Abstract:

As sustainability and sustainable design processes gain adoption among designers, manufacturers, suppliers, and the public, Higher Education institutions are proactively addressing these crucial topics within design degree programs and courses. To delve deeper into this subject, a collaborative partnership was established between two design programs at a U.S.-based academic institution. The primary objectives of this partnership were to explore the theme of interconnectedness across various design disciplines and to enhance the understanding of sustainable design by creating abundant opportunities for sustainable design development. Therefore, this study included engagement in a collaborative learning project that explored various modes of critical making, public engagement, and sustainable development utilizing design research processes.

Employing an interdisciplinary humanities-based pedagogy, the study integrated perspectives from interior design, humanities, service design, and user-experience design disciplines. The project, "Sustainable Design for Healthy Communities," provided a platform to explore diverse understandings and strategies for sustainable development, with a focus on fostering students' insights and approaches to addressing sustainability challenges in the community context.

Three themes were identified from exploration: The Social Dimension of Design, The Interdisciplinary Design Process, and Holistic Thinking [1]. The Social Dimension of Design acknowledges the impact of technology on consumer behavior and user-assigned values to health and well-being. Regarding The Interdisciplinary Design Process, students honed skills in quantitative and qualitative research analysis and multi-sensory synthesis. Additionally, modules emphasized the importance of Holistic Thinking. This approach encompasses a comprehensive understanding of the consumer's role in sustainable development, integrating systems thinking and global criteria for sustainable materials, projects, and product design.

During the collaboration phase of this project, students were organized into teams to develop sustainable products and accessories. Their endeavors were grounded in thorough research and prototyping, integrating insights from material science, life-cycle thinking, and ethnographic research. To comprehensively track student outcomes, the faculty researchers adopted a mixed-method approach, triangulating data from various sources.

Findings & Conclusions:
In this project, the participants actively harnessed the social dimensions of design, immersing themselves in the process of identifying, understanding, and engaging with a targeted community to foster sustainable design development. The implementation of these strategies yielded insightful findings, fostering extensive discussions and a deeper understanding of consumer attitudes and prevailing design industry practices concerning sustainable living. Moreover, the project revealed the existence of conflicting pressures that arise when balancing product development, environmental concerns, and the social needs embedded within community engagement.

Bibliography:
[1] Trippeer, B., Stark, J., Gam, H., Elllis, N., Morgan, B., & Park, J. (2022). Sustainable textiles for health and well-being: An investigation of curricular opportunities for fashion design and interior design student collaboration. Journal of Textile Design Research and Practice, 10(2), 214-238.

Keywords:

Interdisciplinary Pedagogy, Sustainable Design, Fashion Design, Interior Design, Collaborative Project.