For a long time, I’ve wanted to share Dora’s story from my point of view.

In 2022, I was like many designers—spending my days ironing out endless details with developers: “This looks 1px off,” “The stroke color seems wrong,” “Did you forget to use the component?” These recurring issues didn’t just slow us down; they drained our enthusiasm. At the time, I thought this friction was just an unavoidable part of being a designer.

Then, I talked to Will Chou (the founder of Dora). He showed me a demo of a tool that completely changed my perspective. With it, designers could create freely, just like in Figma, and directly publish their work into a fully functional website. In that moment, I realized that the boundary between design and development didn’t have to exist—it could be broken.

---

### Dora’s First Step: MVP

At the time, the Dora team was just 5 peoples working out of a basement. That’s where we built the first MVP. It was simple—supporting basic website design, storytelling through scrolling (Scrolling to tell a story), and a basic CMS for data binding.

It wasn’t much, but it was our first step. Those early days were exhausting but fulfilling. We all shared the same goal: not just improving efficiency, but unleashing creativity by removing technical barriers. We wanted to make “**Imagination comes true**.“

```cv
youtube
{"url":"https://youtu.be/i5-NaGpd-Ds?si=qSqvbJq9lDxszwuo","width":200,"height":113,"thumbnail":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/i5-NaGpd-Ds/hqdefault.jpg"}
```

---

### Beyond Flat Design: Add 3D Animation

Design isn’t just what you see—it’s what you feel. Dora was never meant to stay confined to flat, static layouts. We dreamed of giving designers more freedom, so we introduced 3D functionality.\
\
Design isn’t just what you see—it’s what you feel. Dora was never meant to stay confined to flat, static layouts. We dreamed of giving designers more freedom, so we introduced 3D functionality.

The first time I saw our prototype bring depth and motion to life, it felt magical, as if ideas were leaping off the screen. When we launched, it immediately caught the attention of the Web community.

Our collaboration with YouTube creator [Minh Pham](https://www.youtube.com/@MinhPhamDesign) took things to the next level. The first video we worked on together went viral, and our very first YouTube tutorial surpassed **1.2 M+ views**, becoming the most-watched No Code video on the platform in 2023.

```cv
youtube
{"url":"https://youtu.be/slentvTk3gY?si=GGZ4zYS9d2nwmIuG","width":200,"height":113,"thumbnail":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/slentvTk3gY/hqdefault.jpg"}
```

\
\
This momentum didn’t stop there—soon after, influencers on popular platforms began to create and share Dora tutorials organically, without sponsorship. For them, Dora became a powerful tool to grow their own audiences and drive engagement.

This tipping point cemented Dora as one of the most influential website-building tools globally.

But visuals alone weren’t enough. We also dedicated significant effort to optimizing both Dora’s editor and the websites it powered, ensuring stunning performance and smooth usability.

---

### Moving Forward: The Birth of Dora AI

In 2024, we launched **Dora AI** to embrace the wave of AI innovation and deliver on our promise of “**imagination comes true**.” Dora AI doesn’t just generate designs based on user input—it creates work that surpasses the skill level of many intermediate designers.

But this is only the beginning. Our goal is to enable Dora AI to create fully functional websites with 3D and dynamic effects, transforming web design into a true blend of technology and art.

```cv
youtube
{"url":"https://youtu.be/XlqNMwsa0QA?si=u3FsK6GlQLRDuoYZ","width":200,"height":113,"thumbnail":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/XlqNMwsa0QA/hqdefault.jpg"}
```

---

### A Journey of Fulfillment

Looking back, Dora’s growth mirrors my own. Building a product completely from scratch, I’ve faced countless challenges and breakthroughs alongside it. I’ve learned to handle more complex responsibilities, approach problems with a broader perspective, and confront setbacks with greater maturity.

For me, though, the most meaningful part of this journey is the simple sense of fulfillment—seeing the effort my team and I put in gradually come to life, step by step.

Dora’s story is far from over. There will be more challenges ahead, but I believe that with dedication and unity, every effort will make “**imagination comes true**” feel even more real.

*"The best way to predict the future is to invent it."* — Together, we’re creating the future of design.

My Story with Dora: Imagination Comes True

Product Design

WWDC 18

Glow Baby Watch was featured at the event.

Turns website ideas into editable Figma designs, empowering web designers with AI-driven efficiency.

* Lead the product and design of [the plugin](https://www.figma.com/community/plugin/1389868907117096838).

* Design the main visual and [plugin landing page](https://www.dora.run/figma-plugin/ai-generate-website-designs?).

Dora AI - Figma plugin

Sites beyond imagination, one prompt away.

* Led the product and design of this project.

* Directed the March 2024 market launch, achieving 4M+ total impressions.

  * Designed the key visual and [landing page](http://dora.run/ai), driving 500k+ monthly visits.

Dora AI Beta

Led multiple redesigns for Glow's core products—[Glow](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/glow-ovulation-period-app/id638021335?l=zh-Hans-CN&platform=iphone), [Eve](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/period-tracker-eve/id1002275138?platform=iphone), [Nurture](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/nurture-pregnancy-week-by-week/id882398397?platform=iphone), and [Glow Baby](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/glow-baby-tracker-growth-app/id1077177456?platform=iphone)—earning repeated recognition from Apple, including features like App of the Day 🏅.

Glow App

Figma to Dora - Figma plugin

* Brought together 20+ top creatives and industry leaders to discuss the evolving design landscape in 2024, including AI's impact on design.

* Designed the key visual

* Designed [the landing page](http://expo.dora.run) in just 7 days using Dora's no-code tools—yes, it was that fast! 🔥

Dora Expo

Collaborated on the design for Apple’s WWDC 20, where Glow Baby Watch was featured at the event.

Apple’s WWDC 20

Dora Alpha 2.0

Launched in May 2023, achieving 2M+ impressions and 120k+ waitlist signups, while leading the [Product Hunt](https://www.producthunt.com/posts/dora-ai-alpha) campaign as the hunter, earning all major Product Hunt awards: \
\
🏆 Golden Kitty 2024, Product of the Year, Product of the Month, Product of the Week, and Product of the Day ✨

* Produced the [product video](https://youtu.be/Gfz-ylwNkNg) and the landing page

Dora AI Beta Waitlist

⭐️ All creative works are here!

Designed the guitar tuning app Epoch, which was featured by Apple upon launch.

Epoch

UI designer

Head of Design

Glow, a global leader in the health industry, founded by [Max Levchin](https://x.com/mlevchin) (co-founder of PayPal).

Product design

Lead the launch of Dora AI's beta version

Faye

2024