2021-01-29

(Provided by Program in Interdisciplinary Studies) National Sun Yat-sen University held a design exhibition – “Warmth in Heart: Starting from love”, displaying students’ designer works that apply over ten creative design methods. The students presented many creative ideas to improve people’s lives: besides warm winter gloves especially designed for food delivery workers and sun protection for those working in the scorching sun, they introduced an electric socket that reminds you of the problem of global warming, a capsule toy vending machine to bring your good mood back, and a designer anti-stress blanket.

Assistant Professor of the Program in Interdisciplinary Studies Shu-Mei Chang started the course on creative design methods for the students to come up with creative solutions using diverse design methods. The students took care of the whole exhibition, its theme, product design, model production, exhibition board planning, the video, and exhibition arrangement. This semester, seven students of the R.O.C. Naval Academy joined the interdisciplinary teams of Professor Chang’s cross-campus course. Yue Liu, a third-year student of the Department of Electrical Engineering, R.O.C. Naval Academy, explained the meaning behind the title of the exhibition. The “Warmth in Heart” does not only refer to the technology, but also to a feeling of gratitude to everything that surrounds us, he said. Yu-Cheng Hsiao, a third-year student of the Department of Chinese Literature at NSYSU said that during the times of the pandemic, people should show more love in interpersonal relationships and hence the name of the exhibition – “Warmth in Heart: Starting from love”.

“Winter is a difficult time for food delivery drivers!”, said one of the student teams, who designed double-layer gloves that keep hands warm and at the same time, let you use your smartphone. The gloves were designed especially for food delivery workers, who work particularly hard during this time of the pandemic. One of the team members, a third-year student of the Department of Information Management, Chang-Min Yu said that at first, the group noticed that the touchscreen gloves available on the market were impractical and thus decided to design their own gloves. To help workers in the scorching sun, another group made sun protection products available on market more convenient and designed a light and portable sunscreen using a water-soluble membrane.

Another team decided to raise people’s awareness of the problem of global warming and warn them about the environmental impact of excessive electricity use with a “polar bear socket”. The “egg warmer” is a vending machine with capsules containing a gift – a handmade cup sleeve and heartwarming handwritten wishes. The “Venus flytrap” was designed to relieve stress, so common among modern people, by “capturing” it like bug-eating plants that inspired its design. Lastly, the “anti-stress blanket” encloses you in a tight embrace and gives you a sense of relaxation, safety, and warmth.

Professor Chang pointed out that theory and practice were equally important in the course on creative design methods; learning and practicing various design methods was to encourage the students to look for creative and innovative solutions. Specialists of different fields need to engage in discussion and exchange to put a method in practice; the combination of a variety of specialties can spark an even greater inspiration. The students tried to apply the methods learned to solve various problems. The model production was to reflect the design concept through handmaking. Professor Chang hopes that in the future, the students will make use of the methods learned during the course.

(Edited by Public Affairs Division)