UX | HCI | XR | AI
Yiqi Zhao, a distinguished immersive 3d media artist, and HCI (Human-Computer Interaction) design researcher, is making significant strides in Spatial Computing. Currently, she holds the position of Product Designer at Meta, having previously led enriched design efforts at Unity and Sony. Her notable achievements include leading the design of PolySpatial and a myriad of accessible XR creation tools compatible across various platforms such as Apple Vision Pro, Quest, OpenXR, PCs, and others during her tenure at Unity. Additionally, her contribution to the launch of two AAA titles for Destiny 2 at Bungie (acquired by Sony PlayStation) marks a significant milestone in the cross-platform entertainment sector.
Yiqi's research and artistic practice spans an interdisciplinary approach, delving into mental health, perception, generative media art, machine learning, and human enhancement. These interests originated during her master's research at Harvard and MIT about tangible interfaces and wearables, laying the groundwork for her subsequent innovations in technology and art.
Beyond her design accomplishments, Yiqi is driven by a vision to reimagine and expand upon conventional human-centric topics through interactive media art, thereby enhancing human perception into machine visualization. Her commitment lies in crafting responsive environments that offer cognitive augmentation, further enabling the general public to engage in creative expression through user-friendly perception systems. This approach is intricately interwoven into the everyday life fabric, making technology accessible and meaningful. Zhao's work has been showcased globally, with exhibitions in Italy, China, the US, the UK, the Czech Republic, and France.
In her advocacy for emerging technologies, Zhao emphasizes their pivotal role in transforming daily welfare experiences and tackling real-world social challenges. Through enhanced human perception and immersive 3D, she stands at the forefront of the tech art revolution, advocating for a future where technology enhances human perception in profound and tangible ways.
#Mixed Reality #AIML
#UX #HCI
#Platform #UGC
Lead the design and product-driven strategy for
Horizon World Creation Tools
Lead the design and product-driven strategy
Apple visionOS Collaboration
the next-gen runtime, OS integration, XR authoring, platform offerings, and enlightening end-user experience, a cutting-edge new era of shared world immersive experience- WWDC with the tech of PolySpatial.
# Shared Space: Create immersive Unity Apps
# Fully Immersive Space: Bring your Unity VR app to visionOS
End-to-End Unity Runtime Ecosystem
Unity AI Runtime: End-to-end rearchitecting from foundation to interaction innovations, workflow, and iteration - developer experience, editor onboarding, content ecosystem, and services like simulation, and platform partnerships. Now developing using Unity become AI-powered and accessible.
# AI Agent: Create apps faster with Unity Muse
# XR authoring: XRI - Microsoft Developer
Works closely with directors and other team leads to drive multiple large-scale features or system setups. Responsible for the [Worlds Area] UI screen, map, HUD, navigation, and activity system of Destiny 2.
[design build and maintain large UIUX features]
Design, implement, and maintain the UI and overall UX, also including shaders, animations, advanced interactions, and final polishes before shipping. Systems, modular components, or libraries maintenance. Define tool flows and scripting best practices; resolve all creative and technical blockers for the responsible area. Communicates technical updates project-wide and skillfully pivots based on discovered information.
[design build and maintain framework & system]
Defines best practices for content authoring and projects knowledge across teams, actively builds consensus among disciplines to optimize technical efficiency. Devise and champion best practices for the implementation of structure, organization, reusability, and maintainability.
[organizational]
mentoring, planning, content&code reviewing, and documentation
Beyond Light: Season of the Chosen
Beyond Light: Season of the Splicer
Beyond Light: Season of the Lost
The Witch Queen
[Co-Founder]
Backed by partner VCs from Rockefeller in AI/AR sector. Drive the product strategy and concept, and then execute the solution for both internal and external of a content creation web platform[an XR UGC ENGINE] for Unity. Also, use it to create related end-user products such as e-learning in Augmented Reality mobile games as proof of concept for BD needs.
[Team]
Manage a team of technical designers/interactive engineers/artists with RnD style. Propose efficient team structures, and product development schedules collaboratively with all engineer and design teams. Led and maintained the dynamic, fast-paced meta-agile environment.
[End User Proof of Concept]
Shipped AR applications [E-learning ARLab]. The app is an AR learning app based on STEM courses, launching on IOS&Android for enhancing virtual learning cognitively in an experimental AR setting.
Shipped:
Browser Engine - 2020
E-learning ARLab - 2020
Co-Founder of Leica US VAR(Value Added Reseller) for Leica BLK series, and also Paracosm PX-80(this is a Paracosm product, not related to Leica) with Berner.
Led and shipped the MVP: [Sitecraft Service]
Led two vendor design and dev teams, sold 4 units, profitable in 3 months. Conducted various marketing strategies. Led the digital twin platform. Craft and drive the product from ideation to launch.
Further on designed and developed custom webXR and mobile applications with OpenGL, react, Unity(C#) involving embedded IoT simulation, SLAM, and lidar scanned files with BLK2GO for property owners and multi-vendors to track, improve, or have a business on DT assets.
The services went successfully but were defunded due to Covid.
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.
Product, BD, Design, Strategy for clients, and host Research Fellowship
Yiqi is unable to provide product advisory starting from March, dm for non-profit needs
Media Director. Conducted user research with interviews in the Lincoln district. Held several lunch-learn lectures on the topic of design computation. Host parametric design: parametric 3dprinting facade tools with Rhino(grasshopper/C#); responsive price estimation tool on the unit layout.
Conducted geographical research on Egerton and created 100-year master planning. Data vis work with Power BI, ArcGIS based on zoning data of state K-12 districts.
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
Mainly investment research
Deqing County Rural 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. On-site client meetings.
Co-founded NGO of live collaboration in the media art sector on YY voice chat, we are the first live collaboration platform at that time, there is no such idea as live for visuals from those days.
Live collab started by a group of gamers in need of WOW voice chat needs. We expanded it aiming to provide the pro-players community to learn concept art, game, and Anime. Creators can earn 50k avg income per month, but we made it all free. Later got banned due to wild user behavior issues, this is what we learn in social media.
[Drawing Chat]
A multiplayer design collaboration server. You can join others to create together for one artwork. We normally had one single session hosting 20k concurrent users.
[YY]*YY is a major Chinese video-based social network; In November 2012, YY was listed on the NASDAQ. MAU: 300million
Master of Design Studies in Technology
Research:
Dream Enhancement BCI: VR Interface of Cognitive Method for Dream Context Control
HCI/EECS
Bachelor of Architecture
Digital Media
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,.
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.
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.
Exhibitor/Presentor
Principal
Contributor
Destiny 2: The Game Awards 2021
Unity3D/Unreal Engine
3dsMax/Maya
Substance
Cinema 4D/Houdini/Blender
Enbergen
Autodesk Revit(Dynamo)/BIM
Rhino (Grasshopper/Plug-ins)
SolidWorks
Octane/Redshift/Vray/Mental Ray/Lumion/Enscape/Keyshot
Adobe
Final Cut
Figma
MIDIs
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
Human-Computer Interaction
Machine Learning(GAN/RNN/CNN/VAE/NLP/Diffusion)
Mixed Reality
NFT/Defi
Brain-Computer Interaction
Responsive Environment
Material System
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
