Webdev

The Sellout's Dilemma

my 2022, in a game

experimental, created in PIXI.js + Tween.js. Inspired by Nicky Case

Beta Testing Manager

The first full-stack application I developed by myself. To analyze feedback from our apps' beta testers, in the system we envisioned. A spreadsheet of users, and click open each beta tester to write notes/check-ins in a time-based series. Idea and PM'd by Samson Zhang. Built by me. We documented our process with blog posts!

Created with: Next.js, MongoDB, TailwindCSS, TypeScript.Github

Planned Obsolescence

I remember when I realized I want to make an impact with my career.

It's 2018. A podcast, Welcome to Macintosh. An average American, new phone every 22 months. Multiply by 300m Americans; 120m phones thrown out yearly. Do I need an iPhone 11? No. But Larry calls my 5-year-old phone lame.

Tesla made a long-range sexy Roadster, and EVs glowed up from the bullied nerd to the basketball team captain. I want to start a startup, I think. Make a fully-repairable equivalent of the iPhone. What if we didn’t brag about the highest-numbered iPhone, but how many years you’ve had it?

But how? I'm 13, and I believe starting companies is for adults. So I do what I know: I make a website explaining the vision. A dozen drawings and JavaScript queries make it sparkle. As you scroll down, a car drives through an e-waste dump, with information bulletins popping up along the road.

Created with: Adobe Photoshop, React.js, TailwindCSS, TypeScript.Github

Scratchpad

Desktop app. Messy notes tucked away in neat accordions.

Created with: Next.js, MongoDB, TailwindCSS, TypeScript, Electron.js.Github

Try out the web version

The Hedonistic Paradox

Just a couple of months after their win, lottery winners’ self-reported levels of happiness are no longer higher than a control group who didn’t win the lottery (Raghunathan, Ted-Ed). Humans tend to return to a stable "baseline" level of happiness a short time after good or bad events. This is known as hedonic adaptation; which gives this game its title.

We designed each level to both advance the story, and to give the player a "hint" using the storyline’s text. Most introduce a new feature or set of controls unique to that level. We wanted this game to be both a puzzle and a meaningful story.

Designed and built by my friend Emma Liu and I. We both equally-contributed to the project. This video features an excerpt of the gameplay.

inspired by: the Pretentious Game

Created with Java. Play the game by cloning the repo.

AeroPure

Frontend/static site showing off a hackathon project. I drew all the pics/animations here and feel pretty proud of the design

Updately

I wrote "daily updates" consistently for a year: every night, I'd write (sometimes 1000+ words!) on how I'm feeling, tomorrow's plans, my larger goals and aspirations, shower thoughts, and everything in between. This was published on Updately, a "social media platform for daily updates" I helped build. My friends and I have built a nice community; introspective discussions routinely originate from our updates’ comment sections. I contributed features such as private accounts, dark mode, and pagination. Samson started this project; I'm the second biggest contributor.

created with: Next.js, MongoDB, TailwindCSS, TypeScript. Github

HOSA Tinder

Created by Amy Li and I -- Amy primarily designed the user interface, I primarily did the development (frontend + backend). Created for our school's HOSA chapter, used by ~100 competitors. Created with: Next.js, MongoDB, TailwindCSS, TypeScript. Github