Hi, I’m Joy Liu.
I am a design leader and mentor.
From start-ups to big enterprise-scale companies, I empower cross-functional teams to build great products together, turning organizational chaos into launch-able roadmaps and great user experiences.
Outside of work, I offer pro-bono mentorship to designers navigating the design and tech industries, and I stay involved in the broader design and tech community through talks and events.
I live in the San Francisco Bay Area with my husband James and our cats: Duke, Toto, Yarmi, and Joey.
Connect on LinkedIn
Follow on MediumMy Approach & Process
Building a product is a team sport. This process only works because I bring others into it at every stage.
Understand the landscape
We first deep-dive into the problem space, understand the domain, actors, and information that flows through the process. This starts with staying curious: getting behind the why, not just the what, so alignment comes naturally. This is where collaboration with field and research teams are key.
Articulate the ecosystem
Once we are clear, we can get started with ideation and sketch out what the ecosystem and relationships look like. This is essential to identify seams and break down silos for an end-to-end journey, which means naming the hard questions before they surface as bigger problems downstream.
Create and deliver
We can get into the details once we’re clear on problem worth solving, ideal vision, and aligned journey. This is where co-creation with engineers is valuable so we can determine feasibility and trade-offs to get to a shippable scope. And based on that, create a logical go-to-market strategy backed by a story that builds the empathy needed for real buy-in.
My Skills
- Design operations
- Hiring and leveling
- Org design
- Product strategy
- Systems thinking
- Service blueprint
- User journey
- AI prototyping
- Workshop facilitation
- Design system
- Conversational design
- UX/UI patterns
Work Experiences
Download Resume PDFServiceNow
2019 – Present
Senior Product Design Manager
Product Design Manager
Senior Staff Product Designer
Staff Product Designer
California College of the Arts (CCA)
2019 – 2022
Adjunct Professor, Interaction Design Program
2017 – 2019
Interaction Designer
Samsung Electronics America
2015 – 2017
UX Design Lead, Product Innovation Team
Philosophie
2012 – 2015
Senior UX Designer
ArtCenter College of Design
2013 – 2014
Adjunct Professor of Undergrad Program
General Assembly
2013
UX Design Instructional Associate / Event Moderator
Miso Media
2011 – 2012
Lead Designer
Education & Certificates
Product Strategy - Develop and Manage Successful Products
Northwestern | Kellogg Executive Education, certification received in 2025
Certified System Administrator
ServiceNow, passed in July 2022; renewed 2025
Certified ScrumMaster (CSM)
Scrum Alliance, certification received in 2021
Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO)
Scrum Alliance, certification received in 2019
CORe: Credential of Readiness, Pass with Honors
HBX | Harvard Business School, credential received in 2017
Bachelor of Fine Arts with Honors in Graphic Design
ArtCenter College of Design
Fostering communities
I find great joy in giving back to the community. In the early 2010s, I started volunteering at meetups in Los Angeles, producing AIGA speaker events for 100+ attendees, hosting Balanced Team salons, moderating General Assembly panels, and exploring better UX methods along the way. During the 2020 pandemic, I joined online design communities to mentor recent graduates and career changers entering UX, pro bono, because I believe in supporting people looking for their opening.
Alongside the design community, I’m passionate about breaking the bamboo ceiling for Asian Americans and women. As an alumna of the Monte Jade Asian American mentorship program, I co-chaired and emceed the 2025 Women’s Leadership Summit, and in 2024 I was named a Taipei Women in Tech honoree. Today I volunteer with NATEA Silicon Valley chapter, where I hosted this summer’s happy hour on AI tips and tricks.
Bringing industry knowledge into the classroom
I enjoy being a part-time instructor, bringing real-world industry experience into the classroom. When I entered the digital product design field, formal programs were rare, and my peers all transitioned from diverse, non-UX backgrounds. With technology evolving rapidly, I’m passionate about bridging that gap, preparing students to tackle real-world design challenges with strong storytelling and persuasive design rationale.
Courses taught:
- Advanced Interaction Design
- Intro to Interaction Design
- Prototyping
- Systems Thinking
- Sponsored Studio: Lenovo Collaboration
Kind words from peers
Joy is an amazingly talented designer, thinker, and team leader! … She always strives to lead by example, being extremely organized in her thinking and calculated in her strategy, when presenting to senior leaders and stakeholders.
— Agency Partner
Joy’s ability to shepherd cross-functional discussions on new products and product enhancements is unmatched. Not only does she lead from a user-design perspective, but she has deep understanding of the platform and technical nuances.
— Product Manager
I have learned to de-risk my forecasts when I hear Joy will be involved in one of my projects.
— Engineer Lead
Joy… doesn’t hesitate to take initiative… [She] led cross-office brainstorms with multiple designers to create a scalable framework, and led discussions amongst designers to create joint UX-timelines.
— Peer Designer
She gave me constructive feedback on my portfolio and other advice on career transition… it gave me the inspiration to keep moving forward.
— Mentee, UX Designer
Joy extends her passion for UX into the classroom environment to accelerate her students abilities into that of professional design leaders…
— Student
© 2026 Designed by Joy Liu using Semplice with a ton of coffee.