Art and Design Commons^™

Design With A Purpose: An Introductory Faith-Integrated Graphic Design Textbook For Christian Higher Education, Rosealine Lemette

Masters Theses

This thesis project addresses the absence of faith-informed graphic design curriculum available to Christian higher education programs creating a curricular gap that limits students’ ability to draw meaningful connections between their profession and Christian identity. The proposed solution in this project is an introductory graphic design textbook that combines foundational design theory, historical context, and hands-on skill building from a Christian worldview. This educational resource will guide students and faculty to view their profession as a divine calling, engaging in the creative process as an act of worship while developing an ethical and spiritually grounded design process. The comprehensive literature …

Mistake: A Toolkit For Combating Maladaptive Perfectionism In Creatives, Sean D. Silva

Masters Theses

This thesis examines the potential use of a tabletop game as an approach for creatives to address their maladaptive perfectionism. Through my research, perfectionism has been identified as a pervasive barrier to creative flow, emotional well-being, and artistic growth. Motivated by my observations of increasing mental health challenges among my students, I explore how adaptive, visually engaging, and interactive analog systems might help to foster resilience and reframe failure as a necessary part of the creative process. Through a review of existing literature on perfectionism and creativity, analysis of successful tabletop and digital interventions, and cognitive-behavioral strategies, this research will …

Ezer Kenegdo: Reviving The Stories Of Our Christian Matriarchs In The American Evangelical Church, Kayleigh Funk

Masters Theses

The silencing of women’s experiences throughout history has caused a general lack of familiarity with the contributions of Christian matriarchs in most modern church congregations. This absence of historical precedent has led to ongoing issues of identity and belonging in the body of Christ among the Christian women of today. The primary goal of this thesis is to bring attention to the erasure of women in the faith throughout history and shed new light on their individual narratives.

This study will assess how Scripture originally set up leadership dynamics, encouraged women into those roles, and allowed them to teach in …

The Artistic And Informative Functions Of Facial Painting And Colors In Bridal Attire Across Various Ethnographic Regions, Nexhat Cocaj

International Journal of Business and Technology

The artistic values of figures and colors used in the facial painting of brides and in various parts of women's attire, on one hand, and the informative function of those figures used in facial painting, such as the sun, amulet, and serpent figures, and later their use in certain parts of the clothing, demonstrate the profound understanding of nature by the Albanian people. It shows how deeply they contemplated the future and how they depicted the life they wished for a marital couple through these figures and colors. The figures that were initially used in facial painting, following the onset …

Exploring The Potential For Data Storytelling Practices In Healthcare Communication, Shafaq Zehra, Naomi Jacobs, Dan Richards

IASDR Conference Series

The key challenges associated with the design of doctor-patient communication mainly include time constraints, cultural and language barriers and health literacy of the patients accessing care. The implications of the gaps in effective doctor-patient communication may lead to lack of compliance to treatment, weakened rapport building and lack of trust in the healthcare services. This paper qualitatively explores the context of the challenges associated with doctor-patient communication from a health care provider perspective. The main themes identified by in-depth interviews with clinicians were issues related to lack of trust, validity of patient’s information, lack of patient engagement and empowerment, and …

A Practical Introduction To The Method Of Blending Through Pattern In Weft-Knitted Stripe Structures To Improve The Overall Tactility Of Breed-Specific Wool Fibres., Wilmott Julia, Gaston Elizabeth, James Alana

IASDR Conference Series

The paper introduces ‘blending through pattern’, a method for significantly enhancing the tactile qualities of individual British broad wool fibres when combined in knitted fabrics. This approach is an alternative to traditional blending processes, such as spinning and twisting, because it utilises weft-knitted pattern structures to combine two, three or more yarn types together. Each yarn type is knitted through a single feeder, with the blending occurring in the same way that a pattern on the knitting machine combines different colours. Successfully blended fabrics exchange yarn types regularly to incorporate different fibre types effectively. This material-led approach to textile design …

Designing For Interprofessional Collaboration: Integrating Data And Communication In Health Care Teams, Tzu-Ling Huang, Ko-Chiu Wu

IASDR Conference Series

As holistic health care gains momentum within medical systems, interdisciplinary collaboration has become crucial to improving the quality of patient care. In practice, however, cooperation among professionals is often hindered by fragmented information, differences in professional language and logic, system discontinuities, and the lack of structured processes. This study investigates the needs and challenges of information integration and task tracking in interdisciplinary teams through qualitative interviews and a card-sorting method with seven types of healthcare professionals— physician, nurse, medical social worker, clinical psychologist, dietitian, physical therapist, and dentist. The findings highlight issues such as insufficient information integration, fragmented goal-setting and …

From Function To Culture: Exploring Senior-Centered Design Principles In Korean Context, Sujin Song, Miso Kim, Min Ju Kang, Ye In An, Soojin Jun

IASDR Conference Series

South Korea, as the fastest-aging country in the world, occupies a critical position in aging research. Designing for older adults requires a multidimensional understanding; however, existing studies on design principles for aging have tended to adopt functionalist approaches focused primarily on physical and cognitive decline. In response, this study proposes design principles that center on values systems rather than offering directly prescriptive or procedural guidance. Specifically, we introduce culturally responsive principles grounded in Korea’s unique socio cultural context. Drawing on a co-design workshop with Korean older adults and caregivers, our analysis engages narratives through the lenses of Korea’s rapid industrialization, …

Reimagining Speculative Design For Inclusion: An Narrative-Based Prototype For Civic Participation, Sandy Claes, Gitte Vande Graveele, Erica Bol

IASDR Conference Series

Speculative design has the potential to foster civic reflection but often remains inaccessible to broader audiences due to its cultural and conceptual complexity. This paper presents a research-through-design (RtD) exploration of how speculative design can become more inclusive by embedding reflection into the narrative experience itself. We redesigned INWARDS, a policy-oriented speculative artefact, by segmenting one of its films and integrating plain-language prompts at key narrative moments and reframing participation as introspection by triggering lightweight, personal reflections. The resulting prototype was deployed in a semi-public setting to explore spontaneous engagement beyond design- savvy audiences. We contribute (1) a design-led exploration …

Designing Personalized Digital Self-Control Tools To Address Procrastination Through Co-Design, Youngsoo Shin, Jeremy D. Faulk, Jungkyoon Yoon

IASDR Conference Series

Procrastination, a pervasive challenge among college students, significantly affects mental health, academic performance, and overall well-being. While Digital Self-Control Tools (DSCTs) are commonly used to manage procrastination, existing solutions and studies often fail to address the nuanced, individualized factors that drive this behavior. This study employs a co-design approach to explore how DSCTs can be personalized to better support college students. Over a nine-week co-design project, twenty-two students in the HCI field collaboratively developed personalized DSCT concepts, guided by the Motivation, Engagement, and Thriving in User Experience (METUX) model. The METUX model provided a theoretical basis for designing interventions that …

Strategies To Foster A Collaborative And Sustainable Transformation: A Vietnam Textile & Apparel Case, Hong Lan Lam, Donna Cleveland

IASDR Conference Series

This case study explores strategies to support the transformation of Vietnam’s textile and apparel industry, particularly large garment exporting enterprises, toward more sustainable and designed-led business models. In response to increasing socio-economic and environmental challenges, the study identifies closer collaboration with academic institutions as a key enabler for building relevant future- facing skills. Drawing on reflexive practice through structured journal writing, the paper analyses a multi-stakeholder workshop facilitated by the International Labour Organization and the Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association (VITAS), highlighting tensions and opportunities in co-design approaches within hierarchical and culturally specific working environments. The concept of đồng- design, …

Show, Don't Tell: Looking For New/Old Strategies For Assessing Design Work, Kristina Andersen, Joep Frens, Janet Yi-Ching Huang

IASDR Conference Series

Design education is centered on making and reflecting, as a way to `work through' the process of becoming a designer. To do this, we rely on project-based learning that often culminates in reports alongside demonstrations and show-and-tell. Over the years, we have seen an increased reliance on language to validate student design ideas, and written reflections have become a way of assessing learning. With Generative AI becoming more widespread, such deliverables risk becoming less reflective or even meaningless. At the same time, some of our students treat written reflections as a necessary evil to be done on the eve of …

Generative Ai Meets Creative Design: Shaping A Dynamic Learning Ecosystem, Xiaomei Li, Ziming He, Leia Xi, Siye Zeng, Danyang Zhang, Ling Fan

IASDR Conference Series

This study explores how Generative AI (GenAI) is transforming creative design education through the development of a Dynamic Learning Ecosystem. Grounded in Activity Theory, we conducted a mixed- method study involving surveys, workshops, and interviews (N=38) across seven design disciplines. We addressed how different GenAI teaching approaches affect learning outcomes, challenges in integration, and effective educational framework construction. Our findings led to a multi-tiered Dynamic Learning Ecosystem framework, comprising modularized tool guides, integrative workflow practices, and contextualized knowledge synthesis. This framework offers practical methods for integrating GenAI in design education, enhancing students’ adaptability and competences in evolving technological environments.

Co-Living With Intelligent Artifacts: An Experiential Participatory Speculative Design Method, Boyu Zhang, Jiaxin Xiao, Li Zhang

IASDR Conference Series

With the advancement of artificial intelligence and robotics, intelligent artifacts are increasingly integrated into human life. Traditional user-centered design approaches focus on optimizing interaction experiences but often overlook potential ethical issues. This study employs a participatory speculative design approach, engaging the public in co-constructing future scenarios to foreground ethical reflection at the early stages of the design process. Building on this approach, we propose an extended model of the Experiential Future Ladder and implement it through a workshop involving eight Chinese youth participants. Thematic analysis identifies three categories of ethical issues in future human–intelligent artifact interactions: dilemmas between emotion and …

From Trauma To Transformation: A Cognitive-Embedded Design Framework For Responsive Healing Environments, Xiujun Chen, Ziyuan Jiang

IASDR Conference Series

Post-conflict architectural interventions often overlook survivors’ altered cognitive and emotional landscapes. This paper introduces cognitive-embedded design—a framework that reconceives architecture as an active participant in collective healing. The study adopts a speculative, research- through-design approach integrating conceptual inquiry with spatial and technical prototyping. Using the redesign of Sarajevo’s Grbavica Market as a case study, it demonstrates how sensor-driven spatial systems can support trauma recovery when orchestrated through Judith Herman’s three-phase model and 4E cognition principles. The project integrates responsive boundaries, bio-adaptive narratives, and culturally rooted craft spaces that attune to healing rhythms while preserving user agency through community governance. While …

Serenitea: Exploring Tea Clay As A Sustainable Material For Game Design For Visually Impaired People, Sylvia Ko, Sepideh Ghodrat, Jiwei Zhou, Stefano Parisi

IASDR Conference Series

This project explores the large-scale application potential of Tea Clay, a material made from waste tea leaves. With 5.9 million tonnes of tea consumed globally each year, approximately 90% of steeped tea is discarded, resulting in significant environmental pollution. Using the Material Driven Design method and harnessing Tea Clay’s unique properties, we developed Serenitea, a memory board game designed for both visually and non-visually impaired individuals. Serenitea follows the rules of a memory game while incorporating the introduction of a new biobased material and social stimulation between visually and non-visually impaired people. Improvements to the original formula, such as incorporating …

Legal Design For Legal Aid: Rethinking Inclusivity And Trust In The Digital Age, Luodan Liang, Liuxi Jiang, Zhang Linghao

IASDR Conference Series

Against the backdrop of rapid digital development, legal aid services are undergoing a profound transformation from a system-oriented approach to a people-centered approach. While emerging digital legal aid platforms have shown initial success in resource matching, service efficiency, and diverse access, over reliance on institutional logic and technological layering has left vulnerable groups facing issues such as a lack of inclusivity and trust in actual use. This paper introduces the concept of Legal Design, emphasizing the critical role of human-centered design thinking in enhancing the in clu siv it yand trustworthiness of legal aid services. Through literature reviews, process analysis, …

Unraveling Sociomaterial Trajectories: A Qualitative Network Analysis Of Material, Human, And Nonhuman Entanglement In The Diy Material Project, Kazzmasa Tsujimura, Yasuaki Kakehi

IASDR Conference Series

This paper investigates the sociomateriality of collective creation in a practice-led design project, addressing how entanglement occurs in material-centric processes where it often remains largely unarticulated. Adopting a sociomaterial ontology, we employ qualitative network analysis (QNA) to trace sociomaterial trajectories of the DIY Material project. Our analysis identified 12 diverse actors (e.g., humans, tools, knowledge…) in five clusters, and 22 sociomaterial entanglement 'events' classified into three types: Material Emergence, Social Intra-action, and Sociomaterial Assemblage. The resulting network visualizes these moments, explicating their role in instantiating inter subjective design ideas and contributing to project formation, offering a new methodological lens for …

Making In Metaphor: Critical Intersectional Outfitting Framework, Eduardo Féteira, Danika Van Kaathoven, Tomohide Mizuuchi, Daijiro Mizuno

IASDR Conference Series

Strategies that allow for an in-depth and multi-layered analysis and approach to wicked problems are increasingly crucial in today’s design education environment. Intersectionality presents itself as an articulated and analytical tool that effectively frames interconnected and mutually-reinforcing forces. But within design practices, it still lacks visual ising and making processes that allow for a more tangible understanding of its core principles and highlight its benefits in identifying inflexion points of action within problem spaces. This paper introduces the Critical Intersectional Outfitting (CIO) framework, an educational tool which aims to facilitate wider visualisation of problem spaces through a compartment ali sed …

Process Designing For Creative Well-Being: How Cultural Prescribing Emerges Through Community-Based Art Practice At Machino Zukoushitsu In Nabari City, Japan, Rui Fukumoto, Takakazu Yamaguchi, Hideaki Kawabata, Sawako Inaniwa, Tatsuya Ito

IASDR Conference Series

As societies around the world confront aging populations and growing social isolation, Cultural Prescribing has emerged as a promising approach to community-based care beyond institutional systems. While social prescribing has primarily been implemented through clinical referral models, this study examines how Naturally Emergent Creative Well-being, the interaction between individual creativity and community culture, can generate care organically through everyday practice. The research focuses on Machino Zuko ushitsu, a community art studio in Nabari City, Japan, which serves as a hub for creative participation, intergenerational exchange, and informal support. Using a participatory action research framework, qualitative data were collected through interventional …