# Ai-chi Lu > Design Leader | Shaping systems and ideas around human needs Location: San Francisco, California, United States Profile: https://flows.cv/aichi I lead with a focus on simplicity, empathy, and purpose-driven innovation. With over a decade in design leadership across tech and public service, I’m passionate about building teams and experiences that help people thrive in a connected world. ## Work Experience ### Research Fellow — Human-Centered AI @ Independent Research Jan 2025 – Present | San Francisco, California, United States Independent research and writing focused on human-centered AI and sociotechnical systems. Exploring how automated systems influence human agency, identity, and decision-making over time. Current work includes developing frameworks for evaluating the long-term human impact of AI systems and exploring design approaches that support reflection, autonomy, and human flourishing. ### Group Design Manager @ Intuit Jan 2025 – Jan 2025 | San Francisco, California, United States Leading AI Core & Mobile experiences ### Principal Product Designer @ Intuit Jan 2025 – Jan 2025 | San Francisco, California, United States ### Design Expert @ The White House (Term Appointment) @ Executive Office of the President Jan 2023 – Jan 2025 USDS is a startup within the White House where tech meets purpose. We're a team of leading technologist partnering with dedicated public servants to reshaping government tech for better citizen experiences. ### Design Manager @ Apple Jan 2018 – Jan 2022 | Cupertino, California Led and built out the UX design org in MSI. Defined design framework across teams to reinforce design quality and practices. Drive innovative data/ai solutions across product Ops resulting in successful launch across Apple LoBs. Leading design strategy at the highest level of organization. ### UX Design Lead @ Splunk Jan 2016 – Jan 2018 | San Francisco, California Making machine data accessible for everyone. Leading the end to end design effort in Splunk Insights portfolio products. Advocating Cloud first solutions and user needs to drive innovation. Active Design Thinking facilitator for user journey mapping to create end-to-end scenario driven designs. ### UX Designer - Analytics Platform @ IBM Design Jan 2015 – Jan 2016 | Silicon Valley Lab, San Jose CA Creating elegant design solutions for the IBM next generation big data analytic software by understanding and organizing complex user scenarios; delivered key scenario storyboards, wireframes, mockups/specifications, and prototypes. Coding interactive prototypes in HTML/CSS/JS and Axure to demonstrate the animation, interaction, and flow of designs for user testing and design discussions Working with open source community to leverage and open source designs and tools. Host design thinking workshops and design open house to advocate design awareness across the organization. ### UX Designer / Scrum Master - Data Management Platform @ IBM Design Jan 2013 – Jan 2015 | Silicon Valley Lab, San Jose CA Led the UX scrum for a 6-person design team and facilitated daily design meeting with stakeholders to ensure that design and design process was leveraged with each sprint. Created and maintained a wiki space for the team to share design ideas and keep track of issues, goals and to-dos. Created visual team dashboards on our change control system to track team progress. Advocate and produced design specifications, storyboards, scenarios, and design prototypes for Data Server Manager and Optim portfolio products. Create and conduct user feedback sessions with external customers regularly, and hosted multi-user sessions at the Insight 2014 Big Data Conference. Co-inventor of 2 design publications and 1 pending design patent disclosures ### Engineering Team Lead @ Pratt & Whitney Jan 2010 – Jan 2013 | East Hartford, CT Led a team of 10+ logic designers from California to Puerto Rico to design and deliver logic software for the PW1000G engine program. Represented P&W by interfacing and engineering the seamless integration of software architecture across multiple vendors in various international customer sites across Europe and Asia ### Software Engineer @ Pratt & Whitney Jan 2008 – Jan 2010 | East Hartford, CT Selected as a part of the Engineering Development Program at Pratt & Whitney, a two year rotational program across various core software groups. 1st Rotation: Worked on the embedded software for the control & diagnostic system on commercial engines. 2nd Rotation: Worked on logic design of control software for NGPF gear turbo fan engine 3rd Rotation: Worked in SEV F135 test engineering to test the overall engine system and performance. 4th Rotation: Working in Method & Tools group to create software tools for all engine programs for development and testing. ### Information Management Leadership Program(IMLP) @ GE Jan 2007 – Jan 2007 Updated and consolidated the E-Process Roadmap, prepared necessary instructions/templates for web interface. Supported the rollout of Critical Chain by introducing training for tools and processes. Led the design and communication plan for the IT Quality Team intranet site. ### Co-op Programmer @ IBM Jan 2006 – Jan 2006 | Poughkeepsie, NY Perform install and setup of the Software Testing Automation Framework (STAF) across multiple systems running Windows, Linux, and z/OS. Worked with the WebSphere development team in MN to provide improvements and debug the WebSphere performance automation package use for ongoing regression testing. ## Education ### BS in Computer Science & Engineering, Math University of Connecticut ### M.S. in Human Computer Interaction Iowa State University ## Contact & Social - LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/aichilu --- Source: https://flows.cv/aichi JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/aichi/resume.json Last updated: 2026-04-13