By Abbie Wilson

Jingyi Wang’s award-winning educational design project Historiq was featured in Fractured Horizons: Imaging After Images, the second edition of VSDesign’s international exhibition series presented during the NYCxDesign Festival 2026 in New York in May, 2026.



Officially selected as an International Spotlight Program of the NYCxDesign Festival for the second consecutive year, the exhibition brought together 60 works by artists and designers from across Asia and North America. Organized by VSDesign in partnership with RAC Studio and Asia Design Week, the exhibition explored how images, interfaces, simulations, and digital systems are no longer simply tools of representation, but mechanisms that actively shape how space, knowledge, and culture are produced.

Within this curatorial context, Historiq stood out as a work that reconsiders how history can be experienced through contemporary interface design. Created by the design team Jingyi Wang and Xi Pang, the project uses artificial intelligence, gamified learning, and interactive storytelling to transform historical education from passive memorization into active exploration.

Rather than presenting history as fixed information, Historiq invites users to engage with the past through a “Learn to Earn to Explore” model. Learners progress through multimedia history courses, earn illustrated figure cards, and unlock AI-powered conversations with historical figures through the app’s “Echo” module. This interaction allows users to move beyond static timelines and textbook summaries, experiencing historical knowledge as a dynamic exchange.

For Wang, whose work spans UX design, visual communication, education, and emerging technology, the project reflects a broader interest in designing systems that make complex information more accessible and emotionally engaging. Her role in Historiq builds on her experience creating human-centered digital products that reduce cognitive load, improve clarity, and support meaningful interaction.

The inclusion of Historiq in Fractured Horizons: Imaging After Images also aligns with the exhibition’s central question: what happens when images no longer simply describe reality, but help construct how people understand it? In Historiq, visual design is not decorative. Illustration, interface hierarchy, game mechanics, and AI interaction work together to create a new educational environment where historical figures, events, and cultural narratives become more approachable for contemporary learners.

The project’s visual language moves away from the sterile appearance of many educational tools. Instead, it uses era-inspired illustrations, dark-themed interfaces, collectible cards, interactive maps, and game-like quiz formats to create a learning experience that feels immersive and memorable. These design decisions support both usability and engagement, helping users build knowledge through interaction rather than repetition alone.

Historiq has also received international recognition in the design field. In 2025, the project was honored with the Red Dot Award for Interface & User Experience Design, recognizing its innovation in digital learning and user experience. The project has also received distinctions from multiple international design competitions, including the American Good Design Awards, London Design Awards, C2A Design Awards, K Design Award, Muse Design Awards, and NY Product Design Awards.

Its presentation at NYCxDesign Festival further extends the project’s reach from digital product design into the cultural and exhibition space. By appearing alongside works in architecture, urbanism, product design, visual communication, and interactive media, Historiq demonstrates how UX design can contribute to broader conversations about images, technology, education, and cultural memory.

The project also addresses a timely social question: how can digital tools help people reconnect with history and identity in an increasingly globalized world? With millions of people living outside their countries of origin, access to cultural history is no longer only an academic concern, but also a personal and social one. By offering diverse history courses and interactive narratives, Historiq creates a bridge between learning, heritage, and digital participation.

For Wang, the exhibition represents more than a presentation of a single project. It reflects the expanding role of UX designers in shaping cultural experiences, educational systems, and the future of digital interaction. As AI and interface technologies continue to influence how people learn and communicate, projects like Historiq suggest that design can play a critical role in keeping historical knowledge active, accessible, and emotionally resonant.

Through its recognition at NYCxDesign Festival 2026, Historiq positions history education not as a static archive, but as a living, interactive system — one shaped by image, interface, and human curiosity.