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.
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.
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.