Lecturer, Design Communication

Dr Nicholas Teo

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  • PhD (Design Anthropology), Swinburne University of Technology, Australia
  • Masters of Design (Design Anthropology), Swinburne University of Technology, Australia
  • Bachelor of Design (Multimedia Design), Swinburne University of Technology, Australia

Dr Nicholas Teo is an experienced design leader in the professional training, innovation and coaching industry. He is skilled in design management, customer experience, user experience (UX) and interaction design. Through his experiences from higher education and consulting, he has been able to provide a balanced perspective of theory and practice to problem solving and business development.

While in Australia, Dr Teo established his own practice in graphic design, photography and design research. Returning to Singapore, he has built a portfolio of projects that spans all types of outcomes that include solving complex problems and implementing physical and digital products for government agencies, insurance firms, museums and hospitals. As a designer, his list of clients includes the Innovate 360, Urban Redevelopment Authority, Elections Department, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, National Gallery Singapore and ComfortDelgro Insurance.

Apart from his work as a designer, Dr Teo has been teaching design to both designers and non-designers since 2011 in both the education and corporate sector. At LASALLE, he continues to work together with corporate clients, to build strong ties between students and the industry and create positive experiences for their customers.

Read More

(select)

  • I’m Single and Looking for Love Journal (2024)
  • Design & Innovation for Everyone (ISBN: 9789811863875) (2023)
  • Backyard 65, Tanjong Pagar and Bukit Pasoh (2019)
  • What Makes a Good Place: Placemaking through the lens of Shophouse and Co (2018)

Conferences and presentations (select)

  • ‘Enhancing Romantic Relationships Through Design Thinking: A Design Innovation Toolkit Approach’, International Conference on Design Principles & Practices (2025)
  • Well-Being Reimagined: Designing The Home Of The Future exhibition (2024)
  • ‘Crafting a Design Innovation Module for Interdisciplinary Learning’, Applied Learning Conference (2022)
  • ‘Engaging Customers Through Design Ethnography in the Digital World’, Customer Experience Southeast Asia (2021)
  • ‘Designing Experiences: Identifying Stakeholder Needs, Goals and Values’, Customer Experience Southeast Asia (2020)
  • ‘Educating Healthcare Students: Strategies to Teach Systems Thinking to Prepare Occupational Therapists for Singapore’, International Conference on Future Learning (2020)
  • ‘How Might We Encourage Applied Learning for Stronger Community Engagement?’, Applied Learning Conference, Service-Learning and Design Education (2020)
  • ‘Design Ethnography in Academia and Industry’, Singapore Design Week: Creativity Festival (2019)
  • ‘Design Thinking and Innovation as an Alternative Pedagogical Approach to Non-Design Students’, 6th International Conference on Information and Education Technology (ICIET 2018) (2018)
  • ‘East Meets West: Romantic Media and the Influence on Expectations of Love in Singapore’, International Visual Methods Conference 5 (IVMC5) (2017)

  • Design anthropology
  • User-experience design
  • Strategic design innovation
  • Professional design practice
  • Romantic relationships