Lecturer, MA Design

Dr Aprille Chua Jia Qi

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  • Doctor of Philosophy, University of South Australia

Dr Aprille Chua is a seasoned designer-researcher and lecturer with over a decade of expertise. Her research focuses on using environmental graphic design and augmented technologies to enhance health and well-being through co-design and participatory methods. 

Dr Chua leads the new 'Design for Health and Wellbeing' research track in the BA (Hons) Design Communication programme. Her PhD research has been honoured with the prestigious Australian Good Design Award (2023), and she has received the Postgraduate Research Award (2022) and High Achiever Award (2021) for academic excellence from the South Australian Government.

Recently, Dr Chua was awarded the Emerging Scholar Award by the Common Ground Research Network, further highlighting her commitment to the design field. She has also received numerous international and national research grants (2020–2022) and serves as an active peer reviewer for leading journals, showcasing her dedication to advancing research and practice in design.

Read More

  • ‘Augmenting Environmental Graphics in Healthcare Spaces’ in Augmented Art (2022)
  • ‘A flexible third-place, design research enquiry during the pandemic’ in Design For Health (2023)
  • Augmented Graphics in Healthcare Workspace: A Design Research Process (2024)

  • Recipient of the Australian Good Design Award (Category: Design Research) (2023)
  • Recipient of Emerging Scholar Awards, Common Ground Research Networks (2025)

Conferences and presentations

  • ‘An Investigation into the Use of Augmented Environmental Graphic Design to Help Improve Employee Wellbeing within the Healthcare Workplace’, Spaces of Welfare Conference (2021)
  • ‘How can we be well at work? Using Augmented Environmental Graphics at Workplaces’, Design Prototype Research Showcase, Museum of Design; Adelaide (2022)
  • ‘Emergence’, The Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Engineered Quantum Systems (selected) Artwork Showcase; Sydney (2023)
  • Presentation at the Academic Design Management Conference (ADMC) (2024)
  • ‘Reimagined Wellbeing’, Singapore Design Week Exhibition (2024)
  • ‘Augmented Environmental Graphics in Healthcare’, presented at 19th International Conference on Design Principles & Practices (2025)
  • ‘A Theoretical Framework Using Self-Determination Theory (SDT) With Salutogenic Design and Positive Technology to Enhance Workplace Wellbeing’, presented at Advanced Design Conference, accessible here: https://acdroi.org/326111/1000483762/20250724225329 (2025)

Exhibitions

  • ROYGBIV: A Celebration of Colour, exhibition and talk series, Curtin University; Perth (2025)

  • Design for health and well-being
  • Environmental graphic design
  • Healthcare design research
  • (Spatial) augmented reality
  • Work recovery