TikTok

3D Experience Designer / Project Manager

Goals

Empower and inspire users to tell their own stories on TikTok through creative tools and effects.

Immersive Music Creative Effects - TikTok Newsroom
Techcrunch
Popline
Social Media Today

Maya / Adobe Suite / Internal Game Engines

Summary

I lead the development of AR creative tools and effects that empower users to tell stories on TikTok. During production I oversee and contribute to asset creation, UX design, and engine integration while leading several collaborators. I spearheaded the Immersive Music Creative Effects initiative which introduced music reactive effects in a dedicated "Music" tab in the TikTok Creative Effects tray.

creating viral effects project management

Creating Viral Effects

Each viral effect creation process includes ideation, iteration, and problem solving. I combine human-centered design and new technology from our R&D team to provide the best experience for our users.

Ideation

User research and understanding of current trends is key. Everyday I spend about 2 hours surfing TikTok to keep up with our users' interests. Based on this insight, I brainstorm a list of ideas fun for our target demographic.

After Effects Ideation Demo;
giving designers and engineers better idea of interaction

Final effect compilation ; reacts to music

Meteor Shower

Audio reactive effect with atmospheric rain drops that collide with the user

• Discovered a lack of atmospheric effects compared to face effects on TikTok through app research

• Proposed an idea that utilized our new human-segmentation technology which encourages users to engage with their full body

• Created visual prototype demos that clearly communicated interactions and reduced production bottlenecks

Iteration

Projects with more complex user interaction require more rounds of iterations to polish the experience. Typically I worked with another UI designer to find the simplest approach to our effects.

Animal Audition

Audio reactive effect that deforms the user's face into an animal based on the sound they make

• Created multiple interaction flow options using assets created by UI designer

• Conducted internal A/B testing on employees with no knowledge of effect interaction

• Determined friendlier interaction flow through testing, leading to better user experience

Interaction Flow Iteration
Iterated on effect interaction using assets by UI designer

Final effect compilation ; reacts to voice

Creative Solutions

More often than not, we will run into technical bottlenecks during development. I will explore a list of creative light-weight solutions that can be applied to other similar effects and resolve our issue, while the engineering team works on updating the algorithm for a long-term solution.

Face Deformation Artifact;
solving issues through creative solutions

Final effect compilation ; reacts to smile

Horrify

3D Face deformation effect that changes the user's face based on the intensity of their smile

• Discovered visual artifact caused by algorithm and mesh limitations

• Separated out deformation process into two stages to avoid visual glitch

• Successfully resolved technical issue through creative solutions and maintained original timeline

Project Management

Immersive Music Creative Effects Initiative

I spearheaded the Immersive Music Creative Effects initiative which introduced music reactive effects in a dedicated "Music" tab in the TikTok Creative Effects tray. With this initiative, we launched 6 different music creative tools and gained coverage on multiple news outlets such as Techcrunch, Popline, and Social Media Today.