Biography
Julee Hyunju Lee is a design and product innovation executive, serving as the Global Head of Design at Coupang, a leading e-commerce company often described as the “Amazon of South Korea” and listed on the New York Stock Exchange. In this role, she shapes the seller experience for Coupang’s Rocket Growth business, which enables merchants to scale through its Rocket Delivery infrastructure and fulfilment services across Korea, Japan, and Taiwan.
Alongside her industry leadership, Julee is an Adjunct Associate Professor at the National University of Singapore (NUS), teaching in the Innovation & Design Programme at the College of Design and Engineering since 2018. Her courses focus on product strategy, design thinking, and interdisciplinary innovation, equipping engineering students with the mindset and tools to address complex, real-world challenges through human-centred design.
With more than two decades of global experience, Julee has advanced product and design strategy at companies including Gojek, Meta (Facebook), NTUC, PayPal, Intuit, Cisco, and Yahoo! She has led large-scale teams to deliver platforms used worldwide, with her career spanning groundbreaking products such as PayPal’s first fingerprint authentication experience on Samsung Galaxy devices; Facebook’s Ads & Business Platforms; NTUC’s MoneyOwl robo-advisory platform; Gojek’s on-demand ecosystem; and Cisco WebEx, the first-generation B2C online meeting platform.
An inventor with more than 10 international patents, Julee is a recognised thought leader in product strategy, design, and innovation. She has delivered keynotes and executive workshops at global forums such as Singapore Design Week, Red Dot Innovation, and World IA Day, as well as for C-level leaders at organisations including Airbnb and the National University of Singapore Society (NUSS).
Research Interests
- Product innovation and systematic thinking
- Digital commerce and platform ecosystems
- Human-centred and interdisciplinary design
- UX research and service design methodologies
- Design education and talent development
Teaching
- CDE2300: Product Design & Innovation
Industry Leadership in Product & Design
- Coupang Rocket Growth: Leading design transformation for seller experience
- Gojek: Directed customer & merchant experience and design for on-demand services across Southeast Asia
- Meta: Built and scaled APAC product design for Ads, Commerce, Loyalty, and Business Integrity platforms
- NTUC Link: Founded the Centre of Design Excellence and launched award-winning digital products including Plus! App and MoneyOwl
- honestbee: Led design and products for honestbee’s online, on-demand commerce platforms across 8 countries in Asia
- PayPal: Led design for mobile payments, including fingerprint authentication with Samsung Galaxy devices
- Intuit: Led design for global Quick Books Online, an account management platform
- Cisco: Designed the first generation B2C online meeting platform globally
Patents
Julee is the inventor of more than 10 international patents issued across the US, Europe, and Asia, covering mobile payments, digital commerce, and user experience innovations.
1. Systems and Methods for Implementing Instant Payments on Mobile Devices
- Patents: USPTO US20140324692A1; WIPO WO2014176560A1; CA2909204A1; AU2014256889A1; EP2989602A4; JP2016526200A; CN105359178A; KR20160003672A; US Provisional US201361816629P, US201361829096P.
- Impact: Enabled PayPal’s One-Click Checkout, embedded in Android devices through global OEM partnerships. Adopted worldwide as part of mobile commerce ecosystems.
2. Generating Sale Transactions from Voice Data Input by a User
- Patents: USPTO US20150095188A1; US11093996B2; US10229450B2.
- Impact: Introduced voice-enabled commerce, pioneering natural language interfaces for mobile payments.
3. Communication Device Interface for Monetary Transfers Through a Displayable Contact List
- Patents: USPTO US2015100478A1; US10346817B2.
- Impact: Developed a peer-to-peer transfer framework, allowing seamless money transfers directly from mobile contact lists.
4. Communication Device Interface for Merchant Check-In and Shopping Notifications
- Patents: USPTO US20150100405A1; US10318991B2.
- Impact: Created an omnichannel retail design, connecting in-store check-in with real-time digital shopping notifications and payments.
5. Account Notifications for Required Information to Complete a Financial Transaction
- Patents: USPTO US201361890982P (Provisional), US20150106267A1, US20170270531A1.
- Impact: Designed a compliance and account validation framework for financial transactions, strengthening user protection and regulatory alignment.
6. Computer User Interface for a Display Screen
- Patent: USPTO USD611490S1 (Design Patent).
- Impact: Designed one of Yahoo! Lifestyle’s earliest social profile interfaces, significantly improving user engagement and media reach.