I’m Yuanyi (Elaine) Zhou, designing to make people feel seen.
Daily
I like readings, inspired by painting, curious about human around the world.
Recently
Learning designing with AI tools + exploring meditation + acrylic painting to stay grounded, and reconnect with creativity.
Dream
Designing AI-informed experiences that support people’s well-being, it’s my north star, and the lens I bring to every product.
Recent artworks
Why work with me?
User-first and also team-minded.
I design with empathy for both users and my cross-functional team. I collaborate closely with PMs, engineers, and researchers to shape intuitive, useful experiences that meet real needs and align with shared goals.
Driven by insights, but not limited by them.
I use research, data, and testing to inform my work, but I’m not afraid to move fast without them. Some of my best outcomes started with instinct, then evolved through iteration and measurable impact.
Empty cup mentality, always learning.
I explore multiple paths, connect design with business goals, and bring fresh ideas to complex problems. I stay curious, keeping up with new tools, trends, and AI to grow with the industry and sharpen my craft.
People said about me
Pilar Strutin-Belinoff
Senior Design Director @Udemy
What an honor and pleasure to have Elaine on our team. She is been a key contributor for many hugely impactful projects. She is curious, a deep thinker and an active contributor to our work and as a core member of our team. Her collaborative spirit is invaluable, and her well-explored and thoughtful design solutions and approaches demonstrates that she is a keen advocate for our users. She is a fantastic designer, team member and mentor - truly a pillar on our team!
Aaron Woo
Principal Product Design Director @Microsoft
Elaine worked with me at Microsoft helping to design new experiences for IT admins. She worked closely with PMs and devs to translate their requirements into high quality designs. She was inclusive, listening to their POV and feedback, and incorporating it into her work. While doing this she was very mindful of our design system and applied it with a detailed eye. Additionally, she contributed frequently in our team crits and was always down to help others. Overall, Elaine delivered thoughtful, detailed designs and was great to have on our team.
Carrie Cosgrove
Senior Product Designer @Microsoft
Elaine (Yuanyi) is a great designer and a natural self-starter. Not only does she work hard; she works smart. She has experience in wrangling nebulous projects and keeping them on-track. Partners appreciate her ability to communicate about designs in ways that they understand and can interact with. Not only does she excel at design, she also strengthens team dynamics by creating and hosting team activities. I haven't laughed harder with our team than during her team-building exercises. Elaine is such an asset to any design team and I strongly recommend her.
Elaine Wei
Senior Manager @iTalkBB
Yuanyi is a fantastic designer and team member. She is creative not only in her design sense, but also in her ability to generate ideas and take initiatives to implement them. During her time at iTalk, she has helped us redesign the UI for web and app experience, and worked cross-functionally with product and engineering team on development. Her experience and understanding of design is a great asset and I would recommend for any team to have her.
Let’s talk!
elainezhou@gmail.com
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About
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I’m Yuanyi (Elaine) Zhou, designing to make people feel seen.
Daily
I like readings, inspired by painting, curious about human around the world.
Recently
Learning designing with AI tools + exploring meditation + acrylic painting to stay grounded, and reconnect with creativity.
Dream
Designing AI-informed experiences that support people’s well-being, it’s my north star, and the lens I bring to every product.
Recent artworks
Why work with me?
User-first and also team-minded.
I design with empathy for both users and my cross-functional team. I collaborate closely with PMs, engineers, and researchers to shape intuitive, useful experiences that meet real needs and align with shared goals.
Driven by insights, but not limited by them.
I use research, data, and testing to inform my work, but I’m not afraid to move fast without them. Some of my best outcomes started with instinct, then evolved through iteration and measurable impact.
Empty cup mentality, always learning.
I explore multiple paths, connect design with business goals, and bring fresh ideas to complex problems. I stay curious, keeping up with new tools, trends, and AI to grow with the industry and sharpen my craft.
People said about me
Pilar Strutin-Belinoff
Senior Design Director @Udemy
What an honor and pleasure to have Elaine on our team. She is been a key contributor for many hugely impactful projects. She is curious, a deep thinker and an active contributor to our work and as a core member of our team. Her collaborative spirit is invaluable, and her well-explored and thoughtful design solutions and approaches demonstrates that she is a keen advocate for our users. She is a fantastic designer, team member and mentor, truly a pillar on our team!
Aaron Woo
Principal Product Design Director @Microsoft
Elaine worked with me at Microsoft helping to design new experiences for IT admins. She worked closely with PMs and devs to translate their requirements into high quality designs. She was inclusive, listening to their POV and feedback, and incorporating it into her work. While doing this she was very mindful of our design system and applied it with a detailed eye. Additionally, she contributed frequently in our team crits and was always down to help others. Overall, Elaine delivered thoughtful, detailed designs and was great to have on our team.
Carrie Cosgrove
Senior Product Designer @Microsoft
Elaine (Yuanyi) is a great designer and a natural self-starter. Not only does she work hard; she works smart. She has experience in wrangling nebulous projects and keeping them on-track. Partners appreciate her ability to communicate about designs in ways that they understand and can interact with. Not only does she excel at design, she also strengthens team dynamics by creating and hosting team activities. I haven't laughed harder with our team than during her team-building exercises. Elaine is such an asset to any design team and I strongly recommend her.
Elaine Wei
Senior Manager @iTalkBB
Yuanyi is a fantastic designer and team member. She is creative not only in her design sense, but also in her ability to generate ideas and take initiatives to implement them. During her time at iTalk, she has helped us redesign the UI for web and app experience, and worked cross-functionally with product and engineering team on development. Her experience and understanding of design is a great asset and I would recommend for any team to have her.
Let’s talk!
elainezhou@gmail.com
I’m Yuanyi (Elaine) Zhou, designing to make people feel seen.
Daily
I like readings, inspired by painting, curious about human around the world.
Recently
Learning designing with AI tools + exploring meditation + acrylic painting to stay grounded, and reconnect with creativity.
Dream
Designing AI-informed experiences that support people’s well-being, it’s my north star, and the lens I bring to every product.
Recent artworks
Why work with me?
User-first and also team-minded.
I design with empathy for both users and my cross-functional team. I collaborate closely with PMs, engineers, and researchers to shape intuitive, useful experiences that meet real needs and align with shared goals.
Driven by insights, but not limited by them.
I use research, data, and testing to inform my work, but I’m not afraid to move fast without them. Some of my best outcomes started with instinct, then evolved through iteration and measurable impact.
Empty cup mentality, always learning.
I explore multiple paths, connect design with business goals, and bring fresh ideas to complex problems. I stay curious, keeping up with new tools, trends, and AI to grow with the industry and sharpen my craft.
People said about me
Pilar Strutin-Belinoff
Senior Design Director @Udemy
What an honor and pleasure to have Elaine on our team. She is been a key contributor for many hugely impactful projects. She is curious, a deep thinker and an active contributor to our work and as a core member of our team. Her collaborative spirit is invaluable, and her well-explored and thoughtful design solutions and approaches demonstrates that she is a keen advocate for our users. She is a fantastic designer, team member and mentor, truly a pillar on our team!
Aaron Woo
Principal Product Design Director @Microsoft
Elaine worked with me at Microsoft helping to design new experiences for IT admins. She worked closely with PMs and devs to translate their requirements into high quality designs. She was inclusive, listening to their POV and feedback, and incorporating it into her work. While doing this she was very mindful of our design system and applied it with a detailed eye. Additionally, she contributed frequently in our team crits and was always down to help others. Overall, Elaine delivered thoughtful, detailed designs and was great to have on our team.
Carrie Cosgrove
Senior Product Designer @Microsoft
Elaine (Yuanyi) is a great designer and a natural self-starter. Not only does she work hard; she works smart. She has experience in wrangling nebulous projects and keeping them on-track. Partners appreciate her ability to communicate about designs in ways that they understand and can interact with. Not only does she excel at design, she also strengthens team dynamics by creating and hosting team activities. I haven't laughed harder with our team than during her team-building exercises. Elaine is such an asset to any design team and I strongly recommend her.
Elaine Wei
Senior Manager @iTalkBB
Yuanyi is a fantastic designer and team member. She is creative not only in her design sense, but also in her ability to generate ideas and take initiatives to implement them. During her time at iTalk, she has helped us redesign the UI for web and app experience, and worked cross-functionally with product and engineering team on development. Her experience and understanding of design is a great asset and I would recommend for any team to have her.
Let’s talk!
elainezhou@gmail.com
© Elaine Zhou 2025