Hello, I'm Iris!

12 years designing complex products — ads systems, data dashboards, web applications. I take the overwhelming and make it intuitive.

Iris Li

Experience &
background

Meta

2022 — present
Product Designer
Facebook Monetization
Design scalable, high-stakes monetization systems for Facebook's immersive ad surfaces. Focus on untangling complex architecture into simplified, elegant design solutions that seamlessly connect millions of global advertisers with billions of users.

Zillow Group

2014 — 2022
UX Designer
Multi-teams
Eight years designing data-driven dashboards and complex web tools for real estate professionals. Built deep expertise in taming information-dense products — turning multivariable data into interfaces that experts could trust and move fast in.

Freelance

2014 — present
Strategic Design Partner
50+ projects across a wide range of industries — e-commerce, finance, banking, education, small business, healthcare, and more. From early-stage startups to established brands, each project sharpened my ability to adapt quickly, communicate design decisions clearly, and deliver polished work under real constraints.
View more past work →

How I think
about design

i.
If you can't explain the decision, it isn't a decision — it's a preference.
ii.
AI moves fast. So does a bad decision. Judgment is still the only thing that knows the difference.
iii.
The research told us one thing. We designed the other. We were wrong. Follow the data.
iv.
Complexity is not a feature. Neither is simplicity. Clarity is.

Good design is innovative · makes a product useful · is aesthetic · makes a product understandable · is unobtrusive · is honest · is long-lasting · is thorough down to the last detail · is environmentally friendly · involves as little design as possible.

— Dieter Rams

When I'm not
working

UCI Design-a-thon
Judging
UCI Design-a-thon 2026
Invited as an industry expert to evaluate student projects — critiquing UX strategy, visual hierarchy, and product execution.
ucidesignathon.com ↗
Artwork by Iris
Art & Painting
@irisartspace
I paint and draw. Creativity outside the screen keeps the eye fresh and the taste honest.
View on Instagram ↗
DesignLab mentoring
Mentoring
DesignLab Mentor
Guiding aspiring product designers through intensive UX curricula, portfolio reviews, and industry-ready methodologies.
designlab.com ↗
Art@Meta exhibition
Community
Art@Meta Admin
Admin of Art@Meta, an internal creative community. Hosted 3D art gallery exhibitions built for VR headsets — bringing employee artwork to life in immersive virtual spaces.
View exhibition ↗