Aliena Design LLC

𝐈 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈’𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 🥹 I donated $11,500 to GiveInternet.org, a charity that helps high school students gain access to the internet and laptops 🫶🏼 This donation is a significant portion of my business income and marks Aliena Design LLC’s first charitable contribution 🎉 When I launched my company, I dreamt of giving back one day —but I never thought it would happen this soon. 𝐆𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞. A voice inside often says, "Are you really ready? Don’t you have so many other places to use money? What if your company goes broke after this?"... I continuously battle with this voice. But I’m glad that the other voice won this time: 𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 "𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲" 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤. Whether it’s sharing a link, donating a small amount, or just speaking up for a cause —we can make a difference. 𝐃𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐬𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞. Doing good is empowering and rewarding. Doing good is a requirement for long-term success, whether for a business or an individual. If you’d like to help 1.1 billion students gain access to the internet and laptops for their education, you can donate here: https://lnkd.in/gRvStvWC You can also watch my reaction here 😆: https://lnkd.in/gdAU8_kG Thank you! #GivingBack #Empowerment #WomenInBusiness #EducationForAll

My YouTube channel, Aliena Cai, just hit 100K subscribers today! I hosted a red-themed design party in downtown Toronto and met some amazing designers 🎈 𝗜’𝗺 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝘆 𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲. In the digital world, you can see 100K everywhere. But 100K supportive lifelong learners just hits differently. You continuously inspires me to learn more, create more, and be myself. 𝗜’𝗺 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝘀𝗼 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝘆𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳. When I made my first YouTube video three years ago, I was rejected by my dream jobs and dream schools. I almost lost hope about my career and seriously thought about being a full-time housewife (not by choice). I’m glad I started this channel and provided an opportunity for myself when others didn’t have one for me. 𝗜’𝘃𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗮 𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗷𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴. As a designer who runs a one-person business, there are endless things to learn, try, and conquer. I will keep sharing my learning and journey with you, one step at a time 👣 𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗜 𝗵𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝘆𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 ✨ —my inner child is very happy. --- (Due to a 20-guest limit in my building, I couldn't invite everyone. I hope to do something similar in Toronto this year again!) #productdesign #alienacai #100K

I'm hosting a celebration party in 𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝘁𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗧𝗼𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗼 for hitting 100K subscribers on YouTube! 🌟 Join me for an evening of great food, fun games, and the chance to network with design leaders, business owners, creators, and other amazing people. If you're interested in joining the fun, please fill out this form: https://lnkd.in/gHsT7xYN Can't wait to celebrate with you! 🎈✨ #toronto #torontoevents #torontonetworking

Back in March (I know, I'm this late), I visited Dubai with my family and *started my role as a design manager!* Finally, this vlog is live. Feel free to put it on one of your monitors 🖥️ while going through Slack messages 💬 I'm very proud that I took this initiative and brought a team together. However, nothing compares to my pride when it comes to taking my 80-year-old grandma to travel the world 🫶🏼 https://lnkd.in/gArh99mH

𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 $𝟭 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗨𝗫 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝗼𝗳 $𝟭𝟬𝟬 (𝗥𝗢𝗜 = 𝟵,𝟵𝟬𝟬%). In my new video, learn a few of my tips on how to test early, faster, and cheaper. I cover some methods like user interviews, surveys, and usability testing. I also showcase how to use research tools like Lyssna to make your life easier. #ux #uxresearch #usabilitytesting https://lnkd.in/gJ66ENGP

𝐈'𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 🥹 After one year of hard work, I’ve finished producing all 30 episodes of my first product, Fast Track UX. The platform is now fully ready at https://fasttrackux.com This marks the first product not only designed but also 𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐞𝐝 by me. Today is also the 𝐨𝐧𝐞-𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐫𝐲 of me working full-time on Aliena Design LLC 🎂 In celebration, I’m offering a 𝟐𝟎% 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 for anyone who signs up this week! Use this code: ANNIVERSARY20 This journey has been incredibly difficult but rewarding. I can't do it without you! I’ll share more about it through a series of posts. #fasttrackux #productlaunch #uxdesign

Discover how Aliena Cai built a UX portfolio using Framer ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/eVNbCGgx

𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐔𝐗 𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐨 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 Framer 𝐛𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐲 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥! Also discover how I overcame these topics that have challenged me for years: 1. How to tell a compelling 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 in a case study 2. How to AVOID turning your portfolio into an 𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐲 📃 3. How to create a strong 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝 👀 4. How to make your portfolio 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 5. How to launch your portfolio on a 𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦 𝐝𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧 👑 (e.g., https://alienacai.me) VIdeo: https://lnkd.in/gDfDwKpS This is my first YouTube video created in my Toronto apartment. I hope it helps fellow designers! Start your Framer UX Portfolio here: https://shorturl.at/cZxju And use code ALIENA to get 25% off basic and mini sites *All projects, numbers, and figures in this video are fictional and for educational purposes only.*

𝐈'𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐓𝐨𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐨! 🇨🇦 Life update: After losing my H1B and having to leave the USA, I've now settled in downtown Toronto. It's my second time living here since I was 18, and it feels great to be back—𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐓𝐢𝐦 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓&𝐓 𝐛𝐚𝐠. I look calm in this photo, but behind the scenes, it's been quite a roller coaster this month: 🛋️ I furnished my new apartment and set up my home office. 🤒 I took a quick alumni trip to New York and got COVID. 👩🏻💻 I’m now back at my home office, fully recovered, and ready to start a new life! (You can expect a new YT video on design portfolio tutorials in the coming weeks.) As I'm new to the city, 𝐈'𝐝 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐮𝐫𝐬. If you're also based in Toronto, hit me up 🤙 #toronto

⭐️ My first 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐰𝐞𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫 with CareerFoundry (🗓️ April 30, 2024) → Sign up for free here: https://bit.ly/3JiG9Z5 On the lookout for a job in UX or product design? This is your chance to shine! I'll be sharing 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐩𝐬 on how to build a 𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐨 that not only catches the eye but also captivates the tech industry. 👋 See you there! Let's make it a date to design your future. #uxdesign #productdesign #webinar