A Conversation with Baoqi Ding & Chuoer Liang | User Experiences Redefined

Baoqi Ding: I am a UX designer and a podcaster, who specialises in AI-powered products. I have a background that blends technology and human-centred design. I started my journey in user experience (UX) design during my graduate studies. That was when I honed my skills in human-computer interaction, digital experiences, and design thinking. Over the years, I have worked across various industries and practiced wearing different hats. But my focus stays the same: crafting intuitive, impactful digital experiences.

Chuoer Liang: I’m a UX designer specialising in e-commerce, with a strong focus on optimising user experiences that drive business growth. I help retailers increase basket size, boost app downloads, and enhance customer loyalty, fostering seamless omnichannel engagement.

Through my master’s program in Human-Centred Interaction, I’ve developed deep expertise in designing intuitive, user-friendly experiences that address real pain points while delivering measurable business outcomes. As a product designer, I thrive on simplifying complex user flows, ensuring that digital interactions are not only efficient but also meaningful. My passion lies in crafting solutions that positively impact users' lives while aligning with business goals.

Baoqi Ding: My dad is a big fan of Apple, the brand which is famous for its design. Design magazines are everywhere in my home. I am influenced by my dad and I was fascinated by creating and sketching from an early age. Growing up, the idea of solving real-world problems and shaping experiences through thoughtful design fascinated me and inspired my career in UX.

Chuoer Liang: I began my career working at an airline in Seattle, where I loved helping passengers from around the world. However, I noticed recurring challenges—passengers struggling with flight transfers, navigating delays, and facing unnecessary frustrations. This sparked my curiosity: how could these experiences be improved at scale to create a smoother journey for travelers?

That question led me to UX design, where I discovered the power of designing intuitive, user-centred solutions. To deepen my expertise, I pursued a master’s in UX and Human-Centred Interaction, where I learned how to translate user needs into impactful designs.

What excites me most about UX is the ability to solve real user pain points while also driving business success. Coming from a customer-facing background, I naturally gravitate toward a user-first mindset, ensuring that every design decision improves the overall experience. My journey into UX has been driven by empathy and a passion for making digital and physical interactions more seamless, meaningful, and accessible.

Baoqi Ding: I am currently a Product Designer at Learneo, working on QuillBot, an AI-powered writing tool with over 35 million global users. My work focuses on enhancing user interactions through AI-driven features while ensuring accessibility and ease of use. Beyond my professional role, I worked with Chuoer on our project: Furco.

Furco is an AI-powered pet management platform that helps pet owners track milestones, find events, and rehome pets responsibly. All my projects consistently centre around empowering users and designing solutions that improve everyday life.

Chuoer Liang: I'm currently a Product Designer at Inmar Intelligence, where I lead end-to-end design for e-commerce platforms across web and mobile. My work focuses on enhancing user experiences that drive business value—helping retailers increase sales, improve customer retention, and foster long-term brand loyalty. I specialise in optimising user flows and integrating innovative features to create seamless and efficient shopping experiences.

Beyond my role at Inmar, I’m passionate about side projects that create meaningful impact. I collaborated with Baoqi on Furco, an AI-powered pet management platform designed to support pet owners in tracking milestones, discovering local events, and finding responsible rehoming options. Furco also provides personalised breed recommendations based on lifestyle, ensuring a thoughtful and informed pet adoption experience.

Baoqi Ding: To me, design is the bridge between people and technology. It’s about problem-solving with empathy, making interactions seamless, intuitive, and meaningful. A great design not only looks good but also feels effortless, helping users navigate complex systems with ease.

Chuoer Liang: To me, design is about shaping experiences that solve real problems. Design is not just how something looks, but how it works and how it makes people feel. It’s about making things better, easier, and more meaningful, while also driving value for the business.

Baoqi Ding: I’m particularly drawn to UX and interaction design, where human behaviour meets technology. I love the challenge of designing AI-powered experiences that feel natural and intuitive, ensuring that people can benefit from AI without feeling overwhelmed.

Chuoer Liang: I thrive on designing experiences that are intuitive, functional, and emotionally engaging. My favourite kind of design is one that simplifies complexity—whether it’s refining an e-commerce checkout flow to reduce friction or integrating AI to enhance personalisation and decision-making. I love crafting solutions that not only solve user pain points but also drive business impact.

Baoqi Ding: A great design is sustainable and accessible. Also, a great design is one that solves a real problem while balancing functionality, aesthetics, and accessibility. It is user-centred, non-biased, and considers diverse perspectives rather than just business goals. The best designs feel almost invisible—so intuitive that users don’t have to think about how to interact with them.

Chuoer Liang: A good design is intuitive, functional, and impactful. It should feel effortless to use, solving real problems while enhancing the overall experience. Great design balances usability and aesthetics, removing friction and creating meaningful interactions. Ultimately, the best designs feel almost invisible—users just know how to navigate them naturally.

Baoqi Ding: The idea for Furco stemmed from a simple yet powerful question - “How can technology make pet ownership more fulfilling and responsible?”

We started by researching pain points in pet adoption and rehoming. One insight that we found was that many owners who had to rehome pets struggled with guilt and uncertainty, while shelters faced overcrowding due to uninformed adoptions. This led us to design a platform that guides users through every stage of pet ownership, ensuring that rehoming is a last resort rather than a sudden decision.

Chuoer Liang: The idea for Furco was inspired by a simple yet impactful question - How can technology make pet ownership more responsible and fulfilling?

Through research, we uncovered a major gap in the pet adoption and rehoming process. Many pet owners faced guilt and uncertainty when rehoming their pets, while shelters struggled with overcrowding due to uninformed adoptions. We saw an opportunity to create a solution that not only supports pet owners but also promotes responsible decision-making throughout the pet’s life cycle.

With Furco, we designed an AI-powered platform that helps pet owners track milestones, discover local events, and make informed choices. By providing personalised guidance and responsible rehoming options, we aim to ensure that rehoming is a well-considered process rather than a last-minute decision, ultimately fostering a more thoughtful and compassionate pet ownership journey.

Baoqi Ding: The inspiration for Furco came from my personal experiences as a pet owner and my interactions with the pet owner communities. I noticed that while many apps existed for tracking pet health, there wasn’t a holistic platform that combined milestone tracking, event discovery, and responsible rehoming. Additionally, I drew inspiration from human-centred AI design, ensuring that the app didn’t just automate decisions but also fostered a sense of community and responsibility.

Chuoer Liang: The inspiration for Furco came from a simple yet powerful realisation—pet ownership is a lifelong commitment, yet many pet owners lack the right support to navigate challenges along the way. I saw how guilt and uncertainty often accompanied rehoming decisions, while shelters faced overcrowding due to uninformed adoptions.

To address this, I looked at how technology could proactively support pet owners before rehoming ever becomes necessary. Inspired by real stories of pet owners seeking guidance, Furco was designed to provide AI-powered insights, milestone tracking, and responsible rehoming options. The goal is to empower pet owners with the right tools and knowledge—helping them make informed, thoughtful decisions at every stage of pet ownership.

Baoqi Ding: Yes, we talked a lot about balances and interconnections within Chinese culture, which is reflected in the Yin and Yang theory. I think that’s why I am very sensitive to feeling the imbalance of a design. Our culture also is about harmony and the aesthetic of conceptual art. In my design process, I will usually spend time in ideation, skating the ideas, even the most crazy ones, since I respect the beauty of creative and conceptual ideas.

Chuoer Liang: Chinese cultural heritage has deeply influenced my design process, particularly in how I approach balance, harmony, and user-centric experiences. Traditional Chinese philosophy, such as Daoism and Confucianism, emphasises simplicity, flow, and purpose—principles that align closely with intuitive and seamless UX design.

It also influenced my focus on community-driven and inclusive design. Whether in e-commerce or AI-powered platforms like Furco, I prioritise creating experiences that foster connection, trust, and long-term engagement.

Baoqi Ding: It is an incredible honour for our team. It also reinforces my belief that design has the power to create meaningful impact, not just for individuals but for broader communities.

Chuoer Liang: Winning the London Design Awards is an incredible honour and a testament to the hard work, creativity, and dedication of our team. For me, this award is more than just recognition—it’s a motivation to continue pushing boundaries and delivering solutions that truly make a difference. It also highlights the power of collaboration, research, and thoughtful design in solving real-world challenges.

Baoqi Ding: We submitted Furco, an AI-powered platform designed to enhance the lives of pets and pet owners. The app provides personalised recommendations based on lifestyle, connects users to local events, and helps rehome pets responsibly. More than just a pet management tool, Furco helps reduce euthanasia rates by promoting responsible pet ownership and rehoming practices.

Chuoer Liang: Our winning entry, Furco, is an AI-powered platform designed to enhance and manage every stage of pet ownership. It provides personalised support for pet owners, from helping first-time owners choose the right breed based on their lifestyle to tracking pet milestones and recommending tailored events.

What truly sets Furco apart is its ability to assist in more complex situations, like responsible pet rehoming. If circumstances change, the platform ensures pets can find loving homes through an informed and ethical process.

We chose to enter Furco because of its meaningful impact—reducing pet abandonment, educating owners, and promoting responsible pet care. This project reflects our commitment to using technology for social good, empowering pet owners with the right tools and resources to make informed decisions throughout their pet’s life journey.

Baoqi Ding: One of the biggest challenges was ensuring that the AI-driven recommendations felt personalised yet professional. When designing Furco, we had to strike a balance between automation and human decision-making—especially when suggesting events or rehoming options. We conducted extensive user testing to guide our design direction, ensuring that recommendations were not just data-driven but also aligned with users’ physical and emotional needs.

Chuoer Liang: One of the biggest challenges in designing Furco was balancing functionality with simplicity. The platform offers a variety of features, such as breed recommendations, milestone tracking, and responsible rehoming. We need to ensure that users could easily navigate and engage with the app without feeling overwhelmed.

To tackle this, we focused on streamlining the user journey through clear information architecture, intuitive interactions, and an iterative design process. This challenge reinforced our user-first approach, ensuring that Furco remains powerful yet easy to use, making pet ownership more accessible, responsible, and enjoyable for all users.

Baoqi Ding: Beyond career growth, this award has given me a stronger platform to advocate for responsible AI and ethical UX practices. I’ve connected with like-minded designers, developers, and pet welfare organisations, which has expanded the reach of Furco and inspired me to continue pushing the boundaries of tech-driven social impact.

Chuoer Liang: Winning the London Design Awards is both an honour and a motivation to continue pushing the boundaries of user-centred design. It reinforces my belief in the power of thoughtful, impactful design and strengthens my commitment to creating solutions that truly enhance people's lives. It inspires me to keep refining my craft, exploring emerging technologies, and applying human-centred principles to solve complex challenges.

Baoqi Ding: The power of storytelling through design – Whether it’s a product interface, a branding experience, or an interactive installation, design has the ability to tell compelling stories that shape perceptions and behaviour.

The intersection of technology and creativity – Design constantly evolves with emerging tech like AI, AR, and interactive experiences, allowing innovation to thrive. The global community – The design industry is a space where diverse perspectives come together, creating inclusive and meaningful solutions across different cultures.

Chuoer Liang: I would say innovation, collaboration, and user impacts. I love how the design industry encourages constant creativity and pushing boundaries to find new solutions. I also enjoy working with cross-functional teams to gain different perspectives. Most importantly, I feel fulfilled by enhancing user experiences and solving real-world problems through design.

Baoqi Ding: My design approach is deeply rooted in human-centred innovation, ethical AI, and inclusive experiences. I don’t just focus on aesthetics or functionality—I prioritise social impact and responsibility.

For example, in Furco, I didn’t just create another pet management app. I integrated AI-driven, behaviour-based recommendations that promote responsible pet ownership, ensuring that technology is used to enhance emotional connections, not replace them. My designs stand out because they are not just useful but meaningful, ethical, and forward-thinking.

Chuoer Liang: My design stands out for its user-centred approach to pet ownership, extending beyond adoption to provide a complete support system. Furco helps users with breed selection, milestone tracking, community engagement, and responsible rehoming—all within a single platform.

What sets Furco apart is its AI-powered personalisation, which tailors recommendations based on each user’s lifestyle, ensuring informed and thoughtful decisions. Unlike other platforms, Furco actively works to reduce pet abandonment by offering education, behavioural support, and structured rehoming solutions.

By combining intuitive design, AI-driven insights, and a focus on responsible pet care, Furco creates a more seamless, informed, and compassionate pet ownership experience.

Baoqi Ding: Hyper-personalisation & adaptive interfaces – Products will increasingly adapt to users in real-time, making interfaces more intuitive and predictive. I can see a future where as AI and automation become more embedded in our daily lives, designers will play a critical role in ensuring ethical, bias-free, and inclusive experiences. Sustainability and human-first design will define the next era.

Chuoer Liang: I see the design industry evolving toward more AI-driven, personalised, and ethical experiences over the next 5-10 years. Inclusive and ethical design will also be a major focus. Designers will need to blend technology with empathy, creating experiences that are intuitive, inclusive, and meaningful.

Baoqi Ding: A great design isn’t just functional; it tells a story. Whether through visuals, interactions, or user journeys, make sure your design evokes emotion and meaning.

Chuoer Liang: Focus on solving real problems with a user-first mindset. Award-winning designs aren’t just visually appealing, they are intuitive, impactful, and meaningful. Start by deeply understanding your users’ needs, pain points, and behaviours, and let those insights drive your design decisions.

Baoqi Ding: I highly recommend joining design hackathons, forums, and mentorship programs to connect with industry leaders and other designers. Even a short session will be fun and insightful. I believe design is about practicing and learning from each other.

Chuoer Liang: I’d recommend taking UX courses on online platforms, like Coursera and Udemy. I’d also recommend listening to podcasts like "Design Matters" and "The UX Podcast".

Baoqi Ding: There was a moment early in my career when I almost quit design. I felt like I wasn’t making an impact, and I questioned whether I was in the right field. But then I realised—design isn't just about making things look good; it's about changing the way people experience the world. That realisation pushed me to explore ethical, purpose-driven design, and since then, I’ve never looked back.

Chuoer Liang: One thing I haven’t shared before is my passion for traveling and immersing myself in local neighborhoods. I love observing how people live and experiencing different cultures, as it gives me a deeper appreciation for diverse perspectives. These experiences have taught me to approach things with an open mind and a broader understanding of different viewpoints.

Baoqi Ding: My inspiration comes from women pioneers in tech and design, like Brenda Laurel and Ayse Birsel. Their ability to blend innovation with impact has influenced how I approach my own work. Beyond famous figures, I’m inspired by everyday creators—people who challenge norms, explore new mediums, and design for positive change.

Chuoer Liang: My greatest inspiration has been my mom. She always demonstrated a strong work ethic and resilience, expressing her creativity through art. Despite facing many challenges, she remained positive and resourceful, teaching me the importance of resilience. She showed me that passion and hard work are key to achieving success and making a meaningful impact, and her example continues to inspire me in my career.

Baoqi Ding: Stay curious, stay adaptable, and stay true to your values. The most successful designers aren’t just skilled in tools; they have a deep sense of curiosity and a willingness to question assumptions. The world is constantly evolving, and the best way to stay ahead is to embrace lifelong learning and experimentation.

Chuoer Liang: For me, the key to success lies in curiosity, resilience, and a user-first mindset. Stay open to learning, embrace feedback and iteration, and don’t be afraid to take risks. Innovation happens when you push beyond your comfort zone.

Baoqi Ding: Yes! Design is one of the most powerful forces for shaping the future, and I encourage everyone—whether designers or not—to think about how they can contribute to creating a more inclusive, responsible, and inspiring world. Thank you for this opportunity!

Chuoer Liang: I just want to express my gratitude for this opportunity to share my journey and design philosophy. I believe that great design goes beyond aesthetics—it’s about solving real problems, fostering inclusivity, and creating meaningful experiences. I’m excited to keep learning, growing, and contributing to the evolving world of design. Thank you for this interview!