News | Sungshin Women's University Visit Successfully Concludes

From December 18 to 20, the 2023 International Collaborative Design Project, co-hosted by the Department of Service and Design Engineering at Sungkyunkwan University (hereinafter referred to as “Sungkyunkwan Design Engineering Department”) and the School of Innovation and Creative Design at Southern University of Science and Technology (hereinafter referred to as “School of Design”), was successfully held. The project was jointly planned by Professor JE Seungwoo from the School of Design and Professors Yeoreum LEE and Hwan KIM from the Department of Service and Design Engineering, with the aim of creating an innovative product and service system centered on artificial intelligence through design workshops, and guiding students to visit outstanding design innovation companies. Five master's students and one doctoral student from the Integrity Design Engineering Department, along with six master's students from the Design School, collaborated under the guidance of their mentors to complete a service design project titled “Designing a New Payment System for Travelers.”

The design process for this workshop project was divided into four stages: “Discovery/Research,” “Definition/Summary,” “Development/Creativity,” and “Delivery/Execution.” The participating students were divided into three groups, comparing the primary payment methods in China and South Korea, summarizing their strengths and weaknesses, identifying issues, and proposing solutions. Students from both universities refined their group proposals through sharing and discussion, sparking innovative ideas.

Workshop Discussion Session

Student Presentation of Proposals

On the evening of December 18, Professor Hwan KIM delivered a lecture titled “From Haptic Research to Service Design.” He provided an in-depth overview of cutting-edge haptic device research, shared his research on the miniaturization of haptic devices, and outlined his future research directions.

On the afternoon of December 20, Professor Yeoreum LEE presented a lecture titled "Bridging the Gap Between Design Practice and Academic Research: Case Studies of Industry-Funded Projects in the Design Discipline." Through real-world examples, he explained how the objectives, processes, team involvement, and outcomes of industry-academic projects vary depending on factors such as project duration, funding amounts, and client types. He also explored in depth how designers can bridge the gap between design practice and academic demands, as well as how to establish connections between industry and academia to promote collaboration.

Lecture Venue

During the three-day project, students visited four companies: Mindray, Jieshun Technology, Meituan Big Data Center, and Tencent. Through close interaction with these companies, students gained insights into how they continuously drive and provide design innovation.

Group Photo

Sungshin Women's University in South Korea was the first institution in the country to establish a Department of Service and Design Engineering. Based on expertise in service and design engineering, the university collaborates closely with industry to cultivate product-service-system designers who lead innovative industries. This collaboration will mark the beginning of a series of partnerships between the Department of Design Engineering and the School of Design at Sungshin University, aiming to jointly cultivate professionals who integrate new technologies with design and establish a design network between Sungshin and Southern University of Science and Technology.

Dean Dao Wen and Faculty and Students of Cheng Shin Women's University Take a Group Photo