About
Hi, I'm Helen.
Product designer at AlmostBroke Studio. Previously moderated 50+ research sessions at Apple.
Not a traditional path
Cognitive science first
Design asks the same question
Found UX in college
Fell for the process
Taught myself the rest
Now I design it and ship it
Still not a straight line ♡
The moment it clicked
Gestures are learned, not universal
When an interface assumes everyone already knows the gestures, it fails the design, not the person. Years later Apple shipped Assistive Access with the same idea: interfaces built for different backgrounds, not one assumed literacy.
01 · The ask
My immigrant parents got an important file in iMessage and asked me to help forward it. It sounded simple.
02 · The stall
Long-press. The three-dot menu. Knowing which tap does what — familiar to me, not obvious to them.
03 · What I noticed
Shared interface knowledge is assumed more often than it is taught.
04 · The click
Same phone. Same screen. Two completely different literacies.
Design Growth
Shown through iterations of my portfolio
The version you're on now will keep growing as I learn more. Iterations don't stop.
Concept over clarity 2024
Retail metaphor and two color bands fight the real job: place the designer. Heavy display, thin body, vague learn-more.
How I got here
A little more, for the curious
Outside work I'm still curious. Same instinct to try things, zero professional pressure to perform it.
Weightlifting & Pilates 🧘♀️
Moving my body and eating right motivates me and reminds me that I am working towards a goal.
Travel ✈️
I love travelling to experience new cultures. Looking to go to Chongqing, China this year.
Makeup 💄
I have experimented with clean-girl and bold styles. Currently perfecting douyin style 🇨🇳
Fashion 👟
My favorite aesthetic to put together are Y2K and Streetwear.