Product designer in the Bay Area, now at Atoms.
7+ years across learning, streaming, e-commerce, and enterprise tools, at Microsoft, Udemy, and MockAI, which I co-founded. I studied HCI at the University of Washington, with certificates from Stanford and IDEO.
I work across growth and core experience design. Whoever I design for, a learner, an IT admin, or an engineer prepping for an interview, the goal is the same: help them feel seen.
What I’m up to
AI-native product design
Research with AI, screens in Figma, then working prototypes I vibe-code and ship with Claude Code.
AI tools for design and code
Picking up new AI tools for design, and learning to code so I can build what I design, not just hand it off.
Painting, meditation, cooking
Acrylic painting and meditation keep me grounded, and cooking is my favorite way to make something for people I care about.
Two dreams
AI that supports people’s well-being is the lens I bring to every product. And one day, a little bistro of my own.
The path so far
- NowAtomsDesign lead
Leading design end to end for an e-commerce platform that serves restaurant owners: from product-led growth, the flows that bring new owners in and get them to their first win, to the core experience they run their business on every day. I joined when it was an early product discovery project; with strong customer acquisition, it grew into one of the company’s strategic priorities within a year.
- ThenMockAI + MicrosoftCo-founder · Contract designer
Co-founded MockAI with two college friends and led design from V2.0 voice interviews to V3.0 concepts, winning six international design awards, including iF 2026 and Gold at the London Design Awards, MUSE, and Indigo. In parallel, on contract with Microsoft, I led UX for V1.0 of Microsoft Places space management, now built and in private preview.
- Before thatUdemySenior Product Designer
Growth design: led the logged-out homepage redesign, live in 18 regions with +2.41% GMV and +7.7% user growth, and redesigned checkout with 1-click and guest checkout.
- 2020 – 2022University of Washington + MicrosoftMS, HCDE (HCI) · Contract designer
Studied Human Centered Design & Engineering in Seattle. In my second year I also designed full-time for Microsoft on contract, focused on IT admins: I led 0-to-1 design of Organizational Messages in the Microsoft 365 admin center, now generally available.
- 2019iTalkBBMy first design job
Started my career redesigning the UI for web and app, working across product and engineering.
- 2016 – 2019UC San DiegoBA, Interdisciplinary Computing & Art + Business
Studied computing, art, and business at the University of California, San Diego, where drawing and painting became the foundation of how I design.
Why teams like working with me
Empathy, both ways
I design with empathy for users and for my cross-functional team, working closely with PMs, engineers, and researchers so the work meets real needs and shared goals.
Insight, then instinct
Research, data, and testing inform my work, but I’m not afraid to move on instinct. Some of my best outcomes started there, then grew through iteration and measurable impact.
An empty cup
I explore several paths, tie design to business goals, and keep learning new tools, trends, and AI so my craft keeps up with the industry.
Recent paintings
In their words
What an honor and pleasure to have Elaine on our team. She has been a key contributor for many hugely impactful projects. She is curious, a deep thinker and an active contributor to our work and as a core member of our team.
Her collaborative spirit is invaluable, and her well-explored and thoughtful design solutions and approaches demonstrate that she is a keen advocate for our users. She is a fantastic designer, team member and mentor, truly a pillar on our team!
Pilar Strutin-BelinoffSenior Design Director, UdemyElaine worked with me at Microsoft helping to design new experiences for IT admins. She worked closely with PMs and devs to translate their requirements into high quality designs. She was inclusive, listening to their POV and feedback, and incorporating it into her work.
While doing this she was very mindful of our design system and applied it with a detailed eye. Additionally, she contributed frequently in our team crits and was always down to help others. Overall, Elaine delivered thoughtful, detailed designs and was great to have on our team.
Aaron WooPrincipal Product Design Director, MicrosoftElaine (Yuanyi) is a great designer and a natural self-starter. Not only does she work hard; she works smart. She has experience in wrangling nebulous projects and keeping them on-track. Partners appreciate her ability to communicate about designs in ways that they understand and can interact with.
Not only does she excel at design, she also strengthens team dynamics by creating and hosting team activities. I haven’t laughed harder with our team than during her team-building exercises. Elaine is such an asset to any design team and I strongly recommend her.
Carrie CosgroveSenior Product Designer, MicrosoftYuanyi is a fantastic designer and team member. She is creative not only in her design sense, but also in her ability to generate ideas and take initiatives to implement them.
During her time at iTalk, she has helped us redesign the UI for web and app experience, and worked cross-functionally with product and engineering team on development. Her experience and understanding of design is a great asset and I would recommend for any team to have her.
Elaine WeiSenior Manager, iTalkBB