Hihi, this is Junchao! People also call me David!

I am a strategic researcher in practice and a storyteller & media artist in heart, who specializes in participatory design and tackles research with system thinking. I help businesses and product teams make user-centered and socially responsible decisions.

I have over 5 years of experience conducting mixed-method UX and design research in academia and the industry. Currently, I am leading research strategy for Security and Operational Technology business units at ServiceNow as a Sr. UX Researcher, covering more than 6 products. Previously, I was leading research for the China team and the Duolingo English Test team at Duolingo.

I used to work with Dr. Laura Dabbish at Carnegie Mellon University Human-Computer Interaction Institute’s CoEx Lab as a full-time HCI researcher. I was leading the NSF-funded research on account-sharing behaviors in romantic couples. My research works were published at CHI and CSCW, the top HCI conferences.

In my spare time, you can find me 🚴🏼, 🥾, 🎾, 🏸, ⛹🏼‍♂️, 🏊🏼‍♂️, 99.9 % chance outdoors!

I also enjoy making art such as Chinese calligraphy, Chinese Shuimo painting, and taking photos.

News:

2022.08

I joined NYU Shanghai as an Adjunct Professor teaching the Senior Capstone studio for the Interactive Media and Business major.

I am launching two new foundational courses about user research: User Research Fundamentals and Intro to Diary Study.

2021.12

Our work ‘It’s Problematic but I’m not Concerned’: University Perspectives on Account Sharing got accepted to CSCW 2022 as a full paper.

2021.2

Two papers Understanding and Designing for Disaster Preparation on Social Media and Designing a Self-efficacy Game for Health Literacy in Marginalized Communities got accepted to CHI 2021 as late-breaking work.

Started my intern at Duolingo as a User Experience Researcher, working with China Team and Duolingo English Test (DET) Team.

2020.12

Our work “It’s Our Mutual Responsibility to Share”: The Evolution of Account Sharing in Romantic Couples. got accepted to CSCW 2021 as a full paper.

2020.10

I attended my first CSCW and presented my poster abstract about romantic couples’ account sharing behaviors.

2020.07

Our work “Did You Just Purchase a Butt Head on Amazon?”: A Diary Study of Couples’ Everyday Account Sharing got accepted to CSCW 2020 as a poster.

2020.01

Started my full-time research associate position with CoEx Lab, directed by Dr.Laura Dabbish.