About
I design and build 0→1 AI products, end to end.
AI product designer and design engineer based in the San Francisco Bay Area — working across product design, front-end engineering, and product architecture.
kinda narcissistic, but I went through my entire camera roll and throwing out all the photos where I look good :)
Hello
I’m Yichen, an AI product designer and design engineer. I work end-to-end — from the first sketch to shipped code — most often on 0→1 AI products.
Lately that has meant building things like dim.app, invoko.ai, and StayPass: designing the experience, then shipping it directly in code with agentic workflows. I care about restraint and craft. I don’t just design for how things feel and look, but also how they work.
Before going independent I spent three and half years at Microsoft on Windows + Devices, prototyping AI and OS experiences. I studied Interaction Design (B.Des) at the University of Washington.
What I do
Focus areas
Agentic prototyping & AI workflows
Design engineering
Front-end architecture
AI-native product systems
Rapid 0→1 product development
Design systems & tokenization
Experience · 4.5 years
Where I’ve worked
2025 — Present
Stealth / Freelance
Design Engineer
Leading the end-to-end creation of 0→1 AI products — dim.app, invoko.ai, and StayPass — across design, front-end engineering, and product architecture.
2022 — 2025
Microsoft · Windows + Devices
Product Designer
Prototyped and designed AI + user experience for Windows App, Windows 365 Link, and agentic-first AI OS and hardware UX (Project Solara).
2021
Microsoft
Product Design Intern
Designed Phone Link, a continuity experience connecting mobile devices and PCs through seamless file sharing.
2023 — Present
Design Tutoring
Design Tutor
1:1 coaching and group sessions for prospective designers.
2020
Studio Tilt
Web + Media Designer
Web building for studiotilt.design.
2020 — 2021
UW Design Research Group
Design Research Assistant
Design research on IoT.
Education
Where I’ve Studied
2022
University of Washington
Bachelor of Design · Interaction
GPA 3.8 / 4.0.
2019
Cornell University
Design · Environmental + Analysis
GPA 4.15 / 4.0.
Contact