About the Designer, his cat, and his life

The Designer’s Path: What Drives Me?

One of the projects in my high school careers class had us select a job and company to research about. I chose to present a Gameplay Programmer at Ubisoft. My understanding of the role at the time was a person that helps create a better experience for the player.

A few years later I discovered 2 things: coding was not how I wanted to create meaningful experiences, and that the role I was interested in all along, happened to be that of a UX Designer!

Researching more about the role and responsibilities of a UX Designer made me interested in the field and what the work really meant. Designing experiences for people.

What connects me so personally to designing for games specifically was due to a family friend, Russell. Russell was the one who introduced me to gaming when I was in elementary school, buying my family a Nintendo Wii, and countless games.

After becoming blind, he could no longer play games comfortably on his own and then he unfortunately passed a couple years after. When I saw on the news in 2020 that a gamer, without sight, was able to beat The Last of Us Part 2 without sighted assistance, I was overcome with emotion and wished that Russell could have been here to experience this. After that, my drive to become a UX Designer and create experiences with amazing accessibility started.

Joining Ubisoft and working with great mentors, I’ve learned so much invaluable knowledge about UX Design and accessibility. Everywhere I work, I will always strive to learn more and apply what I’ve learned to create truly meaningful experiences.

The Designer’s Cat: The Cat that keeps me sane

Jojo Mojo Lee is the name.

She dines on the fanciest of Tiki Cat After Dark flavors and takes naps wherever she pleases. No doors are allowed to be closed and playtime must be given when demanded.

Jojo joins my meetings by jumping on the back of my chair. Acting as a supervisor.

At only 5 years old, she struts around the house like she owns the place…because she might as well with the way she gets whatever she wants.

Testimonials

Ruwan Fernando, UX Director

“Jay joined our team through the Ubisoft NEXT internship program and impressed me so much I was determined he should join our team full time.

intelligent and thoughtful, Jay always brought interesting ideas to his work. infinitely coachable with a fantastic attitude towards feedback, Jay has always been a pleasure to work with.

Jay grew massively in confidence and skill in our short time together and I have no doubt he will continue to do so.

I would love the chance to work with him again and recommend him wholeheartedly to anyone looking for a solid young designer to join their team. He is a rising star and would be a great asset to anyone lucky enough to have him.”

Jacob Brown, Team Lead UX Designer

“Jay joined [Splinter Cell Remake] last year through the NEXT initiative. Starting as an intern, we were immediately impressed with the way he understood UX design concepts. He showed exceptional maturity and design know-how for this to be his first job in the industry

Jay’s designs were done on schedule and presented very well. He always took feedback professionally and turned around updates quickly. Over the months he was with us, his confidence shone as he was able to present to larger groups (including Directors) and wow them at the same time.

We undoubtedly wanted to keep Jay as part of our team and the studio as a whole. Luckily we were able to keep Jay with us. He’s grown a tonne in his short time with us and we look forward to his continued evolution as he works with us here at Ubisoft Toronto”

Louise Duncan, Senior UI Artist

“I only had the pleasure of working with Jay for a brief time but he was a talented and essential part of the team.

He is very approachable and could answer all my questions I had about the UX features that he was working on.

Jay is always very positive and has a wonderful attitude, he would be an asset to any team that he is apart of.

I wish Jay the very best for the future and hope to cross paths with him again soon.”

The Designer’s Life: Interests and Facts

In the form of a Q&A list!

    1. Gaming, of course gaming

    2. Reading

    3. Building and learning more about how computers work

    4. Learning guitar atm!

  • Bonanza Bros! Although it's a Sega Genesis game, I played it on the PS2 on the Sega Classics disk

  • I actually can't listen to anything with lyrics while designing so it mostly consists of movie soundtracks! The Imitation Game and Grand Budapest Hotel soundtracks are some of my faves

  • Charmander. Always Charmander.

  • Before UX Design I was a freelance Graphic Designer AND Script Supervisor

    1. Baldur’s Gate 3

    2. The Last of Us Part 1 & 2

    3. Life is Strange

    Bonus: Portal 2 (it’s just too good)

    1. Arc Raiders

    2. Peak

    3. L4D2

    1. Grand Budapest Hotel

    2. Get Out

    3. The Matrix

    1. Hannibal

    2. Fleabag

    3. Bojack Horseman

  • (I love horror movies)

    1. A Tale of Two Sisters

    2. Alien

    3. The Shining

    1. Crying in H-Mart by Michelle Zauner

    2. Every Tool's a Hammer: Life Is What You Make It by Adam Savage

    3. When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi