Master of Fine Arts, The Ohio State University, 2016, Design

Design is everywhere, but for many African American and Latino youth, the journey to a design career can be overwhelming. Limited access and too few opportunities prevent the majority of these youth from even beginning the journey. Design Journeys: Strategies for Increasing Diversity in Design Disciplines explores diversity in design disciplines and presents fifteen strategic ideas to expose African American and Latino youth to design-related careers. This solutions-based thesis introduces a map charting a design career from grade school to a seasoned professional. The “Design Journey Map” contains four color-coded passages that are overlapped with career competency components that simultaneously cultivate soft skills together with the hard skills youth learn along the journey to a design career. The intent of this research is to inform and empower future African American and Latino youth, their parents and other educational stakeholders, about the journey to obtain a design-related career. The objective of this study is to analyze the design journeys of current African American and Latino designers and learn what influenced their career paths. This research is important because it shows the journey to become a designer and provides principles of the solution for closing the diversity gap in the design industry.

Committee: Paul Nni (Advisor) Subjects: Design

MDES, University of Cincinnati, 2013, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning: Design

In recent decades, empathy has been described as an essential skill any designer must develop. Benefits of empathy, such as reaching a deeper understanding of others from a more caring perspective into the design process, should deliver more successful and meaningful products. The purpose of this thesis is to present a conceptual framework of empathy in order to understand how designers are building, using and receiving its benefits during the design process and to evaluate opportunities of increasing empathy components with training. An exploratory study was conducted comparing the impact of using different sources of information and simulation techniques on a design process, looking for changes in the level of empathy, previously assessed by a pre-and-post test. Results indicated that the inclusion of particular tools, as well as some variations in the research process, helped designers to share and understand better stakeholders' situations. This suggests that empathy is susceptible to be improved by training under specific conditions, and draw interesting guidelines for design education.

Committee: Paul Zender MFA (Committee Chair); Renee Seward (Committee Member); Craig Vogel M.I.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Design

MFA, Kent State University, 0, College of Communication and Information / School of Visual Communication Design

This thesis investigates the practices of female designers affected by Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The inadequacy of research on female designers with ADHD in academia propels the study. Women with ADHD are often left undiagnosed until later in life due to their distinct presentation, while men tend to be diagnosed during childhood. Significant life events, such as pursuing higher education or conducting thesis research, may lead a woman to pursue a diagnosis. This thesis seeks to employ design research methodologies to examine the intersection between female designers and the late diagnosis of ADHD. Historically, ADHD research has been largely focused on hyperactive boys, leading to gender inequality in the discourse on ADHD. However, women and girls tend to exhibit different ADHD symptoms. This research aims to foster dialogue on the combination of female designers and ADHD, with a view to appreciating their unique perspectives and impact on design and, at the same time, advocating for their recognition as an asset to any team. Additionally, this research contributes to developing AI and virtual assistants that provide essential external structures for female designers with ADHD by proposing a conceptual application that utilizes research results and AI to create a virtual assistant to aid female designers with ADHD in reaching their full potential.

Committee: Jessica Barness (Advisor); Aoife Mooney (Committee Member); Ken Visocky O'Grady (Committee Member) Subjects: Artificial Intelligence; Design; Higher Education; Psychology; Womens Studies

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2023, Instructional Technology (Education)

Lawler, Beverly E., Ph.D., May 2023, Innovative Learning Design & Technology Instructional Design as an Occupation: The Lived Experiences of African American Women Accessing That Occupation Director of Dissertation: David R Moore Most women have faced challenges in the workplace. They often encounter sexual harassment, gender bias, challenges with working motherhood, unequal pay, and for people of color racism (State of Black Women in Corporate America, 2021). African American women particularly deal with a unique set of problems. They remain underrepresented at every level causing them to stay behind white men, men of color, and white women (Dutta, 2021). The goal of this study was to explore the lived experiences of African American women accessing the occupation of instructional design and identify issues of concern as viewed by African American women in this occupation. Participants noted strategies African American women use to navigate their professional lives. The participants selected included 13 African American women currently working as instructional designers. A particular focus was on African American women's unique experiences from corporate America to the private sector; regarding race, gender, sexism, compensation, and diversity and how these identities intersect and influence their careers. Another goal of the research was also to examine income and how these women viewed the distribution of wealth. Finally, the participants revealed how they believed work conditions had shaped African American women instructional designers' career paths.

Committee: David Moore (Advisor); Greg Kessler (Committee Member); Candice Thomas-Maddox (Committee Member); Dwan Robinson (Committee Member) Subjects: African Americans; Black Studies; Curricula; Curriculum Development; Design; Educational Technology; Information Technology; Instructional Design

Master of Fine Arts, Miami University, 2022, Art

Traditional design curricula find students crafting design solutions based on personal choices, peer review, and instructor critique. In this model, the instructor serves as the expert, the student as the apprentice in an approach that prioritizes the wants and needs of the dominant culture. This study aspired to answer: How can a college-level assignment assist emerging designers in a community college design program identify their own implicit biases to engage in more equitable design approaches? Equity-Centered Design methodologies provide a problem-solving approach focused on the people for whom you are designing. Co-design, a creative participatory approach, brings those whom the design will serve to the design team. The instructor in this learning environment serves as a facilitator rather than an authoritative expert. Learning these methodologies will empower emerging designers to devise and implement equitable solutions. Hence, emerging designers will recognize bias, and prioritize equity in the design process, producing equitable outcomes.

Committee: Zack Tucker (Advisor); Jeff Kruth (Committee Member); Dr. Stephanie Danker (Committee Member) Subjects: Fine Arts

Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA), Ohio University, 2019, Studio Art

This thesis is the written component of a larger project which includes the website: womensworkdesign.com. This project applies the research methodologies of feminist art historians to a study of graphic design history, then uses the tools of digital communication for public dissemination. This paper seeks not only to resurrect female graphic designers excluded from the historical canon but to question the nature of their exclusion. Through an applied analysis of the current model of graphic design history this paper explores three case studies to conceptualize and demonstrate a more inclusive historical approach. This approach explores themes that each of these female graphic designers were engaging with through their lives and work and introduces that information to the digital space using womensworkdesign.com.

Committee: Dori Griffin (Advisor) Subjects: Communication; Design; Fine Arts; Gender Studies

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2018, Instructional Technology (Education)

The faculty and instructional designer collaborative model is one of the solutions that some higher education institutions have adopted to meet the needs of offering online courses, improving the quality of education outcomes, and supporting faculty while developing and delivering online courses. Despite the common usage of such a model, as well as its advantages, few studies have reported on the difficulties in employing this approach. Moreover, a limited number of studies have dealt with understanding the collaboration between faculty members and instructional designers from the perspectives of instructional designers, particularly within the context of higher and online education. Therefore, the aim of this study is to explore the perceived factors that influence interdisciplinary collaboration between faculty members and instructional designers when developing and delivering online courses from the perspective of instructional designers, as well as how instructional designers translate this perception into practice when they interact with faculty members in discrete events. A sequential explanatory mixed-methods research design was employed for this study, incorporating both descriptive and inferential statistics, using a target population of instructional designers in higher education institutions in the United States. For the quantitative part of the study, 80 participants partook in a survey questionnaire using the Perception of Interprofessional Collaboration Model Questionnaire (PINCOM-Q), while semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 participants for the qualitative portion of the study. The researcher then employed statistical tests and analysis such as descriptive statistics, t-test, and ANOVA for the quantitative portion, while for the qualitative phase of the study, the data collected from the interviews were analyzed using Tesch's (1990) eight steps for coding. Results from correlational analyses revealed many positive associations be (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Greg Kessler (Committee Chair); Krisanna Machtmes (Committee Member); Brad Cohen (Committee Member); Danielle Dani (Committee Member) Subjects: Educational Technology; Instructional Design

MFA, Kent State University, 2017, College of Communication and Information / School of Visual Communication Design

Despite the growing number of minority students entering college, those numbers are not reflected in design-related fields. A recent Georgetown study suggests that African Americans are far better represented in the social serving fields than in any other majors. Chasing Vertical- Diversity and Recognition in the field of Graphic Design utilizes design research methods to investigate what African American students prioritize when choosing a college major. The intention of this investigation is to gain a better understanding of why the design field has failed to attract African American students, and what practitioners and recruiters in the field can learn from the successes of other fields in developing diverse populations of learners. This research finds that the way social science students are inspired or motivated toward a career path can be best described in three distinct categories: enthusiastic, direct exposure, and indirect exposure. In each category, subjects prioritize the ability to create social change over a motivation to make large sums of money. Since African American students view the ability to impact their communities as a top priority when choosing a major, the field of design must consider how its tools and principles can be leveraged to effect change. Failing to do so will place design at a direct disadvantage as it attempts to attract African Americans. For this reason, it is recommended that designers use their strength to contextualize information for social issues in addition to commercial endeavors.

Committee: Sanda Katila MFA (Advisor); Jessica Barness MFA (Committee Member); Larrie King MFA (Committee Member); Ken Visocky-O'Grady MFA (Committee Member) Subjects: African Americans; Design

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1977, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects: History

MDES, University of Cincinnati, 2016, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning: Design

This paper proposes a visitor relevance categorization matrix that will help museum designers achieve better relevant experiences for diverse museums visitors. First, the paper will explore museum definitions, museums' different roles, and briefly monitor the museum transitions through history. It will also examine the factors that create and shape museum experiences, and introduce the possibilities of adapting information spaces in educational museums where diverse visitors will be able to decode and connect to given information in museum spaces. Then, it will analyze the existing museum visitors' categorizations and consider who the visitors are and their different identity-related purposes of each visit. The paper will present an analysis of the fundamental structures, obstacles, and processes used for creating successful communicative environments for a diverse audience. The proposed visitors' matrix is a tool for museum designers and educational museum institutions to consider while developing effective visitor experiences. This matrix will allow visitors to make connections, assess values, and create meaningful associations with museum subject matter or objects. It will drive visitor curiosity and encourage them to explore deeper and construct learning. Integrated with other methods, the matrix will assist museums' role in achieving education and a well-informed society in the 21st century's modern societies.

Committee: Oscar Fernandez M.F.A. (Committee Chair); Matthew Wizinsky M.F.A. (Committee Member) Subjects: Design

Master of Fine Arts, The Ohio State University, 2015, Industrial, Interior Visual Communication Design

Research have shown that the design-centric companies have yielded returns 228% greater than non-design-centric companies over the last 10 years. In another parallel research, Dyer et al. developed an Innovative Premium Test and discovered that leaders with high `innovative premium' tends to lead a company in an innovative way, thus having a higher chance for a more successful company. Both researches have shown either being design-centric or innovative leads to a more successful company, but the innovative test has not been done on designers specifically. A pattern among these design-centric companies found that design is needed to build quality and innovative products or services, develop strategic market advantage, and encourage innovative design-centric corporate cultures through design-led leadership styles. Startups are newly found small businesses with the purpose of delivering new product or services and searching for a repeatable and scalable business model under extreme uncertainty. A startup needs design to build up a design-centric scalable and repeatable business model while at infancy, and be competitive and innovative to navigate through the uncertainty of delivering novel products or services. A startup with a designer as one of the founders is said to help cultivate a design-centric culture within the company. UX designers in particular are needed for their competencies to deliver products that meet user's needs and to juggle strategically between business and design. In recent years, while more startups realize the importance of design, more designers choose entrepreneurship than before. Despite the surge in designers becoming founders, there seems to be greater demand than supply for designers in the startup community. Designers are underrepresented in the startup community as compared to business and engineering. In this thesis, interviews with designer founders, and startup and design experts, and a survey with designers, were conducted to (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: R.B. Stone (Advisor); Scott Shim (Committee Member); David Staley (Committee Member) Subjects: Design; Entrepreneurship

Master of Fine Arts, The Ohio State University, 2014, Industrial, Interior Visual Communication Design

Studying as a designer and working with engineers revealed differences between the disciplines that affect communication. The increasingly complex problems facing society require specialists to manage. Increased specialization can lead to confusion when communicating across disciplines. Designers and engineers both provide vital services to industry and it is important that they be able to work with each other as effectively as possible. With a focus on the two academic disciplines of design and engineering, I have attempted to explore whether collaboration between the two can be positively impacted. Participants from each field of study were asked to complete a series of evaluations to determine their problem solving tendencies, learning styles, and patterns in thinking. They were then asked to present their problem solving process for approaching a set of complex contemporary issues. Engineers tend to fall into logical and rational thinking patterns and are more likely to be seen as linear thinkers. Designers differ in their approach to problem solving when there is an opportunity for abstract and innovative thinking. A practical application of this information would require the contributions of both designers and engineers throughout the design and development process. Interaction between disciplines should take place in the form of information exchange, discussions, and informal dialogues. These goals can be achieved through common workspaces, support from management, and strong leadership.

Committee: Paul Nini (Advisor); Elizabeth Sanders Ph.D. (Committee Member); Philip Smith Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Design; Engineering

MFA, Kent State University, 2014, College of Communication and Information / School of Visual Communication Design

WordPress is currently the most popular content management system. The popularity of content management systems is that they allow websites to be built and maintained by nontechnical users without requiring a programmer. This thesis looks at the usability of the WordPress Dashboard interface for visual communication designers. Research was conducted using two usability methods; a heuristic walkthrough and a task scenario usability test. For the heuristic walkthrough, first a set of ten tasks are performed through the interface and usability issues are recorded. Second, the user interface is evaluated based on a set of usability heuristics, and again any usability issues are recorded. In the task scenario research participants were asked to build a website home page in WordPress. After, they were asked to take a standard usability test about that experiences. The results of both methods indicated minor to moderate usability problems in the WordPress Dashboard interface. What the results did indicate is that WordPress is a complex software application and user difficulties and frustrations can actually be broken into seven different areas; usability, themes, plugins, terminology, documentation resources, complexity and coding knowledge.

Committee: Ken Visocky O'Grady (Advisor); Jessica Barness (Committee Member); David Robins (Committee Member) Subjects: Fine Arts

MDes, University of Cincinnati, 2003, Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning : Design

In 1932, the department store Lord and Taylor promoted the American Look, it included comfortable, washable, quality clothing designed by American women designers. This was the beginning of an entirely new category of clothing that would change how the Western world dressed. These characteristics became so assimilated into today's styles they have become an integral part of American design. Before the growth of American design, fashion was based on the lifestyles of a few elite European women and their designers. Little was done to design fashions around the American lifestyle. American garment manufacturers simply copied French designs and mass-produced them in America. Paris was authoritarian in its mandates of fashions dictated by the desires of a few powerful designers, few believed good design could be created in America. A small group of American fashion designers sought to cast off the restrictions of European design and create a style that was uniquely American and placed function before form. Economic, social, and political events had an impact on the development of sportswear as well. World War II isolated Paris from the international fashion press so American manufacturers and department stores turned to American designers. The growth of the department store transformed clothing into fashion and created a demand for inexpensive designs and promoted democracy in fashion. The growth of athleticism among American women spurred the need for comfortable clothing. The lifestyle influences and changes springing from California and Hollywood during the 1930's portrayed the active, outdoor lifestyle as desirable. World War II also pushed women into paid factory and office work, creating a need for practical, protective work clothing. With American trade cut off from France, American textile mills retooled to produce military fabrics and consumer fabrics usually imported from Europe. American sportswear is becoming a global style of fashion. Contemporary designers (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Margie Voelker-Ferrier (Advisor) Subjects: Design and Decorative Arts

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2004, Communication

This dissertation project focused on design practitioners' communicative experiences as they occurred during usability testing in an attempt to isolate and lay out the contradiction that occurs between practitioners' belief in user-centered design (UCD) and their practice of that methodology. Communication was important to study because it is a central aspect of UCD, but the notion that design practitioners perceive communication to be instructive and/or useful as indicated by their design practice has not been well documented and represents an axiom of sorts in the design field. The goals of this research were to trace the contradiction to determine how design practitioners perceive communication between themselves and the users—the UCD rationale—and by extension, to better understand communication's impact upon their subsequent design decisions. The following research questions flowed from this idea: (a) How does the contradiction between design practitioners' values and practices play itself out in their experiences communicating with users to implement UCD in the form of usability testing? (b) What do design practitioners say about the reasons that factor into their decisions to exclude users' suggestions from the final product design? Sense-Making Methodology, a methodology in the tradition of Grounded Theory, was used to isolate contradictory communication behaviors related to design practitioners' belief in UCD and their practice of UCD methodology as represented by usability testing and users' suggestions. Twenty-two in-depth interviews were conducted and Sense-Making's Communication-As-Procedure analytic was used to analyze the data, examining occurrences of contradicting communication behaviors. The results of this exploratory study indicated that communicative tactics seeking connection with and direction from users to validate the product under design, led most often to a design effort that included usability testing and users' suggestions. On the other (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Brenda Dervin (Advisor) Subjects: