Hao-Wei Du, a student from the Department of Design at Taiwan Tech, has been selected for the Ministry of Education's “Elite Training Program for Arts and Design”. Following his success in winning an award at The Young Ones competition in the United States last year, he was recommended to study a one-year design course at Swinburne University of Technology in Australia. Moreover, in 2023, he successfully secured a full scholarship for a Ph.D. in Innovative Design at Swinburne University of Technology in Australia.

When Hao-Wei Du was selected by the Ministry of Education to attend the design major at Swinburne University of Technology in 2022, he completed a six-month program at the Design Factory Melbourne. In November, he also traveled to Switzerland for a two-week collaboration at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). Working alongside design students, researchers, and scientists from various fields worldwide, he innovated using “deep technology” developed by the nuclear research organization. Through design, he aims to address the societal challenges of the year 2030.

Hao-Wei Du produced an explanatory video on the issue of delayed diagnosis of "Endometriosis" in women, aiming to help the public understand the pain points and potential solutions.

During his six-month project at the Design Factory Melbourne, Hao-Wei Du, in his role as a "communication designer", collaborated with local Australian students to design specific solutions to the increasingly serious problem of delayed diagnosis of "Endometriosis" in Australia, including an Endometriosis scanning robot, a wellness bus, and an educational program for Endometriosis screening (link to a video introducing these solutions with Chinese subtitles: https://youtu.be/s4g4ckx4gsE).

Hao-Wei Du designed three solutions for Endometriosis in women, including an Endometriosis scanning robot (center), the Wellness Bus (right), and the Endometriosis screening education program (left).

He mentioned that his experience working at a local design firm in Australia was quite different from the working style in Taiwan, which surprised and felt unfamiliar to him. In Australia, each project was set with an estimated duration, emphasizing strict time management and overall scheduling. Despite the rapid pace leading to immense pressure, the fast-paced mode allowed for the creation of more work, resulting in a sense of achievement. He also discovered that while in Taiwan, he thought that "communication designers" mainly focused on packaging and print-related tasks, in Australia, he realized the importance of communication design. Communication designers possess more capabilities than others in explaining and conveying knowledge, becoming a bridge within teams.

Hao-Wei Du believes that in today's society, anyone can be a designer or an artist. However, designing with empathy and creating designs that contribute to the future of society are his current goals. He describes his profession as "communication design," using design mediums to "communicate" what he intends to present. Since many people always think that "communication designers" only focus on branding and packaging, his research direction leans towards interdisciplinary team innovation design or knowledge transfer. How to effectively communicate and convey information is what defines the unrestricted nature of "communication design". He mentioned that applying for a Ph.D. in Innovative Design is about researching communication design within interdisciplinary teams or in the innovation process.

In Switzerland, at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, a 14-day intensive training program was conducted to explore the potential use of drones for surveying and rescue operations during the Australian forest fires. The image depicts Hao-Wei Du.

The doctoral scholarship obtained by Hao-Wei Du was established jointly by the global design organization, Design Factory Melbourne, Swinburne University of Technology, and the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization. This scholarship covers an annual living allowance of approximately 33,000 Australian dollars (around 700,000 New Taiwan dollars) and exempts tuition fees of about 33,000 Australian dollars per year (around 700,000 New Taiwan dollars). In total, the scholarship amounts to around 4 million New Taiwan dollars over three years.