Rita (Jianfei) Lyu is a New York based designer with 2 years of experience across UX, Product, and Graphics Design. She's also a technologist, HCI researcher, and photographer.

1.

Winter in my neighborhood

I grew up in a forestry research institute outside of the Summer Palace in Beijing, where my father works as a research scientist and my mother as an accountant. Surrounded by lush greenery, it was a pocket of peace and comfort amid the bustling city. As a child, I spent hours at my desk by the window, gazing out at a pine tree while reading, drawing, writing, or simply daydreaming. The quiet safety of our modest household gave me the freedom to be creative: to observe, reflect, and express.

Dad and me, 2003

Travel photography

Magnolia in Suzhou Lion Grove Garden

Lamb herds in Inner Mongolia

2.

Lake Waban, Wellesley College

At the age of 18, I came to the US to study at an all women’s liberal arts college—Wellesley College. Here, I found my medium of self-expression through visual storytelling with photography; I learned to connect with others far beyond cultural borders through our commonality in comparative literature; and I built engaging experiences with coding. I graduated Magna Cum Laude in Media Arts and Sciences—an interdisciplinary program blending design and computer science

In my first HCI class, I was immediately drawn to design being both creative and practical: the process of listening, understanding, and building with empathy. I began to see design not just as problem-solving, but a way to put people first, especially those whose voices are often overlooked.

I graduated!

Flight Attendant, Film Photography, Covid 2020

What Does It Mean to be Connected? Covid 2020

Campus in Blur, Covid 2020

3.

Architectural Drawing, Bank of China Tower Hong Kong

After college, I moved to New York City to join PEI Architects, where I helped shape the firm’s rich design legacy and global portfolio through marketing and business development. Meanwhile, my curiosity kept expanding—toward how AI technology and data can empower human flourishing. Outside of work, I led the research on CredBot, a Chrome Extension that uses LLMs for web literacy education and online credibility assessment. I designed Glowmode, a skincare app that helps users stay engaged to achieve their goals. These projects sparked my interests in designing human-centric AI systems.

PEI Architects Firm Brochure

Guanajuato City, Mexico, 2025

Rain Forest, Puerto Rico, 2024

White Mt, 2024

4.

Driven by curiosity and purpose, I see my journey as a designer as one of continual growth—rooted in everyday life while aspire to build a more caring and inclusive world. With every project, I’m learning how to turn that vision into reality.

You can find a full list of my projects under “My Work”. Let’s connect and chat!