My journey...
I grew up in Liaoning, China, a region known for cold winters and stew-style cuisine in huge portions.
This passion was carried all the way from Minnesota to Boston. At Brandeis University I got my Master's (and soon a PhD) degree in cognitive psychology, with a focus on aging, culture, and memory.
At the age of 18, I started at University of Minnesota (yes, more snow) as an anthropology major and switched to psychology at my junior year, at which stage I developed my passion for human-center research.
I've always been on the look for ways to implement my research skills in more applied settings. The UX industry has opened new doors for me that research can directly help address complex design problems. I am fascinated by the fast-paced and iterative problem-solving in this field.
Through hands-on experiences, I discovered more about myself and why following a path of UX research can be the most engrossing, because ...
I solve human-centered problems
UX is, like psychology, all about human. Empathy has been crucial to my research career in psych. Designing good tasks and gaining real insights are impossible without minding who I'm studying and designing for. The experience working with hundreds of participants from various backgrounds also trained me to appreciate the diversity AND similarities among opinions and how they come together to form a complete story.
I am a communicator and story-teller
I love communiating my research to both experts and the general audience, and I believe good communication should be listener-centered. More often than not, my results are complex, abstract and uncertain. But those moments when I am asked "so what do these all mean?" at conferences keep inspiring me to translate my findings into meaningful stories and actionable insights without sacrificing rigorousness.
I have knowledge and constant interests in design
Although identified primiarly as an UXR, I am equipped with knowledge about design and the design language. I enjoy working closely with UXDs and seeing the users benefit from my research through the design itself.