about me
Approaches
inquisitive
Driven by a deep curiosity about the intricate dynamics between humans and systems, I approach every endeavor with a genuine desire to delve into the unknown and expand my understanding.
interdisciplinary
I thrive on venturing beyond the boundaries of a single discipline and collaborating with people from diverse fields. It brings me pure joy as I discover fresh perspectives and unconventional insights.
empathetic & perceptive
I’m keenly attuned to the nuances of human behavior, emotions, and needs. Grasping the user's experience allows me to create solutions that impact human lives meaningfully.
Experience
2024 - present
Sr. Conversation Designer @ Verizon
2024
Conversation Designer @ Amazon Alexa AI
2021-2023
Conversation Designer @ Lark Health
2021
Conversational UX Designer @ Pennsylvania WIC x CMU MHCI [Capstone Project]
VUI Design Researcher @ CMU HCII x Cornell Tech
2017-2018
Research Assistant & SMART Program Intern @ Baylor College of Medicine, Cognitive Neuroscience | Neurolinguistics Lab
Education
2021
Carnegie Mellon University
Masters of Human-Computer Interaction
2019
Rice University
Bachelor of Arts in Cognitive Science, Psychology
Interests
the human mind, brain, and behavior 🧠
My journey began with a deep fascination for the nature of the human mind, brain, and behavior. Working in research labs, through rigorous experimentation, data analysis, and discussions, I gained valuable research skills and fostered resilience and adaptability, while honing my analytical abilities. These years provided me with a solid foundation to tackle complex problems and uncover fundamental truths about what makes us human.
cognitive neuroscience | neuropsychology | cognitive science
Bilingualism and Numerical Cognition
Are you bilingual? What language do you use to count or calculate? I carried out a psychological experiment to discover how language shapes our numerical understanding.
Learn More > Language and Neural Recovery after Stroke
What happens to our brain after a stroke? Human brains have a remarkable ability to adapt, reorganize and form new connections. We can gain fascinating insights from longitudinal studies on how our brain reorganizes and influences our language recovery process.
Learn More > Dream Recall from a neuropsychological perspective
How do we remember our dreams? Where do we collect the memories of our dreams? This lit review identifies the brain regions we store our dreams and neuropsychological factors that attribute to dream recall.
Learn More > Health Psychology: Interaction between Mind and Body
How much self-awareness of your health influences your physical outcome? With the help of the smartphone application, being aware of your own stress level via self-assessment can heavily reduce the level of cancer-related fatigue.
View a poster > human-centered design 👩🎨
As I continued my studies, I began to realize that the limitations of research studies hindered their applicability to society. This realization pushed me toward the field of human-centered design, where I could apply my psychological knowledge to practical settings. In particular, I was drawn towards the idea of discovering how my interests in the functions of the human mind could be used to help not just individuals, but society as a whole.
civic engagement | civic service design | human-centered design
Communicating the Value of a Walk Through the Woods
Collaborating with Memorial Park Conservancy, our team developed user-friendly signage and website content that communicate the mental health benefits for each of the existing trails and identified new mental health opportunities and partnerships.
Learn More > KTRU Project - Design For America
KTRU (Rice’s student radio station) has many amazing vinyl records that consistently don’t get as much play as they should. Our team identified both human and systematic issues and came up with design solutions to make playing vinyl more accessible for radio DJs.
Read a blog > human-computer interaction 👩💻
Captivated by the idea that technology has the power to shape the way we think and act and that it has endless possibilities for enhancing our lives, I applied to the MHCI program at CMU, where I explored Human-Computer Interaction in depth. Throughout the program, I immersed myself in the world of AI and groundbreaking technology. I got hands-on experience in designing across different fields: digital, physical, and service. It has been an exciting and enriching experience that has expanded my horizons and fueled my passion for creating meaningful interactions between humans and technology.
SavaPrana: An Interactive Yoga Mat
Drawing from the concept of controlling breath when a person engages in a certain posture, I designed an interactive yoga mat that utilizes human body posture, breathing, and biodata as materials to increase one’s interoceptive awareness.
Learn More > WICster
Through extensive user research and analysis of PA WIC service, our capstone team designed an SMS chatbot that empowers WIC families to create healthy habits and improve their nutritional goals.
Learn More >conversational AI and social robots 🤖
Among diverse disciplines of design, I became fascinated by relational technologies that interact with humans in the most natural and intuitive way — conversational agents (chatbots, voice assistants) and social robots/embodied AI. Leveraging my knowledge of complex human minds and behavior, I’m driven to create systems that are cooperative, ethical, and humane that meet the needs of users. I’m also passionate about exploring how conversational AI with physical embodiment that can build relationships with humans can influence humans and society.
Designing Relational AI-Powered Digital Health Coaching for Chronic Disease Management 2023 HCI International Conference
A conceptual framework of the coaching relationship between coaches and coachees in the long-term chronic disease management setting establishes a basis for the design and development of relational conversational AI health coaching.
Read a paper >Learn More > “A Second Voice”: Investigating Opportunities and Challenges for Interactive Voice Assistants to Support Home Health Aides. 2022 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
An exploratory, qualitative study that investigates design opportunities for Interactive Voice Assistants to support home health aides’ essential care work.
Read a paper > Learn More > Human-Robot Interaction Review
Why do humans ascribe emotions to robots? And what are the implications when humans develop empathy towards social robots? A comprehensive literature review that delves into the realm of anthropomorphic designs for social robots while examining the ethical considerations of human-robot interactions.