Senior Product Designer · 8+ Years · Taipei → Irvine, CA

Designing systems,
not screens.

Annie S. Koo — Senior Product Designer

Senior Product Designer with 8+ years driving measurable outcomes across eCommerce, SaaS, and growth. I work at the intersection of research, AI-accelerated execution, and cross-functional leadership — from early ambiguity to shipped product.

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Annie holding a latte, side profile illustration
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About Me
01

Research-Grounded

I start with questions, not solutions. Heuristic evaluations, moderated usability testing, A/B testing, card sorting — the method matches the problem. Cognitive Science from UCSD shaped how I think about why people do what they do.

02

Outcome-Focused

+17.47% mobile transactions at Pens.com. 44+ prioritized UX opportunities at LawnStarter in 90 days. +185% reach growth at Acts2 Taipei in 8 months. Design decisions I can trace to a number — and to system-level impact, not just screen-level polish.

03

Cross-Domain Adaptable

Seven product contexts across eCommerce, SaaS, marketplaces, fleet safety, and campus communities. The research process, the systems thinking, the cross-functional collaboration — those travel. The domain doesn't need to be familiar.

04

Mentor & Collaborator

Led a 7-person design team. Mentored 10+ students 1:1. Wrote JIRA stories, ran standups, stayed close to engineering. I treat collaboration as part of the design — not something that happens after.

05

Always Learning

From Axure RP to Figma to Claude Code. I pick up new tools fast because I'm genuinely curious about them, not because I have to be. Currently: exploring AI-accelerated design workflows.

06

AI-Native

I use Claude, Cursor, and Figma AI daily — not as shortcuts, but as tools for thinking faster and exploring broader. I build working prototypes with AI-assisted code, and I'm actively helping teams develop that muscle too.

Design Process

How I get from
problem to
shipped.

01

Discover

Heuristic Evaluation User Interviews Competitive Analysis Stakeholder Alignment
02

Define

Synthesis + Prioritization Problem Framing Success Metrics Scope Alignment
03

Design

Low-fi Wireframes Hi-fi Prototypes Design Systems Multivariant Flows
04

Validate

Moderated Usability Testing A/B Testing Stakeholder Review Iteration
05

Deliver

Annotated Handoff Dev Stand-ups Documentation Post-Launch Measurement
Selected Work

The proof is in the numbers.

01
eCommerceSaaS
Pens.com

Senior Product Designer

A +17.47% lift in mobile transactions through multi-phase, research-driven checkout optimization.

+17.47%
Increase in mobile transactions
↗
02
Growth DesignSaaS
LawnStarter

Senior Product Designer, Growth Squad

44+ prioritized UX opportunities in 90 days — new domain, zero prior context, full handoff.

44+
UX opportunities identified & prioritized
↗
03
Growth StrategyAI Tools
Acts2 Network — Journey, Taipei

Design & Growth Strategist

+185% reach, 900+ followers, +242% profile visits in 8 months — product thinking applied to community growth.

+185%
Increase in reach
↗
All Work
2020–25
Pens.com — Senior Product Designer
eCommerce · SaaS
+17.47%
↗
2025
LawnStarter — Senior Product Designer, Growth Squad
Growth Design · SaaS
44+
↗
2025–26
Acts2 Network — Journey, Taipei — Design & Growth Strategist
Growth Strategy · AI Tools
+185%
↗
2017–18
Events.com — Product Designer
SaaS · Product Design
2.5×
↗
Archive
2016
Lytx, Inc. — UI/UX Design Intern
SaaS · Fleet Safety
2015–16
UCSD Academic Integrity Office — Web Designer
UX Research · Web Design
2017
Galilee Pool Service — Freelance Web Designer
Freelance · Web Design
2018–21
Acts2 Network San Diego — Visual Design Lead
Visual Design · Brand Identity
Why Work With Me

I bring more than a portfolio.

Empathy as a Practice

Being a mom changed how I design. Patience, seeing things from a completely different perspective, building for people whose context is nothing like yours — that's not a soft skill. It's the whole job.

I Invest in People

I've mentored 7-person design teams and 10+ students 1:1. I care about the people I work with growing. That's not separate from the work — it's part of what makes good work happen.

Curiosity Over Comfort

New domain? I'll ramp fast. New tool? I'm already testing it. I went from zero to full strategic handoff at LawnStarter in 90 days. Currently building with Claude Code.

I Show Up Off the Clock

Good coffee, long strolls, exploring new neighborhoods — I notice how spaces make people feel, how things are organized, what draws attention. That observational habit doesn't turn off at 5pm.

Outside the work: good coffee, long walks, and college mentoring.
Annie smiling with latte
Design
Figma Axure RP Sketch Adobe Illustrator Adobe Photoshop Adobe XD Canva
Research
Moderated Usability Testing Remote Usability Testing A/B Testing Heuristic Evaluation Competitive Analysis Card Sorting User Interviews CRO
Delivery
JIRA Agile / Scrum Asana Trello WCAG Compliance Engineering Handoff Design Systems
AI & Emerging
Perplexity AI AI-Accelerated Workflows
Education

University of California, San Diego

B.S. Cognitive Science — Human-Computer Interaction

Latte
Relocating to Irvine, CA — July 2026

Open to senior
product design roles.
Let's work together.

Get in Touch