About

Design is a way of seeing, then doing.
Research is a way of being, and giving.

Together, design and research are a force for meaningful social change—one that builds and sustains people, organisations, and ecosystems. To make progress, we often need to let go of processes and mindsets that no longer serve us. And change is hard. This is where design steps in to make change pleasurable, not by removing effort, but by understanding the hidden drivers of human behaviour and creating pathways that feel worthwhile.

Good design, however, does not stop at behaviour. Every interaction leaves a ripple, an intangible impact that shapes how we experience ourselves, one another, and the world. We live within interconnected systems, where design must bridge people, places, and environments. When we craft experiences that are delightful, meaningful, and intentional, we create ripples of positive change that flow outward.

As within, so without.

Philosophy

We are a society in search for health through illness. Emotional tensions are stored in the body with no room for expression or compassion to hold them, creating blockers to communication and relationships. This affects work and our sense of fulfilment in life.

I use emotional sensitivities and bodily sensibilities (what I term “wellbeing competency”) to transform relationships and innovation practices.

I reframe deeply rooted mental models, disrupt patterns of unfulfilling; and essentially, clear the mud of the river bank where I am planted. The result? Higher performance and happiness by design.

As a Design Therapist, I facilitate people and organisations in taking time and making committed space to reflect on - to unpack, contemplate, reframe - systemic issues, elicit implicit values, and provide critical-caring feedback that strengthens resilience and creativity - the pillars of high performing teams.

My greatest strength is in finding clarity in ambiguity.
(Are we spending enough time, asking and answering the questions that truly matter?)

Milestones

Ysanne is a nature-inspired, human-centered creative. She first explored design hands-on as part of the pioneer cohort at Singapore’s School of the Arts (2010-2015), receiving the Ngee Ann Kongsi Scholarship for her studies. Her works - featured on this website - are centred on contemplation of our man and nature relationship in urban cities; how much nature supports us and how much we miss in the crevices amidst the valorisation of speed and efficiency.

Her experience is uniquely trans-disciplinary, combining design, business, and strategy. Ysanne earned a full scholarship to pursue Industrial Design at the National University of Singapore (Class of 2020). This gave her the prized opportunity to participate in the NUS Overseas College Program where she spent a year in Stockholm, Sweden, working at a pre-Series A machine learning start-up. There, she gained firsthand experience in taking a software product from 0 -> 1. She collaborated closely with the CEO and CTO to realise their innovation and scale the company to San Francisco.

Ysanne is driven by a passion for social impact and public good. At the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), she spearheaded digital transformation of legacy systems with a fresh design team. She advocates for people's needs, working in cross-functional agile teams, and proliferating the value of design and innovation practices with business stakeholders. With two other colleagues, she co-initiated a Design Thinking Training course to promote product innovation and team alignment.

She increasing sees design as means to form bridges - bridging science to society and experiences to people. Pursuing a Master’s Degree in Systems Design and Management at Keio University (under the MEXT Scholarship), she explored the upstream role of design in strategy and systems thinking. Presenting models for design-driven wellbeing on international stages, she sparked collaboration between engineers, researchers, and academics. Concurrently, as a researcher with the University of Tokyo’s DLX Design Lab, she conducted futurespective workshops and demonstrated how design-led innovation can connect complex research to societal impact.

Ysanne thrives at the intersection of people, systems, and design. Equipped with translatable skills across industries, she excels in understanding human complexities, aligning diverse stakeholders, and tailoring design approaches to address unique, systemic challenges.

Core Skills

Systems Approach
Design Synthesis
Design Education
Workshop Facilitation
Project, People, Process Management
Wellbeing and Human Advocacy

Interests

Contemplative Studies
Integral Theory
Holistic Wellbeing
Eastern Traditional Medicine
Somatic Practice
Philosophy and Phenomenology
Food and Health
Open-Secret Pet Project

Academic Roles

2024 Apr ~ Present
Participating member of University of Tokyo Memu Earth Lab activities, based in Obihiro, Hokkaido

2023 Oct ~ 2025 Feb
Design Project Researcher at the University of Tokyo DLX Design Lab

2024 Sep~ 2025 Feb
MA and post-graduate researcher at Keio University, Graduate School of System Design and Management. Pioneer member of the Holistic Being Design Lab.

Academic Contributions

2024
Yeo, Y., Trucchia, F. (2025). What Does “Remote Driving” Mean for People: A Futurespective Design Approach. In: Singh, D., van ’t Klooster, JW., Tiwary, U.S. (eds) Intelligent Human Computer Interaction. IHCI 2024. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 15557. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-88705-5_20

Y. Yeo and M. Niitsuma., Reframing the Role of Behavioural Interventions: Dominant Views and New Directions, ISTE Transdisciplinary Engineering Conference, July 9 – 11, 2024, UCL East, London. DOI
10.3233/ATDE240962

Y. Yeo and M. Niitsuma., Proposal of An Integral Model of Human-Food Interaction: Insights for Social Systems Design, International Journal of Agile Systems Management (IJASM), Vol. 17(5), 2024, DOI: 10.1504/IJASM.2024.10065834

2023
Y. Yeo and M. Niitsuma., Developing the System Model of Human Behaviour and Its Implications on Social Systems Design, ISTE Transdisciplinary Engineering Conference, July 11 – 14, 2023, Hua Hin, Thailand.
DOI: 10.3233/ATDE230651
LinkedIn post

Y. Yeo and M. Niitsuma., A Primer on the Integral Viewpoint of a Human to Facilitate Human-Centred Innovation,ISTE Transdisciplinary Engineering Conference, July 11 – 14, 2023, Hua Hin, Thailand.

Certifications

2022 Dec JLPT N2
2021 Dec 200H Yoga Teacher Training, by Yoga+ Singapore
2021 Jul Storytelling for Leaders by All Lined Up, Coaching Tigers
2021 Mar Facilitating Powerful Conversations L1, by The Thought Collective Common Ground
2021 Mar Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, Institute of Integrative Nutrition

Awards

2024 Sep Keio SDM Award of Highest Honors
2022 Aug MEXT Scholarship (University Recommendation), Keio SDM
2020 Jun   Dean's List, Division of Industrial Design, NUS
2019 Nov   The James Dyson Award National Runner Up (Project: Electro)
2019 Mar SustHack Winner, Sustainability Innocenter, Uppsala, Sweden
2016 Aug    NUS Global Merit Scholarship, 2016 - 2020
2016 Jan IBDP Excellence Award, Year 6, SOTA
2015 Jan Excellence Award, Year 5, SOTA
2014 Jan Ngee Ann Kongsi Scholarship (2014 - 2015)
2010 Jan Ngee Ann Kongsi Scholarship (2010 - 2012)

Exhibitions

2015 Dec 3-27 Visual Arts (VA) Graduation Exhibition
2014-2015 Oct Allen & Overy LLP Artworks Showcase
2014 Feb 13 Chinese New Year (CNY) Moments Photography
2013-2014 Oct Ashurst LLP Artworks Showcase
2013 May Encapsulations VA Year 3&4 Exhibition
2012-2013 Apr Allen & Overy LLP Artworks Showcase

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