Yixuan Song and Jiahui Yu.

Yixuan: From the moment I could hold a crayon, the world around me transformed into a vibrant canvas. As a child, every wall in our home bore witness to my early experiments with color and form. My parents often found that each corner of our house became a silent testimony to moments of inspiration and emotion, capturing my unbounded creativity. This early love affair with beauty was a profound expression of my inner world.

As I matured, my curiosity naturally evolved toward understanding human behavior and emotions. This led me to pursue an undergraduate degree in psychology, seeking to decode the intricacies of human minds. During one of my lectures, a professor mentioned, "Design is not just an exhibition of art, but a practice of psychology." This statement resonated deeply with me, igniting a passion to blend the art of design with the science of psychology.

My journey into User Experience (UX) Design began serendipitously during my junior year of college when I attended a lecture on the impact of design on user behavior. The concept that design could profoundly influence how people interact with technology struck a chord with me. It felt as if all my interests had converged into a single, clear path forward—creating designs that not only look beautiful but also resonate emotionally with users.

This epiphany led me to Cornell University for a Master’s degree in Information Science, specializing in UX. There, I immersed myself in learning design theories and practical skills while engaging in projects that bridged technology and human needs. One notable project involved developing an augmented reality app to aid children in learning math—an endeavor that not only validated my design approach but also garnered multiple accolades, fueling my passion further.

Now, as a User Experience Designer at Google, I'm driven by the challenge of integrating psychological insights into my designs daily. My aim is to craft experiences that are not just visually appealing and functional but also profoundly impactful, making a real difference in users’ lives.

In the future, I aspire to push the boundaries of design and psychology even further. My dream is to establish a design studio dedicated to fostering the next generation of designers, sharing my passion for creating meaningful and emotionally engaging user experiences. Through this, I hope to inspire a new wave of creative thinkers who appreciate the delicate interplay between aesthetics and the human psyche.

Jiahui: My name is Jiahui, and I’m a UX Designer with four years of experience. I love exploring different industries, and I’ve worked on projects ranging from healthcare and education to back-end management, live streaming, and e-commerce. Tackling diverse fields allows me to understand varied user needs and motivations.

I’m passionate about observing the details around me and delving into the ‘why’ behind them—like why ketchup bottles are designed with caps on the bottom or why ticket stubs are necessary on public transport. This curiosity drives me to approach design from a critical, inquisitive perspective, always looking for deeper insights that enhance the user experience.

Yixuan: Ever since I was a child, I've been utterly captivated by the magical world of cartoons and comic books. They weren't just stories or drawings to me—they were windows into a universe where anything was possible, where colors spoke louder than words, and where the underdog could always save the day.

I spent countless hours sketching my favorite characters and inventing my own, trying to capture their heroic feats and hilarious escapades on paper. These early artistic adventures were my first steps into the realm of design and art.

One particular afternoon stands out in my memory: I was about eight years old, sitting on the floor of my room surrounded by crayons, and I had just finished a drawing of my dog as a superhero—complete with a cape and flying goggles.

My mom came in, saw the drawing, and laughed in sheer delight. She asked if she could hang it on the fridge for all to see. That moment of shared joy, that simple act of hanging my art on the fridge, ignited something in me—a desire not just to create but to connect with others through my creations.

As I grew older, this desire only deepened. I started to see art and design not just as a way to express myself, but as a powerful tool for communication, a way to bring smiles, provoke thought, and even inspire action. The decision to become a designer was a natural progression for me; it felt like the calling that had been whispering to me through all those years of doodling and dreaming.

So, in a way, you could say that I chose to become a designer because of a superhero dog and a refrigerator door that served as my first gallery. It was there, in those playful sketches, that I found my passion for design—a passion to create work that touches hearts, sparks imagination, and brings a bit of magic into the everyday. And honestly, who wouldn't want to spend their life doing just that?

Jiahui: I chose to become a digital designer because I’m passionate about connecting with people through thoughtful design and addressing real-world issues. With a natural curiosity about the world, I’m drawn to the challenge of understanding users on a deeper level and finding creative solutions that truly resonate with their needs.

I’ve always believed that design is a powerful tool to simplify complex problems and improve lives in meaningful ways. The opportunity to work across various fields and explore diverse perspectives keeps me motivated, as each project lets me question assumptions, learn, and create tangible impact that contributes to a better world.

Yixuan: In my career as a user experience designer, I am responsible for leading design projects that ensure our solutions are both aesthetically pleasing and practical while optimizing the user experience. Beyond my day-to-day work, I also serve as the design lead for my personal project, MindMender, a platform focused on mental health that combines advanced AI technology with deep user experience insights to provide innovative mental health support and solutions.

As the design lead, my role involves guiding our design team through every step from conceptualization to product realization. Our goal is to create an intuitive and engaging platform that allows users easy access to a variety of mental health tools. This includes AI-driven psychological analyses, AI-assisted journaling tools, and a smart recommendation system that suggests the most suitable therapists and mental health programs based on specific user needs.

Additionally, I collaborate closely with the technical team to ensure our design solutions integrate seamlessly into the existing technological architecture. By integrating with devices like the Apple Watch, we utilize biometric data to further personalize the user experience, providing more accurate mental health support.

Through the MindMender project, I am able to apply my design expertise to a truly meaningful area, driving innovation and accessibility in mental health services and helping more people maintain and enhance their mental well-being in an effective and affordable way. This project reflects my professional ethos and commitment to societal contribution, aiming to improve people's quality of life through the power of design.

Jiahui: As a UX Designer at Advantage Solutions, I work on solving a range of practical, real-world challenges. My role involves addressing specific user needs and refining experiences to make our solutions as effective and accessible as possible. Beyond my daily work, I’m deeply passionate about social issues and often look for ways that design can positively impact society.

I believe that good design can help address complex social topics, from mental health to inclusivity, and my goal is to create solutions that not only solve problems but also contribute to a broader understanding and empathy for diverse user needs.

Our favorite type of digital design is interactive design. We believe that by understanding users’ deeper needs and combining creativity with functionality, we can create a more meaningful experience for them.

This approach not only enhances user satisfaction but also challenges our team’s skills, pushing us to solve real-world issues. This blend of excitement and fulfillment is what we find most rewarding.

We believe that a good design is human-centered, prioritizing usability while uncovering and fulfilling needs that users might not even realize they have. It maintains simplicity and intuitiveness, meeting users’ basic requirements while delivering deeper value that enhances their experience.

Our design style is primarily minimalist and elegant. It creates a visual experience that feels comfortable and trustworthy while remaining functionally straightforward and easy to understand. Even for those without interaction training, our design is intuitive enough to be used effortlessly.

We aim to provide an experience that is both relaxed and engaging, helping to bridge the gap between the product and its users.

Our design style is best described as clean, empathetic, and intentional—a combination that prioritizes clarity, emotional resonance, and purposeful detail.

Our design process begins with a deep understanding of our users and their needs. We start with research, gathering insights and analyzing user behavior. At the beginning, we often explore multiple topics, but we recognize the importance of creating socially valuable solutions.

This led us to focus on mental health. In the ideation phase, we brainstorm and sketch various solutions, emphasizing how to deliver genuine value to users. We also examine existing products on the market, identifying why they fail to meet users' needs, as we enjoy uncovering problems and questioning everything.

Once the concept is solidified, we develop prototypes, testing and refining them through user feedback. In the final implementation, we pay close attention to detail, ensuring that our design aligns with our core principles of functionality, simplicity, and aesthetics.

As Chinese designers, we are profoundly influenced by China's rich cultural heritage and traditional aesthetics. This cultural background not only shapes my aesthetic views but also deeply impacts my design process:

Focus on Detail and Harmony: Chinese culture emphasizes balance and harmony, which inspires me to seek equilibrium in visual elements, color use, and layout in my designs, creating work that is both beautiful and functional.

Significance of Symbolism: In Chinese culture, many elements carry rich symbolic meanings. I often incorporate these culturally symbolic elements into my designs to enhance their cultural depth and emotional connection.

Narrative Quality: Traditional Chinese art excels at conveying emotions through storytelling. Similarly, I like to guide the user experience with stories, allowing users to feel the progression of a narrative and emotional shifts as they interact with the product.

Simplicity and Subtlety: Influenced by traditional Chinese aesthetics, I favor creating designs that are simple but not simplistic. This style emphasizes expressing complex meanings through minimalist lines and forms without excessive decoration.

In conclusion, China’s cultural heritage not only provides a wellspring of inspiration and creativity but also enables me to better integrate the aesthetic and emotional needs of Chinese users into my design practice, creating designs that resonate deeply with users.

Thank you! Winning the 2024 NY Product Design Awards is a tremendous honor that holds deep personal significance for us. This recognition is not just a validation of our skills and creativity as designers but also a testament to the passion and dedication we pour into every project.

Receiving this award distinction reaffirms our commitment to blending aesthetic beauty with practical functionality in ways that resonate deeply with users. It serves as a powerful motivation to continue pushing the boundaries of what can be achieved in design, exploring new ideas, and innovating within the field.

Moreover, this award is a milestone that encourages us to uphold the standards of excellence and continue to grow. It inspires us to further our exploration into how design can impact lives positively, integrating cultural insights and psychological understanding to create more meaningful and effective user experiences.

In essence, the NY Product Design Awards recognition is both a tremendous honor and a reminder of the responsibility we have to contribute positively to the design community and to the users who interact with our work.

Our award-winning project, "Mindmender," is a mental health platform with a strong focus on social impact, designed to improve mental health through the use of artificial intelligence. Mindmender utilizes advanced AI algorithms to monitor users' emotional states and provide personalized mental health advice and support, aiming to reduce the social costs associated with mental health issues and increase public awareness and understanding of these matters.

We chose Mindmender as our entry for the NY Product Design Awards because it highlights both innovation in design and a sense of social responsibility within the mental health sector. The project is not only technologically innovative but also addresses a significant social issue—global mental health challenges.

In designing Mindmender, we conducted extensive user research to deeply understand the mental health needs of diverse user groups, integrating these insights into every aspect of the product.

Additionally, Mindmender is designed with a focus on usability and accessibility, ensuring that all users, regardless of age, background, or technical ability, can benefit from it. By providing such a platform, we hope to reduce the stigma associated with mental health issues and make seeking help a universally accepted and normalized action.

By participating in the NY Product Design Awards, we aim to raise awareness about the importance of mental health and encourage further research and discussion in this field. Winning this award is a recognition of our efforts to innovate in design and make a social impact, as well as an affirmation of the potential societal value of our Mindmender project.

Addressing the broad spectrum of mental health conditions with a single platform like Mindmender posed a complex challenge. Each mental health condition, whether it’s depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia, manifests differently across individuals and requires uniquely tailored approaches for effective management and support.

The difficulty lies in the intricate nature of mental health symptoms which are often subtle, highly variable, and deeply personal. For instance, the symptoms of depression can range from persistent sadness and fatigue to more severe manifestations like a complete lack of motivation or profound existential despair.

Designing a platform that can accurately identify and differentiate these symptoms, then provide appropriate interventions, requires a sophisticated understanding of psychological diagnostics.

Moreover, mental health needs can be influenced by a plethora of factors including age, cultural background, personal history, and even socioeconomic status. For example, the way mental health issues are perceived and expressed in one culture can be vastly different from another, necessitating a culturally sensitive approach in both the assessment tools and the therapeutic content provided by the platform.

To tackle these challenges, our team had to engage in extensive research, collaborating closely with psychologists, psychiatrists, and cultural experts. We developed a diverse set of user personas to simulate a wide range of mental health scenarios and conducted multiple rounds of user testing to ensure the platform’s algorithms were sensitive and adaptive to the nuances of different conditions.

Implementing AI to intelligently parse through this complex, nuanced data and making informed decisions about user care added another layer of complexity. The AI had to be trained on vast datasets that accurately reflect the global diversity of mental health conditions, ensuring it could provide personalized, culturally relevant support without bias.

Overall, crafting a platform capable of addressing such a wide array of mental health needs was not only a technical challenge but also a deeply human one, requiring a balance of empathy, scientific understanding, and innovative technological application.

Increased Visibility: Winning the award has significantly raised my profile in the design community and beyond. It has led to greater visibility of my work, attracting attention from potential clients, collaborators, and the media. This exposure is invaluable as it opens up new opportunities for partnerships and projects.

Validation of Skills and Creativity: The recognition from a prestigious award serves as a strong validation of my skills and creative approach to design. It confirms that my work is not only effective but also innovative and resonant on an international scale. This validation has boosted my confidence and encouraged me to pursue even more ambitious projects.

Endless Problem Solving: I love that in design, every day feels like a puzzle that’s missing half the pieces. You get to be both the detective and the artist, figuring out what’s missing, and then making it look amazing. It keeps you on your toes—one minute you’re a creative genius, the next you’re wondering why your pixel is misaligned by 0.001mm. But hey, that’s the thrill of it, right?

The Power to Make Life Easier (or just cooler): There’s something magical about the fact that as designers, we get to make things work and look cool at the same time. Whether it's a sleek app that makes everyone feel like a tech wizard or a button so perfectly placed it deserves an award of its own, it’s satisfying to think, “I made that easier and cooler.”

Sometimes I wonder if this is the closest thing to having superpowers—minus the cape, unfortunately.

The Creative Chaos: The design world is like living in a whirlwind of post-it notes, sketches, coffee cups, and Adobe error messages. But amidst all the chaos, there’s a wonderful community of people who somehow get it.

They understand the pain of kerning and celebrate the tiny victories, like when you find the perfect shade of blue. It’s a weird, wonderful tribe where everyone’s a perfectionist with a side of quirk—and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

As Chinese designers working in the U.S., being part of a minority group has made me more attuned to diversity, inclusion, and cultural sensitivity in design. Growing up with a rich cultural heritage and now working in a different environment, We’ve learned how important it is to design for a wide range of users, especially those who are often underrepresented.

China’s unique design traditions, which emphasize balance, harmony, and the importance of subtle details, have deeply influenced our approach. But working in the U.S., We’ve had to merge this traditional mindset with the fast-paced, innovative, and often bold design culture here. This blend gives us a broader perspective when approaching design problems, allowing us to create solutions that are not only visually appealing but also culturally relevant and inclusive.

Being part of a minority group in the design industry has heightened my awareness of how different cultural backgrounds and experiences shape the way people interact with products. I’m more mindful of designing for all users, considering factors such as accessibility, cultural differences, and the unique challenges faced by marginalized communities.

This perspective helps us create designs that not only look good but also serve diverse user needs in meaningful ways.

In short, our background as Chinese designers working in the U.S. allows me to bring a blend of traditional design values and modern innovation, while our experience as part of a minority group pushes us to always think about inclusivity and representation in our work. This, we believe, is what makes my design approach truly unique.

We envision the digital industry continuing to evolve with a strong focus on personalization, mental health, and ethical technology use. In the next 5-10 years, advanced technologies like enhanced interactive forms, supercomputing, and brain-computer interfaces will likely become more prevalent, allowing for new and immersive user experiences.

We believe that as the industry advances, design will need to address important considerations around ethics, privacy, and transparency. This evolution toward more personalized, ethically aware, and technologically sophisticated designs will help shape a future that is both innovative and responsible.

AI and automation will continue to play a larger role in the design process. From tools that assist in rapid prototyping to AI-driven user research and data analysis, designers will have more powerful resources at their fingertips. However, the human touch—creativity and empathy—will remain irreplaceable, meaning designers will need to balance AI's efficiency with emotional intelligence and storytelling.

Our advice would be to stay curious and constantly seek to understand the real needs of users, while pursuing advancements in technology and innovation. The digital industry is always changing, so it’s important to be open to learning and adapting as new tools and trends emerge, especially in fields like AI, interactive design, and immersive technologies.

Focus on building a strong foundation in technical skills and design thinking, while being mindful of the social and ethical impact of your work. Finally, don’t hesitate to take on projects that are personally meaningful—passion, purpose, and a drive for innovation can set your work apart and lead to impactful, award-worthy designs.

If we had to recommend two essential reads for anyone looking to improve their design skills, they would be:

"The Design of Everyday Things" by Don Norman – This book was one of my early inspirations and remains a must-read for anyone interested in human-centered design.

It offers invaluable insights into understanding user behavior, and how to create intuitive, functional designs that truly serve the people interacting with them. It’s an excellent foundation for anyone looking to grasp the psychology behind effective design.

"Don't Make Me Think" by Steve Krug – This is another foundational book that shaped my approach to web usability and intuitive design. Krug’s simple, yet profound, advice on making things as easy as possible for users has become a guiding principle in my work.

This book is perfect for understanding the critical role usability plays in web and product design, ensuring that users can navigate without friction. These two books laid the groundwork for my understanding of design and are a fantastic starting point for anyone aiming to improve their skills in the design industry.

Jiahui: Games have always inspired me, as they offer a way to experience multiple lives, each with unique challenges and stories. This idea drives us to design experiences that let users explore new aspects of themselves, just as they would in a game, making each interaction feel meaningful and personal.

Yixuan: I critique restaurant menus – Not for the food, but for the layout, typography, and readability. Nothing ruins a meal like bad kerning.

Yixuan: My pet cat has a unique way of teaching me something important about UX design. Most of the time, she’s a picture of calm—lounging in the sun, totally content. But then, out of nowhere, she’ll launch into these sudden bursts of energy, sprinting through the house, leaping onto furniture, and darting around as if she’s on a mission. It’s chaotic and unpredictable, but that’s where I see an interesting lesson for UX design.

In UX, we often aim for consistency and predictability—users expect a smooth, reliable experience. But sometimes, those sudden bursts of creativity or unexpected moments are what truly engage users. Much like my cat’s unpredictable energy makes her more intriguing, adding small, surprising elements of delight in UX can turn a functional product into something memorable.

Think of the little animations, micro-interactions, or playful features that catch users off guard in a good way—those are the “crazy cat moments” in design that keep users engaged.

What I’ve also learned from my cat is the importance of balance. While those moments of delight are crucial, they need to be used sparingly. Just as my cat eventually returns to her calm, predictable state, UX design should primarily remain intuitive and easy to navigate, giving users a sense of control. Too many surprises or bursts of creativity can overwhelm and frustrate users. So, just like with my cat, it’s about knowing when to inject that burst of energy to captivate users and when to return to simplicity and consistency to keep the experience smooth.

In short, my cat’s behavior has shown me that while consistency in UX is important, those well-timed moments of unexpected delight can elevate a design from good to unforgettable.

Jiahui: I’m deeply inspired by philosophers, especially Michel Foucault, whose work delves into human desires, needs, and societal structures. While design and philosophy may seem distant, I see them as fundamentally connected, both centered on understanding people.

Foucault’s insights into how human behavior is shaped by social forces have profoundly influenced my design approach. His philosophy reminds me that design isn’t just about aesthetics or usability—it’s about exploring the deeper motivations and desires that drive people. This perspective helps me look beyond surface-level needs and create experiences that resonate with users on a meaningful level.

Our key to success lies in curiosity and adaptability. I’ve always been driven by a sense of curiosity—constantly asking questions, exploring new ideas, and staying open to learning from every experience. Design, especially UX design, is about understanding people and the ever-changing world we live in. Staying curious keeps you in tune with users’ evolving needs and helps you anticipate where things are going.

But curiosity alone isn’t enough; it needs to be paired with adaptability. The design industry moves fast, with new tools, trends, and technologies emerging all the time. The ability to adapt and evolve—whether it’s learning a new skill, embracing a different perspective, or pivoting your approach—has been crucial for my growth as a designer. Flexibility is the key to navigating challenges and staying relevant.

As for parting words of wisdom: Don’t be afraid to fail. Some of my best ideas came after initial failures, and each setback taught me something valuable. In design, failure isn’t the end—it’s part of the creative process. Embrace the mistakes, learn from them, and use them to fuel your next iteration.

Lastly, always design with empathy. At the core of every successful design is a deep understanding of and connection to the user. Keep people at the center of your process, and your work will resonate on a much deeper level.