We are a dynamic team with diverse backgrounds and expertise, united by a shared passion for creativity, design, and technology. Together, we leverage our unique skills to solve real-world challenges, crafting innovative experiences that blend storytelling, human-centered design, and emerging technologies.

Yue: I’m Yue, and my journey into design began with a spark of creativity from a young age. As a kid, I was deeply into painting, designing board games, and telling stories through visuals. My imaginative and divergent thinking led me to explore various fields before settling on design.

In college, I initially studied Japanese literature before switching to media studies. I also dabbled in working at an art museum, writing film scripts, interning as a journalist, and even in marketing. Through these diverse experiences, I discovered my true passion for solving real problems creatively and bringing joy and convenience to people. This led me to study human-computer interaction and UX design in the USA.

After graduation, I moved to LA and embarked on my professional journey as a product designer, focusing on entertainment and emerging technologies. For me, the world is one big playground, full of opportunities to explore and create.

Xi: My design journey began with a childhood love for the innovative and imaginative world of Doraemon. As a young artist, I explored various mediums including traditional Chinese painting and watercolor. This artistic foundation led me to study Industrial Design at Jiangnan University during my freshman year of college. As I delved deeper into industrial design, I discovered my main interest lay in the Internet of Things (IoT). This realization prompted me to seek transfer opportunities to U.S. universities.

After two years of dedicated effort, I moved to California College of the Arts in 2017 to focus on UX design and research. Following graduation, I worked as a UX researcher at Netgear, where I gained valuable insights into product development. My passion for design and technology drove me to pursue further studies at the University of Michigan, exploring the intersection of software development and design.

A pivotal moment in my career came during graduate school when I secured both an internship and a full-time offer with PlayStation. This experience not only solidified my commitment to design but also provided excellent opportunities for growth and development as a UX Designer.

Heidi (Minghao): I am a creative technologist at the intersection of art and technology, with a passion for merging these fields to craft immersive, human-centered experiences. My background is rooted in computer science and studio art, which I studied at Colby College, and I earned my MS in Information Systems with a focus on Connective Media from Cornell University.

Over the years, I've been honored with accolades such as the Cornell Tech Art Fellowship and Snap Spectacle’s creator program, as well as recognition for my innovative digital communication projects. My artwork has been showcased at renowned venues like the Colby College Museum of Art and LikeLike Gallery in Pittsburgh.

I've also led impactful projects for tech giants, including permanent installations like the TikTok Transparency Center and Google’s 'Safer with Google,' aligning with my vision of "Tech for Human." Recently, I played a key role in shaping the web experience at PredictSpring, which evolved into Salesforce Retail Cloud after its acquisition by Salesforce in 2024.

Xi is currently a UX Designer at PlayStation (Sony Interactive Entertainment), working on the Monetization and Commerce team, focusing on both console and off-console experiences. Heidi is a software developer at PredictSpring, which was recently acquired by Salesforce and has become part of Salesforce’s new Retail Cloud. Yue is a product designer at a stealth company focusing on voice translation products for unwritten languages and previously worked at Flickplay, an entertainment Web3 startup.

We have come together around the concept of using AI to create nail art, transforming abstract ideas and cutting-edge technology into something tangible and personal. Our goal is to bridge the gap between tech and creativity, allowing individuals to express their unique style and taste, even if they aren’t tech-savvy. Through thoughtful UX and UI design, we create an intuitive platform that makes the process of designing and customizing nail art seamless and enjoyable, ensuring that users can easily bring their vision to life with the help of AI.

Yue: I believe creativity goes beyond simply imagining—it’s about pushing boundaries and creating something beyond what people can envision, then turning that into reality. It’s like solving a puzzle with no clear edges, where the pieces can be reshaped in unexpected ways.

As a UX/UI designer, creativity means looking past what exists and asking, “How can I make this experience more meaningful, intuitive, and delightful for users?” It’s about blending innovation with purpose while staying grounded in human needs.

Xi: My favorite part of the creative process is brainstorming, which usually requires inputs from the whole team. People with different backgrounds can bring up ideas you might never have thought of.

For example, those with animation experience might have more out-of-the-box ideas, while those with graphic design backgrounds might offer more visually appealing approaches. When we all come together for ideation, we can have inspiring conversations and generate crazy ideas.

Yue: Our team’s cross-cultural background plays a significant role in our creative process. Having grown up in Chinese culture and studied and worked in the USA, we bring a unique blend of perspectives to the table. These two cultures are quite different, and the combination allows us to approach creativity with a fresh and inclusive mindset.

This experience helps us understand the diverse needs and interests of people from both sides, enabling us to deliver designs that provide a universal and engaging experience for a wide range of users.

Our work is a concept of a revolutionizing press-on nail e-commerce experience with AI-generated content. Our platform allows customers to design highly personalized press-on nails with AI, and connects these creative individuals with skilled crafters globally, transforming AI designs into physical products.

Users can generate AI prompts with visual hints through a single structured sentence by selecting suggested options or inputting text. By leveraging generative AI, Virtu AI enables users to bring their digital designs to life, bridging the gap between virtual creativity and tangible reality.

Xi: One of the challenges we face is how to make the prompting experience both delightful and efficient. According to our trained AI algorithm, users have to enter four inputs—theme, color, elements, and art style—to generate nail art designs.

However, many users get confused about why they need to follow this complicated process to generate results; they want to see something immediately with one click. To address this, we decided to show users different scenarios such as parties, graduations, or travel. We can then pre-fill the keywords based on the scenarios they select.

Yue: This year, we were fortunate to win three gold awards in all the categories we submitted to, which has been a huge encouragement for our team. I’m excited to continue exploring how we can integrate emerging technologies to create more intuitive and engaging experiences for people.

Yue: Constant new ideas and technologies to explore. Smart and creative peers. Nice and free food at networking events!

Xi: AI is changing how we create and bringing a new era of creativity. It automates tasks like image editing, making work faster and opening new creative paths. Our AI tools, like image-to-video generators, show this change. As AI grows, it will reshape how we make and use visual and digital content.

Yue: I am enchanted by the firework art created by artist Cai Guo-Qiang.He is one of the earliest pioneers in creating art pieces with fireworks. In 2015, he sent a 500-Meter Ladder of Fire into the sky above China. His work always challenges people's imagination. I hope my designs can bring people the same joy and impression.

Heidi (Minghao): "Be brave, not perfect," a quote from Reshma Saujani, has had a profound impact on me. I used to strive for perfection, often doubting my ideas before even implementing them, launching a product, or publishing my work. But I’ve come to realize that it's okay to present, experiment, and iterate—embracing failure and criticism with courage.

This approach has shown me that growth and excellence come through continuous improvement, not perfection from the start. By staying open and persistent, I've built meaningful connections both within and beyond my field—that’s also how I met Xi and Yue, two extraordinary designers.