This research covers the possibility of airports serving as virus scanning hubs for future intercontinental travels. This aims at providing an idea for better control of tackling potential harmful viruses unknowingly carried by travelers. The benefit of this research is to help prevent less blow to the local economy and businesses, help keep travel industries, especially airlines, operating, slow down the rate of infection, and decrease cases and death rates, by providing a more secure health check for incoming and outgoing air travelers.

According to Dr. Chris Donaghue, Ph.D., LCSW, CST, “There are a good number of psychological benefits associated with incorporating sex toys into relationships and self-pleasure”. This is also widely accepted across the pleasure product and medical industries. Pleasure products like sex toys can positively impact users’ quality of sleep, self esteem, and relationships. While there is a wide variety of pleasure products available on the current market, few of these options are suitable for people with limited range of motion. This inequity within the sex toy industry negatively impacts the wellness of people with limited range of motion. These negative impacts range from lowered self esteem and happiness to greater stress and conflict within sexual relationships both with others and with themselves. This project seeks to provide a meaningful design solution for people with limited range of motion, and provide insight on the design considerations that must be taken within the pleasure product industry to better address the needs of people with limited range of motion.

Bioluminescent algae has long fascinated humans as a beautiful natural phenomenon. This creative project uses bioluminescent algae to push the limit of biomimicry, using the algae not as a model but as a technology. Through experimentation with algae samples and industrial design, two potential applications of bioluminescent algae as a sustainable lighting technology were generated. One design focuses on indoor, private lighting, while the other focuses on outdoor, public lighting. Both outcomes attempt to solve problems generated by nighttime lighting including light pollution, wasted electricity usage, and negative impacts on human and environmental health while retaining the benefits of safety and convenience.

Asthma is one of the most common chronic conditions in the United States, being diagnosed in over 20 million Americans. The condition is even more common among young children, and their academic performance and ability to attend school can be negatively impacted by poorly-managed asthma. Digital therapeutics are therapeutic interventions driven by high quality software programs to prevent, manage, or treat a medical disorder or disease. Technology in the healthcare space is rapidly improving, and smart devices are becoming more common everyday. How can digital therapeutics and evolving technology be implemented to make life easier for those that suffer from asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease? My research seeks to answer the overarching question: How might we improve the day-to-day experience of children with asthma? Airie is a system of devices and products that educate both asthmatic children and their parents about the condition, facilitate self-monitoring and asthma management skills, and improve overall quality of life.

My thesis explores the development of a new treatment option for children with Amblyopia. I did a lot of research into existing treatment options as well as interviewing patients and their parents do figure out why these treatments were not working. I interviewed a pediatric ophthalmologist to better understand this condition from their point of view. I also did a competitive analysis to see who else was in this marketplace. From the insights I gathered I was able to create a user journey map to see where the most problems arose during the experience from Diagnoses to end of treatment. With this research I was able to design a new treatment plan that was focused on empathizing with the user. I developed several concepts ranging from lo-fi to blue sky. I tested these concepts by making models and getting feedback from the user. I developed the actual design of the glasses through sketching and model making. I tested the ergonomics and design with the help of my classmates. The solution is a combination of smart glasses and an app. The smart glasses function as a replacement of traditional and popular patching by dimming one lens to block vision to the strong eye. This forces the weak eye to be used. The app is used to encourage kids to use the glasses more often through games and challenges. The challenges give rewards for wearing the glasses for an extended period of time. The games are used to increase of effectiveness of the treatment. Research showed that video games like Tetris forces the eye to focus and be used more than in daily life. This solution makes the treatment experience positive instead of negative as it was with other treatments.

What is a habit, anyway? As it turns out, habits, both good and bad, are huge drivers of the long term direction of an individual’s life. We spend around 45% of our time on habitual behavior, or automatic actions--actions that slip under the radar of normal conscious decision-making processes. Habits are a way for the human brain to conserve energy by reacting in the same way to certain circumstances that generated positive outcomes in the past.
The habit loop underlies this whole process. First, someone has a craving--food, happiness, stress relief, anything. Next, they experience a cue in the environment--a sight, sound, smell, or piece of information that prompts them to act. Then they perform the routine, which is the most visible part of a habit. Finally, they are rewarded, whether the reward is good for them in the long run or not. We perform habits all the time without realizing it, so having even slightly more awareness and control of our habits can have a disproportionate benefit for our personal improvement.
In its earliest iterations, “habit trackers” were paper tools for measuring and motivating daily progress. Many competitors are still paper, like journals and calendars. Others are apps with the same functionality. In my competitive analysis, I chose to focus on competitors that included a behavioral change component along with habit tracking.

With brick-and-mortar retail actively under threat from a growing e-commerce market, companies are being challenged to re-evaluate the way they engage with their customers in the physical realm. Companies are under pressure to give consumers a reason to make a trip to their stores over succumbing to the convenience of sitting at home in their pajamas and shopping online. Because of the rapid development of e-commerce, there is a growing necessity for retailers to prove their worth by means of marketing the in-store experience as superior to that of what online could offer. Brands are navigating the grey area between the digital and physical realms in order to successfully fulfill the needs of the modern consumer through viewing these different entities as touchpoints in the overall consumer experience.

This study explores the connection between the interior design of retail spaces and consumer behavior in the direct-to-consumer environment. The research explores the relationships between consumer behavior, intangible brand identity, and the physical (brick-and-mortar) retail environment and explores interior design’s role in the development of a new form of retail found in brands whose presence began online and later entered the physical realm. Through analyzing store aesthetics, consumer preferences, and purchasing behavior, this research provides insight into what matters to consumers in a direct-to-consumer retail environment and how designers at the forefront of this movement are adapting, and ultimately draws conclusions about how companies can utilize interior design and store aesthetics as part of the consumer journey to maximize the impact of their brand experiences.

Torch is a smart bulb and family of fixtures that encourages users to carry their light with them. This product system is designed to offer an alternative to our current lighting systems while living within existing home lighting infrastructure. Torch is designed for people who live in small spaces. Torch appeals to people who want to live a simpler life with fewer products and better interactions. Torch creates rituals that are inspired by the past. While Torch is designed to be the only light source that one uses. This type of system may not fit into everyone's lives or living spaces. In that case, Torch can be used together with one's existing home lighting. Torch allows users to live with their existing lighting while having a personal smart lighting system. Torch is a sustainable smart bulb that offers an alternative to the excessive smart bulb systems that are on the market from companies like Samsung, Philips, and IKEA. Torch is for people who want the benefits of a smart bulb without having to invest in an expensive system. Torch is a family of products that work together to provide a sustainable, affordable, and personal smart lighting system.