Loading...
Expertise
MenuMobile & Cross-Platform UX & UI Design
Created 12 years ago in Product & Design / User Experience
In my current role as Head of Research & Design at TOPBOTS, an applied artificial intelligence & machine learning firm, I help executives design AI-enabled experiences that improve workflows and enhance user experiences for both enterprise users and consumers.
I was previously the Founder & Creative Director of Xanadu, a data-driven cross-platform strategy and design firm in San Francisco, and have designed for over 100 million users across dozens of mobile, wearables, IoT, and VR products. We combine business strategy with product design to deliver amazing cross-platform experiences that engage and retain users. Clients include Fortune 500 brands as well as up-and-coming startups.
Across all my projects, I employ a rigorous, data-driven approach to user research and product strategy. Our UX design process at Xanadu is broken down into research, strategy, design, and testing phases
Research
- Stakeholder interviews
- User research
- Market & competitive research
- Usability audit
- Task analysis
- Content inventory
- Metrics analysis
Strategy
- Brand positioning
- Product roadmap
- Customer segmentation
- Mental models
- Personas and scenarios
- Functional and technical specs
Design
- Use cases
- User flows
- Site map
- UI & visual design
- Interface design
- Interaction design
- Prototype engineering
Testing
- Heuristic evaluation
- Usability testing
- Multivariate testing & optimization
Related Topics
Mariya Yao
San Francisco, CA
Send Message
I'm Chief Technology & Product Officer at Metamaven, a company which applied AI & machine learning to revenue growth. We help Fortune 500 companies and global brands deploy successful AI applications to consumers and enterprises. I recently published a book, Applied Artificial Intelligence: A Handbook For Business Leaders, which gives executives a foundational overview of enterprise AI: http://amzn.to/2rwOEcd You can watch an introductory preview of my talk "What Executives Need To Know About Artificial Intelligence" here: http://www.topbots.com/ai-education-intro You can also read my writing on applied AI for various industries, verticals, and functions at TOPBOTS.com, where I operate as Editor-In-Chief: http://www.topbots.com
Reviews (7)
Mariya was candid about the challenges of developing a series of VR videos. But, her tough love comes with a great sense of humor and experience to back up her advice! Very much appreciate the opportunity to ask questions.
Source: Clarity Lisa Rowan Sep 6, 2016My call with Mariya was exactly what I was hoping for. She was very focused, took time to understand my situation and provided experienced insight and tailored responses to the questions I prepared for her. She was honest enough to give me answers I probably didn't want to hear, but needed to. Will be calling her again soon.
Source: Clarity Pierre Venter Aug 13, 2014I reached out to Mariya as a way to understand her perspective on the career field of UX. She is absolutely impressive. I found her feedback to be honest, sincere and passionate. She also provided me with a highly organized set of suggestions (which are awesome) to consider for my early stage startup. I’ve been refining my concept based on our discussion. I highly recommend Mariya and cannot wait to reach out to her again!!
Source: Clarity Steve Arnold Feb 18, 2014As always, Mariya's tips for mobile app design were both strategic and practical. She gave very structured advice on how to build successful mobile apps and test out mobile app ideas without coding. I would definitely recommend her to anyone building or thinking of creating a mobile app for enterprise or for startups. Call Mariya. You will not regret it.
Source: Clarity Ramli John Feb 5, 2014My conversation with Mariya was absolutely amazing. I came in with some need to get advice about UX recommendations for a promotional website and a mobile app, and I got that and a whole lot more in terms of great, honest (but not harsh) advice about how to really structure my business for long-term sustainability and financial success. I will absolutely seek Mariya's help again and cannot recommend her highly enough to others!
Source: Clarity Russell Alleen-Willems Jan 29, 2014I have been knowing Mariya for a while when she was a startup founder at StartX, the Stanford startup accelerator. As a UX consultant, Mariya is smart, creative and knowledgeable. In a few minutes she's able to grasp any type of business and deliver precise design and UX recommendations for a successful mobile strategy. I highly recommend her.
Source: LinkedIn Adriano Farano Jan 28, 2014Mariya is awesome to work with on mobile-related consulting projects. She is the first person I turn to for user experience, product development and design because she has incredible insight into usability, functionality and general mobile trends. We worked together on a project for a Chinese smartphone app developer that was looking to enter the US market. She provided incredible feedback, direction and a first version of wireframes for the product. Throughout the project, she was available, open, quick to respond and a general pleasure to work with. I look forward to continuing to work with Mariya on other projects in the future!
Source: LinkedIn Kerin Lanyi Jan 28, 2014the startups.com platform
Copyright © 2025 Startups.com. All rights reserved.