STUDENT WORK
The work in my Human Centred Design module is divided into two phases: self-empathy and outward empathy towards others' experiences.
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The self empathy is where they understand their life story, why they behave the way they do, and create a design project based on that understanding.
In the outward empathy, the students pick an emotion or experience that they have never gone through, and create a project based on the research and insights they find. Each project will involve research, finding a very sincere insight, creating a concept, and then executing it. More emphasis is given in lessons to research methods and fine tuning insights and concepts.
Below are a few selected projects done by students to different briefs.
CAMPAIGN FOR CHANGE
This brief required students to conduct primary and secondary research on an emotion or experience they have never personally experienced, and create a campaign to raise awareness.
SCHIZOPHRENIA
Chaya Weerasinghe
Insight: Schizophrenia beats dining alone.
(What they see becomes their reality and they get attached to it that when they go through remission, it gets hard for them to get used to living in fully in shared reality and make real-life friends.)
Concept: Mates
Execution: TVC
MATERNAL MENTAL HEALTH
Dulana Ethugala
Insight: Roughly 1/10 mothers will have postpartum depression. The remaining 9/10 will most likely have stories to share of feeling sad, afraid, guilty, disappointed, competitive, or even angry.
Direction: Matrescence is something all mothers relate to but rarely discussed.
Concept: Adolescent
ORPHAN
Nethangi Fernando
Insight: An orphans life drastically change when they turn 18, and the title 'orphan' does not reflect on what they're capable of achieving.
Concept: A pebble's journey to a gem.
Execution TVC
WRONGFULLY CONVICTED
Alaaniya Ismail
Insight: The family of the wrongfully convicted are victims face prejudice from their community.
Concept: Documentary.
Execution: TVC
DISSOCIATIVE IDENTITY DISORDER
Illyssa Muller
Insight: Where everyone else is a mirror, patients with DID are the cracked fragmented ones. Their perceptions and imperfection may vary but they can still function as a reflective surface.
Concept: Role system
Execution: TVC
SLENDERMAN
Senaya Wickramatunga
Insight: While a person is dependent on the internet seeking for validation, they are automatically setting themselves on a path of self-destruction
Concept: Slenderman
Execution: TVC
CARDS OF GRACE
This brief required students to conduct primary and secondary research on an emotion or experience they have never personally experienced, and create a card game that would invoke empathy or a connection among the players.
INSOMNIA
Manelka Jayasundara
Insight: Those who suffer from insomnia are always looking for different ways and methods to fall asleep.
Concept: Treasure hunt.
Execution: Board Game
HOMOPHOBIA IN OMAN
Warsha Gunesekara
Insight: As males in Oman don't express their sexuality publicly, the rest of the society thinks females dominate the LGBT community in Oman, when it's actually the opposite.
Concept: Sprite bottle
Execution: Card Game
DEPRESSION
Loshani Nikeshala
Insight: Children of ages 13 - 19 with high social intelligence and high social status who suffered from abuse or were ignored turn into bullies.
Concept: Personified demons
Execution: Card Game
SCHIZOPHRENIA
Raeesa Samsudeen
Insight: We’re all hallucinating all the time.
Only when we agree on our hallucinations, we call it reality.
Concept: Human Interpretations vs. Hallucinations
Execution: Card Game
BOOK DESIGN
This brief required students to conduct primary and secondary research on an emotion or experience they have never personally experienced, and create a book that would capture an empathetic experience.
ANOREXIA
Kevin Leitan
Insight: Those who are suffering from Anorexia do not feel like they deserve help as they believe there are worse diseases that need help.
Concept: Centipedes.
Execution: Book
TOXIS GAMERS
Lihini Gamage
Insight: Toxic behavior in gaming can be caused because toxic gamers are frustrated or have emotional distress that is suppressed that they don’t have a method of letting out with out a backlash in real life so they turn to online gaming and attempt to release that negativity by projecting the onto other players which in turn makes them seem toxic.
Concept: Health Points
Execution: Book
HEARTBREAK
Mihuda
Insight: Heartbreak happens in stages.
Concept: Hurricane.
Execution: Book
