Horst Complex

dr. S. Huang (Siyuan)

Assistant Professor
ET-DPM-IxD
Horst Complex W254
siyuan.huang@utwente.nl
+31534899019
Business card

I am an Assistant Professor of Interaction Design (IxD) in the Department of Design, Production and Management at the University of Twente, where I am also a fellow of DesignLab.

With a background in communication and industrial design, I explore how and why designed artifacts shape human experience, behavior, and relationships with oneself, others, and the wider world. In particular, I focus on designing and evaluating interactive technologies that support meaningful experiences, well-being, and human flourishing. Using a theory-informed research-through-design approach, I pursue this work through two complementary strands: investigating the psychological and behavioral impacts of interactive products and systems, and translating these insights into design frameworks, methods, and tools that inform future interventions and human-centered technology innovation.

Currently, my work is organized around three interrelated research themes:

  • Human values and fundamental needs-focused health care technologies 
  • Human–AI interaction/collaboration for self-care, personal development and growth
  • Interactive technologies connecting nature, well-being and sustainability

I hold a PhD in Design cum laude from Politecnico di Milano, Italy. Before joining the University of Twente, I worked as a postdoctoral researcher and teacher at Delft University of Technology. My work has been published in the International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction, Frontiers in Psychology, Virtual Reality, and Computers & Industrial Engineering, as well as in edited books and peer-reviewed conference proceedings, such as CHI (Best Paper Honorable Mention Award; Top 5%), ICED (Reviewer’s Favorite Award), DRS, IDETC/CIE, IASDR, and the DESIGN Conference. I review for leading venues in design research and human–computer interaction, including IJD, CHI, DIS, IEEE VR, DRS, IASDR, and HCII.

I am currently a member of the Design Research Society and am serving on the Executive Committee of the Experience Research Society. Previously, I was a member of the Delft Institute of Positive Design and a fellow of the IDEA League. In addition to my academic work, I write articles for broader audiences, such as reviews of Milan Design Week and Dutch Design Week.

Expertise

  • Psychology

    • Economic and Social Development
    • Self-Assessment

  • Computer Science

    • Future Development
    • Interactivity
    • Case Study

  • Social Sciences

    • Need Satisfaction
    • Product Design
    • Systematic Review

Organisations

Publications

2026

Design for wellbeing and happiness (2026)In DRS2026: Editorials (DRS Biennial Conference Series; Vol. DRS2026). Design Research Society. Miletto Tonetto, L., Huang, S., Petermans, A., Cain, R., Poldma, T. & Pohlmeyer, A.https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.106Design for Adversarial Growth: Post-Traumatic Growth, Resilience and Subjective Wellbeing (2026)In DRS2026 (DRS Biennial Conference Series; Vol. DRS2026). Design Research Society. Li, X., Xue, H. & Huang, S.https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.973Remembering with Reminiscope: Codesigning with Generative AI for Reminiscence Among Older Adults (2026)In Remembering with Reminiscope: Codesigning with Generative AI for Reminiscence Among Older Adults. Article 473. ACM Press. Zhu, L., Qi, R., Huang, S. & Li, X.https://doi.org/10.1145/3772318.3791390

2025

Unearthing Stakeholder Behavior Patterns to Enhance Sustainable Product Design (2025)In Advances and Challenges of Applying AI/GenAI in Design and Process Science: The 2024 International Conference of the Society for Design and Process Science (SDPS) (pp. 199-216) (EAI/Springer Innovations in Communication and Computing). Springer. Yang, J., Zhang, C., Huang, S., Ayatollahzadeh Shirazi, H., Bordegoni, M., Liu, X., Quan, H., Ben Hamza, A. & Zeng, Y.https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-96518-0_20Introducing the Fundamental User Needs (FUN) Scales: Assessing Need Satisfaction and Frustration in Design-Mediated Interactions (2025)International journal of human-computer interaction, 41(19), 11996-12013. Huang, S., Desmet, P. M. A. & Mugge, R.https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2025.2450415Why Do You Buy?: Introducing a Reflective Café Approach to Foster Mindful Clothing Purchases in Generation Z (2025)In Proceedings of the 6th Product Lifetimes and the Environment Conference (PLATE2025) (Proceedings of the 6th Product Lifetimes and the Environment Conference (PLATE2025)). Huang, S., Bakker, S. & Xue, H.https://doi.org/10.54337/plate2025-103762024 荷兰设计周: 从“学术设计”窥见现实的流动与重构 (2025)Chinese journal of design(383), 52-63. Xue, H. & Huang, S.https://doi.org/10.16272/j.cnki.cn11-1392/j.2025.03.035Fundamental User Needs (FUN) Scales User Guide (2025)[Book/Report › Book]. Zenodo. Huang, S., Mugge, R. & Desmet, P. M. A.https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14907021

2024

Assessing basic/ fundamental psychological need fulfillment: systematic mapping and review of existing scales to foster cumulative science (2024)Frontiers in psychology, 15. Article 1427478. Kermavnar, T., Avsec, A., Huang, S. & Desmet, P. M. A.https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1427478Inviting Sustainable Behavior Through the Power of Metaphors in Design (2024)In For Nature/With Nature: New Sustainable Design Scenarios (pp. 87-103). Huang, S., Hekkert, P., Schifferstein, H. & Bordegoni, M.https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-53122-4_7

Research profiles

Address

University of Twente

Horst Complex (building no. 20), room W254
De Horst 2
7522 LW Enschede
Netherlands

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