25 Jun 2026
Undergraduate students from the Department of Industrial Design at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU) have gained international recognition and presented two pioneering interaction design research projects at the ACM Designing Interactive Systems (DIS) Conference, held at the National University of Singapore from 15 to 17 June.
The two projects, Being Stone and PiscineMobil, were the result of the “Relational Interfaces” research-intensive workshop led by Dr Aven Le Zhou, an Assistant Professor at XJTLU’s Department of Industrial Design. During the workshop, 10 students collaborated with international faculty members, including Professor Martijn ten Bhömer from the University of Macau and Professor Rodolfo Cossovich of NYU Shanghai and Carleton University, to explore experimental relational interaction design.
The research focuses on relational interfaces, a cutting-edge concept proposed by Dr. Zhou at the emerging fields of interaction design and more-than-human design. Being Stone: Designing Nonhuman Embodiment in VR investigates how virtual reality can enable humans to experience and reflect upon nonhuman embodiment, specifically through the material condition and temporality of a stone. PiscineMobil: A Design Probe for Interspecies Agency Reversal explores interspecies relationships by developing a shared mobility system where the movement of a fish influences human locomotion, effectively staging a reversal of agency between human and nonhuman participants.
The presentations at the DIS conference were led by the undergraduate student researchers themselves. Hao Zhu (Year 3), co-first author for Being Stone, and Yiying Wang (Year 3) and Shun Wang (Year 2), co-authors for PiscineMobil, collectively delivered the project demonstration and poster showcase. Dr Zhou noted that the academic community responded positively to the work, with many international researchers expressing surprise at the students' academic maturity and the high standard of their contributions.
“This is a strong example of how research-led education can involve undergraduate students in rigorous and cutting-edge international research contexts and help them shine on a global academic platform,” Dr Zhou said.
The success of these projects underscores the Department of Industrial Design’s commitment to integrating high-level research into its curriculum. By providing early exposure to international scholarly exchanges, the department continues to elevate the profile of its students and its research capacity within the global design research community.
The papers are available via the ACM Digital Library:
By Yi Qian
25 Jun 2026