The American Good Design Awards, one of the industry’s most respected design recognition programs, recently announced its 2024 winners. Designer Yingjie Li has received the Silver Award for her application “Little Star Box,” an interactive learning solution created for autistic children.
“Little Star Box” combines video-based course learning with game interactions to help autistic children develop interests, social skills, and vocational abilities. The application features a practical user interface with bright, accessible elements arranged in modules: Interest Realm, Social Interaction, Feelings Awareness, and Daily Routines.
A key feature is the “Astromental Range,” designed for autistic children to recognize and express emotions in a supportive digital space. The application helps children develop while reducing stress on families and supporting better social integration.
“When designing this application, I wanted to use technology to help autistic children and their families,” says Li. “We aimed to build an engaging experience that encourages learning while developing social skills and emotional awareness.”
Yingjie Li has worked as a product and user experience designer at major technology companies including Microsoft, ByteDance, and Cisco Systems. She earned a Master’s degree in Information Studies from the University of Texas at Austin, graduating in the top 10% of her class, and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Urban and Rural Planning from Xiamen University.
At Microsoft, Li created user-centered features for one billion Windows users, designing weather cards, timelines, and an air quality map. Her iterative design process and response to user feedback increased daily active users for the weather website by over 50% year-over-year.
While at ByteDance, Li designed nine features for the Lark Email product, including the “Read Receipt” feature that improved communication efficiency for business users while addressing privacy concerns.
At Cisco, Li led projects including AI-assisted vulnerability fix flow design, product usage visualization, and e-commerce website redesign. Her designs resulted in 40% faster customer value delivery, 48% higher usage rates, and 33% better satisfaction rates.
The American Good Design Award was established by the American International Award Association and is managed by International Award Association Limited. It functions as a global platform for discovering design talent and presenting creative works.
The judges include design experts, directors, and business founders from various fields worldwide, using a confidential evaluation system for fair assessment. Past award-winning designs have changed people’s lives, raised living standards, and encouraged social innovation.
The organization works to improve design standards and awareness while creating better life experiences through exploration, innovation, and practice. Their mission states that good design should solve problems, serve human needs, promote sustainability, and drive innovation—all qualities found in Li’s award-winning application.
After receiving the award, Li plans to continue focusing on digital experiences for special needs groups and exploring how technology can address social challenges. She is researching artificial intelligence applications in user experience design to create smarter, more empathetic products.
This recognition from the American Good Design Awards showcases Li’s design capabilities and demonstrates how thoughtful design can improve quality of life for special needs populations.
