Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Xi Zhou. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Xi, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

My passion for psychology and sociology drives me to solve people’s problems. There was a pivotal moment during my undergrad that solidified this passion. At the time, I was working as a User Experience Design Intern for a house rental company in China, similar to Zillow. During a UX research session, I heard many stories from our platform users.

Initially, we were focused on understanding our website and app’s pain points. However, one story deeply impacted me. A young woman opened up about her experience with sexual harassment from her male housemates. She explained that before moving in, she didn’t have enough information about her housemates, and the landlord hadn’t conducted formal background checks on any of the renters. This made me realize that, as a company facilitating shared housing, we should be solving problems, not creating them. There were so many things we could implement to prevent such situations, such as requiring renters to upload their ID, enforcing background checks for every tenant, or having renters provide background information such as age, gender, education, and job before applying for a home.

This experience taught me the importance of being a designer who addresses real-world problems and brings positive change to people’s lives.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My design journey began with a childhood fascination for the imaginative world of Doraemon and his innovative solutions to real-world problems. As a child, I explored various forms of drawing, including traditional Chinese painting and watercolor. This early interest paved the way for me to study Industrial Design at Jiangnan University.

During my freshman year, I discovered a passion for the Internet of Things (IoT), which led me to seek transfer opportunities to U.S. universities. After two years of effort, I transfered to California College of the Arts in 2017 to focus on UX design and research. Upon graduating, I worked as a UX researcher at Netgear, where I gained valuable insights into product development.
My enthusiasm for design and technology inspired me to further my studies at the University of Michigan, focusing on the intersection of software development and design. A pivotal moment in my career was landing an internship and later a full-time offer with PlayStation during graduate school. This experience solidified my commitment to design and provided significant opportunities for growth as a UX Designer.

With a strong research background, I approach design from a holistic perspective, understanding diverse problem spaces. I am a UX Designer who bridges users’ needs, business strategies, and the latest technologies. Since 2018, I have worked across various industries, including IoT, Mixed Reality, Cybersecurity, healthcare, entertainment, internal tools, enterprise products, AI, and e-commerce/monetization.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

After graduation from California College of the Arts, I worked as a UX researcher at Netgear for a year, where I focused primarily on qualitative and quantitative research. However, I realized that my true passion lay in solving problems rather than just discovering them. As a UX researcher, my involvement in design details and the product roadmap was limited compared to that of a UX/product designer. I wanted to be more engaged in product decision-making and the development cycle.

This realization led me to pursue graduate studies in Human-Computer Interaction Design at the University of Michigan. My goal was to transition into a UX designer role, where I could have a more direct impact on product development and contribute more significantly to creating solutions.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

As a UX Designer, our journey involves listening intently to users’ stories, empathizing deeply with their problems, and tirelessly advocating for them. What makes this role incredibly rewarding is the opportunity to tackle real-world problems in uniquely creative ways.

For example, during my time as a UX designer at PlayStation, I consistently challenged myself to think beyond mere functionality. I delved into how we could infuse our product user experience with more delightfulness while also elevating our brand awareness. It’s about exploring innovative ideas that not only enhance usability but also leave a lasting impression on our users.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.clairezhou.space/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clairezhou-design/