About

2015–2024 · Beijing

Patents in Beijing

Before design, I spent nine years as a patent legal advisor in Beijing, first at patent agencies and then at internet and software companies. I worked with product managers, UX designers, engineers and researchers. I had to learn unfamiliar technology quickly and explain it in plain language, and small details often decided the outcome.

Some of the patents I handled covered interfaces and interaction design, which gave me an early look at how digital products are made. In 2023 I led the search experience, interface and information structure for an internal patent database at a video game company. It was my first hands-on UX project.

In my free time I took photos and made AI-generated portraits. In 2023 my series Lovers was shown at Forward Art Gallery in Changsha, and in 2024 Portrait Photography magazine published my series Ash of Past Flame under the title Embrace.

2024–2026 · Ottawa

Studying and working in Ottawa

After moving to Canada, I studied Interactive Media Design at Algonquin College and graduated with honours. The courses covered photography, video, web development, UX design and visual communication. Trying all of them showed me I didn’t want to choose only one.

Outside class I worked with community groups and creators in Ottawa. I photographed events such as Let’s Bring Ottawa Onchain! and the Ottawa Chinatown New Year Parade, and filmed interviews for my friend Frank Yang’s YouTube channel. I made a music video about scams for the Chinese student group CFCS uOttawa, and designed the logo and website for the student band Insomniac Sparrows. In an applied project with Ottawa Public Health, I was the primary designer on a problem-gambling campaign proposal. These projects helped me meet people in different communities and get used to working with others in Canada.

From September 2025 to April 2026 I worked on Algonquin’s R3 Project, first full time as an e-learning multimedia developer co-op, then part time as an e-learning assistant. The college was moving to a new Student Information System. I turned administrative tasks into Adobe Captivate simulations and Quick Guides that staff could follow, and later trained two new co-op students to make them. The content had to stay accurate while the details kept changing, so I got used to handling feedback and tracking many small updates. It was my first full-time job in Canada.

2025–now · Building with AI

Building tools with AI

While studying, I started using AI-assisted coding tools to turn ideas into working software. I describe what I want, try the working version and adjust it until it does what I need.

SubLime Captions came from helping Frank Yang. Speech recognition could produce subtitle files, but checking and translating them took a full day for each video. I designed and built a web app that does the first pass with AI and leaves the final decisions to the creator. Review and translation now take about an hour. The question I kept coming back to was what the AI should handle and what should stay with the person. I replaced several forms and settings with one plain-language instruction box, and added side-by-side comparison, selective processing, manual editing and version recovery so people can check the AI’s work and fix it. In 2026 I presented it at Shopify Builder Sundays in Ottawa.

Two more tools followed: CoCap, a macOS app that captions large video files without uploading them, and Postmo, a browser tool for making motion posters. I took Postmo to Builder Sundays as well.

Today

What I’m looking for

Creator is still the word I use for myself. Depending on the project, I might shoot and edit a video, design a poster or a website, or build a small tool. I still work the way my first career taught me: learn the subject, understand how it works, then explain it clearly.

I’m looking for a full-time role as a graphic, multimedia or product designer in Canada, in Ottawa or anywhere I can relocate to.