Research profile
Design researcher with a PhD from Monash University, specialising in research through design, participatory design and service design for sustainability transitions. Research connects sustainable mobility, user experience and human-computer interaction (UX/HCI) with the social and organisational conditions shaping service adoption. Combines qualitative interviews, thematic analysis, co-design workshops and iterative prototyping to investigate human-centred digital services and sociotechnical systems. Experience spans academic publication, university teaching, industrial design, public exhibition and cross-sector engagement.
Research interests
Sustainable mobility and Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS); participatory and speculative design; UX/HCI; service design; inclusive digital services; sociotechnical systems; sustainability transitions and Net Zero precincts.
Education
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Design
2022-2026
Thesis: “Envisioning Future Mobility: Co-developing Campus-Based Mobility as a Service with International Students”
Full thesis, Monash Bridges, DOI: 10.26180/33716752
Supervisors: Assoc. Prof. Selby Coxon, Dr Dion Tuckwell, Dr Emma Quilty.
Practice-based doctoral research investigated how participatory and speculative service design can support sustainable travel among international student drivers at Monash’s Clayton and Caulfield campuses. Combined research through design with qualitative inquiry and co-design to develop early MaaS service and interface concepts. Examined relationships between users’ travel practices, digital interactions and the wider mobility service system. Research activities and outputs are detailed under Research Projects.
Bachelor of Design (First-Class Honours)
2021
Honours dissertation: “How might a redesigned telemedicine ecosystem for elderly interventions optimise the efficiency and acceptability of in-home health monitoring?”
First Class Honours research explored a redesigned telemedicine ecosystem for older people, focusing on the efficiency and acceptability of in-home health monitoring. Integrated industrial design research, research documentation and creative sustainability to examine relationships between users, technology and service provision.
Key units: Major Design Research Project (Industrial Design), Design Research Methods, Design Research Documentation, Creative Sustainability.
Bachelor of Industrial Design
2018-2020
Developed an industrial design foundation connecting design history and critical inquiry with sustainable products and everyday use. Written research examined design responsibility, consumption habits and the continuing influence of Bauhaus principles on design and architecture.
Undergraduate dissertations:
- “Bauhaus design features and their ongoing influence in contemporary design and architecture” (2018)
- “To what extent can designers be held accountable for sustainable practices?” (2019)
- “How can design make sustainable products more acceptable in daily consumption by influencing habits?” (2020)
Research projects
Doctoral Mobility-as-a-Service Research
2022-2026
Monash University, PhD research, Clayton and Caulfield campuses
- Research focus
- Co-developed campus-based MaaS concepts with international student drivers to explore reduced car dependency and sustainable multimodal travel.
- Approach
- Research through design, participatory and speculative service design, qualitative interviews, thematic analysis, and co-design workshops to connect lived travel experiences with service and interface concepts.
- Design contribution
- Developed early-concept user interfaces and service propositions; used journey mapping and service blueprints to articulate interactions, touchpoints and the wider service ecosystem.
- Outputs and dissemination
- Doctoral thesis, peer-reviewed papers, conference presentations, public workshops and exhibition contributions, listed in the relevant sections of this CV.
Collaboration context: the ARC Net Zero Precinct collaboration provides the umbrella context for related sustainability research. It is not listed as an independently awarded grant or an additional standalone project.
Go Green! Monash: Participatory Digital Mobility Platform Design
2024-2026
Lead UX/UI Designer and Design Researcher
Design and prototyping component of the doctoral MaaS research above, supported through Monash University doctoral research. Research prototype with no separate commercial development budget.
- Platform concept
- Developed an early-stage MaaS concept with international students as co-designers, combining multimodal journey planning, community participation, rewards and personalised carbon feedback to support lower-carbon commuting.
- UX/UI design
- Translated qualitative and participatory research into interface concepts and iterative prototypes exploring how digital interactions can support sustainable travel choices.
Research skills and competencies
Research through design
Practice-based inquiry, participatory and speculative design, problem framing, concept development, iterative prototyping and reflection on design processes and outputs.
Qualitative research
Participant recruitment, semi-structured interview design and facilitation, thematic analysis, synthesis and reporting; translating participant accounts into design questions and service requirements.
Co-design and participation
Planning and facilitating workshops, preparing activities and materials, supporting discussion across different viewpoints, and synthesising participant contributions.
Service design and UX/HCI
User journeys, service blueprints, ecosystem maps, personas and concept testing; linking user needs and digital touchpoints with organisational processes and operational constraints.
Sustainable mobility and sociotechnical systems
Examining travel practices, MaaS adoption and car dependency in relation to users, technologies, institutions and service provision.
Research delivery and communication
Coordinating activities, timelines and documentation; academic writing, visual communication, stakeholder engagement and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Ethics and responsible practice
Ethics-informed participant engagement, consent processes and participant data governance in community and public-facing research.
ICT and software skills
FigmaSolidWorksMicrosoft Office
Peer-reviewed publications
Yang, C. (2026). Enhancing Sustainable Mobility: A Participatory Design Approach to Co-Develop Early-Concept User Interfaces of a Mobility-as-a-Service Digital Platform with International Student Drivers. In Proceedings of the Participatory Design Conference 2026, Vol. 2: Exploratory Papers and Doctoral Colloquium (PDC 2026), 15-19 June 2026, Milan, Italy. ACM, New York, NY, USA.
DOI: 10.1145/3789492.3796440Yang, C. (2025). Enhancing Sustainable Campus Mobility through Participatory Action Research: Co-Developing a MaaS Platform with International Students. In Proceedings of the Asian Design and Innovation Conference (ADIC), Shanghai, China. Design Society publication.
Design Society publication
Conference presentations and symposia
2026
Yang, C. PDC 2026, Milan, Italy, 15-19 June 2026. Presentation of the MaaS participatory design paper listed under Peer-Reviewed Publications.
Publication DOI2025
Yang, C. “Enhancing Sustainable Mobility: Participatory Design with International Student Drivers.” AutomotiveUI ’25 Doctoral Colloquium, Brisbane, Australia.
2025
Yang, C. “Enhancing Sustainable Mobility: Participatory Design with International Student Drivers.” Asian Design and Innovation Conference (ADIC), Shanghai, China.
2025
Yang, C. “Enhancing Sustainable Mobility: Participatory Design with International Student Drivers.” Intelligent Transport Systems: Mobility 2025, Sydney, Australia.
ITS Mobility 20252024
Yang, C. “Enhancing Sustainable Mobility: Participatory Design with International Student Drivers.” Australian Transport Research Forum (ATRF), PhD Research Student Symposium, Melbourne, Australia.
ATRF 2024 program2024
Yang, C. “Design Workshop of the Future Sustainable Mobility-as-a-Service (S-MaaS) Platform.” Net Zero Showcase: Clayton Living Lab Experiments in Action, Monash Sustainable Development Institute, Melbourne, Australia.
MSDI newsExhibitions and public research display
Melbourne Design Week 2026
14-24 May 2026
“Navigating Clayton’s Sustainable Future: Exploring New Journeys through Design, Mobility and Community”
Venue: Monash Caulfield Library, Melbourne
Contributing researcher and exhibitor in a public exhibition presented as part of the 10th anniversary edition of Melbourne Design Week (theme: “Design the world you want”). The exhibition shared doctoral research outputs on sustainable campus mobility, participatory design methods, and Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS), situating the research within broader community conversations on the sustainable future of the Clayton precinct.
Exhibition event pageProfessional experience
Sessional Lecturer, RED 2026
June-August 2026
- Delivered workshop-based teaching across two Research, Experimentation and Discovery (RED) units, MON2500 and MON3500, at Monash University’s Clayton campus, Winter Semester, 2026.
- Achieved strong Student Evaluation of Teaching Unit (SETU) outcomes: 100/100 (Very High band) for MON2500 and 81/100 (High band) for MON3500, against an average FREE Unit score of 82/100.
Industrial Designer (Intern), Clean Mobility Lab
July-December 2021
- Contributed to animation and workshop initiatives within Faurecia’s Clean Mobility Lab, supporting the communication of sustainable powertrain and emissions concepts.
- Collaborated with interdisciplinary teams to fabricate prototypes using advanced digital fabrication equipment in the in-house Fab Lab.
- Designed and facilitated creativity sessions and design workshops for cross-functional teams.
- Established and documented the configuration of Fab-Lab machinery, including 3D printers, laser cutters, and manually operated tooling.
Public engagement and research dissemination
Melbourne Design Week Roundtable Workshops
May 2024 and May 2025
Invited to organise and lead two public-facing roundtable workshops as part of Melbourne Design Week, sharing preliminary insights from doctoral research and fostering broader public discussion on sustainable mobility futures.
Bridging Disciplines: How to Build Interdisciplinary Collaborations
29 May 2024
Contributed to a Monash Graduate Association panel exploring the value and challenges of interdisciplinary research, offering practical insights for graduate students seeking to strengthen research through cross-disciplinary collaboration.
Panel recordingPhD Interdisciplinary Team CHallenge
September 2024
Selected as one of 60 high-performing PhD students from across Monash’s faculties and campuses to participate in the second iteration of Monash PITCH. The interdisciplinary challenge fostered creative collaboration, international dialogue, and peer learning across research domains.
Programme detailsReferences
Associate Professor Selby Coxon
Co-Director, Mobility Design Lab
Monash University
Associate Professor Robbie Napper
Director, Mobility Design Lab
Monash University
Dr Dion Tuckwell
Lecturer, Department of Design
Monash University