Victor Zhaowei Wang and Serena Yingchia Liu Transform Investing with Investify.ai

Victor: My name is Victor Zhaowei Wang, and I am a Senior UX Designer at JPMorgan Chase. My interest in design began through printmaking, digital art, and oil painting.

After an internship at Dun & Bradstreet, where I developed the mobile app for D&B Investigate based on its existing web interface, I found a deep connection to the process of designing creative solutions that deliver business value and contribute to delightful digital experiences.

Serena: My name is Yingchia Liu, though I also go by Serena. As a child, I was always fascinated by aesthetics and drawing, dreaming of becoming a designer. I pursued a bachelor's degree in landscape architecture but soon realized that I was more drawn to creating designs that are accessible and useful in people's daily lives.

This led me to develop a strong interest in the integration of technology and design, which ultimately guided my transition from landscape architecture to UX/UI and product design.

Victor: I am honored that our project has received a Gold Award at the MUSE Design Awards. Being recognized validates the thoughts and efforts we invested in creating an innovative and cohesive user experience. This award will serve as a reminder to reinforce my commitment to delivering impactful designs that solve real-world problems.

Serena: Winning the MUSE Award fills me with immense pride, both for my team and for myself. This prestigious achievement recognizes our hard work, affirms our skills and creativity, and serves as powerful motivation to continue advancing on my path as a designer.

It strengthens my commitment to innovation and excellence, inspiring me to push the boundaries of design even further.

Victor: When I shared the news with my team and friends, they were thrilled for me. Through this project, I was able to share my experiences and insights on creating user experiences for AI-powered financial tools.

Serena and I aimed to demonstrate how AI can empower the financial technology industry through the lens of UX design. We’re excited to continue collaborating, learning, and contributing to user experience design powered by AI technologies.

Serena: I’m still observing and waiting to see what changes will come. Regardless of the specific outcomes, I’m confident it will elevate both my personal and professional life.

This recognition provides a platform for more people to acknowledge and appreciate my capabilities as a designer, further strengthening my reputation for quality and creativity in the field.

Victor: Experimentation is a crucial part of my creative process because it gives me a bird’s-eye view of multiple possibilities before committing to a single direction. In Investify.ai, for example, we explored several ways of presenting AI-generated search results after users selected an investment genre.

Traditional product cards are organized and easy to scroll, but they didn’t reflect our goal of showing personalized results aligned with users’ investment goals. So, we drew inspiration from swipe-based interfaces in dating apps and decided to show users a preview of potential investment outcomes. If they liked what they saw, they could explore further.

Many businesses prioritize result-oriented product development and customer acquisition, often overlooking experimentation due to its time-consuming nature and lack of immediate clarity. However, experimentation is essential for creating inclusive designs, mitigating risks, and fostering innovation.

Serena: Experimentation plays a vital role in my creative process. I believe great design doesn’t happen in isolation—it evolves through ongoing testing, learning, and iteration. Whether I’m conducting quick, low-fidelity tests with real users to validate early ideas or launching small-scale pilots to collect meaningful analytics, these steps are essential in shaping informed, effective, and user-centered solutions.

This approach helps me make data-driven decisions while allowing room for discovery and innovation.

Victor: Manuals. I love reading and collecting manuals of different products, from kitchen appliances to LEGO toys. The levels of content hierarchy and user experience incorporated into any manual are intricate and fascinating to me, including onboarding, security, legal compliance, languages, and accessibility—all in just a few pages.

Sometimes I draw inspiration for creating best practices in design systems from the dos and don'ts of manuals.

Serena: I feel that many of my sources are quite common, such as competitive intelligence, other people's ideas, or their work. Recently, I've also drawn inspiration from AI.

The most unique source might be observing people's conversations and behaviors, which I then blend with my own experiences to reflect on how humans think and act. Additionally, I enjoy watching reality shows to observe human interactions during various events.

Victor: Accessibility is not a compromise for authenticity. While authenticity often speaks to users and customers as part of a brand’s identity, inclusion and empathy are fundamental values that most UX designers incorporate into our process. These principles act as a bridge for communication between people from all walks of life.

From industry-standard practices like WCAG compliance and screen reader testing to innovative assistive technologies such as eye-tracking devices, I genuinely believe that design for all is design for more. There is always room for strong brand identity while achieving accessible design.

Serena: I wish more people understood the UX side of the process—especially the research phases, like Discover and Define in the double diamond framework. Many outside the industry still don't realize these are integral parts of a designer's role. They often hold the outdated view that designers focus only on visuals, rather than the full experience and functionality.

Victor: My ideas are often grounded in creating user-centric experiences. When a client’s expectations focus on achieving specific business goals, I aim to find common ground between their minimum viable product (MVP) requirements and the value the solution provides to the target audience.

I make it a priority to explain how my design decisions align with enhancing customer satisfaction, ultimately supporting the client’s objectives effectively.

Serena: There are multiple layers within client expectations and reality, but ultimately, we all share the same goal. For me, the most important thing as a designer is to solve the client’s problem while aligning with our business objectives.

I use this as our North Star when communicating with clients—helping prioritize what matters most and how the idea can deliver on that.

A key challenge in building Investify.ai was managing idea overload. Our team was brimming with innovative concepts, but we soon realized the need to clarify our product vision. By aligning on a clear set of priorities, we were able to create a focused and cohesive experience without losing sight of our long-term goals.

To manage progress efficiently, we divided tasks based on our individual strengths. Serena leveraged her background in investment tools to lead product thinking, competitive analysis, user flows, and ideation. Meanwhile, Victor applied his expertise in data visualization and design systems to develop component libraries, design tokens, prototypes, and dark mode.

We held weekly meetings to exchange feedback and collaborated through co-working sessions. Additionally, we experimented with different approaches to define and refine our brand identity, which became a key element of the final design.

Victor: I think taking some time away from projects can refresh my mind if the timing allows. If not, a design deep dive with critiques and feedback from peers can always stimulate new perspectives and help me make progress.

Serena: Trying new experiences always pushes me out of my comfort zone and broadens my perspective, which recharges my creativity. I also enjoy viewing other people's work or going to exhibitions for inspiration.

Victor: Putting myself in someone else’s shoes and experiencing a product from their perspective is a key part of my design philosophy. I often incorporate personalization into my designs to ensure users feel engaged.

This approach extends to scaling a design library with modular patterns, allowing users to interact with the product in a way that best serves them. As a result, finding the perfect balance between brand identity and enabling flexibility at scale is something I also value in my designs.

Serena: I place a high value on finding the best deal in my personal life—whether it’s comparing options, weighing pros and cons, or uncovering hidden value. This mindset naturally extends into my approach to design.

I enjoy analyzing multiple factors, exploring different possibilities, and striking the perfect balance between user needs, business goals, and technical feasibility. It’s not just about choosing the cheapest or quickest option; it’s about identifying the smartest, most sustainable solution that delivers the greatest value for everyone involved.

Victor: I would advise those who plan to become UX designers to avoid getting caught up in “what if” assumptions and simply start taking action. Don’t let self-doubt hold you back, and remember that consistency is key: establishing a routine that works for you in the long run is always more effective than relying solely on short-lived motivations.

Serena: If you're a UX/UI designer, always advocate for the overall experience, not just a single visual element. This is key to enhancing the user experience. Additionally, aiming for success involves honing your storytelling skills, especially as more tools become available for creating design artifacts.

Victor: I would love to collaborate with Isamu Noguchi. I am fascinated by how he pushed the boundaries between design and art. He challenged the principle of "form follows function" by drawing inspiration from nature and human physiology. One example is his work with lamps, which redefined the intangible shapes of light through a harmonious combination of Eastern and Western aesthetics.

Serena: I would like to collaborate with Don Norman because of his pioneering work in the field of user-centered design and his profound insights into how design can improve human interaction with technology.

Victor: I wish people would ask what we could do differently if given more time. I would add a feature that includes educational content, such as financial literacy and responsible financial decision-making, specifically designed for teenagers and young adults in the early stages of their careers. This would be a great resource for them to onboard and navigate the app more effectively.

Serena: I wish people would ask more often about the ideas and explorations that didn’t make it into the final design. Behind every polished product or solution, there’s an entire journey of experiments, discarded concepts, and thoughtful decision-making that often goes unseen.

I would be delighted to share and walk others through my full iterative process—the trials, pivots, and insights that shaped the outcome. I believe that understanding the "why" behind every design choice is just as valuable as seeing the finished product, and it’s in those behind-the-scenes conversations where real learning and creative growth happen.