[Herald Design Forum] Johnny Lee, visionary engineer-cum-designer, sees future in digital worlds

To what extent does design form experiences in digital worlds?

For Johnny Lee, in an period the place prolonged realities, or XR, dissolve obstacles of bodily house and time, design — whether or not technological or digital house design — is “essential.”

With a background in engineering and years of entrepreneurial expertise, Lee balances the roles of engineer and designer at iStaging — a Taipei-based firm specializing in digital actuality options he based in 2015.

Lee, who can be the corporate’s CEO, defined in an e mail interview with The Korea Herald that he “designs a journey to see creativeness via XR.”

XR is a broad time period that encompasses immersive applied sciences like digital, augmented and blended actuality that combine interactive digital content material into the actual world.

From an engineering perspective, he focuses on growing revolutionary applied sciences that push the boundaries of digital environments.

On the similar time, from a design standpoint, he prioritizes person expertise, ensuring that interactions are intuitive, pleasurable and accessible.

iStaging stated it has offered tailor-made AR and VR content material platforms for over 100,000 shoppers, together with LVMH, Luxgen Motor and ASUS, to convey their distinctive design ideas and narratives to life.

“IStaging lets you create Model Verse by utilizing cell phones and AI know-how: remodeling merchandise into 3D and immersive interactive experiences,” he remarked.

XR applied sciences maintain immense potential, he believes, as a transformative mode of digital interplay for each companies and shoppers.

“We’re witnessing a convergence of applied sciences that may redefine how we work together with digital content material and one another. This fusion will improve schooling, leisure, well being care and extra, creating alternatives for richer, extra significant experiences,” he stated.

In these digital worlds, it’s essential to render experiences extra immersive and plausible, therefore more practical.

“A visually interesting atmosphere can improve person engagement and emotional connection,” Lee said, including that it additional helps customers “really feel grounded and current throughout the digital house.”

As a part of ongoing efforts to determine areas for enchancment, Lee stated he “strives to include person suggestions all through the design course of.” Person-centered design, narrative coherence and interactivity are the rules that drive his efforts to steadiness creativity with performance.

Lee repeatedly seeks alternatives for innovation, an idea deeply associated to “experimentation and adaptation.”

One innovation pertains to new media, one of many huge array of industries poised to profit from XR know-how.

“The metaverse can revolutionize how information is delivered and consumed by creating immersive journalism experiences. Readers may discover tales in a 3D atmosphere, work together with content material and acquire deeper insights, thus fostering engagement and understanding,” he stated.

His enthusiasm additional drives his agency’s ambition to broaden content material choices via cutting-edge applied sciences and forge strategic partnerships.

A testomony to his strategic considering, Lee chosen Seoul as a hub for iStaging’s Asian growth final 12 months.

With places of work in San Francisco, Shanghai and Paris, and its headquarters in Taiwan, iStaging’s growth to Seoul displays Lee’s perception within the metropolis’s standing as “a frontrunner in know-how adoption and innovation.”

“Establishing a hub right here permits us to faucet right into a vibrant market and collaborate with native expertise whereas serving as a strategic level for growth throughout Asia.” He said.

He’s removed from completed sharing his imaginative and prescient for digital technological innovation.

Johnny Lee will ship a particular lecture at The Herald Design Discussion board 2024 on Oct. 8 on the Floating Island Conference Middle on the Han River in Seoul. The 14th version of the discussion board will discover the theme “Inspiration, Limitless?”