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A former architect turned product manager. I love making complex problems simple.

shane zhao

I currently lead the the Post Purchase portfolio at PayPal, shaping how millions of customers experience the value of what they paid for after checkout. Before that, I built marketplace experiences at Shipt and content curation at OpenIDEO, IDEO's open innovation platform. Earlier in my career, I was an architect and urban planner at SOM, one of the world’s top architecture firms.
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I often get asked how my experiences as an architect and urban planner help me build products. Architects combine design sensibility, technical acumen, and systems thinking to transform raw materials into physical experiences that are both beautiful and functional. I bring that same lens from building physical spaces to shipping digital experiences, cutting through ambiguity to find the solution worth building.

PROJECT SNAPSHOTS
Order Tracking
PM @Paypal
Track all your packages with real-time delivery updates in one place inside the PayPal app. No inbox digging, no jumping between retailer sites. Just connect your Gmail or Outlook and PayPal pulls in delivery updates for every order automatically, even ones you didn't pay for with PayPal.
Instant Refunds
PM @Paypal
Shoppers get their PayPal refund the moment they submit a return request, no need to wait for the item to arrive back at the merchant. A cashback offer included with the refund encourages them to buy from the merchant again.
STR Market Analyzer Agent
Builder
Find and vet short-term rental (STR) markets for investments in minutes. AI agents scan markets, rank opportunities against your investment criteria, and deliver ready-to-share investment memos.
First Order Gifting
PM @Shipt
New Shipt customers received a surprise welcome gift on their first delivery, hand-picked and brought by their gig-shopper. A pilot in L.A. showed the experience meaningfully improved first-time customer retention.
Product Landing Page
& CMS
PM @Shipt
A self-serve tool that let Shipt's merchandising team build and manage themed product collections directly in the app. The pages drove sales during key holidays and laid the groundwork for Shipt's week-long Delivery Days campaign.
Shop Tab Navigation
PM @Shipt
A visual category gallery that lets customers browse what's available in the Shipt marketplace in a single tap. Now live for all Shipt customers.
Product Recommendations
PM @Shipt
A shopping assistant that suggests what to buy next as customers build their cart. Now live for all Shipt users on web and mobile.
Gig-Shopper Profiles
PM @Shipt
A profile feature that lets Shipt shoppers introduce themselves and showcase their achievements to customers before their delivery arrives, building trust and adding a personal touch to every order.
Rebuilding OpenIDEO.com
PM @OPENIDEO, IDEO
A full redesign of OpenIDEO's website that improved user sign-ups and sponsorship leads. The project also included a content management integration that gave the team the ability to publish and manage content at scale.
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