Joann is building a product
I design things:
I think design can change things.
I think the things we design are just as important as the things we choose not to.
I think we should design things that do the things we don't enjoy, and make the things we do enjoy, even better.
I think there are too many things.
I think there should be fewer, but better things.
The best things, an optimal amount.
San Francisco, CA
San Francisco, CA
San Francisco, CA
Freelance Product Designer
Freelance Product Designer
Freelance Product Designer
What I'm about
WHERE I'M FROM 🌏
Born in Seoul, raised in the SoCal + Bay Area (with a quick NYC detour), creativity runs in the family—my dad designed physical products, my mom designed clothes, so making things is kind of my default setting.
WHAT I USED TO DO 🎨
I grew up a fine-arts kid, painting and taking photos, which still shapes how I think about composition, color, and storytelling.
WHAT I DO NOW 🧩
I’m a Product Designer who turns complex workflows into friendly, intuitive experiences. I’ve worked across POS, fintech, medical AI, and internal CRM tools—shipping work from concept to production. I move fast, think in systems, and team up with PM and engineering to make sure high-value ideas actually see daylight (don't get stuck in Figma files).
WHERE I'M AT NOW 🌤️
I live in Walnut Creek, California, and when I’m not designing, I’m usually driving toward the coast, the redwoods, or whatever place has the best night view.
WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR 🚀
A curious team, bold challenges, big ambition, and work that makes a real impact.
Experience
Product Designer • 2021 - Present
Worked with a cross-functional team of designers and developers to deliver an MVP and define the long-term product roadmap.
Created and delivered a patented global gesture control product, overseeing all stages from concept to development in partnership with DLA Piper.
Directly worked with Netflix and Paris Olympics, alongside collaborating with founders of Coffee Meets Bagel to secure contracts.
Product Designer • 2021 - Present
Product designer partnering with startups and cross-functional teams across POS, HRIS, fintech, healthcare, edTech, gaming, and consumer products to design and ship scalable, user-centered web and mobile experiences for 10+ companies.
Founding product designer for a gaming e-commerce platform, with executive leadership to define product vision and roadmap.
Designed GTM assets and product interfaces for an AI-driven surgical robotics startup, simplifying complex clinical workflows.
Led end-to-end design for POS, mobile ordering, banking, employee management, and loyalty supporting 100,000+ users.
Collaborated with university faculty and global teams to design responsive web and mobile learning platforms, increasing student engagement across diverse learning environments.
Built WCAG-compliant design systems across 5 SaaS products, reducing delivery time and design-to-build handoff by ~40%.
UIUX Designer • 2022 - 2023
UIUX Designer • 2022 - 2023
Led end-to-end product design for client projects, improving operational efficiency and profitability by aligning design outcomes with core business objectives.
Conducted UX audits, usability testing, and accessibility reviews across 5+ products, delivering updates that achieved WCAG 2.1 AA compliance.
Facilitated client and internal workshops to align design strategy, requirements, and success metrics, producing clear documentation to support execution.
Project 1: Internal CRM Tool:
Developed a vision prototype in collaboration with leadership, ideating upcoming features, integrating business objectives, and suing high-fidelity designs to refine the prototype and advocate for the product’s long-term design vision.
Collaborated closely with developers and key stakeholders to align design with technical feasibility and business goals, incorporating feedback and iterating on designs.
Created design system from scratch to ensure design consistency across the product and facilitated implementation, resulting in 80% increase in development efficiency.
Project 2: Finfare:
Led a team of UIUX designers to solve complex challenges through system thinking, conducting user research, designing interaction features, and building high-fidelity prototypes for 5+ usability tests to drive collaborative innovation and scalable solutions.
UIUX Designer • 2021 - 2022
Redesigned the first-time user onboarding (FTUX) experience by streamlining core user flows and partnering directly with C-level executives to improve activation and early engagement.
Skills
Product Design
Product Design
Product Strategy
Product Strategy
Responsive Design
Responsive Design
Prototyping
Prototyping
User Research
User Research
Figma, Adobe, etc
Figma, Adobe, etc
Tools I work with
Tools I work with
What I'm about
WHERE I'M FROM 🌏
Born in Seoul, raised in the SoCal + Bay Area (with a quick NYC detour), creativity runs in the family—my dad designed physical products, my mom designed clothes, so making things is kind of my default setting.
WHAT I USED TO DO 🎨
I grew up a fine-arts kid, painting and taking photos, which still shapes how I think about composition, color, and storytelling.
WHAT I DO NOW 🧩
I’m a Product Designer who turns complex workflows into friendly, intuitive experiences. I’ve worked across POS, fintech, medical AI, and internal CRM tools—shipping work from concept to production. I move fast, think in systems, and team up with PM and engineering to make sure high-value ideas actually see daylight (don't get stuck in Figma files).
WHERE I'M AT NOW 🌤️
I live in Walnut Creek, California, and when I’m not designing, I’m usually driving toward the coast, the redwoods, or whatever place has the best night view.
WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR 🚀
A curious team, bold challenges, big ambition, and work that makes a real impact.
Experience
Product Designer • 2021 - Present
Worked with a cross-functional team of designers and developers to deliver an MVP and define the long-term product roadmap.
Created and delivered a patented global gesture control product, overseeing all stages from concept to development in partnership with DLA Piper.
Directly worked with Netflix and Paris Olympics, alongside collaborating with founders of Coffee Meets Bagel to secure contracts.
Product Designer • 2021 - Present
Product designer partnering with startups and cross-functional teams across POS, HRIS, fintech, healthcare, edTech, gaming, and consumer products to design and ship scalable, user-centered web and mobile experiences for 10+ companies.
Founding product designer for a gaming e-commerce platform, with executive leadership to define product vision and roadmap.
Designed GTM assets and product interfaces for an AI-driven surgical robotics startup, simplifying complex clinical workflows.
Led end-to-end design for POS, mobile ordering, banking, employee management, and loyalty supporting 100,000+ users.
Collaborated with university faculty and global teams to design responsive web and mobile learning platforms, increasing student engagement across diverse learning environments.
Built WCAG-compliant design systems across 5 SaaS products, reducing delivery time and design-to-build handoff by ~40%.
UIUX Designer • 2022 - 2023
Led end-to-end product design for client projects, improving operational efficiency and profitability by aligning design outcomes with core business objectives.
Conducted UX audits, usability testing, and accessibility reviews across 5+ products, delivering updates that achieved WCAG 2.1 AA compliance.
Facilitated client and internal workshops to align design strategy, requirements, and success metrics, producing clear documentation to support execution.
Project 1: Internal CRM Tool:
Developed a vision prototype in collaboration with leadership, ideating upcoming features, integrating business objectives, and suing high-fidelity designs to refine the prototype and advocate for the product’s long-term design vision.
Collaborated closely with developers and key stakeholders to align design with technical feasibility and business goals, incorporating feedback and iterating on designs.
Created design system from scratch to ensure design consistency across the product and facilitated implementation, resulting in 80% increase in development efficiency.
Project 2: Finfare:
Led a team of UIUX designers to solve complex challenges through system thinking, conducting user research, designing interaction features, and building high-fidelity prototypes for 5+ usability tests to drive collaborative innovation and scalable solutions.
UIUX Designer • 2021 - 2022
Redesigned the first-time user onboarding (FTUX) experience by streamlining core user flows and partnering directly with C-level executives to improve activation and early engagement.
Founding UIUX Designer • 2021
Led initial MVP product design for food delivery app, including critical features like search, order tracking, and reviews.
Skills
Product Design
Product Strategy
Responsive Design
Prototyping
User Research
Figma, Adobe, etc
