In September, on the west coast of Qingdao's new area, a group of students were "envisioning the future". "As human lifespan increases, so will our living time. Retirees will need a mobility tricycle that can enhance cognitive abilities." "With temperatures continuing to rise, many jobs will shift to nighttime, and people will need portable artificial 'suns' to help nighttime workers supplement vitamin D and alleviate health issues caused by the lack of natural light."

At the inaugural "TASA-ICoD International Design Workshop", Zhao Chao, Vice Dean of the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University and Vice Director of the Cultural and Arts Specialist Committee of the China Association for Promoting Democracy, led students from 8 universities across 4 countries. Together, they spent 5 weeks exploring sustainable development pathways for the world in "2050".

This was an unbridled flight of imagination, where everyone engaged in discussions around the two future scenarios of "Utopia" and "Dystopia", and designed new tools tailored for human survival under these two different futures.

Zhao Chao (Middle) Engages with International Students on Research Topics

Design, not just for designers

Joining Zhao Chao and his students in Qingdao's "imagination" endeavor are experts and scholars from around the world specializing in various fields such as materials science, anthropology, climate and environment.

The involvement of multiple disciplines brings more possibilities for the implementation of design. "Industrial design is an attempt at 'integrated innovation'," Zhao Chao said, "It is the core origin within the industrial innovation chain and an important area for interdisciplinary teaching." Engineering science typically focuses on technological advancements, while industrial designers emphasize "how to make technology serve the lives of the general public."

Having served as the Dean of the Industrial Design Department at Tsinghua University for nearly a decade, Zhao Chao has consistently integrated the concept of disciplinary resource integration into his teaching practice. This has resulted in the Tsinghua University campus being a place where design education is not limited to students from the Academy of Arts & Design.

Could the concept of design be introduced into the traditional medical curriculum? Zhao Chao collaborated with Cheng Jing , a Chair Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Tsinghua University, and Dong Jiahong , the Dean of Tsinghua University's School of Clinical Medicine, to offer two courses at the medical school: "Conversion Medicine Leading Talent Cultivation Program" and "Medicine and the Progress of Human Civilization".

"About one-third of the courses here cover topics related to humanistic narratives, healing, and design," Zhao Chao explained. In order to cultivate medical students' ability to think about the future direction of medicine from a humanistic perspective, he incorporated knowledge of health design and art therapy into the curriculum.

In the "design courses" at the medical school, medical students who were previously "residents" of laboratories began to actively learn about aesthetics, study how to improve the spatial design of hospitals, consider what kind of service processes and experiences patients need when seeking medical attention, and ponder how medical equipment can become more humanized.

Classroom by the fireplace.

On a snowy day earlier this year, Zhao Chao and Cheng Jing, accompanied by a team of graduate students and engineers from the Academy of Art and Medical School, gathered for a cozy dialogue around a stove in a scenic restaurant they had designed themselves. Everyone sat by the fire, roasting potatoes while engaging in a lively discussion.

The topic of discussion that day was "Aging-Friendly Smart Homes." With the advent of an aging society, the needs of the elderly in medical care, food, housing, and transportation are constantly evolving. The question at hand was how to ensure that the elderly in the new era have access to medical care, support, mobility, and enjoyment in their twilight years.

The students' imaginations were sparked, and one student proposed that many elderly people, due to mobility issues, are prone to falling while bathing. Therefore, a novel shower space could be designed.

"The elderly person simply sits in the middle, and the surrounding spraying equipment will automatically bathe and massage them. At the same time, through contact with the body, it can continuously monitor the person's health status," Zhao Chao described. This concept resembles a "car wash booth for humans," he added.

Engaging students in discussions about actual design projects, where they "learn by doing," is a consistent teaching approach adopted by Zhao Chao. "They are not only my students but also members of my team. In graduate teaching, teaching, research, and design practice are inseparable. We conduct design through research and, in turn, use design and research to enrich teaching."

Throughout this process, Zhao Chao prefers to act as a facilitator, encouraging students to imagine boldly. "It is often the 'unreliable ideas' that spark disruptive innovations, and such creativity typically emerges more easily in a relaxed environment. This is the reason why the teaching scenario needs to be 'redesigned,' and it also underscores the uniqueness of research and teaching in design studies—outcomes are not solely produced in the classroom but can also be born inadvertently."

Designer's “vision”

Whether it is interdisciplinary integration or the teaching model that combines industry, academia, and research, Zhao Chao consistently adheres to the principle that "people" are the core of design, and design should serve the real world.

For instance, on a maglev train traveling at 600 kilometers per hour, how can different travel experiences be provided for diverse groups of people? What kind of seating and facilities do business travelers on solo trips require? How can barrier-free travel be achieved for disabled individuals? And how can high-speed rail meet these varied needs through spatial layout and infrastructure?

These questions serve as sources of inspiration for Zhao Chao when designing products. "High-speed rail is an important calling card of China's industrial innovation. How can we successfully export high-speed rail overseas? This requires designers to possess the ability to innovate in response to the needs of different cultural backgrounds worldwide, with an understanding of road construction, travel habits, and other factors in various countries. Therefore, in our teaching, we also collaborate with teams from different regions to jointly explore design solutions."

In 2014, Zhao Chao spearheaded the establishment of the "Joint Graduate Cultivation Program for Global Innovative Design," collaborating with the Royal College of Art and Imperial College London to nurture interdisciplinary and cross-cultural leaders in innovative design. The program aims to foster composite talents with diverse backgrounds.

What distinguishes the "jointly cultivated" students from traditional designers? "It's their perspective—how they think about and solve problems, as well as their goals and mindsets during the research and development process, which are entirely different from those of traditional designers," Zhao Chao responded without hesitation.

To date, this program has cultivated over 120 students from more than 20 countries. "This year, we aim to cultivate top-notch interdisciplinary and cross-cultural talents for innovation, with a forward-looking approach to establishing design education standards led by China and expanding our global influence. Our vision is set to reach even greater heights," said Zhao Chao.