Industrial and Product Design Commons^™

Vulva Gazing: Power And The Gendered Body, Aaliya Jamal Zaidi

Masters Theses

How does a gendered gaze determine what we feel shame about?

In patriarchal society, the male gaze is normal. Within its sights, the vulva, the external female sexual and reproductive organs, is viewed negatively — censored and ignored, or labeled with euphemisms and slurs across cultures. The modern western medical canon upholds and reinforces this view of the vulva, through a combination of disinterest and omission. This cultural aversion leads to a personal aversion. For people with vulvas this manifests in a lack of information about their own bodies which leads to shame, pain and even death.

Vulva Gazing is …

To Be Seen To Be Heard: Embracing Social Anxiety In The Workplace, Jingxuan Chen

Masters Theses

Social anxiety has become the third most common mental illness in the U.S, but there still is a lack of public understanding of this issue as it often goes unspoken. Through my research, I found that social anxiety is deeply entangled with environments, situations, and interpersonal interactions; especially within unfamiliar, uncomfortable, and unsafe situations.

Workplace exacerbates social anxiety as people are constantly being evaluated by others, exposed to new situations, and required to perform well, which leaves no room for people to share the unspoken and seek support. Guided by the questions of what social anxiety is and how it …

Memories Unboxed: Connecting People With Stories Of Our Possessions, Megan Tzu-Hsien Chao

Masters Theses

We constantly fall into a cycle of consumption that involves acquiring, retaining, and relinquishing items, whether we need them or not. Even though we are influenced by popular media to declutter more as we acquire new things, the root of the problem will still exist if we continue to neglect the reasons why we own things in the first place and why we hold onto them.

Why is it less stressful to make a list of possessions we enjoy having than to make a list of things we need to throw away?

This thesis hopes to relieve people of making …

Sub Sequence : Building A Participatory Infrastructure, Aaron Wright

Masters Theses

What might it look like to make the nebulous quality of air pollution visible?

There is a lack of infrastructure that has been constructed in response to the contaminants produced from the Port of Providence in Rhode Island. Air quality surrounding the Port is impacted by air pollution from legacy industrial sites – diesel trucks, marine vessels, oil and gas storage and distribution, asphalt and cement processing, metals recycling, natural gas and utility services, and large heating plants.

The thesis sets out to investigate, question, and iterate upon the possibilities of collective environmental action and accessible information through an individual’s …

Material Illumination, Lauren Mikaela Glenn

Masters Theses

Design exists as a field within the domain of material, accompanied by art, engineering, and craft. Working in material allows the designer to develop material fluency, a language that is composed of matter in space. Material can be used to communicate - it can also be used to think. By engaging the body and its senses in the act of making one can connect the space around the body to the space of the mind, allowing ideas to exist in objects and thinking to happen through interaction with material. Through the documentation of a process of making in wood, glass, …

A Fleeting Landscape: Resurrecting The Edges Of The Estuary, Vrinda Mathur

Masters Theses

A Fleeting Landscape invites the city dweller to experience a mixed media microcosm of the marshes and discover what has been obscured through the encroachment of urban development.

From the salt marshes of Rhode Island to their tropical counterpart in the Sundarban (pronounced: shundar-bon) mangroves of India, wetlands are the world’s natural barriers. Fighting against extreme weather events between land and sea, the edges of this fragile ecosystem continue to shrink and degrade as anthropogenic stressors (infrastructure development, unsustainable land use, and aquaculture) increase. In a 2022 report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) persuasively argues for the protection …

Ready Made, Made Ready: Everyday Objects For Everyday Emergency, Dara Benno

Masters Theses

What does it mean to adapt to a changing world?

Climate change is altering the world as we know it. We live in a chronic state of emergency. It’s easy to slip into a downward spiral of despair or ignore what we know to be true in order to carry on with our day-to-day responsibilities. By facilitating a complete recognition and heightened awareness of the common threats brought on by the climate crisis, we can begin to make the mental shift toward living in a new normal.

Ready Made, Made Ready rejects a dissociative attitude and seeks to shift exceptionalist …

Sobremesa, Charlie Herbozo-Vidal

Masters Theses

In order to understand the social and political issues faced by the Peruvian community in the present day, it is necessary to get acquainted with one of the most significant moments of its history: The “colonial Knot” – The systems put in place after the arrival of European colonizers to the American continent. By crafting a communal experience centered around the mealspace, a key element in Peruvian Identity, I hope to bring awareness to the social tensions, violent structures and remnants of colonial rule that persist to this day. In developing an uncomfortable experience, I am researching whether exposure to …

Breaking | Grounding | Growing: Expanding The Rhode Island Gardening Reentry Programs As A Pathway Towards Stability, Juliana Soltys

Masters Theses

What happens to the over two million people incarcerated in U.S. prisons and jails?

Changing in sentencing laws and policies have created a cycle of imprisonment, racially isolating and oppressing BIPOC communities. Reintegration and reentry programs are an avenue to break the cycle of recidivism. Through my work, I have developed hands-on, structured opportunities for justice-involved adults to rebuild a life for themselves by increasing the accessibility of gardening reentry programs. This project creates a space for mentorship and support for Rhode Island’s formerly incarcerated people with the goal of helping them to develop vital life skills through growing and …

Disoriented: Navigating The Nuances Of Communication, Ann Dinh

Masters Theses

What happens when you lose your language?

With this loss comes emotional and cultural implications, moments of incompleteness, along with a power struggle. Within immigrant communities especially, there are issues of communication and comprehension between generations. U.S.-born children of immigrants must deal with both a generational and cultural gap, gaps exacerbated by both distance and time. All of this is compounded by the challenges of assimilating to Western culture. In confronting the loss of language, this thesis aims to develop new informal methods of communication, ones less reliant on established language structures, ones that can help interact with future generations.

We Got This..., Julian Wellisz

Masters Theses

Working nonstop? Not sleeping enough? Feeling alone in your deadlines? Are you struggling with work-life balance?

Know that you are not alone. Since the covid-19 pandemic began reports of loneliness, mental health issues, and burnout have increased.

It’s quite possible that you are opting-in to an individualistic culture of overwork. If you go to RISD that's almost certain. This is true for students and teachers alike.

While these current systems work for some (primarily those at the tops of their respected hierarchies), for the majority of us there are better ways of being. Providing social and emotional support and creating …

E-Commerce Brand Design And Website Prototyping, Ashley J. Tuliau

Graphic Communication

MJ Swim is an e-commerce brand and website concept with a focus on customizable products and individualized sizing. Most online swimwear companies follow a fast-fashion business model which prioritizes mass production and offers affordable prices. However, aside from the many environmental consequences of this, fast fashion leaves large disparities in clothing quality, sizing accuracy, and product uniqueness. My primary goal was to create a dynamic website that would be flexible across a variety of devices and allow for optimal product customization. My secondary goal was to create a strong and inclusive brand identity that would thrive in a solely online …

Design/ Rebranding Of Andies Cafe To Go Packaging, Ryan Oscar Kastella

Graphic Communication

The following pages goes over the creation of To go packaging for a restaurant called Andie’s Cafe that sorely lacked it. The To go packaging that was created for this was Menus, Tamper Seal Stickers, Bags, and a Burger Wrapper. The goal in creating these is to increase there brand awareness and improve there current packaging branding.

Narrative Inquiry Of Opt Workers In Manufacturing Engineering Fields, Marietta Joleen Watson

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Optional Practical Training (OPT) is a highly valued and highly underutilized program designed to offer international students an opportunity to work in the U.S. and train in their field of study. This qualitative study collected and analyzed the narratives of three alumni of a Midwest university who completed OPT in the manufacturing engineering field. Four themes were identified in the narratives. These themes were inextricable to the premise that OPT is a deeply appreciated opportunity for F-1 students. The first theme is viewing the OPT experience as a system which includes the university, USCIS, and the employer and moreover a …

Developing A Prototype Of A Playfulness Toolkit, Hanneke Hovels

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

Playfulness is the ability to reframe situations, seeing new possibilities. A playful mind-set increases our mental flexibility, resilience, empathy, and our overall well-being. Unfortunately, growing up most of us lose part of our playfulness. How can we facilitate adults to live a (more) playful life? To ignite playfulness in adults’ lives, we first have to raise awareness for the benefits of playfulness, and then help people to develop a playful mind-set and integrate playfulness into their lives. In this project I combine my knowledge of creativity and playfulness with my experience in service and behavior design. I developed a prototype …

Fathom In Color: Expansion Of Reproduceable Color In Interference Pattern-Based Printed Motion And Depth Effects, Dovie Jeffcoat

All Theses

Value-added printed embellishments are increasingly sought after as brands compete for consumer attention. Fathom Optics’ method for printing motion and depth effects provides a cost-efficient, reduced waste embellishment option. One of Fathom’s current limitations is producing effects with vibrant color. The current standard practice for producing color Fathom Effects tends to darken and desaturate the final embellishment’s color. This study endeavors to determine how an ink color's components (hue, value and chroma) may determine a Fathom Effect’s contrast or intensity. To achieve this, fifteen color inks were selected to flexographically print the effect patterns. Samples were taken from each color …

Apparel Students' Perception Of Denim Quality In Relation To Price And Brand, Karli Haws

Apparel Merchandising and Product Development Undergraduate Honors Theses

The purpose of this study is to evaluate apparel students’ perception of quality in denim jeans based on the influences of price and brand. The following research objectives were developed:

1. To determine if apparel students’ perceptions of garment quality are affected by price and brand.

2. To determine how apparel students perceive quality in a garment.

3. To determine if price and brand are indicators of quality to apparel students.

Toys Are For Adults, John Wippler

Theses

This paper explores the concept of toys, what they are and for whom they are made. The paper also provides a brief history of designer toys and pop culture, and how pop culture helped fuel the designer toy industry. The psychology of collecting is also referenced, and a direct correlation is made between the act of collecting toys and toy popularity.

The book I wrote is also mentioned and is a vital part of the purpose for the thesis. The book is an introductory guide to resin toymaking and is integral to the expansion of the designer toy community.

“Any Lady Can Now Learn To Cut Perfect Fitting Dresses”: The Role Of Pattern Drafting Systems In The Production Of Women’S Dress, 1880–1900, Alyssa Smith

Department of Textiles, Merchandising and Fashion Design: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This research conveys findings from my MA thesis research focused on pattern drafting systems for women’s garments developed between 1880 and 1900. The study builds on the seminal work of Claudia Kidwell, who divided these systems into three categories: proportional, hybrid, and direct measure. To date, the study of this textile technology and how it positioned women and sewing in both domestic and professional spheres has received little scholarly attention, but pattern drafting technology transformed the possibilities for pattern creation and proportionate measurements, especially for home sewers. It also aided in the paper pattern and ready-made clothing industries. This research, …

Toast Pastry Studio: Bakery Brand And Pastry Packaging Concept, Christina Ann Tan Ventura

Graphic Communication

TOAST PASTRY STUDIO is a fictitious bakery branding concept made to host an innovative pastry packaging system. The aim of the conceptualized package is to offer additional functionality to bakery consumers by implementing a perforated knife unit directly into the box. The overall idea of the project stems from a long-term appreciation toward bakery culture/aesthetic as well as clever packaging design.

Goodreads Redesign, Brooke Mylander

Graphic Communication

The following project is a redesign of Goodreads.com. The current user interface of Goodreads’ website is outdated and not user-friendly. This project addressed many problems current users complained about the site and made new designs for each major frame of the site with new, fixed features.

Sneak Peek: Sneaker App Design, Adam Birder

Graphic Communication

Sneak Peek is a fictional mobile application I created for this senior project. It is an informational and social app that allows users to browse sneakers and read sneaker news, as well as interact with other users and the content within the app. The goal of this project is to create a fully designed high-fidelity prototype showing the complete user journey throughout the platform.

Fiore Jewelry: Branding And Packaging Design, Trevor A. Mcgall

Graphic Communication

My senior project incorporates my interests in the packaging field with structural and graphic design challenges, as well as materials consideration. I have designed the primary packaging for a hypothetical online jewelry brand. I have also created the logo, color scheme, and corresponding packaging graphics for this made up brand.

Luminature: 3d Printed Light And Packaging Concept, Mallory Browne

Graphic Communication

This project will be an exploration into product design and the opportunities presented with 3D printing. I will be explaining how learning how to design in 3D compliments 2D illustrations. I will touch on the many new forms of more sustainable 3D printing that are emerging and how this is a great opportunity for those who love design as well as environmentally conscious consumers.

The personal objective of my project is to gain experience making branding and packaging while learning about 3D printing and 3D design. I hope to inform and inspire my audience with the use of this relatively …

Mytrials: Clinical Trial Application Concept, Katie Hollister

Graphic Communication

A clinical trial’s success is dependent upon whether a patient attends their highly-structured clinical trial visit schedule, which may include both in-person clinic visits and virtual check-in visits. MyTrials is a clinical trial journey app prototype that enables patients to schedule, reschedule, and attend join their in-person or virtual clinic visits. This product seeks to reduce the burden that scheduling places on the patient, and provides trial-provided resources and a daily and weekly timeline to help patients navigate their clinical trial journey.

Jeffsolves With Student Innovation

Thomas Jefferson University Research Magazine

The JeffSolves MedTech program teams industrial design and medical students to develop innovative solutions to specific healthcare problems. Having chosen particular, concrete challenges faced by medical patients, student teams collaborate to conduct in-depth user research and problem identification, develop potentially marketable solutions and create prototype products. “The solutions these teams create are consistently remarkable and effective,” says Bon Ku, MD, assistant dean for health and design at Sidney Kimmel Medical College.

Invited Perspective - Nutritional Needs And Implications For Children In Subsistence Marketplaces, Nagendra Rangavajla

Subsistence Marketplaces

Today, while the number of stunted children is decreasing in all geographies, the progress is not consistent. Moreover, there is an increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity among children and adolescent. Globally, about half of all children under five do not receive essential nutrients, often unnoticed until too late. On the other end of the spectrum, the incidence of overweight and obesity in 5-19 year old has increased from 4% in 1975 to 18% in 2016 ¹. These trends reflect a ‘triple burden of malnutrition’, a burden that impacts the survival, growth, and development of children, and in turn, …

Reed & Barton Finding Aid, Reed & Barton, Special Collections, Fleet Library

Books

No abstract provided.

Eadah: Tools For Celebrating Qatari Wellness Rituals, Abdulrahman Al Muftah

Theses and Dissertations

Friday prayer is an essential congregational practice in Muslim communities. To prepare for Friday prayer, worshippers groom and cleanse themselves ahead of time, according to Islamic ablution rituals, and dress in their best attire.

Eadah is a collection of contemporary tools designed to facilitate the pre-prayer cleansing ritual, inspired by traditional Qatari remedies and wellness practices. The tools reflect three balanced considerations: touch, meditative making, and cultural preservation. They are used to prepare natural ingredients through mindful making that produce remedies with stimulating scents and sensations through touch. An emphasis on cultural preservation differentiates Eadah from other tools offered by …

วิธีการประเมินตราสัญลักษณ์ สำหรับสินค้าอุปโภคบริโภค และธุรกิจบริการ, สุทธิดา อนุชิตโอฬาร

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

การออกแบบอัตลักษณ์ของแบรนด์ (brand identity) เป็นองค์ประกอบหนึ่งในการสร้างแบรนด์ ส่วนหนึ่งของการออกแบบอัตลักษณ์ที่สำคัญคือภาพ (visual) ที่ทำให้คนจดจำและมีผลต่อการรับรู้ โดยมักจะเริ่มต้นจากตราสัญลักษณ์ (logo) ที่เป็นสิ่งหนึ่งที่ทำให้กลุ่มเป้าหมายสามารถแยกแบรนด์ออกจากคู่แข่ง จากการทบทวนวรรณกรรมพบว่าปัญหาในกระบวนการออกแบบตราสัญลักษณ์ คือการสื่อสารกับเจ้าของแบรนด์ที่ขาดความเข้าใจในงานออกแบบ ทำให้ไม่สามารถตัดสินใจเลือกแบบเพื่อพัฒนางานต่อได้ส่งผลให้การทำงานล่าช้าลง เมื่อศึกษากระบวนการออกแบบพบว่าสิ่งที่ขาดไป คือการประเมินคุณภาพและประสิทธิภาพของตราสัญลักษณ์ เกิดคำถามว่าหากมีผลการประเมินงานออกแบบที่เป็นรูปธรรมจะสามารถสร้างความน่าเชื่อถือให้กับงานออกแบบได้มากขึ้นหรือไม่ งานวิจัยนี้มีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อศึกษาและพัฒนาเครื่องมือในการประเมินงานออกแบบตราสัญลักษณ์ ใช้การประเมินงานออกแบบตราสัญลักษณ์เป็นสื่อกลางในกระบวนการออกแบบ นำไปสู่วิธีการตัดสินใจของลูกค้าให้มีประสิทธิภาพและส่งผลต่อการทำงานของนักออกแบบกราฟิก โดยศึกษาผ่านงานออกแบบตราสัญลักษณ์ของธุรกิจสินค้าอุปโภคบริโภค และธุรกิจบริการในประเทศไทย อ้างอิงกรณีศึกษาจากบริษัท จีเอ 49 จำกัด ซึ่งเป็นบริษัทที่ให้บริการเกี่ยวกับการออกแบบกราฟิกและเชี่ยวชาญด้านการออกแบบอัตลักษณ์ของแบรนด์เป็นอันดับต้น ๆ ของประเทศไทย งานวิจัยนี้เก็บข้อมูลจากโครงการที่เสร็จสมบูรณ์แล้วจำนวน 4 โครงการ และโครงการที่กำลังดำเนินการออกแบบอยู่ 1 โครงการ ผลจากการวิจัยเป็นข้อมูลจากการทดสอบกับกลุ่มตัวอย่าง 2 กลุ่ม ได้แก่ กลุ่มเป้าหมายของธุรกิจ 3-4 ราย และเจ้าของแบรนด์ งานวิจัยนี้ใช้เกณฑ์การเก็บข้อมูลเชิงคุณภาพด้วยการสัมภาษณ์ประกอบแบบสอบถาม แล้ววิเคราะห์และแสดงผลการประเมินออกมาในรูปแบบภาพ (Visual Presentation) เพื่อให้เข้าใจได้ง่ายว่าตราสัญลักษณ์ที่นำมาประเมินสามารถวัดประสิทธิภาพจากปัจจัยใด การประเมินชี้ให้เห็นว่ามีกลุ่มเป้าหมายสามารถรับรู้การสื่อสารของตราสัญลักษณ์ได้ และทำให้เจ้าของแบรนด์ทราบได้ว่ามีความพึงพอใจและเหตุผลต่อตราสัญลักษณ์ที่เลือกมาจากปัจจัยอะไรงานวิจัยนี้แสดงผลการประเมินงานออกแบบตราสัญลักษณ์ ประเมินโดยเจ้าของกิจการ กับกลุ่มเป้าหมายของแบรนด์ และผลการประเมินเปรียบเทียบงานออกแบบตราสัญลักษณ์โดยนักออกแบบ กับโปรแกรมในเว็บไซต์ที่ไม่เสียค่าใช้จ่าย ผลเหล่านี้ช่วยให้ลูกค้าของบริษัทออกแบบมีความเข้าใจในงานออกแบบมากยิ่งขึ้น และมีส่วนช่วยในการตัดสินใจเลือกผลงานออกแบบ พร้อมทั้งช่วยยืนยันประสิทธิภาพของตราสัญลักษณ์ที่เลือกพัฒนาต่อเป็นงานออกแบบขั้นสุดท้าย ทำให้นักออกแบบสามารถกำหนดทิศทางการทำงานได้ และช่วยบริหารจัดการโครงการออกแบบ งานวิจัยนี้เป็นการนำเกณฑ์การออกแบบตราสัญลักษณ์จากการทบทวนวรรณกรรมมาขยายผลและพัฒนาเป็นคำถามการประเมิน ผลจากการวิจัยนี้ทำให้ได้เครื่องมือประเมินที่เหมาะแก่บริบทของการออกแบบตราสัญลักษณ์สำหรับธุรกิจในประเทศไทยมากยิ่งขึ้น สามารถเชื่อมโยงกับแบรนด์ของลูกค้าได้มากกว่าเครื่องมือที่มีอยู่ ทำให้ตราสัญลักษณ์ที่ผ่านการประเมินแล้วเกิดความความน่าเชื่อถือ และสร้างความมั่นใจในการตัดสินใจให้กับลูกค้า