When form meets function in a product, the user experience is amplified and a following is cultivated. Anson WONG King-Sang (Class of 2025), alumnus of HKUST’s Innovation, Design and Technology (IDT) program*, believes his studies have instilled in him the knack for both.  

Taking a course offered by the Division of Integrative Systems and Design, which offers the IDT program, as a student at the School of Engineering in year 1 altered the trajectory of Anson’s path at the University. “As a natural team player, I became enamored of IDT’s experiential and problem-based learning approach, which made me decide on IDT as my major in year 2,” he reflected.   

Two significant year-long projects provided Anson with the overarching themes for his studies from year 2 to year 4. Describing the year 2 project as “quite experimental”, he admitted that he was mentally prepared for the possibility of it not coming to fruition. Yet this project provided Anson with a taster of IDT’s experiential learning and collaborative environment, which he developed a passion for. The year 3 project, focused on analyzing and improving sailors’ performance through gathering data and allowing coaches to monitor their safety, enabled cross-disciplinary collaboration between engineering-driven and design-centric students like himself. 

For final year projects, IDT offers students an entrepreneurial trackway which empowers them to adopt the approach of entrepreneurs — from defining their own projects, managing resources and time limitations, to seeking approval from external organizations. Riding on the year 3 project, Anson’s final year project explored the same theme but through the lens of startup founders. “My classmates and I made the efforts to understand the performance needs and priorities of sailors by interviewing coaches and students of Hebe Haven Yacht Club in order to refine our design prototype, which we pitched for ideation funding from the HKSTP and succeeded in passing the initial round,” he reminisced with pride.  

Influenced by IDT’s people-oriented approach, Anson also devoted himself to serving the school community as the general secretary of the Program Students’ Society and a peer mentor at the School of Engineering, experiences which were instrumental to his garnering of the University’s Community Builder scholarship.  

In his current role as an assistant designer at a Japanese trading company, Anson is training his focus on designing garment accessories and collaterals such as product sample cards for clients. “IDT endowed me with 3D design knowhow, a human-centered mindset, and an engineering perspective, which allow me to work seamlessly with my company’s suppliers, sales representatives, and engineers. Its emphasis on system thinking cultivated my ability to locate the issues at stake effectively and contemplate from different angles to figure out the solutions, which I leverage to tackle various projects,” he said.  

IDT’s fostering of communications skills is useful when Anson walks his organization’s sales team through the design vision and strengths of his products so they can sell with conviction. The program’s international community also readied him for working in a multinational environment where he collaborates closely with stakeholders including his Japanese supervisor and suppliers across geographies.  

A key project Anson is pouring his energy into these days is using 3D modeling to design a cord lock for athletic clothing that can be adjusted with ease. “I ask the question “What if?” frequently to challenge myself to design better,” he said.   

The saying "Step by step, the ladder is ascended" holds true for Anson, who wasn’t particularly adept at using the computer for work in year 2. Yet he learnt fast thanks to his professors and fellow students’ willingness to teach him for the 3D drawing courses, a testament to every stage of progress taking a village. By year 4, he had made remarkable improvements that could draw 3D mechanisms and facades without assistance. 

IDT graduates may worry that the program being relatively new resulting in companies overlooking their job applications. Allaying their concerns, Anson said, “When I was applying for openings as a fresh graduate, HR teams of various organizations were very curious about what IDT stands for. I saw this as an opportunity to tell them what is special about the program, and the advantages it has enriched me with.” 

*IDT was formerly known as the BSc in Integrative Systems and Design.