BEAR LIU
BEAR.LIU / PORTFOLIO_2026SELECTED WORK
  • > init bear.liu/portfolio_2026 .............OK
  • > mount /case_studies [4/4] ................OK
  • > render --identity

BEARLIU

> product designer · mobile · systems · AI

  • 15YRS_EXPERIENCE
  • 4CASE_STUDIES
  • 4PLATFORMS

bear@portfolio:~$ cat ./about.md

ABOUT // BEAR_LIU

15 years of making complex productsfeel simple

Product designer based in Auckland. Shipped payroll flows at Xero and streaming UI at Les Mills; built and launched my own apps since 2015. I work sprint-fast, test early, and always show the rationale, not just the mockups.

  • PRODUCT_STRATEGY
  • MOBILE_UX
  • DESIGN_SPRINTS
  • PROTOTYPING
  • AI_TOOLING
Bear Liu

bear@portfolio:~$ ls ./selected_work --status

5 items · 4 shipped · click a row to open ↵

bear@portfolio:~$ open ./case_001 --full

ROLE: FRACTIONAL_DESIGN_PARTNER · 2025–26

Same team, same code,a different product

MovesMethod is a fitness and mobility brand with a 202K community, building its first iOS app. When I joined, the app was engineering complete. It still couldn't launch. The code was never the problem: the product lacked design leadership. I ran a full UX audit, rebuilt the onboarding, IA and design system, and took it to the App Store in three months.

  • 3moSTALLED_TO_APP_STORE
  • 202KCOMMUNITY
  • 0→1NATIVE_IOS_DESIGN_SYSTEM
Read the full case study
MovesMethod final iOS interface
final_ui / iOS

bear@portfolio:~$ open ./case_001/materials

Stalled to shipped

Took an engineering-complete but unshippable fitness app to the App Store in three months: new onboarding, new IA, and a full design system.

3_MO · STALLED → SHIPPED

Onboarding, before
Onboarding, after
Visual language, before
Visual language, after
01_before_afteronboarding / visual
MovesMethod core loop
02_core_loop
MovesMethod design system
03_design_system
MovesMethod information architecture and flows
04_ia_flows
“Refreshing, because it's been so much easier to work with you than the previous designers we had. Insightful: I've learned a lot from seeing how you work and how you present ideas. And efficient.”
JOSH FEAR · FOUNDER

bear@portfolio:~$ open ./case_002 --full

ROLE: PRODUCT_DESIGN_LEAD · 2025–26

Speaking practice, cut toone minute

JAM is my own product: an AI speaking coach for English learners. I led product and design, with a developer partner on the build. Most learners never practice speaking, because starting a session feels heavy, so every session costs exactly one minute: get a topic, speak for 60 seconds, and Jammy the AI coach replies with instant feedback and a native sample answer. Live on the App Store since August 2025.

  • 3.5KUSERS
  • 13RELEASES_FIRST_6_MO
  • 60sONE_SESSION
JAM on the App Store
app_store / live

bear@portfolio:~$ open ./case_002/materials

JAM, one minute a day

Led design on my own AI speaking coach, built with a developer partner: 60-second sessions, instant feedback, 3.5K users since August 2025.

LIVE_SINCE · AUG_2025

JAM topic cards
01_topic_cards
JAM feedback interface
02_feedback_ui
JAM practice packs
03_practice_packs
JAM freestyle flow
04_freestyle_flow

3.5KUSERS / YEAR_ONE

bear@portfolio:~$ open ./case_003 --full

ROLE: PRODUCT_DESIGNER · 2025

Mobile onboarding, fromblank to first invoice

Xero's mobile trial leaked 46% of new users during set-up. First run was an empty dashboard: no hints, no next step. I led discovery and design for Guided Setup, a task carousel that turns the blank screen into a guided path, validated with 11 small-business owners. Stakeholder demos raised the bar: a checklist still delays the aha, sending your first invoice. So we shipped the shortcut and staged the scaffolding: one Create-and-send CTA at launch, the full carousel as phase 2, rolled out to every new iOS and Android install.

  • 46%SETUP_DROP_OFF
  • 100%TEST_TASK_SUCCESS
  • 100K+MONTHLY_MOBILE_USERS
Xero Guided Setup welcome CTA on mobile
welcome_cta / mobile

bear@portfolio:~$ open ./case_003/materials

Blank screen to first invoice

Turned Xero mobile's empty first run into a guided start: one instant-value CTA at launch, a scalable task carousel staged behind it.

SHIPPED · EVERY_NEW_INSTALL

Guided Setup components
01_components
Guided Setup user testing
02_user_testing
Guided Setup low-fidelity prototype
03_lofi_prototype
Guided Setup states and sizes
04_states_sizes

11SMES · 100%_TASK_SUCCESS

bear@portfolio:~$ open ./case_004 --full

ROLE: PRODUCT_DESIGNER · 2022–25

Xero Me timesheets,designed end to end

Xero Me is the employee app for Xero payroll, serving 622K users. I designed its mobile timesheets end to end, native on iOS and Android. First the Start-End entry experience, shipped in Australia. Then a rebuild around one insight: most days look like the day before. Copy the previous period, edit, done. The Start-End design also made it to Xerocon's main stage, demoed live by Xero's CPO.

  • 622KUSERS_IMPACTED
  • 3moTO_AU_LAUNCH
  • 2NATIVE_PLATFORMS
Xero Me timesheets demoed on the Xerocon main stage
01_xerocon_stage
Xero Me timesheets final interface
02_final_ui
Xero Me timesheets concept
03_concept
Xero Me timesheets research
04_research

bear@portfolio:~$ git log --since=2014 --shipped

Shipping since 2014

From audio apps and watchOS to a global fitness brand, SaaS mobile, and my own products. Every node shipped.

  1. 2014

    Ghost World

    UI/UX and PM for a niche audio-stories app. Still looked current four years after launch.

    Ghost World
  2. 2015

    iBeads

    A joke turned Apple Watch app, built in five days. 1M media impressions, 40K downloads.

    iBeads
  3. 2019

    Les Mills Virtual

    Playback history for the B2B studio product, a top customer ask.

    Les Mills Virtual
  4. 2019

    Les Mills Releases

    Chromecast casting UX so instructors could train on the big screen.

    Les Mills Releases
  5. 2022–25

    Xero Me Timesheets

    Mobile timesheets end to end, iOS and Android. 622K users.

    → CASE_004
    Xero Me Timesheets
  6. 2025

    Xero Guided Setup

    First-run onboarding, from blank screen to first invoice. 100K+ monthly users.

    → CASE_003
    Xero Guided Setup
  7. 2025

    JAM

    My own AI speaking coach. 3.5K downloads in year one.

    → CASE_002
    JAM
  8. 2025–26

    MovesMethod

    A stalled fitness app, taken to the App Store in three months.

    → CASE_001
    MovesMethod

bear@portfolio:~$ cat ./process.md

Sprint-fast,evidence-first

  1. 01_UNDERSTAND

    Map the problem with the people who own it: users, founders, support. No design before shared context.

  2. 02_PROTOTYPE_FAST

    Working prototypes in days, not weeks. 70+ screens in 1.5 days at Xero. Ideas you can tap beat ideas on slides.

  3. 03_TEST_AND_SHIP

    Two rounds of testing minimum, then ship. Every decision comes with its rationale attached.

bear@portfolio:~$ ./contact --open

Let's buildsomething.