We are in a radical time of change. Complex social, environmental and unprecedented economic challenges that we are tackling today require collaborative and interdisciplinary effort. We have to break silos, and synergize between knowledge domains, professional practices and resources for a better society and world. Moreover, whether at the university, in Hong Kong, in mainland China, and around the world, there is now strong interest and support in forward-looking and creative entrepreneurship that would bring impact and change. This is an expanding prospect for designers and design schools.

PolyU Design and its Dean, Professor Kun-Pyo LEE envisions a re-structuring of BA education, by providing a special, alternative Integrated Designpreneurship (InD) track for students. Evolving from the early trials of Integrated Capstone (InC) subjects since 2020, the new InD subjects (which includes the SD4004 Capstone Research: InD and the SD4005 Capstone Project: InD) equip students with four core aspects of training and learning:

(1) Team Management — Methodology to tackle complex team building and teamwork challenges

(2) Systemic Thinking — Design proposition with holistic concept and integrated elements

(3) Interdisciplinarity — Disciplinary skills integration, knowledge sharing and co-creation

(4) Entrepreneurship — Design strategy in pursuit to sustain, scale, impact and change-make

The InD projects are shown at the PolyU Design Show 2025. Through these projects, our final-year bachelor students, coming from different design disciplines, encounter new problems, experiment with integrative processes, and co-create systemic solutions with entrepreneurial mindsets.

Academic Advisors: Prof. Benny LEONG, Mr Kam-Fai CHAN, Mr James O

Subject Assistant: Mr Thomas WONG

BA (Hons) Scheme in Design
Capstone Project: Integrated Designpreneurship
Project Tutor: Tutor: CHAN Kam Fai, LEONG Benny, O Hing Pong

Gan Deoi

Hong Kong’s tourism industry, a key economic pillar contributing 5% to GDP, has declined sharply, with visitor numbers dropping from 68 million in 2018 to a projected 45 million in 2024. Post-pandemic, travelers prefer short, budget-friendly trips, often focusing on popular "check-in"spots while neglecting deeper cultural experiences. To address this, "Gan Deoi," a peer-to-peerplatform, connects locals and tourists through personalized activities. The app allows users tocreate or join events based on shared interests, fostering genuine interactions.

BA (Hons) Scheme in Design
Capstone Project: Integrated Designpreneurship
Project Tutor: CHAN Kam Fai, LEONG Benny, James O

Linky — Redesign Friendship Maintainance among Young Generations in Hong Kong

Daily in-person interactions in high school help foster deep friendships among Gen-Z youngsters. However, different career and life path choices after graduation often dissolve such profound relations, leaving only fragmented stories conveyed through emotionally bland social posts and/or muted messages. Although these Gen Z youngsters has an average of 300 online ‘friends’, the lack of meaningful ritual of interpersonal connections leaves them feeling lonelier than ever.

‘Linky’ is a hybrid design solution which aims to maintain old-friends bonding during prolonged separation, and to turn cold digital touches into warm real-world reunion of friends. ‘Linky’ offers a pocket-sized cubic device with a 16×16 LED face that defaults to a pixel smile, paired with a minimalist mobile app. Tapping the cube or ‘feeding’ it in the app triggers a joyful grin and silently logs affection. Shared-calendar AI suggests mutual free times; when friends finally meet, their cubes ‘high-five’ via NFC, unleashing a rainbow flash, boosting the happiness meter, and saving the moment to a private timeline. This emotion-first loop transforms scattered pings into tangible rituals that gently guide friends together.

BA (Hons) Scheme in Design
Capstone Project: Integrated Designpreneurship
Project Tutor: CHAN Kam Fai, LEONG Benny, James O

Spot.

Unlike conventional systems like Blackboard or Canvas, SPOT goes beyond managing courses, actively facilitating cross-pollinating learning communities and embedding collaboration and discovery into everyday learning. Born from behavioural research within creative institutions, SPOT addresses a gap where students often fail to recognise the value of peer knowledge across disciplines. By integrating discovery, peer exchange, and interdisciplinary inspiration into project workflows, its intelligent engine surfaces relevant projects and insights, transforming siloed learning into dynamic, collaborative ecosystems. Designed with the future of institutions in mind, SPOT helps creative schools stay competitive in an era shaped by AI, micro-credentials, and skill-based hiring, building resilient, student-driven communities where peer learning and human connection are central to the educational experience.

×

❮ ❯