Hi!THIS IS Mengke 

My friends call me Mango 🍋, nice to meet you here!

Who was I

Starting my scholastic voyage in Urban Design (UD), I mainly analyzed information and delivered solutions for spatial or systematic problems in urban fabrics. After graduating from Columbia University with a Master's in Architecture and Urban Design, I worked at New York design firms for 3 years. My design dedication is to blur the boundary between nature and design to deepen the social connection. While form and aesthetics matter, a great design must be driven by the user. Therefore, motivated to enrich my user-oriented thinking and empirical research ability, I went to MIT for my 2nd Master's, focusing on UX design and product development.

​

Who am I

Now, as a Ph.D. student in the UIUC Informatics program, I am deeply involved in HCI research, specifically advancing Human-AI collaboration and creativity support by exploring human perceptions, behaviors, experience design, interface refinements, and social impacts. My goal is to leverage my design expertise to enhance human-centered digital systems that foster trust, usability, and meaningful engagement. I understand and synthesize user insights into actionable design strategies using both qualitative and quantitative methods—such as interviews, participatory design, usability studies, field studies, surveys, experiments, and behavioral analysis (R, Python). These mixed approaches allow me to ensure the generated design solutions are not only data-driven but also enriched by real-world user insights.

Whom will I be

I believe the systematic thinking and expertise in spatial ergonomics cultivated from my urban design career, meshed with my grounded and human-oriented approaches, give me a holistic view of the research progress. I aspire to serve as a bridge between humans, technology, and design, enriching the research or development process by leveraging my multidisciplinary background to collaborate with thinkers from diverse disciplines. I expect myself to become, and will work hard to be, an influential researcher, designer, and educator.

​​​

Who else am I

I am also a piano player 🎹, music lover 🎤, travel enthusiast 🏖️, comic hobbyist 🎨, and dessert explorer 🍧.