Overview

During my gap semester in 2020, I was a UX Design intern for SenseTime in Shanghai, China. SenseTime is an AI unicorn specializing in computer vision and facial recognition, with a current valuation of $12 billion.

As part of the User Experience Design team, I developed 3D brand characters and UI for the Education website (shown in this case study) and created the UI/UX for the Smart Community web app SenseSpace (under NDA).

SenseStudy

AI educational application

3D Character Design

Based on the 2D line designs created by my colleague, I developed five characters from scratch. It was my most challenging 3D design project and a strenuous process of modeling, shading, rigging, skinning, and rendering.

Explore Page Redesign

Using the 3D characters that I modeled, I redesigned the product's explore page. This product teaches K-12 students software development for AI sensor hardware in their IT classes, so I also created reusable 3D assets related to sensors and cameras.

    Explore Page

Login Page Redesign

Lastly, I redesigned the education website's login page. The main audience is teachers, so the UI is more minimal to convey the logical nature of computer science. Ultimately, the renders were used on the Home page instead.

    Home Page

SenseSpace

Smart Community Web App

While I can't disclose all the project details due to NDA, feel free to reach out to me and I would love to talk more about what I did!

For now, you can see the login page I designed.

Takeaways

Working cross-functionally with PMs, Engineers, and Designers, I grew immensely as a designer and team player. This project also taught me how to resolve many UX and visual design problems.

1. Accessibility for an aging population

Since the smart community web app's main users are security guards over 50 years old, I learned to prioritize simple interactions and clarity over visual design.

2. UI trends might not be all-inclusive

I initially designed a Neumorphic UI system for the education platform, because its realism is more coherent with 3D design. However, after doing more research on the topic, I learned that its use of low color contrast makes it hard for visually impaired people to see. I archived my old document and stuck with 2D UI designs to ensure that our platform is all-inclusive.

3. Inconsistent user needs

We are humans and what we say isn't always what we want. Each week, we are faced with new problems on how to design the experience of new functionality. Instead of creating new designs to solve new problems, we should maintain a holistic view and approach new problems with existing interaction designs in mind.