Path Towards Design Research

 

Before 2014

I was born and raised in Changsha, a vibrant city in China renowned not only for its love of spicy food but also for its rich Huxiang culture, flourishing media and design industries, inclusivity, and innate spirit of innovation. This unique and liberating vibe has profoundly influenced my character and personality.

 

2014 - 2021

While writing my bachelor thesis on the communication mechanisms of virtual idols in digital products, I was captivated by Don Norman's Design of Everyday Things. This fundamental work has motivated me to pursue a master's degree in Industrial Design at Hunan University, a leading design school in China. During my master's study, I spent one and a half years as a visiting researcher with the KAEMaRT group in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Politecnico di Milano (Polimi, Italy). Working with senior researchers from psychology and design engineering on several research projects, I discovered my passion for design research. After obtaining a MA in Design Science, I continued my studies under the supervision of Professor Monica Bordegoni as a PhD student in the Department of Design at Polimi. During my PhD, I was awarded an IDEA League grant to conduct joint research at the Human-Centered Design department of Delft University of Technology (TU Delft; the Netherlands) under the supervision of Professor Paul Hekkert and Rick Schifferstein.

 

2022 - present

In Feb 2022, I received my PhD in Design (Cum Laude) from Polimi, where my thesis explored the role of metaphors in Design for Sustainable Behavior (DfSB). Throughout my PhD, I employed a theoretically-informed research-through-design methodology, conducting both qualitative and quantitative studies to assess the impact of various design interventions—such as visualization, gamification, persuasive technologies, and multi-sensory feedback—on user behaviors related to sustainability. After my PhD, I joined TU Delft as a Postdoctoral Fellow, becoming a member of the Delft Institute of Positive Design (DIoPD) led by Professor Pieter Desmet. My postdoc research focuses on developing methods and tools to operationalize a design-focused typology of thirteen fundamental needs to support and inspire human-centered design research and practice.