Yuan (Hope) Xu / 许愿

Ph.D. Student · Information Hub, CMA Thrust, HKUST(GZ)

I started my Ph.D. in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) at a time when people say "the GUI is dead". My research focuses on interaction design under highly AI-automated contexts and generative interface methods — a cross-disciplinary space spanning computer science and design. More than the technology itself, I care about how people actually use it, especially everyday users without technical backgrounds. Rather than expecting everyone to become a computer expert, I prefer to observe and understand their behaviors and mental models, and build more user-friendly interfaces for ordinary people.

I also believe in staying closely aligned with industry needs and real-world applications. Beyond my own research, I actively support other students in our lab and mentor incoming interns as they begin their research journeys.

yxu712 [at] connect.hkust-gz.edu.cn

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Google Scholar

LinkedIn

Education

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou)

Guangzhou, China Jan. 2026 – Present

Ph.D. Student in Computational Media and Arts (CMA), Information Hub

Advisor: Prof. Xin TONG · ARK Lab

Central South University

Changsha, China 2022 – Jun. 2025

B.Eng. in Computer Science and Technology

Excellent Engineer Education Program

Initially enrolled in Information and Computational Science, School of Mathematics and Statistics (2021–2022).

Experience

My journey in CS began with competitive programming training (NOIP) in middle and high school. This early foundation enabled me to rapidly complete my undergraduate curriculum during my initial two years at Central South University — across the School of Computer Science and Engineering and the School of Mathematics and Statistics. While there, I had my first real opportunity to explore research under the kind guidance of Prof. Jiazhi XIA. Free from coursework, I was able to dedicate the remaining two years to receiving comprehensive introductory research training as a research assistant. During this period, I had the privilege of learning from Prof. Chun YU at PI Lab, Tsinghua University and Prof. Liuqing CHEN at ICI Lab, Zhejiang University. In Spring 2026, I joined ARK Lab at HKUST(GZ) as a Ph.D. student under the supervision of Prof. Xin TONG.

Research Experience

ARK Lab, HKUST(GZ)

Research Assistant

Advisor: Prof. Xin TONG

Jan 2025 – Jan 2026

Spearheading research into next-generation AI-driven interface generation, developing unified methodologies for GUI, spatial computing, and Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) applications.

Pervasive HCI Lab, Tsinghua University

Research Assistant

Advisor: Prof. Chun YU; Mentor: Dr. Tian HUANG

Mar 2024 – Dec 2024

Pioneered the generation of cognition-adaptive voice interfaces, building models that dynamically adjust interaction patterns based on the user's real-time cognitive workload.

ICI Lab, Zhejiang University

Research Intern

Advisor: Prof. Liuqing CHEN

2024

Explored the application of generative AI to augment the creative process, developing novel tools to support designers during the ideation phase.

Data Visual Analysis Team, Central South University

Undergraduate Researcher

Advisor: Prof. Jiazhi XIA

2022 – 2023

Built a foundational understanding of data-driven interaction through a prospective study on temporal network analysis, focusing on hierarchical analysis and graph visualization mining.

Industry Experience

Tencent Music Entertainment Group

Product Manager Intern, QQ Music

Jan 2024 – Mar 2024
  • Conducted prospective research on AIGC-driven playlist generation, covering user research, requirements definition, prototype testing, and technical implementation strategies (LoRA, Stable Diffusion, LLMs).

Kingsoft Seasun Games, Seed Lab

Game Development Intern

Jul 2023 – Aug 2023
  • Designed user interaction experiences and created interactive animations for new game features.
  • Developed gameplay mechanics using Unity and C#, focusing on camera scheduling and rendering pipelines.

Publications

DuetUI: A Bidirectional Context Loop for Human-Agent Co-Generation of Task-Oriented Interfaces

Yuan Xu, Shaowen Xiang, Yizhi Song, Ruoting Sun, and Xin Tong.

CHI 2026 (CCF-A)

arXiv DOI
My Contribution: First author; responsible for the entire research lifecycle from ideation, system implementation, user studies, to manuscript writing.

How Do We Research Human-Robot Interaction in the Age of Large Language Models? A Systematic Review

Yufeng Wang*, Yuan Xu*, Anastasia Nikolova, Yuxuan Wang, Jianyu Wang, Chongyang Wang, Xin Tong . (*Equal contribution)

CHI 2026 (CCF-A)

arXiv DOI
My Contribution: First author; led the research team, conceived the original idea, designed the overall paper framework, and directed the literature review and manuscript writing..
ACM CHI Honorable Mention Award

I-Card: A Generative AI-Supported Intelligent Design Method Card Deck

Liuqing Chen, Wengteng Cheang, Zhaojun Jiang, Yuan Xu, Zebin Cai, Lingyun Sun, Peter Childs, Ji Han, Preben Hansen, Haoyu Zuo.

CHI 2025 (CCF-A)

DOI
My Contribution: Led technical execution, from system architecture design to full-stack implementation.

MemoryLib: A Human-AI Collaborative Approach to Support Personalized Memory Meaning-Making Process

Xiangrong Zhu, Jingwei Sun, Yuan Xu, Huanyi Wan, Jiawen Zhang, Yanchen Cao, Liuxin Zhang, Yu Zhang, Qianying Wang, Xin Tong.

Ubicomp/IMWUT (CCF-A, accepted)

My Contribution: Contributed to the early-stage concept formation and the fundamental interaction design.

Luminara: Transforming Dunhuang Murals into Interactive Narratives through AI Analysis and Multi-Agent Generation

Jiawen Zhang, Keyi Zeng, Yuan Xu, Liyi Xie, Jingyang Lin, Ke Zhao, Yingjie Ma, Xiaoguang Wang, Xin Tong.

DIS 2026 (CCF-C, accepted)

My Contribution: Collection and annotation of mural painting datasets, and design & construction of the grounding system.

Intelligent Interaction Strategies for Context-Aware Cognitive Augmentation

Xiangrong Zhu, Yuan Xu, Tianjian Liu, Jingwei Sun, Yu Zhang, and Xin Tong.

CHI 2025 Workshop

arXiv
My Contribution: Designed and executed the user experiments and co-authored the results section.

Investigating Cognition-Adaptive Design for Voice User Interfaces

Tian Huang, Yuan Xu, Chun Yu, Weinan Shi, Wenhao An, Hanyu Zhang, Yang Wang, Yuanchun Shi.

Under Review

My Contribution: Initiated core ideas, developed the complete system, and conducted all user experiments.

Selected Projects

Cosmic Symphony cover
2025

Cosmic Symphony

Creative Developer

An interactive audio-visual installation that maps cosmic data to generative music, creating an immersive soundscape of the universe.

View on GitHub
QingCloud cover
2023

QingCloud

Project Lead

AI-Powered Health Monitoring Platform. Led end-to-end development including a predictive ML model using smart insole data and multi-platform applications.

View Details
Book of Construction cover
2023

筑语书 (Book of Construction)

Game Designer & Developer

An award-winning puzzle game demo with a unique pop-up book mechanic to visualize the history of Chinese architecture.

Best Creative Game DEMO Award (Kingsoft SEED Camp)
View Details

Honors & Awards

  • China International College Students' Innovation Competition
    National Finalist, Main Track (Top 0.05%) Jan 2024
  • Cross-Strait, HK & Macao Computer Innovation Finals
    First Prize (Rank 1, Top 0.05%) Jul 2023
  • 16th National University Student Software Innovation Competition
    National Second Prize & Most Innovative Work Award Jun 2023
  • 14th "Zhengda Cup" National Market Survey and Analysis Competition
    First Prize, Hunan Province Apr 2024
  • National University Student Mathematical Modeling Competition
    Third Prize, Hunan Province 2023
  • Other Technical Achievements
    CCF-CSP Score: 240 (Top 9% of 191,785 participants)
    NOIP (High School): Second Prize, Zhejiang Province

Service

UIST 2026

Reviewer

2026

GBA HCI Pre-CHI 2025

Student Volunteer & Session Host

2025

ICACHI-China Night

Student Volunteer

2026