Shuo Feng.

Research vision · Human–computer interaction

Beyond Design Outcomes

Interactive Tools for Design Reasoning

My research aims to strengthen people’s ability to reason through complex design problems and make informed decisions. I develop interactive tools grounded in how people explore possibilities, reflect on their decisions, and build on one another’s expertise. My current work focuses on CAD and digital fabrication, where design goals and possible solutions evolve together.

Current Research Interests

Human–AI collaboration for deeper design thinking, exploring how AI can support people in questioning assumptions, reflecting on decisions, and developing new possibilities.

Tools that enhance designers’ capabilities, helping people work creatively and critically through complex, open-ended design challenges.

Collaborative design methods that engage end-users and diverse expertise throughout design and engineering, supporting shared understanding and the development of solutions grounded in people’s needs.

Research background & framework
01 / Why reasoning matters

Designers do more than find solutions to predefined problems. As they develop a design, they also reconsider goals, identify constraints, and discover new possibilities. Yet design tools increasingly emphasize producing outcomes, while important opportunities to examine the decisions behind those outcomes can be missed.

02 / Design and fabrication

I study this challenge in CAD and digital fabrication, where decisions about geometry, materials, fabrication, and physical use shape one another. My projects investigate three ways to support this reasoning: comparing possible fabrication workflows (CAMeleon), prompting reflection during modeling (aCADemy), and helping collaborators develop decisions that remain unresolved (FuzzyCAD).

Research framework

I organize this research around two dimensions: whether a tool begins by supporting the Problem Space or the Solution Space, and whether reasoning involves individuals, groups, or communities.

Research framework: reasoning emphasis and participation Research framework organized along two continuous dimensions, with Problem Space above Solution Space and participation from Individual through Group to Community. All core projects are equal-sized circular points marking their primary reasoning entry emphasis. CAMeleon is placed near the individual solution-space end; aCADemy lies on the problem-space side near the boundary; FuzzyCAD lies on the group solution-space side near the boundary. Positions show qualitative entry emphasis, not measured impact or contribution magnitude. Smaller dashed circles near the middle show related work: Design with Myself, TOM Search, and Y-AR. Community remains open for future research. Individual Group Community Problem Space What to achieve Solution Space How to achieve it aCADemy CAMeleon FuzzyCAD Design with Myself: awareness of the designer's responses during designDesign with Myself TOM Search: connect assistive needs to potential existing solutionsTOM Search Y-AR: wire geometry design and fabrication in physical environmentsY-AR Research framework, mobile layout Two-dimensional qualitative map. Core projects are equal-sized circles placed at different points along the problem to solution and individual to community dimensions: aCADemy near the problem-solution boundary on the problem side, CAMeleon close to the individual solution end, and FuzzyCAD near the boundary on the group solution side. Smaller dashed rings near the middle mark Design with Myself, TOM Search, and Y-AR. Individual Group Community ProblemSpaceWhat to achieve SolutionSpaceHow to achieve it aCADemy CAMeleon FuzzyCAD Design with Myself: reflecting on the designer's own responsesDesign with Myself TOM Search: connecting needs and candidate solutionsTOM Search Y-AR: fabricable wire-form modelingY-AR

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Core research Related work

News

Updates & milestones

  • Our paper PolyBrick 4.0 is published in 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing.

  • Passed my Ph.D. A-exam at Cornell Tech! I presented my research agenda, Beyond Design Outcomes: Interactive Tools for Design Reasoning. I'm grateful to my committee—Thijs Roumen, Jenny Sabin, René Kizilcec, and Cindy Hsin-Liu Kao—for their thoughtful feedback and continued support. I'm excited to carry this work forward into my dissertation research.

    Presenting future research on portable design reasoning during my Cornell Tech A-examPresenting architectural and spatial design research directions during my Cornell Tech A-exam

  • Presented the TOM assistive technology search engine with Maayan Keren and the TOM Global team at Cornell Tech's AI and Accessibility Summit 2026 ↗.

    Assistive technology showcase table at the AI and Accessibility Summit 2026

  • Siegel PiTech PhD Impact Fellow with TOM Global. Built a multi-source assistive technology search tool. Project details ↗

  • CAMeleon was accepted to ACM CHI 2026; I attended and presented the work in Barcelona, April 13–17.

    CAMeleon fabrication workflow comparison interface

  • OriStitch was featured in Cornell News ↗.

    A hat fabricated with the OriStitch system

  • Y-AR and OriStitch were published at the ACM Symposium on Computational Fabrication.

Earlier news ↓

News archive ↗

Research

Interactive systems, design methods, physical artifacts & empirical research

Showing all 11 projects

White porous ceramic PolyBrick prototypes against a black background

Published 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing · 2026

PolyBrick 4.0: 3D Printed Modular Bricks with Programmable Living Yeast Matter for Formaldehyde Air Purification

Yehong Mi, Shuo Feng, Thanut Sakdanaraseth, Chi Zhang, Pengyu Chen, Jianing Han, Dong Oh Han, Sijin Li, Rong Yang, Jenny E. Sabin

PolyBrick 4.0 combines computational design, ceramic 3D printing, and programmable living materials to explore bio-integrated architectural components for indoor air purification. The project investigates parametric brick geometries, airflow optimization, and yeast integration into porous ceramic structures.

Contribution: Computational Design · Fabrication Method · Physical Artifact

Computational designDigital fabricationLiving materialsBiodesign
Paper
CAMeleon fabrication workflow comparisons

Published ACM CHI · 2026

CAMeleon: Comparing Fabrication Workflows in CAD to Support Design Reasoning

Shuo Feng, Xuening Wang, Yifan (Lavenda) Shan, Krista U Singh, Bo Liu, Amritansh Kwatra, Ritik Batra, Tobias M Weinberg, Thijs Roumen

CAMeleon explores comparison-based decision support in CAD. Designers compare alternative fabrication workflows for the same model, explore trade-offs, and reconsider design decisions before committing to a solution.

Contribution: Interactive System · User Interface · Empirical Study

Designer CapabilitiesCADDesign reasoningDecision supportLearning
ProjectPaperLive demoVideo
aCADemy research project image

Research in progress

aCADemy: Guided Reflection on Fabrication-centric CAD Decisions Through AI

aCADemy explores reflective AI assistance for design decision-making alongside CAD software. It raises contextual questions about fabrication during modeling, helping designers recognize considerations as their designs develop. Questions can remain relevant before a designer is ready to act, while design decisions stay in the designer's hands.

Contribution: Human–AI Interactive System · Interaction Design · Empirical Study

Human–AI CollaborationDesigner CapabilitiesCADDesign reasoningGuided reflectionHuman–AI
FuzzyCAD Figure 1: collaborators express and refine uncertain CAD decisions across asynchronous handoffs

Research in progress

FuzzyCAD: Supporting Collaborative Design Reasoning through Deferred Decisions in CAD

FuzzyCAD helps collaborators express uncertainty and communicate design intent by marking unresolved decisions directly on CAD geometry, together with constraints, context, and competing alternatives. Across asynchronous handoffs, collaborators with different expertise can advance the design without prematurely finalizing decisions, and reconsider how inherited problems were framed.

Contribution: Interactive System · Interaction Technique · Empirical Study

Collaborative DesignDesigner CapabilitiesCADDesign reasoningDesign uncertaintyCollaboration

Work in progress

exCADmple: Supporting Design Reasoning Reuse Through Shared CAD Models

Exploring how design reasoning embedded in shared CAD models can be reused across a design community, enabling designers to build on one another’s knowledge and decisions.

Contribution: Interactive System · Interaction Design (in development)

Collaborative DesignDesign Reasoning ReuseCommunityCAD
TOM multi-source assistive technology search results and candidate assessment

Applied research Siegel PiTech Fellowship · 2026

Making Assistive Technology Search Actionable through a Multi-Source Retrieval Tool for TOM

People seeking assistive technology often describe everyday challenges without knowing the technical names of relevant solutions. Developed with TOM Global, this tool connects conversational intake to searches across assistive technology catalogs, open-source designs, and commercial products. It helps staff assess whether a result can be used as-is, adapted, or turned into a new maker challenge when existing solutions do not fit.

Contribution: Interactive System · Search Interface · Applied Research

Assistive technologyNeeds-based retrievalNeeds assessment
ProjectLive demo
FloodMap NYC map, flood-event timeline and monitoring dashboard

Applied research PiTech Fellowship · 2025

Making Environmental Data More Accessible for NYC Flood Preparedness

Developed with the NYC Mayor's Office of Climate & Environmental Justice, this interactive dashboard presents flood sensor readings, historical events, and localized monitoring information in an accessible format. It helps New York City residents explore flood-related data and better understand conditions relevant to their neighborhoods.

Contribution: Interactive Dashboard · Data Visualization · Applied Research

Data visualizationFlood preparednessCivic technology
DashboardArticle
Y-AR mixed reality wire bending tool

Published ACM SCF · 2025

Y-AR: A Mixed Reality CAD Tool for 3D Wire Bending

Shuo Feng, Bo Liu, Yifan (Lavenda) Shan, Roy Zunder, Wei-Che Lin, Tri Dinh, Harald Haraldsson, Ofer Berman, Thijs Roumen

Y-AR is a mixed-reality CAD tool for creating three-dimensional wire structures that connect to objects in the physical environment. Its interface incorporates springs as design primitives, both to apply forces that hold objects and to accommodate dimensional inaccuracies from mid-air modeling and measurement.

Contribution: Mixed Reality Interactive System · Interaction Technique · Fabrication Tool

Designer CapabilitiesMixed realityCADDigital fabrication
ProjectPaperVideo
OriStitch self-folding embroidered textiles

Published ACM SCF · 2025

OriStitch: A Machine Embroidery Workflow to Turn Existing Fabrics into Self-Folding 3D Textiles

Zekun Chang, Yixuan Gao, Yuta Noma, Shuo Feng, Xinyi Yang, Kazuhiro Shinoda, Tung D Ta, Koji Yatani, Tomoyuki Yokota, Takao Someya, Tomohiro Tachi, Yoshihiro Kawahara, Koya Narumi, Francois Guimbretiere, Thijs Roumen

OriStitch transforms existing flat fabrics into self-folding three-dimensional structures through computational embroidery. Functional threads are stitched in specific patterns and then activated with heat to achieve a target form. The workflow works with a range of materials, including leather, woven fabric, and denim.

Contribution: Computational Fabrication Method · Physical Artifact

Designer CapabilitiesComputational fabricationEmbroiderySmart textiles
ProjectPaperVideo
EEG headset and VR setup for the Multi-Self project

Published International Journal of Human–Computer Studies · 2024

Design with Myself: A Brain–Computer Interface Design Tool That Predicts Live Emotion to Enhance Metacognitive Monitoring of Designers

Qi Yang, Shuo Feng, Tianlin Zhao, Saleh Kalantari

Multi-Self is a BCI–VR design tool that provides real-time visual feedback about designers' emotional responses to support metacognitive monitoring. A pilot study with 24 participants reported increased design exploration and self-awareness, while responses to the accuracy of the emotional feedback were mixed.

Contribution: BCI–VR Interactive System · Empirical Study

Designer CapabilitiesBrain–computer interfaceVirtual realityMetacognition
ProjectPaperGallery
Emotive Room modular responsive installation illuminated in blue and purple

Published ACADIA · 2023

Emotive Room: A BCI Interactive Architectural Interface

Shuo Feng, Saleh Kalantari, Jenny Sabin

Emotive Room explores how an interactive architectural environment can respond to people's emotional states through real-time brain–computer interaction. By changing spatial color and form in response to stress-related feedback, the project investigates responsive environments that may support calmness and well-being.

Contribution: Interactive Environment · Physical Artifact · Design Exploration

Brain–computer interfaceResponsive architectureBiofeedback
ProjectPaper

Outside the Lab

Fishing days and life beyond CAD

Standing in a river with a fishing rod during the autumn salmon run, surrounded by fall foliage

Early Oct 2026 · Salmon run

Salmon-run river fishing

Waders on, rod out, and fall colors everywhere. 🎣

Holding a freshly caught fish on a fishing boat off Tampa, Florida

Sep 2026 · Tampa, Florida

Offshore fishing in Tampa

A sunny day on the water, and a catch worth a photo. 🎣

Contact

Shuo Feng · Ph.D. Candidate, Information Science · Cornell Tech

sf522@cornell.edu · Google Scholar · CV