Design Thinking

This thesis examines the impact of food systems at the point of intervention, recognizing it as a critical issue that affects multiple sectors and presents various potential solutions. Although the underlying causes of restaurant food waste are multifaceted, the proposed design solution is both scalable and adaptable, demonstrating the potential for sustainable implementation across different sectors. This research advocates for the development of a pilot food waste management program for restaurants as a strategic design intervention aimed at repositioning food waste as a valuable resource. The study is grounded in the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Adaptive Strategy for Circular Design framework and is informed by qualitative data, including interviews with restaurant industry professionals and sustainability experts, a literature review of scholarly research, and an analysis of Puerto Rico’s statutes and municipal regulations. Observational methods further support the findings. Ultimately, this thesis contributes to the discourse on sustainability within Puerto Rico’s food system by exploring its inherent complexities and proposing innovative strategies to optimize and transform the system into a more sustainable model.

Young adults in the U.S. are experiencing languishing—a state of emotional stagnation and diminished well-being—often driven by a culture of consumerism that converts sadness into overconsumption. This thesis project introduces the concept of a gift community, designed to empower individuals to recognize, give, and receive personal gifts within a supportive network of members. By fostering connections and encouraging personal development, the gift community aims to enhance well-being and reduce overconsumption. Using frameworks like Design Thinking, Systems Thinking, Biomimicry, and the PERMA model, the project explores the structure and function of the gift community. It outlines the stages of implementation, including a grant proposal to secure funding for further development. The gift community offers members the opportunity to flourish through personal development and social connections, prioritizing meaningful relationships and personal growth over material possessions.

A growing percentage of people living in urban areas have a desire to enact change as evidenced by defined eco-anxiety and personal behavior, but opportunities for compelling and meaningful connection to nature and personal engagement with society are lacking. This thesis utilizes the Living Principles framework, Systems Thinking, and Design Thinking methodologies to address how, in the midst of this multi-existential crisis, bathhouses could be a critical part of the answer; connecting people to people and people to nature, providing the basis for community level action to address sustainability challenges. The thesis work resulted in the development of components (design elements/features and processes), captured within an existing bathing facility prototype, and shared initially through a website. These components have the capacity to support and offer inclusive shared cultural experiences intended to create a sense of “oneness” that challenges the neoliberal teaching of super individuality; offering individuals the synergies needed to address the global environmental crisis in urban areas of living.

Humanity has reached a critical time for decision-making as ecosystem tipping points approach that will determine the future livability of planet Earth. American corporations are major contributors to the climate crisis, driving high rates of emissions and pursuing unsustainable growth for capital gains, rather than working towards a life-centered economy that prioritizes the health of all people and the planet. This thesis addresses the need for emerging corporate leaders who value sustainability, to act in alignment with those beliefs when it comes to taking action in the corporate sector. Using design for behavior change, this thesis developed a training program built around an in-person retreat. The material covered uses the combined disciplines of sustainability, design, and mindfulness to equip participants with the knowledge, skills, and understanding needed to have the capabilities to act in their respective workplaces in accordance with their sustainability values, especially as new opportunities arise when they step into more powerful leadership positions within their corporations. Supported by a new network of like-minded change-makers, participants of the program have the potential to steer the American economy toward a life-centered future and inspire greater global action to follow suit.

"To close the gap between an individual's felt sustainable and environmental values and performed behaviors, this thesis explores current visual and digital communication paradigms in the United States. This paradigm fuels a demanding attention economy that perpetuates climate anxiety, green fatigue, and audience disengagement from vital climate and environmental communications. Through design thinking, while leveraging systems thinking, this thesis explores sound-centric communications as a tool to foster holistic reception of sustainability communication with an ultimate goal to motivate individuals to adopt sustainable behaviors. This project considers audio in both form and narrative. Deep listening, facilitating connectivity with nature, along with emotional and systems thinking-based reflection are utilized to render sustainability narratives personable and achievable. This strategy is shaped by self-determination theory and self-actualization processes. Audio forms include field recordings, spoken reflections, and data sonification. A case study on storm drains in relation to watershed health drive this project's narrative subject through the Adopt-a-Drain program's impact within Nine Mile Creek watershed district in Minnesota. Through creating and surveying audio assets, this project determines there is potential for local and community-driven sustainability efforts and organizations to utilize experiential audio to engage an audience. Survey results demonstrate heightened interest in joining the Adopt-a-Drain program in response to audio assets. This thesis prototypes a QR coded sign posted at a storm drain in Nine Mile Creek watershed's district, prompting individuals to consider where water flows from local storm drains, linking to a website that presents an audio experience synthesizing the surveyed audio assets. This thesis process posits that this prototype could serve to reach audiences more effectively than digital modes of sharing audio may. This thesis will lead to the testing and implementation of this prototype."

"This thesis examines the issue of food insecurity in the United States and the lack of utilization of surplus foods for its intended purpose. It aims to increase food recovery percentages and offers insights into how organizations can self-organize, transform the systems they participate in, and cross boundaries set by power structures. The thesis applies sustainability frameworks, including Systems Thinking, Design Thinking, Circular Economy, and Biomimicry, to explore the Food Recovery System in Alameda County, California. The insights gained provide a deeper view into system dynamics - revealing challenges to solve, structures of behavioral patterns, critical places to intervene, and strategies for system evolution. The thesis proposes a coordinated approach involving policymakers, community leaders, private sector stakeholders, and social justice nonprofits to address the root of wicked problems such as food insecurity and wasted food. The thesis emphasizes the need for systemic change and paradigm shifts to create a food system that prioritizes basic human needs with equitable access, without profit motives or unfettered excess. The results highlight the potential for adaptation and evolution in pursuing sustainable solutions to complex problems."

In modern society, design and business exists and interdependent parts of a living organism. Such an organism is composed of multiple areas of integration such as branding effect on society and vice versa, the intersection of beauty and function, the social responsibilities of artists, and how design communicates with people. In these areas and others, art and design are seamlessly integrated, both creating in and being created by modern society. My research explores the development and application of design in the context of a living organism,from the idea to the design, and to the completion of a full branding system which includes final samples, branding guidelines, and a website.

My personal experiences and research at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design have played a critical role in my developmental process of becoming an artist. I am utilizing my cross-cultural identify to explore what it means to be Hmong, and the bountiful opportunities within a multi-cultural community. I am thankful to have been born Hmong and through all the difficulties, I have found an unwavering pride and restored self-confidence. I acknowledge my own privilege, which allowed me to gain access to formal education, because I wouldn't have been able to make art if I was born in the wrong time or place. I am not a representative for the Hmong community because it's diverse and unique. I'm a single voice with many things to say about the current status of our community. More importantly, I want to emphasize the benefits of being Hmong and bi-cultural. I want the next generation of children to be proud of their roots, and utilize their identity in pursuit of higher education.

In 2022, environmental, social, and market pressures are increasing the urgency for sustainable solutions and the demand for sustainability leadership. Despite this increasing demand, product and packaging designers at traditional creative design agencies continue to perpetuate unsustainable design behavior causing negative impacts on people, the planet, and future profit. Through a qualitative research study, academic research, and firsthand narrative evidence, key barriers to sustainable design implementation are discovered at the systems level of traditional creative design agencies. This thesis introduces a systemic solution to effectively change the leverage point - and therefore impact– of sustainable design at traditional creative design agencies. There are four key insights from this thesis: 1) Defining the optimal leverage point for sustainable design in an agency setting; 2) Proposing both bottom-up and top-down sustainable design leadership approaches to empower designers, increase capabilities, and support organizational transformation; 3) Advocating for organizational transformation using a complex adaptive system (CAS) model to create the capacity to adapt to environmental, social, and market pressures; 4) Advancing the field of sustainable design by identifying and defining a new-to-industry sustainable design leadership role, the Design Director of Sustainability, to engage sustainability at the optimal leverage point and provide domain expertise to create accountability for sustainable solutions. This thesis output provides actionable tools for both purpose-driven designers and creative design agencies to increase capabilities, build resiliency, and create adaptability to support the emerging future.

Frontline youth are most vulnerable to extreme weather events caused by human-driven climate change (HDCC); however, not all their voices are heard on the climate impacts they experience now and will inherit in the future. The thesis project examines the possible benefits of teaching rural youth from Plaquemine, Louisiana, on sustainability. The M.A. thesis candidate uses Design Thinking to create online workshops that expose youth to the topic through the 3 Pillars of Sustainability framework from a systems perspective. The thought process behind teaching youth about the connections between the Environmental, Social, and Economic Pillars of Sustainability (Triple Bottom Line) and related design approaches, youth learn how to creatively think about problems and come up with solutions themselves, further developing their problem-solving skills. The hope is that youth exposed to cutting-edge design approaches feel empowered to think and act towards the future based on their challenges. The thesis candidate also hopes workshops lead to a formula that educators use based on insights from what did and did not engage middle school students.