Barrett, The Honors College Thesis/Creative Project Collection

The policy design process in the United States has been guiding policymakers for decades. In order to keep up with the developing sustainability challenges that the US is facing, a new method of policy design needs to be determined for long-lasting, sustainable change. Human-centered design principles provide a new, unique perspective for analyzing sustainability challenges. Through the integration of human-centered design principles into policy systems, a new framework for policy design can be created. Through this project, a new framework that allows for the adaptation to new technologies, scientific information, and developments in the sustainability crisis to be accounted for and adequately addressed in future policies has been created.

This Thesis Project was completed to gain experience in how to create a viable business concept pitch as part of the start-up venture process. During the course of the project the company name–“Vibes Clothing”–and business proposition–“To provide fashion-minded athletic individuals with stylish, versatile, and fully functional luminescent clothing.”–were conceived. However, to further develop the company idea into a viable business concept, market analysis, and customer research were conducted. The identified market conditions and customer desires were then utilized to refine Vibes Clothing's logo, brand, and product. These business and design considerations were then strategically implemented in a men’s-model luminescent clothing prototype. As a further part of ‘the creation of a business concept pitch’–typical of one given at a pitch competition or to a group of investors–a business executive summary and funding pitch presentation were also created. Ultimately, this Thesis Project successfully culminated as a formal business concept pitch; wherein a functional display prototype, business executive summary, and funding pitch presentation were all developed.

This thesis is broken into two parts: the research and the toolkit. The research portion examines the benefits posed by the Barrett Student Engagement team to the Barrett Polytechnic community. Literature on student retention and attrition, inside and outside of an honors curriculum, was reviewed to better understand likely factors contributing to an increase of attrition rates. The primary question in focus is: “What are the benefits student engagement poses for Barrett Poly students?” followed by the secondary question of: “How can the student engagement team best support Barrett Poly students?” Data from the past five semesters has been collected and analyzed to determine the general trends and the strengths and weaknesses within each of the six engagement pillars. As the position of Student Engagement Assistant requires a fair amount of training for short-term employment (can be held until graduation from ASU), it is beneficial to have a training manual in place for workers to reference. The project has been made available in a hybrid format to best accommodate future changes in procedures and resources. A summary of the additional materials has been included at the end of this report.