My journey into UX design has been anything but ordinary. Growing up in a vibrant community filled with ESL speakers, I quickly realized that technology can sometimes feel like a foreign language. This sparked my passion for creating designs that are not just functional but also visually clear and easy to understand—no translation needed!

Where it started
‍Fast forward to my college days, where I dove into mechatronics (think robots and gadgets). One day, I met a blind freshman who was struggling to navigate campus. Instead of just offering directions, I thought, "What if we could build something to help?" That led me to contact my local research lab and co-create a haptic vest that guided her without sight or sound.

Talk about a lightbulb moment! It made me realize how powerful design can be when it truly serves people. It was later ingrained in me when I did the Google Hardware and Google Software Product Sprint programs where I got validation in my passion for solving human problems over technical ones.

Transitioning from engineering to UX design felt like a natural leap: mechatronics is all about making physical products to help with digital and hardware problems so the area of psychology was already drilled into my head. Especially because, unlike with software, building something normally costs millions of dollars with hardware. SO I normally "measure twice, cut once" and do a ton of research to start every project I do.
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My background gives me a unique edge—I can chat with developers in their own language and whip up realistic prototypes faster than you can say "user testing." I thrive on breaking down complex problems and turning them into simple, delightful experiences.I’m all about creating designs that grab attention at first glance. Whether it’s using psychological principles to enhance user engagement or crafting seamless experiences across different platforms, I’m here for it all!

While I know I have plenty to learn in this ever-evolving field, I’m excited about the journey ahead. If you’re looking for someone who combines technical know-how with a playful spirit and a passion for user-centered design, then let’s connect! Together, we can create products that not only look great but also make life easier for everyone.

Each animation, despite adding a bit of friction to the user experience, has a purpose. For instance, in the playground, the hover animation prototypes take on average 1.8s to load in low data conditions. So, by excusing a simple scroll animation, it distracts the user for the 1.8s that my website time to finish rendering the WebGL while concurrently ensuring everyone has a uniform experience on my website, regardless of their internet speed.

I'd also love to add more animations to my design work some day. For now, I am trying to master as many forms of visual communication as I can.  

It's Sola [ Sho-lah ]! Almost like "do re mi fa sho la"! You can remember it because, in addition to singing for the Vocal Network at Facebook/Meta and Airbnbeats , I perform at a lot of "shows" that are a bit "la-ong" at open mics.

In office? 
‍I'm a product designer who thrives on untangling the complex and embracing the unknown. With a keen eye for detail, a knack for storytelling, and an insatiable appetite for exploration, I dive headfirst into challenges. My mission? To transform chaos into clarity, one thoughtful solution at a time.
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Out of office? 
Assuming I can't geek out about my open mics again, when I'm not crafting digital experiences, you'll find me on a jiu-jitsu mat, perfecting my omelet flip, or decoding Japanese anime without subtitles. I'm a lifelong learner with an insatiable curiosity—whether it's mastering a new language or experimenting with fusion cuisine.

I know it seems unrelated, but Jiujitsu taught me that the simplest solution always takes the smallest number of steps and food science taught me there are always dozens of ways to solve a problem, even if you think you messed up early on. And actively studying Japanese & Spanish keeps my mind sharp as a life long learner because I am used to studying new material and applying it.

Prototyping & Motion design workshops 
I started this tradition at Meta and I will continue to keep it up! I regularly teach workshops for my coworkers about the new features in design tools like Figma and React as they come out. I also am great at helping others with their prototypes without needing much input on how it works to fully understand it.

Besides, who wouldn't want prototyping help from a helping hand? 

Psychology oriented 
Studying mechatronics I learned you can't really rapidly iterate normally because things cost money sadly. So I got used to using psychology to justify each and every product choice I made and I carry that principle into my digital product design work.

Plus, I love using psychological principles like Hick's Law to streamline choices—because who needs decision fatigue, right?

Design & Development handoff 
I know mechatronics SEEMS like it is just playing with robots all day, but since we often had to develop our own GUIs ( graphical user interfaces ) I have a lot of insight on how to not only design possible builds, but also how to architect custom design systems in react and typescript.

This helps me as a designer because it taught me to have a clear and consistent usage of variables from the start of designing rather then the end. So my files will always be clean and easy to walk though. . . also ensures developers will always be able to build my designs.