✉ jieli@cityu.edu.mo
☎ +853-8590 2247

Academic Qualifications

2022 Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, Product Design and Development, Aalto University, Finland

2023 Master in Electronic Engineering, Aalto University, Finland

2014 Master in Design Science, Kunming University of Science and Technology, China

Current Position

Assistant Professor, Faculty of Innovation and Design, City University of Macau

Working Experience

2022-2023 Post Doc. Researcher, School of Engineering, Aalto University, Finland

2020-2022 Researcher, Design Factory, Aalto University, Finland

2019-2020 Teaching Assistant, School of Engineering, Aalto University, Finland

Research Interests

Empathic design

Human-centered product design and development

Data-driven design research

Natural language processing

Design education

Sustainable design

User behavior in autonomous vehicle

Publications

Arsi Ikäheimonen, Jie Li, Kai Yao, Si Zu, Talayeh Aledavood, and Katja Hölttä-Otto, 2024. Replicability and reproducibility of data-intensive design research using workflows - example in facial expression synchrony as a measure of empathy. Journal of Engineering Design (accepted).

Li, J. and Hölttä-Otto, K., 2023. Inconstant Empathy—Interpersonal Factors That Influence the Incompleteness of User Understanding. Journal of Mechanical Design, 145(2), p.021403.

Salmi, A., Li, J. and Holtta-Otto, K., 2023. Automatic Facial Expression Analysis as a Measure of User-Designer Empathy. Journal of Mechanical Design, 145(3), p.031403.

Li, J., Surma-aho, A., Chang-Arana, Á.M. and Hölttä-Otto, K., 2021. Understanding customers across national cultures: the influence of national cultural differences on designers’ empathic accuracy. Journal of Engineering Design, 32(10), pp.538-558.

Li, J. and Hölttä-Otto, K., 2020. The influence of designers’ cultural differences on the empathic accuracy of user understanding. The Design Journal, 23(5), pp.779-796.

Li, J. and Hölttä-Otto, K. (2022). Does Empathising With Users Contribute to Better Need Finding?. In International Design Engineering Technical Conferences and Computers and Information in Engineering Conference (Vol. 86267, p. V006T06A023). American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

Li, J., Surma-Aho, A. and Hölttä-Otto, K. (2021). Measuring designers’ empathic understanding of users by a Quick Empathic Accuracy (QEA). In International Design Engineering Technical Conferences and Computers and Information in Engineering Conference (Vol. 85420, p. V006T06A027). American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

Chang-Arana, Á.M., Surma-Aho, A., Li, J., Yang, M.C. and Hölttä-Otto, K. (2020), August. Reading the User’s Mind: Designers Show High Accuracy in Inferring Design-Related Thoughts and Feelings. In International Design Engineering Technical Conferences and Computers and Information in Engineering Conference (Vol. 83976, p. V008T08A029). American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

Funded Projects

Virtual reality experience creation and talent cultivation in the Historic Center of Macao, 2024-2025, China National Arts Fund. Role: team member.

DigiTally project, 2021–2023, Euroopan sosiaalirahasto (ESR). Role: project leader of Aalto University.

Empathic Engineering project, 2019-2022, Jane & Aatos Erkko foundation. Role: project leader.

Extracting autonomous vehicle drivers’ needs by NLP, 2024-2025, Finnish Cultural Foundation.

Tacti knowledge transferring in human-centered product design and development, 2018-2019, Education Finland (EDUFI).

Other scientific or academic merits

Member of American Society of Mechanical Engineering (ASME). 2018-

Invited reviewer of Design Studies, Design Science, Journal of Mechanical Design, and Journal of Engineering Design