{"id":39502,"date":"2025-06-03T09:59:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-03T09:59:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/muse.international\/?p=39502"},"modified":"2025-06-10T03:11:44","modified_gmt":"2025-06-10T03:11:44","slug":"how-holo-nature-explorer-by-yingci-zhong-turns-playtime-into-discovery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/muse.international\/index\/how-holo-nature-explorer-by-yingci-zhong-turns-playtime-into-discovery\/","title":{"rendered":"How HOLO Nature Explorer by Yingci Zhong Turns Playtime Into Discovery"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Yingci Zhong is a designer who creates playful, meaningful experiences. With a background in industrial design and a passion for storytelling, she turns abstract ideas like emotions and sounds into engaging, tangible moments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q1. Congratulations on winning the MUSE Design Awards! Can you introduce yourself and share about what inspired you to pursue design as a career?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’m a designer who loves creating playful and meaningful experiences. What led me into design was a deep curiosity about how people learn through doing, sensing, and imagining.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With a background in industrial design and a strong interest in interaction and visual storytelling, I\u2019ve always been drawn to the ways design can help translate abstract concepts\u2014like emotions, sounds, or everyday observations\u2014into something tangible and engaging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s also what inspired HOLO, a project that explores how toys can encourage children to connect with their surroundings, ask questions, and build stories through hands-on play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For me, design isn\u2019t just about making things functional; it\u2019s about creating space for curiosity, wonder, and meaningful connections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q2. What does being recognized in the MUSE Design Awards mean to you?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It means a lot\u2014not just as recognition of the final outcome, but of the process behind it. HOLO was built through observation, iteration, and a lot of care for how children think and feel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This award reminds me that designing with empathy and imagination matters\u2014and that playful, thoughtful ideas do have a place in shaping how we learn and grow. It encourages me to keep trusting the slower, more exploratory paths in design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q3. How has this achievement impacted your career, team, or agency, and what opportunities has it brought so far?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s opened up new conversations. Since receiving the award, more people have become curious about the ideas behind HOLO, especially around how design can support learning through play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On a personal level, it\u2019s given me more confidence to keep exploring child-centered and experience-driven design. It has also helped connect me with others who are equally passionate about education, interaction, and meaningful storytelling\u2014which I believe will lead to exciting collaborations ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q4. What role does experimentation play in your creative process? Can you share an example?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Experimentation plays a huge role, especially when designing something for children. With HOLO, the goal was to create an AI-powered exploration tool that encourages kids to interact with their environment and discover hidden details. Inspired by the simple shape of a magnifying glass, I envisioned a tool that would focus their attention on the small wonders around them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But when I tested the prototype with children, they immediately began using it in ways I hadn\u2019t anticipated\u2014treating it like a magic wand to cast spells or even as a \u201ctool\u201d for their imaginary adventures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While I initially worried that these off-script uses might stray from the core design, I quickly realized that this spontaneous play was exactly what I wanted\u2014children were exploring their world, asking questions, and pushing the boundaries of the tool in creative ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This experimentation highlighted the importance of designing a product that\u2019s both safe and intuitive while still leaving room for imagination and discovery. The unexpected uses provided me with valuable insights into how kids interact with technology and helped refine the tool to be more engaging and versatile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q5. What’s the most unusual source of inspiration you’ve ever drawn from for a project?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of my most unusual sources of inspiration came from my childhood love of “micro adventures.” My friends and I would spend hours outdoors, searching for little treasures in nature\u2014like ladybugs on leaves. I would often circle them with my hand, imagining what it would be like to examine them through a magnifying glass. The excitement of discovering tiny details and sharing them with my friends left a lasting impression on how I approach design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It reminded me that exploration, curiosity, and the simple act of observing can reveal a whole new world of possibilities. These memories shaped HOLO, a tool designed to help kids do exactly that\u2014discover and observe their surroundings in a playful and meaningful way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Winning Entry <\/p>\n\n\n\n

P?NG?Blossom Packaging for Room and Fabric Spray<\/a><\/h6>\n\n\n\n

Explore another journey of Chyi Ruey<\/a>, the Gold Winner of the 2025 MUSE Design Awards. She blends visual media and art to shape a fragrance brand expressing scent through imagery. Rooted in authenticity, her designs weave scent, image, and story into a rich cultural experience.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Yingci Zhong is a designer who creates playful, meaningful experiences. 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