Kate Johnson

The stigma of failure in American society suppresses discussion and gives the impression that you are alone in your mishaps. Via is a publication that celebrates honesty and shows young adults that they are not the only ones stressing over diverting from Life Plan A. Or B. Or Y or Z. How do you define success and failure? Do you struggle with society trying to define it for you? When is a time you feel you failed and what did you learn from it? Within its pages is six word for word interviews; participants each have their own section and their own story to tell. Quotes within gradient boxes lead the reader on a path to the sidebar, which contains buttons of electric paint. Press the button and your touch completes the circuit, playing audio snippets by the person on the page in front of you.

Vida is a system of interfaces that motivates and teaches children environmentally sustainable habits for the home. Children are motivated by their own customizable gaming world that lives within a tabletop screen. Each time a child positively interacts with a Vida product, they receive resources that can be used within their gaming world. Carrying and syncing their Vida pod to the shower, recycle cans, and nightlight dock throughout their home tracks their progress and displays resource usage visually. This system shows their progress which they can then show off to their parents—this creates a dialogue.

Love in the time of algorithms; Epi is a companion that helps couples navigate the mixed bag of emotions that is a relationship. A quiet but active observer, Epi mediates by making objections and suggestions, asking questions, recalling prior altercations, and establishing ground rules in order to reduce conflict and relationship anxiety. Our team formed a research plan around the topic of modern dating and determined insights and principles that guided our final design.

Team included Rick Paz, MHCI + D.