Published in Design Buddies Community·PinnedWhat the Heck Tech: A Design WreckDear future designers… — A couple months ago, I drove a Tesla for the first time. I was surprised to find driving it felt more like using a piece of technology than driving a car. Unlike a typical car with physical buttons and a dashboard in front of the wheel, Tesla’s screen replaces all…UX Design6 min read
PinnedConfessions from my High School Experience in the Bay AreaWhy I couldn’t see past the culture. — Disclaimer: Everything in this article is based on personal experience, and in no way is representative of everyone’s experience growing up in the Bay. This is a self-reflection while trying to make sense of my past. …Bay Area8 min read
Jun 24, 2021Our life is not human-centeredThe irony of our society. — As a student studying Human-Computer Interaction and immersed in the UX world, I spend my time advocating for humans when thinking about designing for technology. As design thinking has taken over my life, I began wondering— has the system we built for the world also put humans first? …Hci7 min read
Jun 4, 2021USC Iovine and Young AcademyMy story of not making it into my dream program. — When applying to college, I got rejected from my dream program (USC Iovine and Young Academy). It really stung at the time, but I’ve since then found a similar path through a different program (Human-Computer Interaction) at CMU. While applying, I didn’t find many rejection stories so I wanted to…Usc Iya12 min read
Published in Design Buddies Community·Apr 20, 2021A Guide to Joining Hackathons as a DesignerIn my experience speaking with hackathon veterans, I’ve heard the phrase “Good UI/UX wins hackathons” very often. However, a quick look around most hackathons, and you’ll find there are disproportionately fewer designers than developers. Why is that? 🤷♀️ Joining hackathons as a designer is intimidating. When I first started attending…Hackathons8 min read
Mar 16, 2021IntARnet: Tartanhacks 2021Fueled by the adrenaline rush from Treehacks 2021, my team (Table1) decided to tackle Tartanhacks, Carnegie Mellon’s annual hackathon hosted by ScottyLabs. This time, we created an augmented-reality geospatial social media platform to connect users to their local communities. We won the Scott Krulcik Grand Prize and “Best Throwback Hack,”…Tartanhacks18 min read
Feb 20, 2021Catiator: Treehacks 2021This past weekend, I attended Treehacks, Stanford’s premier hackathon with 2,000+ attendees from across the world. It was held virtually this year through Ohyay! Our team created a gladiator cat-themed interactive virtual reality game that allows you to learn and improve your American Sign Language skills. We won the Moonshot…Treehacks17 min read
