Sean Shiang Whelan
LinkedIn
Resume

Most Recent Position
Senior UX Designer @ Rivian
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Education
ArtCenter College of Design

Rivian In-vehicle Experiences

OS - Android Auto
Vehicle - R1S, R1T
Release - TBA 2024

Projects I worked on will be released in 2024. The projects include:
- Improvements to how drivers and passengers parse their media in a safe way while driving.
- Features that improve how drivers connect with and personalize their vehicles.
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* Disclaimer: The image shown is of existing in-vehicle UI which was developed by many designers over many years. I am not claiming credit for the pixels shown in this image.
Surface Duo 2 October 2022 Update

OS - Android 12L
Device - Surface Duo 2
Release - October 2022

The October 2022 Update delivered a variety of enhancements to Duo 2 as it made the jump from Android 11 to Android 12L.

I led improvements that allow customers to take better photos in low light via the introduction of Night Mode. I also led the effort to enable faster 'ink' creation by way of a new UI surface invoked when pressing the tail button of a paired Surface Pen.
Surface Duo 2 Native Camera App

OS - Android 11
Device - Surface Duo 2
Release - Fall 2021

I led design of the native camera application experience. Hardware/software considerations that were made throughout the process spanned from customer ergonomics during usage to sensor module capabilities and firmware limitations. The design process for this project allowed me to test new ways of communicating and acquiring sign-off via the usage of UX/UI prototyping on beta hardware and visualizing user scenarios with Blender.
Visual Interaction Study
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Functionally, I enjoy the process of developing logic for UI, eliminating contradictions, creating dependencies, and so on. Visually, I love flat UI that indicates Z-depth without relying on skeuomorphic elements and shadows. This project gave me the opportunity to create visuals in my preferred visual style, bring it to life with logic, and express it in my favorite design tools.

Visuals in Figma.
Prototyping and motion in ProtoPie.
Blender for context visualization.
Surface Duo 1 Native Camera App

OS - Android 10
Hardware - Surface Duo 1
Release - Fall 2020

I led the design for Surface's first camera app on its first smartphone. The primary hardware constraint in this dual-screen folding device is that it only has a single camera lens placed on the inside of the right panel. Most single screened smart phones have at least two lenses, one facing toward the user and one facing toward the world. An aspect of the process I thoroughly enjoyed was the creation of the experience architecture needed to allow a customer to access various photography modes and settings and ensure the UI would adjust to different ergonomic postures.
Surface Pen First Run Experience

OS - Windows 10
Hardware - Surface Pro X
Release - Fall 2019

In 2019, Surface introduced a new pen holder within the keyboard of the newest Surface Pro X. This addressed the biggest issue with the Surface Pen: losing it! Along with this hardware improvement we wanted a software experience that would equally address the biggest software experience issues. I led the design effort to create a first run experience that celebrates the pen and sets the customer up for success. This was done by providing brief education and asking that the customer identify their dominant hand which is needed for accurate palm rejection.
Windows Ink Workspace
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OS - Windows10
Hardware - All Windows 10 Devices
Release - Fall 2019

The simplification of the Ink Workspace on all Windows 10 devices. The final design includes a systematic way to introduce more entry points to the menu over future releases. Prototypes were created to evaluate a range of menu functionality. The design shown is the first version.
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