Meet Yitian Zeng | Product Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Yitian Zeng and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Yitian, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
I’m from Wuhan, China, and I grew up in a simple and happy family where my parents gave me the freedom to explore what I loved. As a child, I was endlessly curious and creative. I would draw whatever came to mind, take apart remote-control cars and basketball toys just to see how they worked, and spend afternoons making crafts. Once, I even built a miniature cardboard guzheng that could produce sound.
Another big influence in my life was my grandfather, who was an urban planner. He successfully solved major transportation challenges for over 14 million residents in Wuhan, particularly around crossing the Yangtze River. His dedication to improving people’s lives through thoughtful problem-solving deeply inspired me, and I’ve always admired his vision and sense of responsibility.
Design is such a broad field, and I explored many, from crafts and digital media to VR and game interaction. Over time, I realized what excites me most is how technology and design together can go beyond meeting needs to make products simpler, more delightful, and impactful for people.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’d describe myself as a cross-disciplinary and impact-driven designer. My background spans graphic, game, and digital product design, which allows me to see challenges from different perspectives and turn complexity into usable, human-centered solutions.
One of my proudest projects is EcoEat, a mobile and tablet app I led from the ground up. The idea came from noticing everyday waste, like fruits from friends’ gardens rotting on the ground during harvest, or company cafeterias discarding fresh ingredients and even semi-prepared meals. I wanted to find a way to make sharing this surplus food easy and practical. EcoEat uses AI to let users snap a photo and auto-generate details, shelf life, and donation or sharing suggestions. The project went on to receive multiple international awards, including the Red Dot Design Award, Indigo Design Awards, and MUSE Design Awards, which reinforced my belief that design can turn empathy and technology into real-world impact.
Another significant chapter in my career was as Founding Designer at a safe social media platform for kids and teens. I led product design across the board, which played a key role in doubling the user base through usability improvements and gamified onboarding.
My path here wasn’t always smooth. As a designer, I had to constantly adapt to new environments, and one of the biggest challenges was moving across very different industries, fintech, e-commerce, and kids social products—each with its own domain knowledge and user needs. For example, shifting from fintech projects to becoming the founding designer required me to move from a focus on security and compliance to creating a safe, playful space for kids. With limited time and resources, I immersed myself in child psychology, ran quick usability tests, and rapidly iterated designs, which ultimately boosted retention and increased user-generated content. This taught me to stay curious, quickly learn new domains, and turn complexity into intuitive solutions.
If there are two values I’d share with the world, they would be curiosity and persistence. Curiosity makes me dive into new ideas and industries, and persistence helps me turn those ideas into impact. That’s why I believe design isn’t just about solving problems. It’s about staying curious, pushing through, and creating experiences that truly make life better.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If my best friend were visiting, I’d take them to San Francisco. I won’t take to the classics trip such as the Golden Gate Bridge and Fisherman’s Wharf. I’d show them the art and culture in the Mission District, with its colorful murals and cozy coffee shops. Food-wise, we’d try everything from dim sum in Chinatown to fresh seafood at the Ferry Building, and maybe even a picnic at Dolores Park. In the evenings, we’d catch live music or a gallery opening, and one day we’d drive down the coast to Big Sur for breathtaking ocean views. To me, it’s the mix of nature, food, and creativity that makes the Bay Area so exciting.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
First and foremost, I want to give a shoutout to my family and friends. They’ve always been my anchor and safe harbor, supporting me unconditionally no matter what choices I made.
I especially want to recognize my mother. Her ability to break down and analyze problems, handle challenges with grace, and persevere with resilience has deeply influenced me. She’s always been able to connect the dots—showing me how one method can be applied to different cases, or how a single problem can be solved in multiple ways. She also told me never to be afraid of having ideas or methods copied, because what truly can’t be stolen is the ability to think creatively. She’s been my role model, and her strength continues to inspire me to keep moving forward.

Website: https://www.zchloe.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zeng.chloe/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr#

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chloez7/