Process & principles

Imagine seeing a phone for the first time. Suddenly, it rings, you pick up the receiver, and you can hear the voice of someone from the other corner of the world. What lies beneath this deceptively simple experience is a complex web of telecom infrastructure. As designers, our job is to make that all "go away" so it feels magical.

I’m not only interested in drawing fanciful ideas on paper but bringing them into reality.

Getting my start at early-stage startups as the solo/early design hire, my superpower is homing in on what features need to be built and by when, then support teams to deliver precisely that. And I hold deliverables to a high bar.

Doing the proper research, building for the right users, and solving the right problems with an on-point design is important, but implementing, executing, and delivering is ultimately what matters. As a product partner, I guide teams to fix their eyes on the ultimate product goals and work backward.

Design

To support complex system logic, I also front-load codebase design systems to accelerate engineering and reduce tech debt.

I’ve contributed decision trees for backend logic based on user-centric thinking.

[...] Lai Jing built out the majority of our design system with remarkable attention to detail and craftsmanship. Her work was thorough, consistent, and set a high quality bar. [...]

— Nick Woods, Head of Product at Polycam

Lai Jing is one of the hardest working designers I’ve had the pleasure to hire. She has a strong desire for success on many fronts: personal, team, and company. [...] Lai Jing always wants to bring you along on her design journey, which is helpful in understanding her thought process and decision making. She’s quite productive with her time and I think finds a lot of pleasure in the act of creation. She’s focused and driven. [...]

— Liana Lawrance, Design Manager at Rocket Lawyer

Research and strategy

I’ve owned user or customer journey map that incorporates voices from all angles, highlighting areas of improvement for specific touchpoints.

[...] It was clear from day one that her background in architecture translated well to being a UX designer. She understands how to design for people and constantly has the user’s best interest at heart. Lai Jing is incredibly thoughtful and thorough in research, from usability testing to interviews, and she develops strong processes and documentation that are crucial to any organization's success. I highly recommend Lai Jing - she is as detail-oriented, passionate, hard-working, and talented as they come.

— Hanmei Wu, Co-Founder at Empowerly

Lai-Jing is one of the most detailed students that I've had during my time as a mentor at Springboard. Her attention to data and research set her apart from her peers as nothing is beyond her notice. Where her true strength lies is being able to dig through copious amounts of data to glean what's of value to both the business and to the end user.

— John Maier, PSPO (Design mentor from 2019)

Team work

I’ve owned user or customer journey map that incorporates voices from all angles, highlighting areas of improvement for specific touchpoints.

Lai-Jing has a rare mix of design and product growth expertise. With an architecture background, She brings sharp attention to detail and applied that to 3D scanning and capture. She started in design, then moved into product growth and management, leading work on paywalls, upgrade flows, and revenue optimization. A strong partner who bridges design thinking with business impact.

— Ethan Goldspier, VP Sales and Business Development at Polycam

[...] What I appreciated most was her openness to feedback. She actively sought out different perspectives and created an environment where the team felt comfortable sharing honest input. Any team would be fortunate to have Lai-Jing. She brings a unique blend of design sensibility, strategic thinking, and collaborative leadership that drives results.

— Siavash Zamani, Growth Engineer at Polycam

[...] While working with LJ she always has a positive attitude and is a problem solver. With any challenge she faced, LJ continued to remain focused and would push through any hurdles. Any tasks that LJ is working on she was fully committed to and would jump right in. She takes the time to do the research and understands the needs and wants of each team. All while providing a seamless design that is user-friendly. I look forward to seeing LJ's continued success.

— Jeaninne Singh, Director of Merchandising at Collov

Project management

I’ve owned product roadmaps and facilitated sprints, ensuring that every epic reaches the finish line and adds up to a meaningful initiative.

I had the pleasure of working with Lai Jing at Empowerly. I was impressed at Lai Jing's ability to create and implement successful team collaboration processes that prevent bottlenecks and inefficiencies. As a Product Manager with a UX Design background, she was a jack of all trades. She understood business goals and user needs while also focused on delivering a great product. Any employer would be lucky to have Lai Jing as a PM/Designer. Not only is she smart and driven, but she's a teammate that you know you can rely on.

— Cythera Carino, Product Designer at Empowerly

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Lai-Jing Chu