt (and when making major decisions), I always use data to support my choices.
🧠 Continuous learning
My ability to help others is only as good as my skills as a designer. Because of this, I’m constantly learning new skills. Whether it’s generative AI or the newest UI trend on the market, I’m always curious for more!
Where it all began...
From a young age, I was always into drawing and sketching. (Living in Japan, my very first dream was to become a manga artist!) Eventually, this hobby turned into an interest in designing pixel-perfect UI.
BA 100: Intro to Business Administration
Fast forward to college - I didn’t know what I wanted to do, but I wanted to put my artistic ability to use. After some exploring, I found interest in marketing - to pursue this, I transferred into the Ross School of Business, where I’m learning much of the business acumen to translate into my UX projects.
A slight change in career aspirations
My track to marketing took a detour when I discovered UX through a marketing club. While I was initially drawn to the visual aspects of designing, I eventually found fulfillment in solving relevant problems in our daily lives. And after working on countless passion projects, I landed an internship!
The present and the future
After some great professional experiences over the Summer, I’m now looking for new opportunities to grow as a designer. While I’m not quite sure where I’ll end up, I’m looking forward to embracing all the skills that I’ll learn along the way!
⚗️ Watching Breaking Bad
🎧 Listening to Keshi and The Product Podcast
📒 Learning to cook and journal my thoughts
🤑 Cramming for my business economics class
