Her first design for a client, the website of the College of Design at Iowa State University, won a silver award from AIGA in 1997. Some of the clients with which she works include high tech startups, educational institutions, non-profit organizations, as well as established corporations. In her design, Shanshan emphasizes the integration of the functionality, usability as well as aesthetics.In addition to being a designer and teacher, Shanshan is also an active artist and has shown her paintings in galleries in Boston, Connecticut, Minnesota, Iowa, as well as China.