William (Zhiwen) Chen

Biography

William (Zhiwen) Chen brings a background in industrial design and photography to his teaching and research in Industrial Design. He earned a BFA in Industrial Design with a minor in Photography from Rochester Institute of Technology, and a Master of Design from the Institute of Design at Illinois Institute of Technology. He has experience at Siemens Healthineers and was an exhibition designer for the ID @85 Anniversary Exhibition in collaboration with the Design Museum of Chicago. His design practices currently focus on artifacts and experiences within larger spaces (both physically and conceptually), specifically related to acoustics and lighting. He specializes in bringing photographic storytelling to different stages of the design process, from user research to product showcases. His current ongoing research project focuses on using computation and simulation to help designers make acoustic-related design decisions and ultimately to bring awareness to the significance of the auditory sense in design.