skip to Main Content
UCSD Ed Ngai salesforce

Where are they now? Ed Ngai

Where are they now? Ed Ngai

Where are they now? Ed Ngai

Ed Ngai ‘17 works to ensure that designers and developers create consistent, beautiful experiences through defining company-wide design guidelines. He is currently a UX Engineer at Salesforce working on the Lightning Design System.

He recently spoke at Dreamforce 2018, Salesforce’s annual tech conference that unites over 170,000 industry pioneers and thought leaders to learn about new products and processes that can elevate their organizations. Ngai shared his work on densification, a feature set to roll out next winter that allows users to control their interface density setting to enhance the Lightning Experience. He has previously spoken at Dreamforce and TrailheaDX, Salesforce’s developer conference.


Ed Ngai ’17, now a UX Engineer at Salesforce

Similar to many other designers, Ngai stumbled upon design coming from an adjacent field. He entered UC San Diego as a freshman majoring in computer science. During his junior year, he enrolled in an introduction to information architecture course where he discovered design.

I learned what UX is and that led me to want to work in design to create experiences rather than be focused on specific engineering details.

He attributes that course to jumpstarting a career that bridges design and development. During the summer going into his senior year, Ed interned with Salesforce on the Prototyping team where he had the opportunity to leverage his coding and design skills.

For aspiring designers, Ngai emphasizes the importance of closing the gap between academia and industry through developing strong interpersonal skills. He believes that classes will equip students with the necessary skills and projects to excel but the differentiating factor is having the ability to network and successfully communicate with others through storytelling. He points to his personal experience when navigating professional relationships.

As a junior UX engineer, I want to present myself in a humbling way when seeking help and driving projects to the finish line.

Ngai also acknowledges the value of adopting a life-long learning mentality that emerges from building connections. At UC San Diego, Ngai served as President for Design at UCSD where he had the opportunity to lead by teaching. He believes the student group allows students to learn how they can deliver value through skill-building opportunities while encouraging them to find autonomy in pursuing their creative interests. As a student leader, he worked closely with The Design Lab to support student learning initiatives within the design community. His involvement with both organizations helped him accelerate his career and establish lasting relationships that he will carry throughout his professional journey.

Ed Ngai ’17 (front and center) leading a discussion with other Design at UCSD students at a IBM Design Training hosted by UCSD Design Lab back in 2017

Ed Ngai ‘17 works to ensure that designers and developers create consistent, beautiful experiences through defining company-wide design guidelines. He is currently a UX Engineer at Salesforce working on the Lightning Design System.

He recently spoke at Dreamforce 2018, Salesforce’s annual tech conference that unites over 170,000 industry pioneers and thought leaders to learn about new products and processes that can elevate their organizations. Ngai shared his work on densification, a feature set to roll out next winter that allows users to control their interface density setting to enhance the Lightning Experience. He has previously spoken at Dreamforce and TrailheaDX, Salesforce’s developer conference.


Ed Ngai ’17, now a UX Engineer at Salesforce

Similar to many other designers, Ngai stumbled upon design coming from an adjacent field. He entered UC San Diego as a freshman majoring in computer science. During his junior year, he enrolled in an introduction to information architecture course where he discovered design.

I learned what UX is and that led me to want to work in design to create experiences rather than be focused on specific engineering details.

He attributes that course to jumpstarting a career that bridges design and development. During the summer going into his senior year, Ed interned with Salesforce on the Prototyping team where he had the opportunity to leverage his coding and design skills.

For aspiring designers, Ngai emphasizes the importance of closing the gap between academia and industry through developing strong interpersonal skills. He believes that classes will equip students with the necessary skills and projects to excel but the differentiating factor is having the ability to network and successfully communicate with others through storytelling. He points to his personal experience when navigating professional relationships.

As a junior UX engineer, I want to present myself in a humbling way when seeking help and driving projects to the finish line.

Ngai also acknowledges the value of adopting a life-long learning mentality that emerges from building connections. At UC San Diego, Ngai served as President for Design at UCSD where he had the opportunity to lead by teaching. He believes the student group allows students to learn how they can deliver value through skill-building opportunities while encouraging them to find autonomy in pursuing their creative interests. As a student leader, he worked closely with The Design Lab to support student learning initiatives within the design community. His involvement with both organizations helped him accelerate his career and establish lasting relationships that he will carry throughout his professional journey.

Ed Ngai ’17 (front and center) leading a discussion with other Design at UCSD students at a IBM Design Training hosted by UCSD Design Lab back in 2017

Ed Ngai ‘17 works to ensure that designers and developers create consistent, beautiful experiences through defining company-wide design guidelines. He is currently a UX Engineer at Salesforce working on the Lightning Design System.

He recently spoke at Dreamforce 2018, Salesforce’s annual tech conference that unites over 170,000 industry pioneers and thought leaders to learn about new products and processes that can elevate their organizations. Ngai shared his work on densification, a feature set to roll out next winter that allows users to control their interface density setting to enhance the Lightning Experience. He has previously spoken at Dreamforce and TrailheaDX, Salesforce’s developer conference.


Ed Ngai ’17, now a UX Engineer at Salesforce

Similar to many other designers, Ngai stumbled upon design coming from an adjacent field. He entered UC San Diego as a freshman majoring in computer science. During his junior year, he enrolled in an introduction to information architecture course where he discovered design.

I learned what UX is and that led me to want to work in design to create experiences rather than be focused on specific engineering details.

He attributes that course to jumpstarting a career that bridges design and development. During the summer going into his senior year, Ed interned with Salesforce on the Prototyping team where he had the opportunity to leverage his coding and design skills.

For aspiring designers, Ngai emphasizes the importance of closing the gap between academia and industry through developing strong interpersonal skills. He believes that classes will equip students with the necessary skills and projects to excel but the differentiating factor is having the ability to network and successfully communicate with others through storytelling. He points to his personal experience when navigating professional relationships.

As a junior UX engineer, I want to present myself in a humbling way when seeking help and driving projects to the finish line.

Ngai also acknowledges the value of adopting a life-long learning mentality that emerges from building connections. At UC San Diego, Ngai served as President for Design at UCSD where he had the opportunity to lead by teaching. He believes the student group allows students to learn how they can deliver value through skill-building opportunities while encouraging them to find autonomy in pursuing their creative interests. As a student leader, he worked closely with The Design Lab to support student learning initiatives within the design community. His involvement with both organizations helped him accelerate his career and establish lasting relationships that he will carry throughout his professional journey.

Ed Ngai ’17 (front and center) leading a discussion with other Design at UCSD students at a IBM Design Training hosted by UCSD Design Lab back in 2017

Read Next

Productivity

Bringing Order to Chaos: How to Increase Productivity By Mastering Unstructured Time

Podcast with Design Lab member Amy Fox

In this episode we will talk to UCSD Cognitive Scientist, Amy Fox, about Structured and Unstructured time. Join us as we learn about the difference between the two, and tips and tricks that can help you organize and boost your productivity.

Triton Tools & Tidbits is a podcast that is focused on discussing topics that will engage and enrich student life and education. Brought to you by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs.
Don Norman

Design a Better World, with Don Norman

UX Cake kicks the season off with a fascinating conversation about changing the world with design, with Don Norman.

"There are really creative people in all these communities. And there aren’t enough experts to go around anyway. What we want to do is go around the world and find these people and facilitate, help them, empower them, give them expert knowledge and allow them to decide how to apply that to their problems." - Don Norman
Smart Streetlights Data San Diego

San Diegans Shouldn’t Be Lab Rats for Innovation

Voice of San Diego Editorial by Design Lab Faculty Lilly Irani

In 2016, San Diego installed thousands of General Electric cameras, microphones and telecommunication devices on streetlights around the city. The City Council approved the project with little investigation, looking no further than the city’s casting of the project as environmental “sensors” and “nodes” that would analyze traffic and the atmosphere.

The city finally held town halls this year to explain the program to communities, but by then it was too late. Once installed, technologies of this type will outrun the uses for which they are designed and publicly justified. Over and over, researchers like myself have seen data creep — like mission creep — take hold as companies try to add value to data and monetize them.
Waste Management

Waste is an enormous problem. But recycling is the wrong solution.

Part 2 of a FastCompany editorial on Recycling by Don Norman

I am proud to be one of the developers of what is today called human-centered design. That is design that always starts off understanding the needs, capabilities, and desires of people. It has four basic principles, all four of which are being violated by today’s recycling craze.

Recycling is broken. There’s little clarity about what can and can’t be recycled, and the rules change from one city to the next, and sometimes even within the same city. According to the World Bank, we produce 1.4 billion tons of waste a year worldwide, a figure that’s expected to increase to 2.4 billion tons by 2025. Waste is an enormous problem that needs to be addressed if we’re going to prevent the worst effects of climate change. But recycling is the wrong solution.
Design Lab Cat Hicks Signalio

Cat Hicks Q&A: A Conversation about Google & her new start-up Signal IO

The Design Lab has long lasting impacts. Catherine Hicks has seen the Design Lab since its…

Daniel Suh Designer-in-residence

Meet Designer-in-Residence & Data Analyst Daniel Suh

Daniel Suh has always been passionate about creating partnerships to uplift others. While he was an undergraduate at UC San Diego’s Thurgood Marshall College, he founded one of the university’s first student consulting organizations, Cornerstone Community Consultants, which provides pro-bono opportunities for students to empower the local community. Suh also established UCSD’s first chapter of International Justice Mission, a student-led organization that centers around human rights, anti-human trafficking, and law enforcement. "Growing up in an underprivileged community, I've discovered a passion for social justice and contributing to causes larger than myself," Suh says.
Back To Top