About Li Ping Thong
Li Ping Thong 汤丽萍 | Associate Professor and Associate Dean (Digital Design) | School of Design
RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia
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Associate Professor Li Ping Thong is the Associate Dean of Digital Design at RMIT University School of Design in Melbourne, Australia. Across interface design, immersive technologies and interdisciplinary collaboration, she examines how digital systems shape behaviour, participation and the conditions of everyday life, with a particular focus on interaction design, user experience (UX) design, spatial computing and digital storytelling.
At RMIT University, she leads Digital Design, the largest discipline within the School of Design, overseeing programs spanning animation, games and digital media. Her role focuses on academic leadership, curriculum strategy and strengthening cohesion across programs in response to the rapidly evolving landscape of digital technologies and creative practice.
Her research and teaching sit at the intersection of design, technology and society. She is interested in how digital systems influence human behaviour, shape cultural narratives and increasingly interact with broader ecological and environmental systems. Through her work, she examines how designers can responsibly engage with emerging technologies while considering their long-term social and environmental implications.
Over more than two decades in higher education, Li Ping has taught across a wide range of digital design areas, including digital design, interaction design, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), user experience (UX) design and user interface (UI) design, across Malaysia, Vietnam and Australia. This transnational experience has shaped her approach to design education, emphasising mentorship, experimentation and cultural awareness.
Alongside her academic work, she maintains a 32-acre farm in regional Victoria which informs her thinking about regenerative futures and long-term stewardship. This context provides a complementary perspective to her work in digital design, encouraging reflection on how technological systems intersect with physical environments and the rhythms of ecological systems.
These perspectives also inform her leadership within the discipline, where she works with colleagues to shape curriculum, support staff development and guide the evolving direction of digital design education.
Current Areas of Focus:
- User experience (UX) and interaction design
- Emerging and immersive technologies including VR, AR and XR
- Digital Design pedagogy, education and curriculum futures
- Regenerative and systems thinking in design
- Applied digital design in real-world contexts through interdisciplinary collaboration with community and industry