Stephen Ou

Howdy! Thanks for visiting. I am a student at Stanford University, majoring in Computer Science with a focus on Human-Computer Interaction. There are a lot to learn, but I'm grateful that I get to spend 4 years with the world's most brilliant students.

Email - Resume - LinkedIn - Github

App Development

I like to build apps. My philosophy is simple: if I see a process that is too slow or a task that is too hard, I want to build something that fixes it. The app should be pain free to use and explainable in two sentences.

I am a big fan of personal projects. Since 2009, I've made 8 web apps. They are mainly for scratching my own itch. Other people found them useful as well, so some got wildly popular.

iTunes Instant lets you search for songs, movies, TV shows, and apps quickly. It is my most popular and profitable app, with more than 400,000 users to date. Mashable, Fast Company, The Atlantic, TUAW, Gizmodo loved it.
NeedNumbers is a tool that auto-imports contacts from those "New Phone/Need Numbers!!!" groups into your phone. What used to take 30 minutes can now be done in 30 seconds. It saved this TechCrunch writer some valuable time.
SocialBusinessCard converts your social media profiles (Facebook/Twitter/LinkedIn) into business card designs. It's targeted at college students who don't have business cards. See how I created the app in 8 hours in this timelapse video.
Artsy Editor is a premium WordPress blog post editor. The product, which has been profitable since day 1, has made 200 bloggers be more productive. The Next Web was a big fan. WordPress added its own distraction-free editor a year later.
TwtRoulette helps you find interesting folks to follow on Twitter by looking at other people's authorized home timeline. Ashton Kutcher, Robert Scoble, Forbes, TechCrunch, Huffington Post, PCMag, and Business Insider all enjoyed it.
OhBoard is basically a whiteboard in your Chrome browser. Among the first Chrome extensions ever built, OhBoard has helped over 100 designers, developers, marketers jot down ideas and create wireframes.
ACPark was the project I made in Alameda County Hackathon 2012, in which I got 2nd place. If you live in the county, this is where you can find dog parks, swimming pools, and hiking paths.
OneExtraLap was my first crack at creating a web app. I poured 9 months of after-school efforts into this social quizzing website. Despite the lack of users and revenue, it was a great learning experience and I still consider it a success!

Note: due to changes in the Facebook/Twitter/LinkedIn APIs, some of my apps might not work properly. I will fix them when school is out.

Work Experience

I've also had the privilege to work with some amazing companies, ranging from a Fortune 500 client to a mom-and-pop shop.

CodeHS - I built a yet-to-be-announced feature that has the potential to change online education. Also made internal tools.
Warner Music - I automated the data analysis process for the company's marketing department, saving analysts a lot of time.
Alameda County - I developed an employee shuttle tracking and route planning application, used by 9000 county workers.
eBroadcast Australia - I created the TV and movie guide for Australia's biggest media discovery platform.
App of the Day - I made a version of App Store instant search for App of the Day, a popular iOS app recommendation website.
Pat Flynn - I wrote WordPress plugins for Pat's massively successful online business. I really admire Pat's honesty and integrity.
Lanvie Apparel - I designed and developed a full-featured warehouse management system for a local business.

Other Stuff

Originally born in Kaiping, China, I had the good fortune to come to the US in 2008. Although I didn't speak any English upon arrival, I became fluent in 2 years with the help of patient teachers and supportive family. For that, I am thankful.

I love watching inspirational TED talks, and ended up giving a TEDx talk about young entrepreneurship myself in 2014.

I've done some interviews in the past: Web.AppStorm, Double Your Freelancing Rate, A New Take, Doers, SideProject Book, IdeaMensch, The Startup Project, Raising CEO Kids, Sawyer Speaks.

I am a big sports and stats geek. Here are the main sports that I follow: NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, EPL, UEFA, F1, ATP, PGA, TdF.

My interests include mathemagics, photography, geocaching, pool/snooker, and cycling. I just completed my first century (100km) ride!

Contact

So many people have helped me get to where I am today. I want to do the same to you. If you have questions about programming, entrepreneurship, app design/development, college admission, studying in the US, email me! I am more than happy to help you out.