01 Design Research

Gaming nowadays attracts users of all ages and skill levels. Our market research revealed that most headsets cater to heavy gamers, leaving casual users hindered by complex features and steep learning curves. To validate our research, I visited competitors and benchmarked the physical interactions of competitors. I benchmarked their functionalities, interaction triggers, CMF features, and companion Apps to clarify Harman’s creative direciton and value proposition. Driven by these observations, we started to revamp the design of JBL QuantumEngine, a companion app for JBL QE headsets, aiming to make pro-level gaming audio accessible for everyone.

02 Software UX

At Harman, I worked across visual, interaction, motion, graphic, 3D, light, and sound to build cohesive, for JBL QE’s design library under Wenkin Huang (Manager) and Sam Liu (Principal Designer).

All interfaces and products I displayed are fully implemented and formally launched, supporting 10+ well-selling, IF-award winning JBL Quantum Series audio devices.

Acoustic preference varies across game types and individuals, yet most acoustic adjustment interfaces on the market are overly complex for non-pro gamers. For digital UX, I designed an acoustic profile system that lets players customize and save acoustic presets, while aligning JBL Quantum with the overarching JBL account system to create a cross-platform experience and cohesive yet distinctive brand identity. I also revamped the feedback system by adding emotion tabs and issue types, turning vague star ratings into structured insights that classified problem severity, enhanced prioritization, and lowered the user’s articulation barrier of usability issues.

03 Hardware UX

Besides digital UX, I streamlined software integration for headset across Endurance, Tune, and Quantum Series, designing their lighting pattern, sound signal, and hardware control.

As a full-stack designer, I was also responsible for defining the hardware behaviors in alignment with the digital products we built. In close collaboration with engineers, effectively took on the product management role for 4 consumer products across 4 months. I wrote software/hardware UI specs, designed lighting and sound effects and their underlying logic, and coordinating implementation across platforms. Currently, the Endurance and Tune series I managed are projected to drive 45.3% profit growth.

04 Design Library

Five months of iterations after, we realized that design and engineering would become increasingly cumbersome without reusable components.

To ensure long-term scalability, I helped systematically stanardize elements to reduce future workload for designers and engineers. We built a comprehensive design library under atomic design framework. I designed and standardized key UI components such as dashboard cards, list cards, sliders, popups, and input boxes. I also created graphic asset for both aesthetic and instructional purposes coherent with JBL’s futuristic visual vibe.

05 Design Standard

Upon the completion of my internship, I realized there are many procedural redundancies for common design patterns like toast, popups, and sliders when writing product requirements and UI spec. These recurring conventions that could be unified into overarching design principles. Thus,I created a guideline library that organizes these rules into clear, developer-friendly format, increasing internal UX maturity.