ABOUT

The Tiananmen Square massacre. The fall of the Berlin Wall. The birth of JK Wong. These historic moments mark the end and beginning of eras.

Quincy, Massachusetts—A newborn Justin K. Wong arrives at his new home clutching the pencil that the doctor used to test his palmar reflex. As he develops, he never lets go, sketching everything in his head: from imaginary friends to cartoon space operas. This obsession consumes him.

1996—The young JK receives his first Gameboy Pocket, introducing him to the digital world. Reality is no longer enough; he begins to live through screens and digital art.

In high school, his creative energy expands to music, discovering a new medium to create beauty and innovation.

The naive JK thinks he has a "knack" for reading people so he decides to study psychology at McGill University in Montreal. As he becomes well-versed in Pavlov, Skinner, and Bandura, the blossoming JK realizes that he actually knows nothing about people. In fact, no one actually knows anything about anyone. They are all clueless bags of chemicals perceiving the world through learned biases... however, research and data analyses are good ways to start understanding behavior.

Although he loves studying the mind and behavior, the adventurous JK decides that psychology is not the path for him. Instead, he moves to Shenzhen, China, to become a rock star, to connect with his heritage, and to teach AP Psychology.

In those 4 years, the wandering JK explores China and Asia, encountering many people and experiencing many different cultures. But his journey seems to have no endpoint. "Where is he trying to go?" they all ask. Not even the wise JK knows.

2015—The lost JK engages a friend in small talk. As a product manager at Fjord, she introduces the astonished JK to the world of user experience. What started off as a friendly conversation turns into a mind-blowing epiphany; there is a field that combines creativity, design, and psychology?!

The enlightened JK almost immediately quits his job to pursue that new career but refrains to finish the school year in China. In his head, the idea stews into a rich, savory broth.

For the following year, the eager JK researches the industry, learns many of the necessary tools/skills, and even creates a few mobile apps. But it is just not enough; the hungry JK yearns to progress more quickly, so he finally decides to give up his life in China to dive into the belly of the beast: Silicon Valley.

January 2017 — To get there, the sporadic JK assembles an experimental supergroup of sonic heroes to record experimental sounds, embark on a cross-country tour from Boston to SF, and tragically break up due to artistic differences. Their legacy begins, thrives, and ends, all within three weeks.

Back in school for UX Design, the reborn JK trains to perceive beyond screens and into the minds of users by tapping into the UX force that connects us all.

The post-metamorphic JK returns to Boston to pursue his passions. He is quickly recruited into the machine of the world's largest consulting empire, Accenture.

Proving his strategic prowess and tactical precision in battle, the cut-throat JK quickly climbs the ranks and is promoted to lead his own squadrons of usability warriors.

Known as a master of his craft, the weathered JK continues the crusade against dark patterns to restore the order of simplicity.

However, his innate nature to create still hungers for more. Thus, the manic JK continues to gather worldly and unworldy inspiration, to grow as a usability sorcerer, to conjure life out of the lifeless.

Now the necromantic JK uses orca bones to summon indie rock, dreams to raise the souls of departed Cantopop superstars, and voices of the void to invoke experimental pop sounds.

To be continued...