Hi there, I’m Yongle 👋

I’m a Mixed Methods UX Researcher and a final-year Ph.D. candidate in Human-Computer Interaction at the University of Maryland.

With six years of hands-on user research experience in both academia and industry, I specialize in uncovering user needs through qualitative and quantitative methods. I’ve led end-to-end research projects in areas like generative AI, social media and e-commerce, working closely with designers, data scientists, engineers, and product managers.

My experience includes several user researcher roles in top academic labs and companies like Meta and eBay, where I turned complex user data into clear, actionable insights that shaped product strategies and improved user experiences.

I’m currently seeking full-time UX research roles starting in September 2025.

🔵 Understanding User Needs in Gen AI-Assisted News Reading

#Focus groups; #Experiment design
Impact: My research uncovered how diverse readers engage with AI-assisted news, shaping design principles that help teams build more inclusive, trustworthy, and engaging AI experiences.

🟣 Uncovering Caller Needs Across User Segments in Messenger App, Meta

#Surveys; #In-depth Interviews
Impact: This project uncovered unmet needs of high-frequency caller groups (e.g., gamers, families), shaping Messenger’s large-screen calling strategy and informing retention-focused product improvements.

🔴 Exploring AI-Supported Messaging on eBay App

#Diary study; #In-depth interviews
Impact: My research informed the design and strategy of eBay’s AI messaging feature, improving buyer–seller communication at scale; the feature successfully launched to 60M+ mobile users.

🔵 Supporting Cross-lingual Communication in Globally Distributed Teams

#Experiment design; #Content analysis
Impact: This project demonstrated how machine translation can strengthen collaboration in multilingual teams, providing design evidence that informed enterprise platforms on building more inclusive and cost-efficient communication tools.