# Kayla Chen

> Lead Product Designer @ Five Mics (Hip-Hop Trading Card Game)⚡️MFA @ UIUX・Game・Web & Visual Design⚡️MAGFest Indie Arcade Developer⚡️Design to spark CONNECTIONS⚡️

Location: Redwood City, California, United States
Profile: https://flows.cv/kaylachen

In 2021, I flew from Taiwan to New York to see what more I can do. 

▶️ Working in theater, I had spent years reading and telling stories. Stories about identity, emotion, and what it means to be vulnerable.

▶️ But in New York, something shifted. I realized I didn’t just want to "tell" stories. 
I wanted people to step inside them.
To interact.
To feel.
To be part of the story, not just witness it. 

So I began blending everything I loved:
storytelling, visuals, technology, and play.
I learned to prototype experiences, build interactive worlds, and create designs that guide, challenge, and sometimes comfort people.

🌟Today, I’m the Lead Product Designer for Five Mics,
a hip-hop trading card game where culture, design, and community meet.
I craft digital-to-physical experiences, UI/UX systems, and world-building that let players feel the culture through gameplay.

In parallel, I create interactive art like Eyes Off!,
a storytelling game about the idea that vulnerability is not weakness,
but being affected, and affecting the world in return.

🎯 What drives me is simple:
I transform complex emotions and systems into experiences people can connect with. 

And if those experiences help someone see themselves, challenge a narrative, or feel even a bit more understood, then the work is worth it.

Skills
📍UI/UX & Visual Design
📍Game Design & Technical Prototyping (Unity / Arduino / p5.js)
📍Web development (Framer / Webflow / Plasmic)
📍Strong adaptability (Design X Code / Cross-cultural)
📍✨From “what if” to “here it is”

## Work Experience
### Lead Product Designer @ Five Mics: The Hip-Hop Trading Card Game
Jan 2023 – Present | Los Angeles, CA
• Led the end-to-end UX design for transforming Five Mics from a physical trading card game into a digital game, defining MVP scope and UI architecture that enabled scalable user playtesting.
• Reduced engineering production timeline by 67% by redesigning complex multi-step interactions, cutting projected dev workload from 18 months to 6 months.
• Improved tutorial onboarding retention by 30% through structured user research, behavior analysis, and iterative UX improvements.
• Directed the company’s first go-to-market campaign, designing the website experience and launch strategy that generated $XX in pre-order revenue for the debut Booster Box.
• Core designer for public showcase builds, contributing to design systems, UX, and visual polish exhibited at major U.S. conventions (GDC, Gen Con, MAGFest, Dream Con, MAGWest).

### Marketing Positions @ Parsons School of Design - The New School
Jan 2023 – Jan 2023 | New York, United States
• Directed promotion for the program's thesis event, executing marketing strategies across 6 departments.
• Crafted social media assets and email copy, successfully drawing an audience of 400+ to the event.

### Troupe Co-founder @ Self-Employed
Jan 2020 – Jan 2021 | Taipei City, Taiwan
• Selected to participate in the "2020 Taipei Fringe Festival"
• Created set design as well as graphic design with flyers and digital posts
• In the play," Death is Approaching", spearheaded digital marketing strategies including social media management, producing teasers, and building a playful chat box, selling 95% of the tickets

### Video Design Assistant @ Our Theatre
Jan 2021 – Jan 2021 | Taipei City, Taiwan
• Featured performer at the 2021 Taiwan International Festival of Arts, touring top 3 theaters and captivating 3000+ audience.
• Increased the production efficiency by 30% through practical solutions and team work.
• Demonstrated flexibility and adaptability by resolving issues during a live performance.

### Graphic Designer @ Franklin International Education Company
Jan 2018 – Jan 2018 | Taipei City, Taiwan
• Analyzed the company's strengths for promotional materials including flyers and posters, resulting in a 15% increase in event attendance.
• Created assets for social media platforms, effectively balancing aesthetic appeal with marketing objectives to meet both design standards and supervisor expectations.


## Education
### Master of Fine Arts - MFA in Design and Technology
Parsons School of Design - The New School
Jan 2021 – Jan 2023

### Bachelor of Arts - BA in Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General
National Taiwan University
Jan 2016 – Jan 2020


## Contact & Social
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yising-kayla-chen
- Website: https://kaylayc.framer.website/

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Source: https://flows.cv/kaylachen
JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/kaylachen/resume.json
Last updated: 2026-04-07