Yiqi Zhao is an HCI researcher, UX engineer focusing on mental health, living, wellness, through digital and physical methodologies like AR/VR/MR interface, web-based product, digital media, data analysis and visualization, wearable devices, sensor network, IoT, design computation, bio-engineering, additive manufacturing etc.
Her particular interest aims at human-computer interaction in smart environments for cognitive augmentation, within either physical or digital experiences. Her vision is to encourage ownership of products while manipulating it, meaning that people not only can touch, interact, and respond to products or environments but also project identity to it. She believes that the revolution of living is through new technologies and data related methods that consider the daily human experience in transforming critical issues from the real world into user-centered design solutions. In the end, these design solutions will blur the boundary of human, machine and the built environment.
#AR/VR/XR
#GAME DEV
#UX
#Technical Design
Master of Design Studies in Technology
Courses:
SCI 6317 Introduction to Computational Design (Panagiotis Michalatos)
SCI 6338 Material Systems: Digital Design and Fabrication (Nathan King)
VIS 2223 Digital Media: Ambiance (Allen Sayegh)
VIS 2314 Responsive Environments: Episodes in Experiential Futures (Allen Sayegh)
Independent Study:
Dream Enhancement BCI: VR Interface of Cognitive Method for Dream Context Control
Courses:
MAS S60 Science Fiction-Inspired Prototyping (Joost Bonsen/Dan Novy/Joe Paradiso)
MAS S62 Ancient Modern Technology (David Kong)
MAS S63 Cognitive Enhancement (Pattie Maes)
MAS S66 How to Grow (almost) Anything (David Kong)
MAS S68 Computer Vision (Pattie Maes/Roy Shilkrot/Guillermo Bernal)
MAS S70 Audio Product Design (Mark Feldmeier)
MAS 600 Human 2.0 (Hugh Herr)
MAS 834 Tangible Interfaces (Hiroshi Ishii)
CMS S63 Playful Augmented Reality (Mikael Jakobsson/Philip Tan)
EECS 6.170 Software Studio (Daniel Jackson/Arvind Satyanarayan)
Bachelor of Architecture
Digital Media
Responsible for researching, ideating and prototyping interactions for AR. Drive the UIUX design strategy and concept, and then execute the solution for both internal and external of a content creation web platform for Unity, and related end-user products as e-learning in Augmented Reality mobile game.
Mentor and manage a team of technical designers/interactive engineers/artists for developing user-centered immersive features at day-to-day bases.
Solve overarching project problems and process issues collaboratively across all teams and address efficient plans for future milestones.
Serve as the bridge between cross-functional partners for a wide range of design needs.
Set goals, provide updates, and solicit feedback from the team.
Present to cross-functional partners both inside and outside. Preparing branding and business contents, videos, documents.
Stay on top of the competitive design trend to share these insights with all teams.
Propose efficient team structures, product development schedules collaboratively with all engineer and design teams. Lead and maintain the dynamic, fast-paced meta-agile environment.
UX Lead of an AR application with Unity(C#) for an AI enabled AR learning tool based on STEM course launching on IOS&Android for Columbia University students. Designed and Developed interactive and perception enhancing features with the combination of real time user data analysis with firebase. Manage the technical design and ux team, setting up agile strategy to meet tight schedule.
Product Lead of the internal content creation engine, which allows non-coders(narrative writer, story teller, designer artist, film maker) able to create, test and deploy ARVR/Web end application in real-time free from highly technical game engine(unity UE4 etc). cut 95% engineering recourses cost.
Worked as Leica US VAR(Value Added Reseller) for Leica BLK series.. The BLK2GO handheld imaging laser scanner recreates spaces in 3D as you move. It captures images and dimensionally accurate point clouds in real-time and uses SLAM technology to record your trajectory through space.
Design Lead. Designed and developed custom webXR and mobile applications with webGL, react, Unity(C#) involving embedded IoT simulation, SLAM, and lidar scanned files for property owners and muilti-vendors to track, improve, or having business on either digital or physical troves. For example, installing set sets of equipment, restoration of a portion of the property.
Produced user research, sketch, and UX critique documents for out of the office contractors. Conducted various marketing strategies.
Produced ideation presentations, wireframes, hi-fi prototye, and UI pakage of the digital twin platform in adobe suites, Figma, Framer, etc.
Intern Instructor of 30 interns, facilitate collaboration between designer and engineer, prototype, define and deliver new webVR features of the Whimsical Board in an A-Frame and spatial interface format.
Contributed the UI/UX part of a block-chain token based site Dripscore on ethereum,.
Facilitate leadership development through experience-based education, uniquely shared experiences and the forging of authentic bonds with graduate students across the different Harvard graduate schools based on the practices and fundamentals of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO), approximately 21,000 members across 125 countries.
Developed qualitative experiments(camping activities, interviews, survey screening, and group events) related to human behavior, social science and vulnerabilities.
Participated through Schematic Design, Construction Administration. Produced VR walk-through with enscape real-time rendering for every daily meeting(HTC vive). Produced documents with Adobe Suites, renderings and digital models with Revit, Rhino and 3dsMax; presentation visuals with Adobe and Microsoft Suites; physical models.
Solely developed a research-based climate tool for high-performance building design together with SOM group Blackbox. The climate tool was created with Rhino SDK, Grasshopper(C#/Python) with real-world climate data.
Participated in site observations for window wall testing, produced reports for window wall performance, communicated with contractors and RFI answers.
Taught 40 freshman year students in Core course Design Studio I. Critic of around 300 freshman year design students.
Produced the business model that coordinated the high-quality international education resources across 4 continents that reduced the scarcity in each of the markets, which ensured the long-term success of the startup. Conducted data analysis on the study abroad market of STEM majors. Advised the company founders in marketing strategy based on data-driven reports and visualizations using Tableau.
Conducted user research with interviews in Lincoln district and produced user reports, five storytelling videos with adobe suites. Produced 3d models and renderings with Revit and Rhino, visual design and presentation with Adobe Suites. Held two lunch-learn lectures on the topic of design computation.
Produced parametric 3dprinting facade samples with Rhino(grasshopper/C#). Helped a responsive price estimation tool for marketing use based on the unit layout in C#.
Produced data visualization interactive maps with Power BI, ArcGIS based on zoning data of Iowa K-12 districts. Conducted geographical research on Egerton and created 100-year master planning.
Assisted 20 participants with simultaneous interpretation, written translation and technical issue consultation during and after the Competition.
under Zhejiang Construction Investment Group Co.,Ltd.：www.cnzgc.com
Deqing County Rural Architecture Style Control
Led the cultural research of rural control and produced style analysis for Deqing County through qualitative and quantitative methods. Led the Post Occupy Evaluation, rural area development data analysis and produced marketing files, architecture drawings with AutoCAD and Adobe Suites. Documented on site client meetings.
Conducted business model. Advocated multi-media drawing methods in the field of Concept Arts, Illustration, and Comics. Produced digital and hand drawing tutorials and graphic design tutorials. Social media management.
Project Dream BCI received 2020 Harvard Research Grant.
Projects under Shelby Doyle in ISU CCL’s public lectures, ACADIA conferences and exhibitions in RISD Architecture and Utah SOA.
Graduate with Distinction
Presenting individual research Preservation Uniformitarianism: Weaving Cutting-Edge Technology into History under the topic of historic preservation.
Asteroid Extraction
Arch 433 Fabrication Potentials
Architectural Drawings | Historic Observation
The ArchDaily team selected the 80 best architecture drawings from across globe.Map “Historical Observation” was selected the axon drawings catalog.
Academic project SkySculpture won the DLR Group Prize (held by DLR Grpup) from roughly 100 other participants.
Association: BOSE | MIT Game Lab
Audio AR: Generative MIDI product for enhanced perception performance transforming the practice of sculpting into Audio AR technology with BOSE FRAME. Developed with Visual Studio, Unity, C#, deployed to windows and ios app.
Association: United States Department of State | US Embassy in Prague&London
Conducted qualitative research of interviews and survey screening. Provided multimedia reports of Villa Petschek in Prague, the Official Residence of the American Ambassador to the Czech Republic, Winfield House in London, the Official Residence of the American Ambassador to the United Kingdom, with new methodology of historic preservation incorporating Lidar Scanning of the entire property, 360 Videography, VR interface with 3d scanned model for the entire property with historical data, website, Digi-fab, and Art Theory.
*All final contexts are delivered to the state department as restrict data base.
Unity3D/Unreal Engine
Autodesk Revit(Dynamo)/BIM
3dsMax/Maya
Rhino (Grasshopper/Plug-ins)
SolidWorks
Vray/Mental Ray/Lumion/Enscape/Keyshot
Cinema 4D/Houdini/Blender
Redshift
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe InDesign
Adobe Lightroom
Adobe After Effects
Adobe Premiere
Final Cut
Adobe XD/InVision/Sketch/Figma
Tableau
Power BI
ArcGIS
Microsoft Office
Jupyter
Google Analytics
Cloud(AWS)
C#/JavaScript/C++/Python/R/SQL
Arduino
Processing/Openframeworks
MIDI(Electronic Music)/MAX MSP
HTML/CSS
React.js/D3.js/Node.js/Vue.js
Additive Manufacturing(3dprinting/robotics...etc.)
CNC/Waterjet/Lasercut
Casting Iron/Concrete/Plaster/Rockite
LiDar Scanning
VR/AR (Oculus/HTC + Lidar Scanned Files/Autodesk/360 Filming)
Kinect/Eye tracking
Bio-fab
Drone Technology
Photography/Videography/360 Filming
Wood Shop/Physical Modeling
Sketching/Painting
Ceramic/Metal Works
Brain Computer Interaction
Responsive Environment
ARVR Interface
Material System
Human Computer Interaction
Machine Learning(GAN/RNN/CNN/VAE/NLP)
Human Augmentation
Tangible User Interface
Smart Material
MIDI Products
Sensor Wearable
Synthetic Biology
Cognitive Science
Psychology
Communication Studies(Interpersonal Listening)
Brain Events
Social Media Management
Performing Arts
Fashion
