Interviewer: Yueran, thank you for joining us. Can you share a bit about your background and how you ventured into the realm of product design?
Yueran Zhao: Thank you for having me! My journey into product design began with a deep passion for creative problem-solving through a multi-disciplinary approach. I have an academic background in economics, technology, and human-computer interaction, and being a product designer presented an exciting opportunity for me to integrate knowledge from all these fields and apply them creatively in my work. Early in my career, I had the chance to work on several E-commerce as well as social-impact driven projects and developed a keen interest in creating innovative solutions that can bring both positive social and business impact to the world, and that has been my passion ever since.
Interviewer: Fascinating! Now, let’s dive into your current work at Meta. Could you tell us about your role as a product designer and your involvement with AI for creator tools?
Yueran Zhao: Sure! At Meta, my role as a product designer revolves around crafting AI-driven tools within Meta Business Suite and the Facebook App, specifically tailored to empower content creators. For example, one of these projects involves leveraging machine learning and AI technology to automatically extract the highlights of a long-form video. The goal is to simplify the short-form video creation process for creators, saving them time while making their content more appealing to their audience.
Interviewer: That sounds like an exciting project! What went into the design process of such an innovative product?
Yueran Zhao: I’d say, user-centered thinking is key to my design process. Understanding and addressing users’ authentic needs and challenges is my No.1 task. In this specific case, I collaborated with user researchers to gather insights into content creators’ daily workflow. We discovered that most creators find the process of crafting polished short-form videos daunting and laborious, which means there’s an opportunity for us to improve on, and that’s what we did. Our AI tool streamlines this process by automatically generating two highlight clips from the uploaded long-form video. Users can effortlessly select the most compelling clip, and later use it as a captivating trailer to boost views for the long-form video. We believe this new tool will benefit millions of creators on Meta by simplifying their workflow and ultimately saving them time.
Interviewer: Fantastic! Thank you for sharing that. Shifting gears a bit, can you share your experiences working on AI and machine learning-based products at your previous company StitchFix? How do you think that has prepared you for the current role at Meta?
Yueran Zhao: Certainly! My time at StitchFix was an enriching experience. I had the opportunity to delve into the fascinating world of machine learning to enhance the personalized shopping journey for fashion customers. Collaborating with data scientists and engineers, I contributed to the birth of a new product, StitchFix direct buy (later rebranded as Freestyle) that not only simplifies the traditional online shopping process for customers but provides them with tailored fashion recommendations, making their experience more enjoyable and personalized. And that system complexity I needed to design for, and the AI and machine-learning aspect of it, certainly prepared me for the work I do here at Meta.
Interviewer: When you say “personalized shopping journey for fashion customers”, what does that exactly mean, like a personal stylist service powered by AI?
Yueran Zhao: Exactly! So the customers start by taking a short quiz and sharing their aesthetic preferences, sizes and budget, and then they can enter their own personal style shop where they’re presented with a feed of 24 looks tailored for them using machine learning and AI technologies. Those feeds also change constantly based on Stitch Fix’s current inventory, and the customer can directly purchase their preferred looks and items without paying the subscription fee. The best part is, whatever they choose to purchase will be able to fit their style and size preferences because our state-of-the-art machine learning models have optimized for that, so you’re right, in essence, Freestyle is like a personal stylist plus a constantly updating clothes and fashion store only presents the most suitable items for a customer.
Interviewer: Amazing! It sounds like you’ve had an impactful career at both these companies. When working on AI projects, how does your background in technology shape your design process?
Yueran Zhao: A good understanding of the capabilities as well as limitations of current AI technology provides a solid foundation for my design. For example, when working on the Stitch Fix Freestyle product, I collaborated heavily with machine learning scientists to learn about the latest advancements in those algorithms in order to find a balance between what the technology can offer and what the ideal customer experience should look like. Sometimes I also provide feedback to our machine learning scientist about what kind of algorithm needs to be developed from the end-user perspective. I believe this tech-savviness and ability to translate the experience into technological demands is a great asset when working on AI-related projects with a cross-functional team.
Interviewer: Impressive! Lastly, looking ahead, what excites you about the future of AI in product design?
Yueran Zhao: The future of AI in product design holds immense potential. I am excited about the prospect of AI becoming an even more integral part of the creative process, augmenting human creativity rather than replacing them. As AI technologies evolve, they will continue to play a pivotal role in enhancing user experiences by providing more personalized and intuitive interactions. It’s about finding that delicate balance between technology and human touch, ultimately creating designs that empower users rather than diminishing them.
Interviewer: Thank you, Yueran, for sharing your insights and experiences with us! It’s been a pleasure learning about your impactful work and your learnings.
Yueran Zhao: Thank you! It’s been a pleasure sharing my journey, and I’m excited about the boundless possibilities that lie ahead at the intersections of design and AI.
