Zhixuan's research focuses on the exploration and application of systematic models and perceptually based approaches to real-world challenges in visual communication. Her work aims to bridge the gap between intuitive design practice and evidence-based principles by examining how fundamental aspects of human perception can inform the creation of more effective visual systems. She also investigates how perceptual and cognitive factors influence viewer responses to design, including principles of visual coherence, mechanisms of perceptual salience and distinctiveness, cognitive trade-offs in aesthetic judgment and the application of systematic color models in design.