Rate My Professor Rio Leksono

Rio Leksono serves as a Lecturer in the School of Design and the Built Environment within the Faculty of Humanities at Curtin University, Australia. He holds the role of Course Coordinator for the Bachelor of Design program. Currently pursuing a PhD at Curtin University, Leksono obtained his Bachelor's degree from Bandung Institute of Technology in Indonesia. He further earned a Master's degree with distinction from Domus Academy in Milan, Italy, and the University of Wales, UK. As a designer, researcher, and educator with 10 years of professional experience, his academic career includes prior leadership as Head of the Industrial Design Department at Universitas Pembangunan Jaya in Indonesia.

Leksono's research focuses on practical design interventions for social and practical challenges. His publications demonstrate expertise in empathy-driven strategies during crises, product redesign based on user behavior, enhancement of craft product aesthetics, culturally sensitive packaging, assistive devices for disabled students, participatory design methods using social media, culinary tourism development, and Design Thinking applications. Key works include 'PUNTO: Designing for Pandemic: Implementing Behavior Observation to Redesign Hand Sanitizer Bottle Cap' (2022), 'Improving the visual impressions of wood-based craft products through two-dimensional engraving of patterns' (2022), 'Empathy Approach as Solution for Brand during Pandemic COVID-19 Case Study: Indonesian Based Artisan Brand TULISAN' (2021), 'Unveiling Indonesian Coffee Identity: Developing Packaging Designs Aligned with Japanese Trends' (2024, book chapter), 'Desain Kruk Multifungsi Untuk Membantu Aktivitas Perkuliahan Mahasiswa Difabel' (2023), 'Design for The Real World: The Case Study of Fish-Ball Seller Cart' (2021), and 'Utilization of Social Media Platform Instagram as Participatory Design Tools in Indonesia' (2021). These contributions have received 17 citations on ResearchGate. At Curtin, he supervises Master of Design projects and participated in a team for the Curtinnovation Awards 2025 on bio-refining abattoir waste. He has presented at the IOTA24 Indian Ocean Craft Triennial conference.