Hello, I’m Jo

I design because care is a system, not a sentiment.

안녕하세요? Annyeong-ha-saeyo?
Hello, Are You Well?

In Korean, “Hello(안녕하세요 Annyeonghasaeyo)” literally asks “Are you well?”— a greeting that begins with care, not formality. That small linguistic truth shapes the way I design.

I’m a UX designer who builds for the moments when people are not always “well”:
moments of transition, overwhelm, uncertainty, or tenderness.

Having moved Busan → Seoul → New York, I’ve felt stability shift under my feet enough times to learn this:
Everyone encounters moments of vulnerability.
And that vulnerability is never just an emotional issue. It emerges at the intersection of accurate information, emotional safety, cultural legibility, relational dynamics, and systemic structures.

A designer’s role is to navigate that complexity and return agency to the user.

Good design doesn’t hide vulnerability.
It creates calm, legible, trustworthy systems around it, without erasing complexity, losing credibility, or flattening cultural reality.

You’ll see this in how I work:

  • Humanism x Strategy

  • Narrative Understanding x System Mapping

  • Technological Efficiency x Social Responsibility

  • Detail x Clarity

If you need products that can hold fragility gently and still ship with rigor—let’s talk.

Outside of design

I hunt quiet moments with a camera,
write about belonging, selfhood, connection, and the soft architecture of human relationships,
and trade the keyboard for boxing gloves in Chinatown—
because even tenderness deserves a way to stay strong.

Visit My Photo Journal
Read My Writing on Substack

Education

  • Parsons School of Design | NYC
    MFA, Design & Technology
    Minor: Global Mental Health
    2023–2026 (expected)

  • Hongik University | Seoul, South Korea
    BA, Visual Communication Design
    2018–2023

Professional Experience

  • Mimetic Labs | NYC
    UX Designer
    Aug 2023 – Jan 2024
    Contributed to the AI self-care coach for Gen Z service startup through qualitative and quantitative UX research and early product strategy.

  • FICA — Non-Profit Co-Housing Platform | NYC
    Design Researcher / Service Designer
    Aug 2023 – Dec 2023
    Built service guidelines, led qualitative research, and mapped touchpoints for student co-housing communities.

  • DESIS Lab @ Yonsei University (Design for Social Innovation & Sustainability) | Seoul, South Korea
    UX Researcher
    Jun 2022 - Mar 2023
    Contributed to HealthTech and community-centered design projects through qualitative research, participatory methods, and social innovation frameworks.

Contact us

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