Turning how minds work into how products work.
I'm LI Kanyu. With a background spanning cognitive neuroscience (MSc), UX design (MSc), and 12 years of systems engineering, I bridge human cognition and technical execution to build products that earn user trust.
years of engineering behind the research
reads on my writing (sspai)
GitHub stars on a product I researched & built
Selected Work
Key projects spanning empirical research, system architecture, and cognitive design.
“Data does not speak for itself. It just sits there quietly, waiting for you to decide how the pieces fit together. The way you interpret it determines how it presents itself.”
LI Kanyu, on research
Research Themes
Questions I keep coming back to.
Human-centered AI / AX
How people trust, verify, and manage AI systems, from ChatGPT opacity to what happens when the user is itself an agent.
n=181 trust survey · 7-agent AX benchmark
Cognitive science × engineering
A theory of mind from the lab, and the engineering depth to instrument, test, and ship what the research calls for.
fNIRS/fMRI publications · 12 yrs code
Learning & neurodiversity
Reading tools for children with dyslexia and ADHD, built on one principle: the goal is for the child to eventually not need the product.
~99-page curriculum · classroom-tested
these overlap more than you’d think
Writing & Method Notes
Notes on research, cognitive science, and interface craft.
1.04M+ reads on sspai ✦
About
How I ended up in UX research.
With 12 continuous years of software engineering as my foundation, I began in a neuroscience lab running hyperscanning experiments, led production systems in industry, and now research human-AI interaction at Laurier. That path means I design studies like a scientist and ship findings like an engineer.
Your professional cyber rubber duck is ready to make it clear.
I’m currently open to UX Research roles and research collaborations.