Nice to meet you, I'm Emily :^)
I’m Emily Hu (she/her), a product designer and artist. My journey began in fine art and graphic design, but it was at Washington University in St. Louis that I discovered my passion for interaction design. Since then, I’ve worked in various roles, from internships to freelance projects. Now, as an Associate Product Designer at Veeva, I continue to explore how design can address real-world challenges and evolve with the times.
Me, as a designer.
About
I've been drawing for as long as I can remember and I loved bringing ideas to life. Over time, my passion for art evolved into an interest in design. Through design, I could solve problems. I found myself increasingly drawn to the early stages of the design process—research, ideation, and planning—and realized that I wanted my work to have purpose and intention behind it. This shift in thinking eventually led me to discover UX design, where I could merge creativity with strategy and defend my design decisions with solid reasoning.
Inspirations
Being a designer has taught me that inspiration can be found in the most unexpected places, from museums and interactive exhibits to mundane signs encountered on the streets. I have dedicated photo albums to capture inspiration and I can spend hours buried in my sketchbook. As I navigate the world, I am continually inspired to create designs that resonate with people. I also love reading design and art books, from visual archives to critical explorations. Check out my design reads here!
I believe...
Coming from a background in and love of fine arts, I've had to shift from an art-driven mindset to a design-driven approach. In art, complexity an obscurity can make a piece more captivating and expressive. More detail might deepen the viewer’s experience. In design, however, unnecessary elements can overwhelm the user and obscure the message. Design should aim to communicate efficiently to serve user needs, rather than focusing on self-expression.
Design doesn't exist in a vacuum.
Design is a multifaceted discipline, and the insights gained from one context often illuminate the principles and practices of another. I may have first encountered Hick's Law and The Mere Exposure Effect on an exam, but now I recognize and use it within the design world. Design intersects with innumerable fields, existing among cultural, social, technological, and environmental contexts. So to keep up as a designer, I prioritize continuous learning through books, literature, and media.
Empathy, not sympathy.
It's easy to falling into the world of assumptions based off your own perspectives, and sympathy—while it can be well-meaning— distances the designer from the user. Empathy, on the other hand, requires a lack of ego, basing decisions off of real world interactions, conversations, and experiences. It bridges the gap between what we intend to create and what people actually need. I aim to always challenge my assumptions and design with the user, not for.
After hours.
