Journal Papers by Tao Huang
Design, 2018
South of the Five Ridges traditional windows continue to develop with
the historical process, wh... more South of the Five Ridges traditional windows continue to develop with
the historical process, which reflects the wisdom and feelings in the past dynasties of the working people, but also a record of social development. In the course of history, it emerges rich and colorful types, and has different functions and characteristics. The regional characteristics are kinds of forms, rich decoration, colorful, diverse materials, and cultural innovation, which are influenced deeply
by the geography, culture, history, and religion in South of Five Ridges.
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Furniture, 2018
Based on the surveys on the traditional window lattices in the south of five ridges region (Ling⁃... more Based on the surveys on the traditional window lattices in the south of five ridges region (Ling⁃nan), the design features of traditional window lattices were summarized and analyzed. Guided by contemporary furniture design theory and with the consideration of modern manufacture technology, a series of design ideas, such as referencing the meaning, refining the forms', extracting the colors,and modernizing the materials and a series of design methods such as applying directly,applying with deformation, applying after abstraction, and applying after deconstruction were investigated. Multiple design methods and approaches for applying these elements were discussed. The elements in traditional Chinese window lattices art can enrich the forms, colors, functions and surface decoration of contemporary furniture design clearly and properly. This methodology presents an innovative direction for Chinese furniture design. At the same
time, the great traditional culture in the south of the five ridges region can be able to accomplish inheritance and innovation.
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Design Research, 2018
The paper is a study on the innovative application of American Indian totem pole patterns in mode... more The paper is a study on the innovative application of American Indian totem pole patterns in modern furniture design. It
presented the situation and difficulties of modern furniture design, and analyzed the types and artistic characteristics of patterns in the Totem
poles, which reflected the historical events, family pedigree, fairy tales of Indian society. Based on it and combined with cases, it proposed
the innovative application methods of Totem pole patterns in modern furniture design. It has important pioneering and practical significance
for the heritage and protection of Indian totem cultural and modern design innovation and will provide a useful reference for the modern
furniture design on the innovation and nationalization and individuation.
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Art and Design Review, 2019
This paper discusses the importance and opportunities of design in helping to revitalize rural an... more This paper discusses the importance and opportunities of design in helping to revitalize rural and marginalized communities where traditional arts and craft businesses often reside. It argues that traditional arts and craft businesses need to build a symbiotic relationship with the local communities to ensure the survival and thriving of both. It aims to demonstrate that designers should and can work traditional arts and craft business to better tell their stories and pursue new business opportunities with the goal to achieve sustainable development of these businesses and their communities. Through ethno-graphy research and participatory design process, the paper presents the research team's collaborations with a few traditional arts and crafts business owners in three communities and presents a few design concepts resulted from this process. It provides a list of suggestions based on the above analysis for designers who are interested in working as the link between business and traditional arts and design.
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Book Chapter by Tao Huang
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Conference Papers by Tao Huang
The Sixth International Conference on Design Creativity (ICDC2020), 2020
Facing an extreme event such as a disaster, designers are challenged to provide solutions to help... more Facing an extreme event such as a disaster, designers are challenged to provide solutions to help people prepare for disasters and to reduce the human suffering associated with them. In an educational setting, disasters present a challenging scenario for students to test and expand their research and design skills. This paper discusses a "design for disaster prevention" project run in both industrial design and communication design studio courses by the authors. It demonstrates the application of a hybrid "design thinking" methodology adapted for the disaster scenarios and prioritizing the need for disaster-resilient design strategies within the framework of project-and-issue-based design learning. Using student work as examples, this paper discusses two feasible design strategies to guide and foster creativity for designing for disaster prevention in the classroom.
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International Research & Education in Design Conference, 2019
This paper presents a new pedagogical approach for design education that is called: the ecophrone... more This paper presents a new pedagogical approach for design education that is called: the ecophronesis approach. Using this approach, students are directly working with nature to gain practical ecological knowledge. The paper discusses a project that students were apprentices for a short period of time with a local farmer. This approach can be a solution for design students who want to build a more in-depth understanding of the natural environment and the local community, thus to design with them, not against them.
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Revitalizing Marginalized Communities for Sustainable Development by Design | Revitalizing Marginalized Communities for Sustainable Development by Design, 2019
This paper discusses the role of design in revitalizing marginalized communities facing economica... more This paper discusses the role of design in revitalizing marginalized communities facing economical, ecological, and cultural crisis. Using two rural towns in the US and China as locations for field study, this research team conducted interviews and observations, organized workshops and class projects, and participated in alternative agriculture practices to investigate opportunities for design research and design thinking methods to be utilized in the development of agricultural production, enhancement of economic growth, and improvement of community wellbeing. The paper concludes with recommendations for designers and community activists who might be interested in sustainable development for marginalized communities.
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Sustainable Design Principles for Using Bamboo Stems, 2019
This paper sets out to explore possibility of increasing the usage of bamboo stems in product des... more This paper sets out to explore possibility of increasing the usage of bamboo stems in product design. The researchers argue that bamboo stem is a sustainable material that provides similar benefits as bamboo sheet materials and represents an untapped resource. Through market research, field study, and interviews with manufacturers, the researchers found that both internal and external constraints prevent bamboo stems to be adapted for mass production. The main internal constraint is the inconsistency of bamboo stems' diameters. The researchers examine several forms of connectors used in bamboo stem products and found two joint types that might help solving this problem. To better understand the external constraints, the researchers conducted a survey and follow-up interviews to reveal the gap between user needs and the capability of manufacturers. In conclusion, several key issues that should be resolved by design are listed to provide design directions.
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IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 2019
The straw checkerboard sand barrier (SCSB) is widely used to fix sand and prevent desertification... more The straw checkerboard sand barrier (SCSB) is widely used to fix sand and prevent desertification n China. In this paper, two methods of straw checkerboard (SC) paving are compared using sustainability indicators: the traditional method employing workers using straw and shovel, and the mechanized method using straw and a sand fixing vehicle. The paper describes the processes of the two different paving methods. Data regarding these two different methods of SC0020 paving were obtained from prior research experiments conducted by a sand-fixing vehicle prototype. The paper proceeds to use three sustainability indicators representing the three aspects of sustainable development. Using these indicators, data were compared to assess these two methods. The results show that the operational efficiency of the mechanized method is nearly 200 times higher than the traditional method, and that the total cost in the operational process can be reduced by about 7, 200 Yuan (about 1,145 USD) per hectare. The completion cycle of the break-even point (164 hectares) is 52.5 days in mechanized method, which is about one tenth of the traditional method. This not only indicates a clear advantage of performance and cost-effectiveness for the mechanized process over the traditional method, but also shows that this mechanized process can contribute to sustainable development for the region greatly because the preliminary work on degraded land and soil restoration can be completed in a significantly shorter period and the health conditions of a large number of manual workers can be improved.
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This paper reviews and analyzes communication design strategies for disaster resiliency and prepa... more This paper reviews and analyzes communication design strategies for disaster resiliency and preparedness, with the focus on the assessment of the effectiveness of fear-arousing tactic in public service announcement campaigns. The goal is to uncover communication strategies to encourage positive behavioral changes that increase disaster preparedness.
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After more than 40 years of rapid development, industrial design in
Mainland... more After more than 40 years of rapid development, industrial design in
Mainland China is due for a thorough documentation and examination. In particular, design in the Greater Pearl River Delta region has played a crucial role in this process and must be studied carefully to help us understand what could transpire in the future. This paper aims at deepening the understanding of the cultural context of innovations in the Greater Pearl River Delta Region. Based on years of direct involvement with the growing of the industrial design profession, the authors started a research project to document significant design companies that marked the trajectory of development of the profession and business of industrial design. The paper further aims to uncover culturally significant design innovations and innovations that have gained great international success that could be categorized as “reverse innovation”. Both have played a role to the advancement of the profession.
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The paper provides a brief discussion of the basic concepts of sustainability , disruptive innova... more The paper provides a brief discussion of the basic concepts of sustainability , disruptive innovation, systems thinking theory, and design for behavior change literature. It analyzes several business and design cases closely related to UX and HCI that demonstrated various degrees of success in changing user behaviors to improve the quality of our environment and strengthen communities in the following aspects: reducing pollution from fossil fuel based transportation; reducing waste; providing meaningful and gainful employment; and raising awareness, etc. The paper argues that UX/HCI, being the bridge between hardware and software, is fundamental in ensuring the success of any sustainability initiatives. The paper contemplates the cultural shift of material to immaterial by sharing economy in the internet age, which is one of the promising ways to help our society move towards sustainability. The paper also identifies certain challenges and room for improvement in user experience research and design for sustainability. In the end, this paper suggests four directions for radically rethinking user experience and human/computer interaction design for sustainability.
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In this paper, we present two concepts, service-learning and service design. We will then analyze... more In this paper, we present two concepts, service-learning and service design. We will then analyze a few cases that link these two concepts in current creative practice. We will discuss this practice’s potential in design education. We will then discuss a multi-year design projects that is currently being conducted in the Product Design and Graphic Design program of Columbia College Chicago. Through this project, we will explore the educational opportunities in integrated design practices to provide design services to our communities. We will argue that designers can gain important insights by becoming the “servers” to provide the services they are designing. We also argue that integrating design practice is essential in designing services. To achieve maximum effectiveness, organizations must assemble a service design team that include all creative professions.
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Hurricane Sandy showed the world just how vulnerable our great cities are to natural phenomena in... more Hurricane Sandy showed the world just how vulnerable our great cities are to natural phenomena intensified by climate change. Midwest America faces its own climate-change hazards, killer tornados. The dramatic increase in the number, intensity and damage associated with tornadoes and the expansion and northward shift in the area affected has placed major metropolitan areas such as Chicago and its surrounding communities at risk. Unlike hurricanes, tornados strike with very little warning – making proactive design the main protective option. Given this scenario, doing nothing and allowing our communities to be built up in a business as usual fashion invites disaster. Likewise, in the wake of a disaster, simply rebuilding what was there the same way as it was before merely sets the stage for an even greater future disaster. We believe that a cultural shift in the public mindset is a pre-requisite for any real adaptive change. We also believe that the design community is ideally positioned to expedite this cultural shift by facilitating the development of safer disaster-resilient communities. We can do it by doing what we do best, creating innovative solutions to society’s problems. To prevent future climate-change catastrophes, we need to start generating examples of viable alternatives now and we need to get our designs off of our drawing boards and out into the community as fast as possible so that people can see and experience the advantages for themselves. This paper presents a framework and outlines a process that a designer can use to do just that. It helps designers to identify and target specific design vulnerabilities and to develop disruptive innovations to reduce or eliminate these vulnerabilities or turn them into assets. To jump start the creative process, the authors suggest that crowd-sourcing technology can be used as the design platform.
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As American design business expands globally, designers must adapt their ideas for local markets.... more As American design business expands globally, designers must adapt their ideas for local markets. Undoubtedly, creative breakthroughs still happen mainly in the developed countries and are then exported to the rest of the world. However, more and more global corporations have taken notice of the benefits of Reverse Innovation – developing ideas in and initially for an emerging market and then “coaxing them to flow uphill to Western markets.” Due to their high growth potential and enormous size, emerging markets will shape how the world will become in the future. In addition, reverse innovation is potentially disruptive to established products. Therefore, understanding how successful innovation takes place in these emerging markets is crucial for any multinational business. What are the implications of reverse innovation for the industrial design profession? How can western designers make use of reverse innovation to overcome cultural barriers and successfully expand in emerging markets? Conversely, what challenges await for designers working in these emerging markets who are seeking to gain entry into western markets? What are the future research opportunities in this new area? Valuable global insights can be gained through examination of concrete examples of this phenomenon. This paper aims to use case study to provide answers to these questions and explore the value of adopting this new mindset in product development.
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Journal Papers by Tao Huang
the historical process, which reflects the wisdom and feelings in the past dynasties of the working people, but also a record of social development. In the course of history, it emerges rich and colorful types, and has different functions and characteristics. The regional characteristics are kinds of forms, rich decoration, colorful, diverse materials, and cultural innovation, which are influenced deeply
by the geography, culture, history, and religion in South of Five Ridges.
time, the great traditional culture in the south of the five ridges region can be able to accomplish inheritance and innovation.
presented the situation and difficulties of modern furniture design, and analyzed the types and artistic characteristics of patterns in the Totem
poles, which reflected the historical events, family pedigree, fairy tales of Indian society. Based on it and combined with cases, it proposed
the innovative application methods of Totem pole patterns in modern furniture design. It has important pioneering and practical significance
for the heritage and protection of Indian totem cultural and modern design innovation and will provide a useful reference for the modern
furniture design on the innovation and nationalization and individuation.
Book Chapter by Tao Huang
Conference Papers by Tao Huang
Mainland China is due for a thorough documentation and examination. In particular, design in the Greater Pearl River Delta region has played a crucial role in this process and must be studied carefully to help us understand what could transpire in the future. This paper aims at deepening the understanding of the cultural context of innovations in the Greater Pearl River Delta Region. Based on years of direct involvement with the growing of the industrial design profession, the authors started a research project to document significant design companies that marked the trajectory of development of the profession and business of industrial design. The paper further aims to uncover culturally significant design innovations and innovations that have gained great international success that could be categorized as “reverse innovation”. Both have played a role to the advancement of the profession.
the historical process, which reflects the wisdom and feelings in the past dynasties of the working people, but also a record of social development. In the course of history, it emerges rich and colorful types, and has different functions and characteristics. The regional characteristics are kinds of forms, rich decoration, colorful, diverse materials, and cultural innovation, which are influenced deeply
by the geography, culture, history, and religion in South of Five Ridges.
time, the great traditional culture in the south of the five ridges region can be able to accomplish inheritance and innovation.
presented the situation and difficulties of modern furniture design, and analyzed the types and artistic characteristics of patterns in the Totem
poles, which reflected the historical events, family pedigree, fairy tales of Indian society. Based on it and combined with cases, it proposed
the innovative application methods of Totem pole patterns in modern furniture design. It has important pioneering and practical significance
for the heritage and protection of Indian totem cultural and modern design innovation and will provide a useful reference for the modern
furniture design on the innovation and nationalization and individuation.
Mainland China is due for a thorough documentation and examination. In particular, design in the Greater Pearl River Delta region has played a crucial role in this process and must be studied carefully to help us understand what could transpire in the future. This paper aims at deepening the understanding of the cultural context of innovations in the Greater Pearl River Delta Region. Based on years of direct involvement with the growing of the industrial design profession, the authors started a research project to document significant design companies that marked the trajectory of development of the profession and business of industrial design. The paper further aims to uncover culturally significant design innovations and innovations that have gained great international success that could be categorized as “reverse innovation”. Both have played a role to the advancement of the profession.