Email: 1624271759@qq.com
Title
Tenured Professor
Education Background
Graduated from the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University (formerly known as the Central Academy of Arts & Design), with a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Design in 1992
Graduated from the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University (formerly known as the Central Academy of Arts & Design), with a Master’s degree in Industrial Design in 2008
Work Experience
Worked as a teacher at the former Central Academy of Arts & Design from 1992 to 1999
Worked as a teacher at the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University since 1999
Social Services
Since June 2018, served as an expert in the Residential Decoration and Parts Industry Branch of the China Building Decoration Association
Since July 2018, served as an expert in industrial design of the Beijing Municipal Science & Technology Commission
Since March 2021, served as an expert in the Expert Committee of the China Simulation Technology Industry Alliance
From April 2022 to April 2025, served as an expert at the Zhejiang Provincial Engineering Research Center of Health Smart Kitchen
Since July 2018, served as a member of the Third Beijing Residential Security Decision-Making Advisory Expert Group of the Beijing Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, and an expert at the Beijing Expert Committee for Prefabricated Buildings
Research Interests
Industrial Design Innovation Methods and Applications, Research on the Theory and Methods of Experience Design
Academic Claims
The boundary of design is continuously expanding as society becomes more complex and inclusive. It is gradually shifting from a merely experience-oriented “act of creation” to a “strategic process” aimed at systematically solving complex situations and problems. Accordingly, the essence of design is evolving from a sole emphasis on “aesthetic creation” to an effective approach with a strong social dimension, focused on “serving the needs of the people.” With people’s strong desire for a better lifestyle, multidimensional experience design will become a key tool and way for shaping future living environments. Therefore, the future focus of experience design research should be on the full integration of new concepts and technologies with China's national conditions. Academically, it is vital to establish a systematic and scientific foundation for multidimensional experience design, including its theories, tools, and methods. These should be applied effectively and appropriately across interdisciplinary fields such as space and environment, products and services, and social systems, to address the diverse needs of different scenarios and groups of people. By driving innovations in experience design and fostering interdisciplinary collaboration to address wicked problems, we will create future living scenarios that are more human-centered and inclusive.
Academic Achievements
In recent years, Liu Qiang has made substantial academic and practical achievements in forward-thinking interdisciplinary fields such as experience design theory and methods, lifestyle and trend research, design marketing, and the integration of design with artificial intelligence. Additionally, he has published nearly 20 papers in core journals such as ZHUANGSHI and Journal of Zhejiang University, and delivered speeches at conferences including IEEE, the Fifth Art and Science International Exhibition and Symposium, and the Tsinghua International Design Management Symposium. Over the past three years, he has undertaken more than 20 major research projects for key enterprises and public institutions, including the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and the China State Railway Group. He has served as a judge for more than 20 international and domestic professional design competitions, delivered over 10 keynote speeches at international academic conferences and forums, and presented more than 20 specialized lectures at domestic academic events. In recent years, he has garnered numerous teaching achievement awards and has guided undergraduate and graduate students to win dozens of professional awards. His contributions have played a key role in advancing innovation and integration in industrial design education, as well as fostering the interdisciplinary growth of design.
1. Research on the Theory and Methods of Experience Design for Major System Projects
In recent years, he has focused on expanding the boundaries of experience design, applying experience design thinking to explore strategies and methods in traditional fields. He has assisted organizations such as China State Railway Group, Shenzhen Metro Group, and Heilongjiang Transportation Investment Group in conducting the human-centered research on complex travel experience, covering multiple design areas like product design, environmental design, service design, interaction design, public art, and visual communication, while also integrating disciplines such as ergonomics, psychology, transportation studies, and architecture; He proposed exploring system design methods and strategies for major engineering projects from the perspective of experience design; In terms of high-speed rail travel, he has been leading the research project of China State Railway Group, Key Technology Research for Major Stations in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region - Sub-project 10: Research on Xiong’an, Fengtai, and Other Landmark High-quality Stations in the New Era, since December 2018. He has also been leading key R&D projects of China State Railway Group since June 2020, such as Research on the Strategy of Station-city Integration TOD and Passenger Station Environment Creation with a Focus on Enhancing Passenger Experience and Research on Systematic Innovation Design of Experience-oriented Major Public Transportation Projects. Additionally, he has participated in writing the Design of Railway Passenger Stations in the New Era and other books, and continues to explore passenger experience design strategies under future transportation models. His team has carried out practical design transformations based on the research. They have completed the integrated experience design improvement for projects such as the Beijing-Zhangjiakou High-speed Railway, Beijing-Xiong’an Intercity Railway (Xiong’an Station), and continue to engage in the experience design innovation for station buildings and lines of major transportation hubs, including Hangzhouxi Railway Station, Beijing Fengtai Railway Station, Beijing Chaoyang Railway Station, and Yuxi-Mohan Section of China-Laos Railway, among others. He is also one of the main developers of the standards for high-speed rail station wayfinding systems in China. Since 2008, in response to China’s rapid urbanization, the research group, in collaboration with Tsinghua University’s Human Factors Engineering Laboratory, has been dedicated to integrating emerging technologies with the humanities and arts to develop a public wayfinding system that meets current user experience needs, with the goal of creating a more seamless, integrated, and intelligent travel wayfinding paradigm. From 2009 to 2014, he led the design and application of passenger wayfinding signage systems for more than 80 high-speed railway stations across the country. In 2019 and 2021, he worked with the super transportation hub of Hangzhouxi Railway Station to promote a new intelligent wayfinding design based on the Internet of Everything. In terms of subway travel, commissioned by Shenzhen Metro Group, he led the research project User Experience-Centered Study on Lifestyle and Transportation Modes (Shenzhen Metro) and the subsequent design and application work. In terms of highway travel, he led the major design project for the Border Highway G331, directing the overall tourism and planning design along the route. He proposed planning and design strategies based on experience design and service design. He has undertaken projects such as the Overall Planning and Design Guidelines for G331 Highway Project and the Research on the Overall Design Strategy for the Beautiful Border Highway 331 Project. He has continued to advance the integration of experience design thinking into the design methods and strategies of traditional engineering projects, promoting the research on the localized application of experience design in major national sectors. In 2019 and 2020, he applied for eight design patents, all of which were approved.
2. Research on the Integration and Innovation of Artificial Intelligence and Design
The explosive innovation of new technologies constantly reshapes people’s understanding of these technologies and their expectations for the application scenarios derived, which gradually evolve into a vision for future life. In recent years, Liu Qiang’s research group has consistently focused on the integration and development of emerging technologies and design innovation. The group, in collaboration with the Department of Computer Science and Technology, has incubated the AI design platform Nolibox. By combining aesthetic principles with AI technology, they have developed products such as LogoLuck and Doopix, which offer comprehensive intelligent graphic generation and smart poster design features. The research group introduced the concept of “Human-AI Co-Creation Value” for the first time, and is dedicated to exploring the changes in the design production methods of designers in the context of artificial intelligence. His projects have been exhibited at the 5th International Art and Science Exhibition in 2019. He wrote the paper titled Analyzing Artificial Intelligence Graphic Design from the Perspective of Design Industry Reform with the Example of AI Design Platform “NIWOO,” which was presented at the ASHelix. His research team has been shortlisted for a series of prestigious domestic and international awards, including the 2021 IF Design Award, the 2020 Design Intelligence Award (DIA), and the 2019 DESIGN POWER 100. He has consistently led the research team in continuous exploration of AI design methods, AI design product experiences, and intelligent design knowledge graphs, among other areas.
3. Research on New Lifestyle-Oriented Housing Industrialization
New lifestyles have driven changes in the experience of living environments. To meet the changing demands of people’s new lifestyles, it is essential to promote a sustainable development vision for housing construction that emphasizes energy efficiency, environmental protection, and green low-carbon practices, achieving the sustainable transformation of the residential building component manufacturing industry. In response to the current demand from stakeholders in product development, design, and construction for technical specifications for the integration of the entire process of residential building products, some research teams within the group have continuously focused on the modularization of residential products and innovations in service systems that provide a better user experience. As the main drafter, he has led the development of the Technical Specification for Integration of Construction and Decoration in Residential Kitchen and the Technical Specification for Residential Bathroom Integration of Construction and Decoration. In 2009, Liu Qiang was awarded the title of “Influential Figure in China's Building Materials Circulation for the 30th Anniversary of Reform and Opening Up.” The research group has consistently dedicated efforts to their work, drawing on nearly two decades of experience in the design and development of kitchen, bathroom, and residential building products. As the main drafter, he has led the formulation of the Technical Specification for Integration of Residential Kitchen and Bathroom Building Products. The research group actively participated in the innovative design, R&D and implementation of projects based on new lifestyles, including the “Ourui Yubang Whole House Customization Project” and the “Cat House Project.” In his research, he focuses on the product needs of the aging population within residential spaces. Since 2016, he has been involved in the projects “Research on Innovative Design Methods for Products and Services Addressing the Needs of China’s Aging Society” and “Research on Innovative Development Models for Products and Services Addressing the Needs of Beijing’s Aging Society.”
4. Research on Innovation in Design Marketing Methods and Business Models
Liu Qiang has extensive experience in design business incubation and implementation. The research project led by him aims to identify the explicit factors of Chinese design in product marketing via a quantitative analysis of design marketing strategies from renowned domestic and international companies, and build a “Design Marketing Model” on this basis, providing top-level design strategies to help businesses realize their product growth objectives. Liu Qiang’s team has actively participated in the development of design marketing strategies for the brand ROEN. He led the product development and market research for ROEN from 2008 to 2015, and for LEICHT in China from 1999 to 2014. Since 2019, he has assisted in the commercial incubation, implementation, and promotion of the AI design platform Nolibox.
5. Design Education and Communication
Since 2018, he has been responsible for managing the Master’s Programme in Industrial Design Engineering, and led the Research on the Reform of the Special Training Model for Industrial Design Engineering Masters at Tsinghua University, a special project for graduate education and teaching reform under the university’s “Double First-class” initiative, dedicated to cultivating interdisciplinary, composite engineering talents with strong design thinking abilities; In 2020, he undertook two major educational reform projects: the Innovation in the PBL-based Interdisciplinary Experience Design Teaching Model of the Ministry of Education, and the Construction of New Programs for Graduate Education and Teaching under Tsinghua University’s Double First-class Initiative, continuing to focus on exploring new interdisciplinary design teaching models and methods in the new context. In 2020, based on the research projects in the lab, the Future Experience Design Lab (proposed) was established to share ideas and research related to experience design. With the creation of potential future living scenarios as its research framework, based on people’s aspirations for new lifestyles, this lab integrates new concepts and technologies to meet the different needs of various users for experience. Using experience design methods and tools, the lab will systematically and scientifically develop multiple experience design research paradigms from an academic perspective, which will be applied across interdisciplinary fields such as spatial environments, products and services, and interactive systems. The vision of the lab is to drive innovations in experience design and foster interdisciplinary collaboration to address wicked problems, ultimately creating future living scenarios that are more human-centered and inclusive.
Exhibition of Works
(1) “NIWOO AI-Enabled Visual Creation,” the 5th International Art and Science Exhibition, the National Museum of China
(2) “AI-Powered Design Platform Nolibox,” Design Intelligence Award Exhibition & Art and Life Exhibition, China Design Museum and China Academy of Art
(3) “Ecology,” invited to be exhibited at the 2015 Milan Design Week, Milan, Italy
(4) “Impressions of Life Series 2,” “Inheritance” Exhibition, Tsinghua University Art Museum
(5) “Tuanji,” The First Faculty Academic Work Exhibition of Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University in 2015, Tsinghua University Art Museum
(6) “Liu Qiang’s Five Series of Design Works,” Design Exhibition for the 30th Anniversary Celebration of the Department of Industrial Design, Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University, Art Gallery of the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University
(7) “Liu Qiang’s Team Design Works,” Beijing International Design Week/2013 China Industry-University-Research Collaboration Design Achievements Exhibition, Thematic Exhibition, October 2013, Design Teaching Steering Committee of Higher Education, the Ministry of Education, Capital Normal University Art Museum
(8) “Impressions of Life,” The Third Art and Science International Exhibition and Symposium, Thematic Exhibition, China Science and Technology Museum
Organization and Planning of Academic Activities
2015-2017: China Kitchen & Bathroom Leaders Industry Innovation Forum, Tsinghua University
2015: Chengdu Creative Design Week Industrial Design Exhibition (Chengdu International Exhibition & Convention Center)
2016: Chengdu Creative Design Week Art Design Exhibition
Main Awards
“NOLIBOX AI DESIGN” was selected into the 2021IF DESIGN AWARD FINALIST
“NIWOO” was included in the 2019 DESIGN POWER 100
Liu Qiang’s team design work won the Excellence Award from the Organizing Committee of the China Industry-University-Research Collaboration Design Achievements Exhibition
Liu Qiang’s team design work won the Organization Award from the Organizing Committee of the China Industry-University-Research Collaboration Design Achievements Exhibition
Gold Award for the Overall Design Proposal of Environmental Facility Conceptual Design for the Beijing Olympic Park, China
Gold Award for the Environmental Facility Conceptual Design for the Beijing Olympic Park, China
Honorary Award from the Department of Opening and Closing Ceremonies, Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games
2020 Beijing Cultural and Creative Competition Annual Investment Value Award (Platform Instructor)
Silver Award at the 2020 IEEAC Entrepreneurship & Innovation Challenge National Final (Instructor)
Gold Award in the Group B Application and Expansion Category of the Suzhou Numeral Font Design Competition Global Call for Entries (Instructor)
Excellence Award in the 2020 Design Intelligence Award Competition
Gold Award in the Digital Design Competition of 2020 “Mayor’s Cup” China (Wenzhou) Industrial Design Competition (Instructor)
Teaching
Based on the educational philosophy of cultivating interdisciplinary industrial design talents, he integrates teaching philosophy, structure, content, and methods, and continuously participates in the reform and development of industrial design training programs. Being responsible for teaching courses in product design and exhibition design, he has taught a total of 1,194 hours over the past five years. He teaches more than 10 undergraduate courses, including Industrial Design Expression, Interdisciplinary Design Practice, and Comprehensive Design Expression, as well as graduate courses such as Design Marketing Methods, Design Innovation and Business Planning, and Design Research. Since 2018, he has been responsible for managing the Master’s Programme in Industrial Design Engineering, and led the Research on the Reform of the Special Training Model for Industrial Design Engineering Masters at Tsinghua University, a special project for graduate education and teaching reform under the university’s “Double First-class” initiative, dedicated to cultivating interdisciplinary, composite engineering talents with strong design thinking abilities; In 2020, he undertook two major educational reform projects: the Innovation in the PBL-based Interdisciplinary Experience Design Teaching Model of the Ministry of Education, and the Construction of New Programs for Graduate Education and Teaching under Tsinghua University’s Double First-class Initiative, continuing to focus on exploring new interdisciplinary design teaching models and methods in the new context. Meanwhile, he actively promotes cross-cultural and interdisciplinary international teaching collaborations. He has been involved in the establishment of the Global Innovation Design (GID) program for joint graduate training, a cooperation between the Royal College of Art and Imperial College London. In recent years, he has supervised 17 graduate students, 2 doctoral students, and 1 postdoctoral researcher. Currently, 8 of his graduate students have successfully graduated.
