Building things has always been how I think.
Building things has always been how I think.
Analog kid, digital teenager - I lived the shift firsthand. I wanted to design things that helped people. Back then, that meant physical, and UX design was just finding its footing. So I followed what was there, and it pulled me into industrial design, then architecture.
Analog kid, digital teenager - I lived the shift firsthand. I wanted to design things that helped people. Back then, that meant physical, and UX design was just finding its footing. So I followed what was there, and it pulled me into industrial design, then architecture.
Analog kid, digital teenager - I lived the shift firsthand. I wanted to design things that helped people. Back then, that meant physical, and UX design was just finding its footing. So I followed what was there, and it pulled me into industrial design, then architecture.
Architecture taught me to think at every scale at once. But it also had a hard limit: once something is built, it's built. No going back to the people who use it. No iteration.
Architecture taught me to think at every scale at once. But it also had a hard limit: once something is built, it's built. No going back to the people who use it. No iteration.
Architecture taught me to think at every scale at once. But it also had a hard limit: once something is built, it's built. No going back to the people who use it. No iteration.
That's what pushed me into product design. Here, the design can actually keep up with what people need. After I graduated from the Master of Information, UXD at the University of Toronto, I'm writing the next chapter in my life where I bring my skills and passion to design for people's needs.
That's what pushed me into product design. Here, the design can actually keep up with what people need. After I graduated from the Master of Information, UXD at the University of Toronto, I'm writing the next chapter in my life where I bring my skills and passion to design for people's needs.
That's what pushed me into product design. Here, the design can actually keep up with what people need.
My journey
My journey
I’m driven by a growth mindset and a passion for problem-solving, thriving in ambitious and curious environments that value research and design thinking. I seek teams where we can make a meaningful impact together.
Co-op · SEP 2025 – DEC 2025
Shipped the trust layer that gave a 6-month-old marketplace its first real path to booking.
- Designed AI review summary, ratings, and a CTA hierarchy that increased tap-through to the experience detail page
- Initiated the design system from scattered Figma files and introduced token foundations to the team
Tripshepherd
Product Designer
Shipped the trust layer that gave a 6-month-old marketplace its first real path to booking.
- Designed AI review summary, ratings, and a CTA hierarchy that increased tap-through to the experience detail page
- Initiated the design system from scattered Figma files and introduced token foundations to the team
Side project · MAY 2025 – DEC 2025
Shipped multi-form-factor experiences for 3,500+ student users.
- Designed mobile and desktop flows including a real-time event dashboard with data-driven widgets
- Led prototype testing and rapid design-test-redesign cycles on the application flow
UofTHacks
Product Designer
Shipped multi-form-factor experiences for 3,500+ student users.
- Designed mobile and desktop flows including a real-time event dashboard with data-driven widgets
- Led prototype testing and rapid design-test-redesign cycles on the application flow
Co-op · MAY 2025 – AUG 2025
Grew from generalist designer into a researcher who could run parallel sprints under a single hypothesis.
- Led a multi-track research sprint synthesizing findings into design directions for a financial-advisor platform
- Translated complex enterprise workflows into research artifacts engineering and product could act on
RBC
UX Researcher
Grew from generalist designer into a researcher who could run parallel sprints under a single hypothesis.
- Led a multi-track research sprint synthesizing findings into design directions for a financial-advisor platform
- Translated complex enterprise workflows into research artifacts engineering and product could act on
CONTRACT · MAY 2024 – AUG 2024
Simplified AI conversational flows while scaling the design system.
- Redesigned an AI chatbot's flows, improving usability scores by 48% and cutting navigation friction by 55%
- Scaled a 400+ component design system with WCAG-compliant tokens
curaJOY
Product Designer
Simplified AI conversational flows while scaling the design system.
- Redesigned an AI chatbot's flows, improving usability scores by 48% and cutting navigation friction by 55%
- Scaled a 400+ component design system with WCAG-compliant tokens
CONTRACT · JUL 2021 – NOV 2023
Grew from interior designer into a UX designer
- Redesigned the brand website by applying heuristic evaluations to optimize journeys and flows
- Translated data-backed findings into UX decisions that improved engagement across touchpoints
Chiaman Furniture
Web Designer
Grew from interior designer into a UX designer
- Redesigned the brand website by applying heuristic evaluations to optimize journeys and flows
- Translated data-backed findings into UX decisions that improved engagement across touchpoints
CONTRACT · SEP 2024 – MAR 2025
Ran end-to-end qualitative research turning workshop data into client strategy.
- Led collaborative workshop sessions using Miro and Zoom with card sorting methodology to surface and document key user pain points.
- Analyzed data in Dedoose to build personas and storyboards featured in an annual client report
Innovation Hub @ UofT
Design Researcher
Ran end-to-end qualitative research turning workshop data into client strategy.
- Led collaborative workshop sessions using Miro and Zoom with card sorting methodology to surface and document key user pain points.
- Analyzed data in Dedoose to build personas and storyboards featured in an annual client report
Values in action
Values in action
Before I went further, I spent time in research on purpose - I wanted to understand people before I designed for them. That's still how I work. I think in systems, ask a lot of questions, and care about how everything fits together. I do my best work on teams that genuinely care about the people they're building for.
Before I went further, I spent time in research on purpose - I wanted to understand people before I designed for them. That's still how I work. I think in systems, ask a lot of questions, and care about how everything fits together. I do my best work on teams that genuinely care about the people they're building for.
System thinker
Attention to detail
Growth mindset
What I do outside of work
What I do outside of work
Store enough Vitamin D before the winter
Foodie
Food hunting
Playing tennis (1.5 - 2.0)
Playing tennis (1.5 - 2.0)
Meeting fellow designers
Let’s turn this glimpse into a conversation!
I'm looking for full-time and would welcome the chance to walk you through my projects.
© 2026 Yishow Shen · Designed in Framer & coded with Claude
Based in Toronto ·
23:04
ET
Let’s turn this glimpse into a conversation!
I'm looking for full-time and would welcome the chance to walk you through my projects.
© 2026 Yishow Shen · Designed in Framer & coded with Claude
Based in Toronto ·
23:04
ET
Let’s turn this glimpse into a conversation!
I'm looking for full-time and would welcome the chance to walk you through my projects.
© 2026 Yishow Shen · Designed in Framer & coded with Claude
Based in Toronto ·
23:04
ET