Persona Global
Internationalization of UX through Language, Onboarding, and a Scalable Design System
My Role
Product Designer
UX Researcher
UX Writer
Disciplines
Cross-Cultural UX Design
Usability Testing
Design Systems
Team
Hongyue Qiao
Daniel Gao
Date
Summer 2025
8 weeks
Overview
Background
Problems
🗣️
Inaccurate Language
Machine-translated copy was confusing and unprofessional, failing to convey core functionality and increasing learning cost
Solutions
AI-enhanced Translation
A specialized translation workflow supported by AI agent, competitive analysis, and terminology dictionary
Meituan's Persona, a powerful audience segmentation tool, was expanding to Brazil and Saudi Arabia. However, the initial "globalized" version was merely a machine-translated copy of the Chinese version, leading to poor global user comprehension and low task completion rates.
My mission was to deeply engage in and drive the international UX overhaul to transform Persona from a confusing, China-centric product into an intuitive and culturally-resonant tool for its new global users.
🧭
Lack of Guidance
New users felt overwhelmed by the complex interface with no in-app guidance, resulting in high initial drop-off rates and low task completion
Progressive Onboarding
A contextual, progressive onboarding tour that leads users through learning by producing actual content and achieving goals
🧩
Fragmented Design System
Existing UI components were inconsistent, isolated, and difficult to maintain, with no standardized multilingual support for user-generated content (UGC), hindering scalability across other international products
Component Library
A centralized MasterGo component library with reusable multilingual UGC components
Design Process & Solutions
Initiative 1: Precision Language Design
AI agent
+
Competitor terminology
+
Industry standards
+
Check with PMs
=
Final translation
Use business-aligned terminology
Frame features in terms of campaign tiers and budgets for operational clarity
Action
I leveraged a custom AI translation agent (provided by the product team) and enhanced its output by providing critical UI context and business logic for key terms. I conducted a comprehensive audit of over 200 UI strings, cross-referencing proposals with industry standards (e.g., Google’s Material Design 3) and competitor terminology. I collaborated closely with product managers and native speakers to validate nuanced phrasing and ensure cultural appropriateness.
Goal
Precise
Authentic
Concise
Actions Taken
Question original words; confirm business logic
Use combination of tools; train and leverage custom AI translation agent
Omit redundancies for a more concise translation
Use graphics to replace text and reduce redundant copy on the page
Example
Outcome
I developed and delivered the "International Copywriting Style Guide" — a shared document consolidating the English writing standards I established throughout the project, covering conventions for capitalization, punctuation, spacing, translation techniques, and workflows. This guide serves as a foundational reference for the team’s future globalization efforts.
Initiative 2: Progressive Onboarding
Action
To combat the overwhelming complexity for new users, I designed a progressive onboarding flow that integrates guidance directly into the user's first task. Instead of explaining what a button does with a static overlay, the tutorial prompts the user to click it, embedding learning within action.
Outcome
A functional, high-fidelity Figma prototype of the complete interactive tour. By the end of the guide, users don't just understand the interface—they have actually created their first audience segment, providing immediate value and confidence.
Users can exit the onboarding process at any time, and the onboarding can be reactivated in the navigation bar for users to experience it again.
Given that progressive onboarding involves numerous granular trigger points, I have also provided a complete interaction flowchart to ensure front-end developers can implement this functionality with precision.
Usability Testing
The usability test with 7 participants revealed no major issues with the new global version, including the onboarding process. All completed core tasks quickly (avg. 4m43s, range 3.5-7m). Feedback was overall positive: they found the new Persona interface simpler and easier to learn, with strong interest in early adoption. Minor concerns such as button visibility have been addressed in the design.
“I feel like the global version is even better than the Chinese version. The new linear user flow has almost cost for operation staff.“ - Business Leader
Aspect
Modality
User Role
Completion
Value
Retention
Traditional Onboarding
Passive: Info overload up front
Spectator: Reads and clicks "Next"
Often skipped. Low completion rate
Theoretical understanding
Low information retention
Progressive Onboarding
Active: Learn by doing
Active Participant: Performs real tasks
High completion; user achieves a real goal
Tangible outcome (e.g., a created segment)
High retention through muscle memory
Initiative 3: Building a Scalable Component Library
Action
I audited all existing UI and rebuilt the most critical components from the ground up in MasterGo using Auto Layout and Variants.
Additionally, I designed a set of flexible components that enable users to configure the translation and display of UGC content, adapted by 5+ data products.
Output
A comprehensive, documented library shared across the team. This included foundational elements and complex patterns like the multilingual UGC display.
Reflection
This intensive project served as a catalyst for my growth as a product designer, fundamentally strengthening my capabilities in three key areas:
🚀 Agile Execution & Business Acumen
Navigating a fast-paced environment, I learned to rapidly grasp business requirements and deliver high-quality design solutions under tight timelines, significantly enhancing my iterative design speed and strategic thinking.
♻️ Systematic Design Mindset
By rigorously applying and extending the design system, I mastered how to build scalable interfaces through component reuse, ensuring visual consistency while dramatically improving production efficiency.
🤝 Cross-Functional Collaboration
Through close collaboration with PMs and developers, I developed precise annotation habits and technical feasibility awareness. This ensured design implementations maintained both user experience quality and development efficiency.
🤖 AI-Enhanced Workflow Exploration
I proactively leveraged AI tools for translation assistance and layout generation, successfully integrating intelligent assistance into my design process to enhance productivity—a capability I continue to develop and refine.