UNSW Master of Design · Portfolio 2026
I move between sustainable systems, inclusive spaces and emotional material stories—turning research into experiences people can feel.
Enter selected workI design the space between what people notice and what they remember.
✦Selected work · 2023—2026
Seven projects across information, product, space, service and textile design. Each begins with observation and becomes tangible through testing.
01 · Research / Information Design
How can museum information become easier to notice, read and use while visitors are moving?
A six-month research proposal for the Art Gallery of New South Wales examining how hierarchy, placement, contrast and accessibility shape attention across wall labels, printed guides and digital screens.
Research snapshot
Design response
Structured observation, system mapping and hierarchy prototypes compare reading time, engagement and navigation before translating findings into exhibition guidelines.
02 · Product / Sustainable Design
A reusable self-drying umbrella sleeve designed for one-handed, no-touch use.
Wet umbrellas create slippery floors, soak belongings and encourage disposable plastic-bag use. DripZero reframes that frustration as a washable, zero-energy product system.
Key insight
“Put the wet umbrella away quickly—without touching it.”
Prototype evolution
Material decision
03 · Material / Textile Installation
A textile wave shaped by marine entanglement, visible repair and regeneration.
Proposed for Bondi Pavilion, the work transforms ghost-gear research and the shared language of lace and net repair into a bodily-scale public encounter.
Narrative arc
Entangle → Repair → Release
Material language
A dense navy root suggests accumulated ghost gear. Reused lace, open crochet and a translucent organza crest gradually increase porosity, light and movement.
04 · Spatial / Climate Design
A shared, low-water and low-energy heat refuge for Coober Pedy.
The proposal turns local dugout logic into accessible public infrastructure, combining earth shelter, deep shade and passive airflow for people at higher heat risk.
Design principle
Low-tech does not mean low ambition.
One linked system
A continuous curved ramp leads to shaded seating and water, while an earth-contact basin, canopy and paired ventilation towers reduce exposure without relying on continuous misting or heavy air-conditioning.
05 · Systems / Information Design
A life-cycle comparison that makes the hidden trade-offs of textile-to-textile recycling visible.
The project compares Nucycl® and Infinna™ across feedstock purity, chemical load and infrastructure, then maps how digital product passports and automated sorting could support circular textile governance.
Comparative insight
Nucycl prioritises feedstock purity and shifts effort upstream to precise sorting. Infinna accepts more varied cotton-rich waste, but requires greater chemical processing and wastewater control.
06 · Service / Digital Interaction
Four early projects exploring how services, technology, space and culture shape participation.
Developed in 2023, this collection moves between product-service systems and immersive installations, revealing an early interest in safety, emotion and cultural storytelling.
An app-connected dog-walking service for busy young pet owners. Identity verification, GPS monitoring and a lockable smart leash make outsourced walks safer and more transparent.
An immersive installation examining the boundaries of kindness. Projected masks and a luminous flower field turn an abstract social question into an atmospheric encounter.
A light-based exhibition translating creatures from The Classic of Mountains and Seas into a cyberpunk visual language through colour, depth and movement.
An immersive tea-ordering experience for Chongqing Huguang Guild Hall. Projection, visual identity and participation turn cultural research into a living ritual.
07 · Surface Design Collection · SDES9121
Three botanical narratives translated through screen print, heat transfer and sublimation.
Peruvian Lily, Clematis and Iris become contemporary textile surfaces through observation drawing, motif development and production testing.
Reunion, devotion and freedom become one botanical journey.
From symbolism to surface
Natural forms were observed, simplified and recomposed before being adapted to the character of a particular textile process.
Peruvian Lily expresses joy, reunion and remembrance. Layered petals become bold linework and a balanced repeat pattern.
Clematis and feather forms combine resilience, devotion and elegance through delicate detail and flowing movement.
Iris, blue flame and glitch fragments represent hope, freedom and transformation in a saturated textile narrative.
Production process
About / 关于
I am Qianjin Xiang, also known as Helen, a Master of Design candidate at UNSW in Sydney. My practice connects visual communication, user research, product thinking, spatial experience and material exploration.
I am drawn to thresholds: between information and attention, function and emotion, tradition and technology, the human and the environment.
