Product thinking
I find the real problem, map the experience, test assumptions, and turn research into decisions people can use.
About / Alvin Zhou
I turn messy ideas into experiences that feel obvious.
UI/UX and product designer blending research, systems thinking, visual craft, and creative technology across digital products and physical spaces.
Open to product, UX/UI, and experience design opportunities.My point of view
Good design should make people feel capable, not confused.
I earned a B.A. in Interaction Design (ICAM) with a minor in Design from UC San Diego. That path taught me to connect visual craft, interaction, technology, and human behavior—and that mix still shapes how I work today.
I'm most energized by projects where the answer is not obvious yet: untangling a complicated flow, giving a new organization a visual voice, or translating an idea across a screen and into a physical space.
What I bring
01—03
Visual systems
I build identities and interfaces that stay recognizable while adapting across formats, screens, and spaces.
Hands-on making
I move quickly between Figma, Adobe tools, prototypes, motion, and implementation so ideas become tangible early.
Selected experience
Recent chapters
Current
Data Science Alliance ↗
UI/UX · interaction · sound · socialContributing across an indie game, a mobile case manager, a responsive website, and public-facing carousel content.
Aug 2025—Apr 2026
Rill Insights ↗
Product & Brand Design SpecialistIndependently designed the studio's new bird mark and developed the publicly launched identity system, product-facing brand assets, and business collateral—including safe-to-share Amazon + Workplace Options case-study messaging.
Apr—Sep 2025
Design Forward Alliance
Brand & visual designer · SDDWExpanded a winning identity into 60+ visuals across motion, web, social, awards, merchandise, and live event materials for 200+ attendees.
2025
UC San Diego
Instructional assistant · Design 100Coached more than 80 students through research, interface execution, critique, and usability testing.
2024
Superhuman Bikes
Graphic design internCreated marketing and product-adjacent graphics while gaining exposure to physical product design.
2023—24
Other People Magazine
Social media directorDeveloped editorial promotion systems, cross-organization collaborations, and community-facing content.
2020
LA Metro · TCAP
Graphic design internProduced team-based campaign graphics and presented work within a public-sector stakeholder environment.
Education
Design + technology
June 2026
UC San Diego
B.A. Interaction Design (ICAM) · Minor in Design · GPA 3.88Interdisciplinary work spanning computation, visual communication, interaction, and human-centered research.
How I work
Curious enough to ask why.
Practical enough to ship.
FigmaProduct designUX designPrototypingIllustratorUser researchPhotoshopInteraction designInformation architectureUsability testingFramerCursorHTML/CSSJavaScriptPythonVisual identityCreative codeSound & feedback
Beyond the pixels
When I'm not designing, I'm probably riding, making something for a game, or obsessing over a transition that is three pixels off.
