ID Students Collaborate with Major Taiwanese Telecom in Six-Week Immersion Program

This summer, ID students worked directly with C-suite executives while immersing themselves in new cultural and business environments. The Taiwan Immersion Program (TIP) 2025 was a six-week international design experience founded by FEG Chief Innovation Officer and ID alum Jeff Hsu (MDM 2012).

Professor Marty Thaler guided the 2025 TIP team in their collaboration with FEG DRIVE and FarEasTone Telecom, one of Taiwan’s three major telecom providers. Team members Roger Hong (MDes 2025), Sheethal Jacob (MDes + MBA 2026), Kristin John (MDes 2026), and Anushree Joshi (MDes + MBA 2026) worked to reimagine the telecom experience for Gen Z customers.

The student team collaborated with DRIVE and FarEasTone teams in weekly iterative sprints, conducting co-creation workshops with clients and focus group testing to develop and validate concepts.

Beyond the project work, students explored Taiwan’s culture and landscapes. Weekends included visits to traditional towns like Jiufen and Yingge, cultural experiences such as traditional tea ceremonies, and visits to iconic landmarks like Taipei 101.

The program concluded with a final client presentation, where students showcased their insights, findings, and design concepts developed throughout the six-week collaboration.

The Taiwan Immersion Program provides students with cross-cultural insights, industry collaboration experience, and the opportunity to apply design to an international business context while deepening their understanding of both people and place.