Browsing by Subject "Design as a tool for healing"

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Objects of empathy : understanding anorexia through design
(2023-05-04) Duran Garibi, Rosana; Catterall, Kate; Gorman, Carma R; Perez, Jose M; Sokol, Christoph
Anorexia nervosa is surrounded by stigma and misinformation. Research shows strong support networks provide long-term support that improves the chances of recovery and reduces the odds of relapsing. However, love is not enough; knowledge is essential. As a graphic designer, I am well-versed in using images and text to communicate information clearly and persuade audiences to act. I undertook the MFA in design to extend my reach as a designer and communicator by bolstering my research, product development, and 3D design skills, and I used all three to develop a series of provocative objects intended to facilitate more and better communication between those experiencing anorexia and their partners, family, friends, and healthcare providers. My discursive design interventions—a table runner, two plates, and a cutlery set—use familiar utensils from mealtime rituals to explain how food intake relates to cognitive shifts in the brain of someone with anorexia and to highlight myths about anorexia that often deter people from identifying, communicating about, and seeking treatment for anorexia. These designs are intended to help cultivate empathy, understanding, and open conversation among partners, children, parents, friends, and even health providers who may not know how best to support people with anorexia in their journey toward recovery. The provocative and, at times, wryly humorous objects I designed are meant to give non-anorexic people an entry point for talking about the internal and external conflicts that people with anorexia face at the dinner table in hopes that talking about these challenges will help facilitate better mealtime experiences both for people with anorexia and those who support them.
Trauma bonds : physical manifestations of healing
(2022-05-06) Gillmar, Chloe Christina; Lavigne, Sam (Samuel); Garmon, Gray
Trauma Bonds: Physical Manifestations of Healing is a speculative design project that uses traditional and experimental design methods to address addiction-related trauma. By using introspective research methods, I position a younger version of myself as “client” to tackle problems that arose due to my parent’s long-term struggle with substance use disorder (SUD). Through ideation and prototyping, I design objects that respond to the material effects of addiction that I faced as a child and teenager, including cigarette smoke, a lack of resources, and the prevalence of theft. However, these objects serve many purposes beyond solving these problems, including emotional validation, externalizing progress made in processing trauma, and providing a foundation for the next steps in the continuous cycle of healing. This thesis details the similarities between the process of healing and the process of design, as well as providing an exciting glimpse into how design could be used as a tool for somatic therapy and working through trauma.