Many tech creators prioritize functionality over user experience, which only serves to hinder accessibility and overall utility. However, AI offers a solution by automating design tasks, which frees designers to focus on creativity. And by accelerating design processes and enabling early-stage testing, AI can significantly improve product development.
That being said, integrating AI into design tools is a challenging feat. Fortunately, UI/UX experts like Zhe Xiao can solve that problem. Working as Principal Designer for AI startup Aliveo AI, Xiao assists the company in improving marketing with a data copilot that proactively delivers insights and facilitates strategic exploration through natural language. This copilot alters how teams interact with data for more valuable and informed decision-making.
Starting as a graphic designer and marketer for an advertising agency, Xiao later joined Chinese mobile phone company OPPO as a visual designer. His primary responsibility was visual concept performance for mobile phone systems and producing critical product visuals.
Xiao also led a team and assigned tasks to the various team members to ensure they achieved their targets, which led to the prestigious award of "Best Project" in the first quarter of 2014.
The designer additionally worked as a project manager to devise ideas, produce concepts for critical points featured in presentations, and establish/compile style guidelines.
Once Xiao was satisfied with his work at OPPO, he moved on to work with Beijing-based startup Misfit, which produces intelligent bracelets. There, Xiao worked as a leading visual designer and managed the design agency for the visuals of the critical launch event at the Key Visual 2015 Misfit Autumn Public Conference.
During this time, Xiao also led a team to design the Misfit 2.0 flagship mobile app. According to Xiao, his "team at Misfit took the challenge as an opportunity to pioneer activity monitor interaction design. Nobody else in the market had designed elegant products at that time."
Upon completion, the app received over 20,000 ratings and earned 4.6 out of 5 stars on the app store. Successes like these are partly due to what Xiao calls a "link between Western and Eastern culture," as he incorporates Eastern holism into Western business practices and technical prowess to create user experiences that feel both intuitive and intelligent.
One of Xiao's most impressive accomplishments stems from his work at Harman International, a Samsung company. There, he played a crucial role in designing a novel audio product, advancing progress in the automotive industry. These initiatives directly impacted over 50 million automobile users, who were equipped with HARMAN audio and connected car systems in popular brands like Audi and BMW.
While working at Harmon Int., Xiao also led UI/UX design for Harman Global Tuning Tools (GTT), which won Harman's internal best product, launched at the 2018 CES, and featured at the HARMAN Showcase at CES 2018.
GTT is the central Harman audio tuning system configured with customer audio products and automotive audio SaaS products. It is a core component of users' audio experiences, as the tool helps tuning engineers connect clients' core audio products more efficiently.
Returning to his work at Aliveo AI, today Xiao works with the company to help automate and accelerate marketing workflows, saving users hours on tasks like reporting, campaign optimizations, and creative analysis. This is all while preserving the secret recipe for success through simple UX interactions.
The AI copilot function, which forms the foundation for Aliveo AI, comprehends a wide range of natural language instructions and deeply understands business objectives. This enhances the user experience, simplifies the report generation process, and saves users valuable time.
Today, Xiao uses his experience to contribute to the more significant body of work that optimizes interactions between technology and people, recognizing that technology lacks utility unless made accessible to those who use it.
As part of his plan for furthering AI usage in UI/UX development, Xiao aims to develop products that leverage AI for efficiency and ensure these technologies are accessible and beneficial to a broad marketing or client user base. He strives to create inclusive designs, addressing the needs of diverse users in an increasingly diverse digital environment, and in doing so, set new standards for UI/UX design.