About
I build things that sit between systems, people, and experiences.
Sarah Zhao
I'm a product designer based in Glasgow, working across UX research, interaction design, and business analysis.
I trained in landscape architecture in China and retrained in design innovation in Scotland — which means I think spatially, build what I design, and move comfortably between Eastern and Western design cultures.
I've shipped medical device interfaces, designed civic tools for renewable energy, and helped a non-profit restructure their entire digital operations. I care most about complex systems that need to feel simple — healthcare, energy, community infrastructure.
What I bring
Cross-domain thinking
Architecture taught me spatial systems. Sociology taught me why people don't use them as intended. Design taught me to bridge the gap. I'm comfortable moving between strategic framing and pixel-level detail, between stakeholder workshops and code editors.
Research to real things
I don't stop at insights decks. Whether it's ethnographic fieldwork with 23 retirees or analytics from 100+ hours of usability testing, I turn research into things people can actually use — products, toolkits, workshops, interactive prototypes.
Cross-cultural navigation
I've worked across Shanghai, Edinburgh, and Glasgow — in Mandarin and English, with engineers and elderly community groups, in corporate product teams and grassroots organisations. Translating between contexts is second nature.
Say hello