Nice to meet you! 
I'm Lauren, a Product Designer based in Seattle. My passion lies in crafting delightful and accesible solutions that empower people.
Here's my journey
Got into art in High school
I started drawing and painting when I was 14, thinking I would become an artist or an Illustrator.
Art has been a part of my life to escape reality and I was fascinated by expressing my creative imagination through art.
One of my art pieces that got me accepted from 3 art schools
Pursued in Graphic Design
But, when I realized how challenging art can be as a career, my art academy teacher introduced me to Graphic Design.
So, I decided to pursue that as my major because I was passionate about solving visual problems and designing ways to market products for consumers to use and see.
My packaging design I made for packaging class
How did I get into UX?
I learned UX design in college, but when the pandemic struck, I switched to it to create more intuitive experiences that will make a positive impact.
During my senior year in college, I started designing some of my UX projects and still to this day, I continue to thrive from my failures.
First UX Design project I'm proud of from college
Experience
Asian Connections Hub
Product Designer
04/2023 - Present
Own a mental health app to make mental health accessible and boost the mental health learning experience for Asian and BIPOC communities.
PathFinder
UX/UI Designer
02/2023 - Present
Led the design of a generative AI feature on a professional community web app to achieve its product-market fit and increase engagement.
Sunny Teriyaki
UX/UI Designer(Contractor)
01/2022 - 01/2023
Spearheaded a responsive website redesign to help a restaurant expand its online presence.
How do I design?
Check for accessibility
I believe design should be accessible for all including people with special needs. I always check designs by color contrast and text ratio to ensure they are WCAG 2.1 AA compliant.
Ask questions
When designing, I always ask questions with cross-functional partners to ensure we are all aligned with our goals based on the product requirements and that I understand it correctly.
Pay attention to the details
With a Graphic Design background, I find it important to look for any details to point out any mistakes before launching the product.
Continuous collaboration
I believe collaboration with cross-functional partners is a great way to bring together people's unique perspectives and ideas to bring solutions come to life.
Have a design rationale
I find it essential always to have a purpose behind every design decision to help articulate it clearly to the stakeholders.
Use empathy
I always put myself in the consumers' and stakeholders' shoes to solve problems and achieve their goals and I always think about designing solutions for them, not myself.
When I'm not designing, I...
Learn Korean
I'm currently learning Korean to communicate better with my family, friends, and others. Also, I want to stay connected with my Korean culture.
🧳 Travel
I love to travel to explore new things. Some of the places I've been to are LA, NYC, Orlando, Las Vegas, Hawaii, Portland, Korea, Jeju Island, and Canada.
Go to concerts
I love going to concerts, but mostly K-pop concerts. In the past, I went to see EXO-K, SHINee, Ariana Grande, Cody Simpson, Yiruma, Sik-K, Keshi(twice), and Twice.
Upcoming concert: Itzy
🥤Drink milk tea or coffee
I'm both a coffee and a tea drinker. My favorite drinks are caramel macchiato, cookie butter latte, honey green milk tea, and Thai iced green milk tea.
Go to car shows
I find it inspiring to look at different cars, each with a unique design and modifications that make them stand out.
🍣 Try different foods
I'm a food enthusiast and I always look for new foods to try, especially when I travel. My favorite is salmon nigiri.