Yong In

Yong In joins the interior design faculty at Purdue University as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Practice with over 25 years of experience in the design and architecture industry. She earned her Master’s degree from Northwestern University and holds dual Bachelor's degrees in Interior Architecture and Science.

She is a whole-brain designer with a unique background in both creative explorations (design/art/architecture) and analytical processes (science/engineering/strategy). With this diverse blend of expertise, she works and teaches at the intersection of design, research, and strategy, bridging design theory with practical professional practice. Yong has multifaceted experience and knowledge spanning interior design, architecture, design strategy, branding, product design, and experience design, cultivated through roles at renowned architecture and design firms such as Gensler, HOK, SOM (Skidmore Owings and Merrill), and Stantec/VOA, among others. Her design and strategy work includes projects in workplace, hospitality, commercial, corporate campus, headquarters, healthcare, education, building repositioning, senior living, residential, mixed-use, retail, non-profit, as well as institutional market sectors.

As a multiple award-winning designer, Yong’s work has been recognized globally with numerous design excellence awards, including two American Institute of Architects awards, an International Interior Design Association award, and an American Society of Interior Designers award, among many others. Her work and articles have been published in various books, design magazines, and industry publications, including the cover of Corporate Interiors, Interior Design Magazine, Architect Magazine, Contract Magazine, AIA Focus Magazine, and Work Design Magazine, as well as in newspapers such as the Chicago Tribune, Crain’s Chicago Business, and the Chicago Sun-Times. She is an NCIDQ-certified interior designer, a Registered Interior Designer in the State of Illinois, LEED AP, WELL AP, Fitwel Ambassador, and a professional member of IIDA and CoreNet.

As a designer, design strategist, and educator, Yong champions a people-first, human-centered, and experience-driven design approach. Her design expertise is based on design thinking methodologies and shaped by design research, design strategy, and spatial storytelling, crafting places that authentically align with people's needs and enhance human experiences. Passionate about creating environments that inspire and elevate experiences, Yong is dedicated to researching and teaching how spatial design transforms the way people feel, engage, and thrive within the built environments they inhabit. Her design and research are focused on connecting the dots between people, the spaces they live/work/learn/play, and their experiences within those spaces.