About Me

Occasionally funny, self-claimed creative, and genuinely curious.

My name is Xiaolei Qin (秦啸雷), but you may call me Orion. I was an HCI/UX master's student at UT Austin. I used to be a software engineer passionate about design, and now I'm learning about it! I care deeply about user experience and aim to bridge the gap between engineers and designers. Now that AI is here, it is inevitably going to change the way we design and develop, but in the meantime, I am learning to use it responsibly to build more responsible and ethical products.

Portrait of Xiaolei Qin

I cook a lot of dishes from my home province, Yunnan, where there are many varieties of cuisine because of the diverse ethnic groups.

I am always out exploring something new with my friends.

Traveling is how I learn about the world. I am always planning to travel somewhere new, and there are so many views and stories waiting for me to discover.

I'm from Kunming, the spring city in Yunnan — high plateau light, tea and flowers, and food shaped by many cultures.

  • The Milky Way stretching above a dark line of trees
    Fredericksburg, TX
  • Wind-shaped sand dunes in black and white
    Great Sand Dunes NP, CO
  • Yosemite Valley framed by El Capitan and Half Dome
    Yosemite NP, CA
  • NYC skyline at sunset
    Union City, NJ
  • Colorful homes covering the hills around Guanajuato
    Guanajuato, Mexico
  • A vivid turquoise hot spring beside Yellowstone Lake
    Yellowstone NP, WY
  • Tower Bridge crossing the River Thames at dusk
    London, UK
  • Sea stacks and waves along a misty black-sand beach
    Olympic NP, WA
  • A snow-covered lodge beneath a deep blue night sky
    Crater Lake NP, OR
  • The Golden Gate Bridge rising through pink morning fog
    San Francisco, CA
  • Snow-covered Himalayan peaks rising above the clouds
    Himalayas, Nepal
  • Curving walls covered in reflective hexagonal panels
    Mexico City, Mexico
  • London illuminated at night beneath a hazy sky
    London, UK
  • Terraced fields and a mountain village glowing at sunrise
    Yuanyang, Yunnan, China
  • Snow-covered cliffs surrounding the blue water of Crater Lake
    Crater Lake NP, OR
  • Golden autumn leaves filling a tree canopy
    Austin, TX
  • Angkor Wat silhouetted against a golden sunrise and reflected in water
    Siem Reap, Cambodia
  • A red taxi passing through a busy city street
    Hong Kong, HK SAR
  • Layered desert ridges glowing pink before sunrise
    Death Valley NP, CA
  • Visitors watching the sun set over the Pacific Ocean
    La Jolla, CA
  • A weathered barn standing below the Teton Range
    Grand Teton NP, WY
  • A natural rock bridge extending over bright blue ocean water
    Arecibo Cliffs Dive, PR

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