Joann Wu is Vice President, Global Head of Design at Uber, overseeing global design teams responsible for user experiences across various services, including Mobility, Delivery, Core services, and Uber for Business. Leading a diverse team across multiple sites in the US, Canada, India, Europe, and Latin America, Joann fosters creativity, cultivates collaboration, and promotes system approach. With her unwavering commitment to safety, inclusion, and sustainability, she strives to craft user experiences that resonate with empathy and spark delight.
Originally from China, Joann relocated to the United States, where she obtained a Master's Degree in Design from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. In her previous professional endeavors, she held design and design leadership roles at renowned agencies such as USWeb/CKS, Razorfish, OgilvyOne, and Silverlign Group, working on brand development and digital experiences for clients ranked among the Fortune 500. Prior to joining Uber, Joann served as VP of Product Design at LinkedIn, shaping the user experience for approximately 900 million members worldwide.
Upcoming Talks
UXDX Community: San Francisco 2025
26 February 2025
As organizations face growing pressure to deliver measurable impact, UX research must evolve to prove its value, adapt to democratized processes, and leverage AI to foster collaboration across teams. Join leaders from Uber, Sephora, and Square as they explore the challenges and opportunities shaping UX research in 2025. Key topics the panel will explore include;
- Discover how to effectively demonstrate the value of UX across teams, leveraging AI to align with business goals
- Explore the balance between democratizing UX research and maintaining high-quality insights
- Learn actionable strategies to foster collaboration between research, design, and product teams for impactful outcomes.
- Panel will be moderated by Optimal Workshop CEO Alex Burke.
13 May 2025
In this talk, Joann Wu, VP Global Head of Product Design, will share insights from her transformative journey at Uber, where design plays a critical role in driving business impact. She will discuss how her team shifted from a siloed design function to one deeply integrated with business goals, emphasizing the importance of aligning design with strategy to create user-centered products that drive business results. This session will dive into the three levels of transformation—designing for business, elevating product quality, and fostering a customer-centric culture.
Key learnings:
- Empowering the design function to truly understand designing for business
- Shifting the company’s focus from metrics to a more user experience-focused approach
- Real-world applications of a customer-obsessed culture at Uber
13 May 2025
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Often we cannot ask every question that people want asked. And the group format enables people to give alternative ideas.
