Tiffany Tseng

Roles & Affiliations: Tiffany Tseng is an Assistant Professor at Barnard College, Columbia University and Director of the Design Tools Lab. She previously worked as a research scientist at Apple, a Project Assistant Professor at the University of Tokyo, and held roles at Autodesk and Glitch. She earned her PhD from MIT Media Lab's Lifelong Kindergarten Group.

Education:

• PhD, Media Arts and Sciences, MIT Media Lab (Lifelong Kindergarten Group), 2020
• Mechanical Engineering background, IDEO and Fisher-Price design experience

Research Interests: Her work focuses on design tools for creative expression, combining computational technologies with interdisciplinary collaboration. Key areas include machine learning for animation, electronics prototyping, and community-driven design. She emphasizes making tools accessible to beginners through systems building and design-based research.

Key Contributions:

• Developed Co-ML for collaborative ML model building
• Created PlushPal for interactive storytelling with plush toys
• Pioneered Circuit Assemblies for 3D-printed electronics
• Advocates for process-oriented documentation in maker communities

Awards & Recognition:

• Best Paper Award at IDC 2021
• Honorable Mention at IDC 2023

Labs & Teams: Leads the Design Tools Lab (DTL), which develops software tools and learning experiences for next-gen designers. Current projects span machine learning, visual arts, and interdisciplinary creative computing.