Yifan Gao is a multidisciplinary designer and creative technologist exploring interaction, visual systems, and technology-driven storytelling. With a background in visual communication design, art & technology, and oil painting, her work bridges digital interfaces and physical materials to examine the relationship between humans, technology, and emotion.

She is currently studying Visual Communication Design and Art & Technology at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC).

In her work, design and technology function as communication systems. She is interested in how users interpret information through interfaces, interactions, motion, and code, and aims to create digital experiences that are clear, intuitive, and emotionally engaging across screens, websites, and new media contexts.

Her practice is guided by one central question:
When image, code, and emotion come together, can we design more human-centered ways of interaction?