I’m Qianru, the lead UX designer at Kora Financial. I started as a UX researcher but shifted to design three years ago to create more intuitive and impactful experiences.

I started as a UX researcher and, for a long time, believed design was all about being good at drawing. But working closely with UX designers made me realize that design is more about solving problems creatively.

What drew me in was the process of exploring different solutions and choosing the best approach. With a background in psychology, I developed a strong foundation in understanding user needs, and transitioning to design felt like a natural way to bring those insights to life in a more hands-on, creative way.

Kora was founded in 2016 with the mission of providing financial access to international students in the U.S., helping them navigate a system that can be difficult to access. As the sole UX designer at Kora, I work closely with product managers to align on strategy and product planning.

I oversee the entire UX process, starting with user research tailored to the project’s background and timeline. From there, I create wireframes—from low-fidelity sketches to high-fidelity designs—and build interactive prototypes to test and refine ideas. I also collaborate with UI designers and engineers to ensure a smooth handoff and seamless execution of the final product.

To me, creativity is about discovering new and innovative ways to solve problems, communicate ideas, and explore concepts. It’s not limited to artistic expression—it’s a mindset that applies across all fields.

Whether designing a user experience, developing a business strategy, solving a scientific problem, or finding new teaching methods, creativity means thinking outside the box and approaching challenges with fresh perspectives.

To me, a creative idea or design introduces something new, solves a problem effectively, and pushes boundaries by thinking outside the box.

For example, Airbnb reimagined travel by merging hospitality with a peer-to-peer rental platform, while Spotify transformed music consumption by combining streaming with personalized recommendations.

My UX design process begins with defining the right problem. I start by identifying pain points through direct user research, such as interviews and observations, or secondary research, like analyzing reports. Understanding users’ most frustrating experiences and any constraints they face is essential.

Once the problem is clear, I brainstorm ideas and conduct rapid testing to identify the most promising concept. From there, I develop low- to high-fidelity prototypes, iterating and testing along the way to ensure the solution meets user expectations and delivers a smooth, intuitive experience.

My favorite part of the creative process is the testing and iteration phase. It’s always fascinating to see users interact with a product in unexpected ways.

This stage provides valuable insights into their real behaviors and decision-making processes, often influenced by past experiences. I enjoy applying these learnings to refine the design, ensuring it meets user needs and delivers a more intuitive, satisfying experience.

My creative style is deliberate and cognitive, centered on thoughtful problem-solving and intentional design. In UX, I believe each step should build on insights from the previous one, ensuring every decision is well-informed.

I keep design goals at the forefront and constantly ask myself, "Why does this solution solve the problem?" This approach helps maintain a strong connection between problems and solutions, ensuring the final product is not only visually appealing but also effective in meeting user needs. With an emphasis on clarity, logic, and purpose, my designs are both intuitive and impactful.

China’s rich cultural heritage and rapid technological innovation have profoundly shaped my creative process. Growing up surrounded by intricate antiques, architecture, and traditional art instilled in me a deep appreciation for consistency, harmony, and thoughtful detail in design. This cultural background drives me to seek balance—not just visually but also in crafting seamless, intuitive user experiences.

At the same time, China’s forward-thinking environment has influenced me to consider the longevity of my designs. I constantly ask myself whether the solutions I create will remain relevant and effective in the next 3–5 years, ensuring they adapt to evolving user needs and technological advancements. This blend of tradition and innovation keeps my designs grounded yet future-focused.

Winning in the 2024 MUSE Creative Awards is an incredible honor for me, my team, and our company. It validates our mission to help college students manage their finances and proves that our gamified approach works.

But more than just an award, it marks the beginning of something bigger—challenging ourselves to explore how we can help people from diverse backgrounds and countries overcome financial challenges. It’s a powerful reminder to keep refining our work and stay motivated to create solutions that make a real impact.

KoraCoach is designed for busy college students, delivering bite-sized, real-life financial wisdom through interactive quizzes, guided spending reflections, and actionable tasks. Since students often have low motivation for financial learning, we integrated gamification to keep them engaged. Users can build daily streaks, enter raffles, and earn rewards through double-point events.

Whether they’re freshmen just starting their financial journey or recent graduates stepping into new responsibilities, KoraCoach offers personalized content based on their spending habits, making the experience relevant and adaptable to each user’s unique needs.

As the sole UX designer on the team, I was responsible for elevating the Kora App’s user engagement. Since this was the app’s most significant update, I want to share our unique approach to financial education for college students. To set KoraCoach apart from other financial education apps, I focused on application rather than just theory.

While many tools stop at delivering financial concepts, KoraCoach helps users actively apply what they learn. Tasks and challenges are tailored to financial habits and aligned with real financial cycles, encouraging practical behavior changes.

This deeper level of innovation—bridging knowledge with real-world application—is what we’re most proud of and why we felt compelled to share this project through the 2024 MUSE Creative Awards.

The biggest challenge in this project was understanding the specific needs and pain points of our target users—college students who were already managing their finances but had experienced setbacks.

Unlike high school students, who are still relatively removed from real-life financial challenges, these students had already developed certain habits, both good and bad. This made it essential for us to identify the root causes of their struggles and ensure our solutions could effectively break their cycle of financial mismanagement.

Through multiple rounds of ideation and testing, we gradually developed a deeper understanding of their experiences. We adjusted the level of scaffolding and flexibility in the tasks to make them easy to follow without causing frustration.

We also refined the gamification system to provide instant, short-term, and long-term goals and rewards, keeping users engaged and motivated throughout the process.

This is the first award I’ve received since transitioning into UX design, and it has been a game-changer for my career. The recognition and exposure have opened doors to connect with other creatives and industry leaders within the MUSE community, which has been both inspiring and invaluable for my growth.

It has also motivated me to keep pushing myself, staying on top of trends, and continuously improving my skills. Winning this award has boosted my confidence to take on more ambitious projects and explore new ways to create impactful, user-centered designs.

My top three favorite things about the UX design industry are its inclusiveness, emphasis on empathy, and rapid evolution. UX design focuses on creating experiences that are accessible and usable for diverse audiences, ensuring inclusivity across different demographics and abilities.

Empathy is at its core, as understanding users’ frustrations, motivations, and behaviors shapes thoughtful, meaningful solutions.

Lastly, the industry's fast-paced evolution keeps it exciting—new technologies, tools, and methodologies constantly emerge, challenging designers to adapt, learn, and innovate to meet ever-changing user expectations.

China’s rich history and cultural heritage make it a unique force in the creative industry. With thousands of years of artistic expression, architecture, and craftsmanship, there is an endless pool of inspiration to draw from. The ability to blend traditional elements—such as calligraphy, porcelain, and ancient architecture—with modern design and technology creates exciting opportunities for innovation.

This fusion of old and new allows Chinese creatives to reimagine timeless aesthetics in fresh ways, resulting in distinctive products and experiences. Additionally, China’s rapid technological advancements and dynamic market push designers to experiment constantly, ensuring that tradition and modernity evolve hand in hand.

I believe the emergence of AI tools will significantly accelerate the creative and design process while lowering the barriers to entry across all creative fields. These tools will streamline workflows, from generating graphics, videos, and written content to transforming 2D designs into 3D models with minimal effort.

By reducing the time between concept and execution, AI allows designers to focus more on refining ideas and solving deeper problems. This democratization of creativity will empower more people to participate in design, fostering innovation from diverse perspectives.

At the same time, creatives will need to evolve their roles, shifting toward higher-level thinking, strategic decision-making, and ensuring that AI-generated outputs align with human values, accessibility, and meaningful user experiences.

My advice is to trust yourself and your instincts—sometimes the best ideas emerge from uncertainty. Don’t be afraid to 'fake it till you make it' because confidence grows with experience. Focus on rapid testing and prototyping to quickly learn what works and what doesn’t, and always push boundaries to explore new possibilities.

The most innovative solutions often come from breaking away from the conventional path, so avoid trying to replicate others' success. Instead, carve your own way by embracing curiosity, taking risks, and staying open to learning from failures along the journey.

There are countless resources for UX designers, but looking back, I’ve realized that the order in which you approach them matters. It’s always best to start by analyzing good design examples to develop an eye for what makes a strong design. Platforms like Medium, Dribbble, and Behance are great for this.

Next, read UX methodology books like About Face to build a structured approach to problem-solving. Then, practice as much as possible with design prompts. Finally, dive into more strategic readings like Don’t Make Me Think by Steve Krug and The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman to deepen your understanding.

I used to be terrified of design work because I thought I lacked talent—I couldn’t draw well, and I assumed that was essential to being a designer. It wasn’t until I started working alongside UX designers and observing their process that I realized design isn’t just about artistic skills; it’s about problem-solving and creating intuitive experiences.

Seeing how they used structured methodologies, research, and practice to develop ideas showed me that these skills could be learned and refined. Through consistent practice and by studying effective approaches, I gradually developed my own style and confidence in design, which has been incredibly empowering.

One of my biggest inspirations has been my grandfather. He was a craftsman who poured incredible care and precision into everything he created, from furniture to intricate wood carvings. Watching him work taught me the importance of attention to detail, patience, and the pride that comes from building something meaningful.

His dedication to his craft inspires me to bring the same level of care to my designs, ensuring that each project is both thoughtful and functional. His influence reminds me that good design is about creating things that truly serve people—a value I carry into my work every day.

For me, the key to success lies in maintaining a growth mindset and taking action without overthinking. It’s easy to get caught up in self-doubt, telling yourself, 'I can’t' or 'This won’t work,' but that only holds you back. Instead, I believe in diving in—even if it means facing challenges or a difficult learning process—because that’s where the most growth happens.

Each step, from ideation to testing and iteration, provides valuable insights. Great ideas don’t emerge fully formed; they take shape through continuous learning and refinement.