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Tianyi Xiao 肖天意
About Me
I am a Ph.D. candidate at ETH Zürich’s geoGazeLab, with an interdisciplinary background in computer science and urban/architectural design. I work for the 3D Sketch Maps project, funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) within the Sinergia grant program. I am advised by Martin Raubal and Christian Holz.
I colleborate with Christoph Hölscher (Chair of Cognitive Science at ETH Zürich), as well as Phoebe O. Toups Dugas (Exertion Games Lab at Monash University). I visited University of Münster, collaborating with Angela Schwering and Jakub Krukar. I gained SNSF Mobility Grant, and visited TU Delft, collaborating with Yan Feng. During my undergraduate studies, I received the Outstanding Undergraduate Program Scholarship from the China Scholarship Council and exchanged at Cardiff University.
I also have entrepreneurial experience as founder of Weaving Cities Ltd. (2021–2024), a company focused on UI/UX design and Rhino/Grasshopper plugin development.
Research
I frame my Ph.D. research around three core themes: Spatial Intelligence, Spatial Computing, and Spatial Cognition.
Spatial Intelligence. I integrate freehand 3D sketching with generative AI models to transform sketches into 3D models, aiming to enhance individual recall ability.
Spatial Computing. I employ VR/AR/XR technologies together with user-centered design approaches from HCI to develop novel 3D sketch mapping tools.
Spatial Cognition. I study brain activity and spatial memory by analyzing EEG signals during 2D and 3D sketch mapping tasks. I also examined how XR-based 3D sketch mapping tools influence spatial memory.
I achieved my research keywords through 3D sketch mapping. Sketch mapping is a widely used data-gathering and research method in spatial cognition, psychology, and geographic information science (GIS). It has been extensively employed to study how people perceive and represent the spatial configuration of environments. However, a key limitation of traditional sketch mapping lies in its interface constraints—typically involving pen-and-paper—which require encoding 3D information on 2D surfaces.
To overcome this limitation, I developed extended reality (XR)-based 3D sketch mapping tools that enable users to externalize their spatial knowledge directly in immersive virtual environments by drawing 3D sketches. These sketches act as powerful artifacts for spatial knowledge communication, with applications across a wide range of domains, including search and rescue, forensic documentation, navigation in complex environments, interactive education, historical event reconstruction, and imaginative practices such as dream cartography.
