About — Fang Xu
Designing with Data, Building with AI
Systems-first — I turn tangled complexity into one coherent, scalable system.
I design horizontal platform systems for data-dense, workflow-heavy B2B products — turning tangled technical problems into interfaces that feel clear, predictable, and trustworthy. I've done it as a founding designer at early-stage startups and as the platform owner inside a large data organization — the same systems instinct, at every scale.
My approach is systems-first: I sit close to the people who live inside the product, untangle how the pieces really connect, and design the information architecture, interaction model, and visual language as one coherent system. Then I stay for the build — in the repo, closing the gap between design intent and what actually ships.
Clarity over complexity — design should guide, not overwhelm.
Intelligence with lightness — smart tools don’t have to feel heavy.
Multidisciplinary by design — bridging data, AI, and human experience.
Let's build something together — reach me anytime.
Phone
Dual Education
A designer with technical roots.
Code came early — contests in high school, CS 61A and Data 8 at Berkeley, now an OMSCS in machine learning. Not to replace engineers — to hold the design and the system in one head.
Online Master of Computer Science, Machine Learning track
2025–2026 (part-time, in progress)
Master of Landscape Architecture + New Media (HCI) certificate
2018–2020
Bachelor of Landscape Architecture
2013–2018
Design at Every Scale
From atoms to bits.
Before product, I designed at every scale — architecture, landscape, furniture, installations. Each left something behind, and taught me to move between the ten-thousand-foot view and the one-pixel decision.
Behind the Lens
Recording is how I keep observing.
I record my life on camera. It keeps me honest about light, timing, and framing — and inspiration, I've found, is something you go out and collect.
Out of Office
Nature is the master designer.
Trails, peaks, cold water — where my head clears and ideas arrive uninvited. Nature has designed systems longer than any of us; I go to take notes.
