Carly Hagins

MFA | Industrial Design

DESIGNER BIO

Before attending the University of Notre Dame, I taught industrial design at Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston, MA. Teaching is both how I wound up in graduate school (in pursuit of a terminal degree) and has been the foundation of my graduate research (which focused on undergraduate well-being). My interest in industrial design took root at the University of Cincinnati, where I earned a Bachelor of Science (Magna Cum Laude) in 2010. In addition to teaching, I’ve worked as a toy designer and as an in-house designer for a large craft brewery.

This fall (2020) I will join the faculty at the Richmond Institute for Design and Innovation at Western Michigan University as a professor of product design. I’m looking forward to helping build a new program (the first class of seniors will graduate during the 2020-21 academic year) and exploring all that Michigan has to offer.

PROJECT STATEMENT

College well-being is often approached topic-by-topic. As a follow-up to a series of specific design investigations (on subjects including drinking culture and sleep habits), this thesis takes a broader, systemic approach to well-being in the college context. An in-depth design research process, including interviews and observations conducted on-site at seven different institutions, offers deep insights into the perspectives, experiences, and considerations of various university stakeholders.

The combination of the Weft framework and Satellite Team implementation model is a disruptive approach to college well-being. The framework, which includes accepting change, identity development, community building, and reflection, is meant to be simple to remember, easy to understand, and relevant. The Satellite Team model proposes a new approach for health promotion professionals to act as subject matter experts, collaborating with stakeholders to develop meaningful, personalized, and lasting interventions.