In a year when IDSA has chosen Design IS Business as the theme of its International Design Conference 2017, the winner of the Gianninoto Graduate Scholarship says it was her passion for the intersection of design, business and technology that drew her to join the GradID program at ArtCenter College of Design. Xinyao Liu, S/IDSA, expects to earn her master’s degree in industrial design in fall 2017. This summer, she’s interning at Kohler, applying human-centered thinking, ideation and quick prototyping to create an experiential shower enclosure.

Liu earned a bachelor’s degree from East China University of Science and Technology and interned at TotalBrand 2, Bantum and Moma Design in Shanghai. She got hands-on experience in everything from branding a robotic vacuum cleaner, to designing an elevator panel, insulin injection pen and an oven range hood.

Liu’s passion and persistence in ideation and iteration was inspired by the advice of her frst supervisor at TotalBrand2: “Don’t stop developing your concepts, and you will surprise yourself!” Liu sees design as a vehicle to make the world a better place. She employs system design research to find meaningful insights and opportunities, create the product or service with effective design skills and develop the business model to make an innovation evolve strategically. “I put lots of effort in helping the aging population and in sustainability,” she says.

In a project called Primavarra, Liu aimed to inspire and empower seniors to lead joyful and healthful lives. In sustainability, she designed a shared bike system to promote ecofriendly commuting, and built apps to encourage carpooling and reduce food waste.

“It’s such an honor to receive this scholarship,” says Liu. “I’m very thankful that IDSA supports students in their education and development in various ways!”

This story was originally posted on IDSA’s website.