About
Hi, I’m James.
I’m a Computer Science student at UW–Madison with certificates in Graphic Design and Digital Studies, passionate about the intersection of design, technology, and creativity.
My experiences span UX/UI design, software development, research, visual art, and music. I enjoy bringing these different perspectives together to understand people, solve problems, and create experiences that are both functional and meaningful.
When I’m not designing, I enjoy playing piano, discovering new music, and spending time with friends.
Selected UX Work
BadgerReserve
UW–Madison Human Computer Interaction · May 2026
A UX research project exploring how UW–Madison students find and reserve campus study spaces. Working in a 3-person team, we used design ethnography, research synthesis, and concept evaluation to develop BadgerReserve, a system designed to make study-space availability easier to discover and navigate.
Venmo Business Profile Redesign
UC Berkeley UX/UI Design Program · July 2022
An early UX project where I explored how Venmo’s business-profile creation experience could be made easier to discover and navigate. Through user research, workflow analysis, and iterative prototyping, I redesigned the experience across 15 Figma screens.
Research & Exploration
IvyMax Franklin Research Internship
Machine Learning & Visual Art
Research Intern · May – June 2021
- Developed a TensorFlow-based convolutional neural network, under the mentorship of a UCLA professor, to classify oil paintings and natural photographs into their respective image categories
- Constructed a 200-image dataset sourced through Google Images by collecting, labeling, and preprocessing 100 oil paintings and 100 natural photographs, allocating 160 images for training and 40 for validation
- Trained ad validated the model in Python, achieving 93% training accuracy and documented the project in a 22-page research paper
Antibiotic Resistance in Soil Research
Student Researcher · June 2022 – September 2022
- Investigated antibiotic-resistant bacteria across soil samples to better understand how environmental conditions may influence bacterial resistance.
- Conducted experiments comparing bacterial growth across different soil dilutions and tetracycline concentrations.
- Analyzed experimental data to identify patterns in antibiotic resistance.
- Synthesized findings into a formal research report
Beyond the Screen
Electronic Arts Club
Founder & President · March 2020 – May 2023
I founded and led a 25-member community bringing together artists, programmers, and engineers interested in the intersection of art and technology. I organized project-sharing sessions, creative workshops, and speaker events featuring people working across technology and new media.
BeHASSTic
Chicago Chapter Director · March 2021 – August 2023
Led student volunteers in community service initiatives across the Chicago area, including senior-center outreach and performances, English tutoring for elementary students, and weekly piano lessons. The experience strengthened my interest in teaching, community involvement, and working with people across different age groups and backgrounds.
Global Philanthropy
Volunteer and Team Lead · August – December 2021
As a volunteer and team lead, I worked with a 7-student team on microfinance projects supporting communities in Ningxia and Hunan, China. The experience introduced me to collaborative problem-solving in a very different social and cultural context.
President’s Volunteer Service Award
Gold · 2021
Gold-level recognition for community service and volunteer involvement.