About Me
Hello, I am Yu-Jen Lin, a software engineer with a UX design/research mind. I worked as a full-time software engineer in a design agency in Taiwan for a couple of years where I focused on creating interactive installations for museums and exhibitions. I then trained in UX design and UX research at the University of Michigan.
I love making stuff to create interactive installations to give people fun and unforgettable experiences. A few students and I co-founded a maker space, DOIIIT Studio, at the University of Michigan, School of Information to bring maker culture to the school. I interned at Universal Creative and later worked there full-time, creating VR exhibitions and interactive attractions.
Currently, I am a Product Design Prototyper at Meta Platform's Reality Labs Research, returning to my original team to create innovative and immersive experiences in AR/VR. Before this, I spent a brief period as a UX Engineer Lead at Samsung Research America after an initial four-year tenure at Meta pushing future research directions.
Experience
Meta Platforms, Reality Labs Research
Redmond, WA | Oct 2024 - PresentProduct Design Prototyper
- Leading the application-level experience design and software engineering for high-profile demonstrations of cutting-edge VR optical research (e.g., Boba 3, Tiramisu).
- Collaborating closely with lower-level system engineers and hardware teams to define and integrate the necessary APIs and functions, ensuring experimental hardware supports viable user experiences.
- Optimizing high-fidelity content (like Unreal Engine 5) for extreme resolutions (90 PPD) and High Dynamic Range, while developing bespoke application solutions to overcome non-standard prototype hardware limitations.
Samsung Research America
Remote, WA | June 2024 - Sep 2024UX Engineer Lead
- Led the UX engineering team on a confidential extended reality (XR) project.
Meta Platforms, Reality Labs Research
Redmond, WA | March 2020 - June 2024Product Design Prototyper
- Built the application-level software infrastructure and interactive experiences for Meta's iconic 'Time Machine' display prototypes, including the retinal-resolution Butterscotch and the dynamic-focus Butterscotch Varifocal (BSV).
- During the early development of the Butterscotch prototype—before dedicated OS-level software engineers were fully staffed—engineered critical software workarounds and system hacks to bridge experimental hardware and make the first retinal-resolution demo functional.
- Designed high-fidelity virtual workspaces and bespoke executive demonstrations that successfully proved the viability of retinal clarity (55+ PPD) and natural focal accommodation to company leadership.
- Collaborated with OS-level software engineers and firmware teams to ensure the Unity application environment had the necessary APIs to integrate custom display correction algorithms, high-precision eye tracking, and hardware accessories.
- Worked with User Experience Researchers to develop user study experiences that helped us understand human perceptions and product usabilities.
Universal Creative
Orlando, FL | Aug 2017 - Jan 2020Software Developer
- Designed and developed interactive theme park attraction prototypes with a wide range of software and hardware solutions including face tracking, image recognition, skeletal tracking, and AR/VR headsets.
- Designed user studies to define interaction design guidance that helped the project team make proper design decisions.
- Developed Unity system architecture pipeline, coding guidelines, and code review processes to improve the internal codebase’s readability and maintainability.
Universal Creative
Orlando, FL | Jun 2016 - Aug 2016Software Developer Intern
- Prototyped VR and HoloLens applications and evaluated the potential of incorporating these future technologies in the theme park.
- Ran VR shows in the park which accommodated more than 1500 guests per day.
Tanvas
Chicago, IL | Jun 2015 - Aug 2015Software Engineer Intern
- Designed Android haptic applications which demoed the surface haptic technology in academic and industrial conferences.
- Designed the preliminary SDK framework for Android developers to communicate with the hardware.
Techart Group
Taipei, Taiwan | May 2012 - Aug 2013Software Engineer
- Designed UX interaction flows and mockups, and implemented the prototypes into real products.
- Surveyed and implemented state-of-the-art research papers including computer vision and machine learning that suited different projects’ needs.
Education
University of Michigan, School of Information
Ann Arbor, MI | 2015 - 2017Three years of studies in pursuit of PhD (Human-Computer Interaction)
University of Michigan, School of Information
Ann Arbor, MI | 2011 - 2014M.S. in Information | UX Research & Design, Human-Computer Interaction
National Taiwan University
Taipei, Taiwan | 2005 - 2009B.S. in Electrical Engineering
Leadership & Teaching
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI | 2015 - 2017Teaching Assistant - Python and Web Develop
- Designed lab sections assignments that provided students hands-on experiences associated with lecture material.
- Delivered a range of teaching activities including tutorials directed towards the delivery of subjects at both undergraduate and graduate levels.
DOIIIT Maker Space @ UMSI
Ann Arbor, MI | 2014 - 2017Co-Founder
- Setup a hardware space to build up a maker culture in the School of Information.
- Consulted students on projects and coordinated machine tools including laser cutters, 3D-printers, and more.
Skills
Game Engines
Unity3D | C#Unreal | C++OpenFrameworks | C++Flash | ActionScript 3.0
Software Development
Android | JavaiOS | Objective-CComputer VisionMachine Learning
Web & Tools
HTML5 | CSS3 | SCSSJavascript | jQueryElectron | Node.js | AngularJSFlask | DjangoJekyllAstro | React | Tailwind
Prototyping & Fabrication
Arduino | PhotonRhino 3D | SOLIDWORKS3D Printing | CNC-RoutingVinyl Cutting | Laser CuttingIllustrator | Photoshop