Graduation Year
2020
Document Type
Campus Only Senior Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Reader 1
Nancy Macko
Reader 2
Fred Leichter
Terms of Use & License Information
Rights Information
2020 Megan C Robalewski
Abstract
In this thesis, I use human-centered design methods to discover new ways of conceptualizing plastic use, with the goal of suggesting strategies to lessen human impact on the environment that people will actually adopt. I accomplished this by analyzing children’s toys and parents’ relationships with them, both in the context of their own children and as gifts. I conducted 11 interviews, focusing on three parents, and prototyped a design solution to address aspects of their needs and concerns related to plastic and their children’s toys. My final design was a toy that aims to introduce children to sustainability by teaching them about mycelium and natural network formation. This design functions not only by engaging children, but by providing parents with an option for a toy that is not made from plastic, is open-ended enough to keep children interested as they grow up, and is durable enough to pass on.
Recommended Citation
Robalewski, Megan C., "Designing Sustainable Play: An Examination of Plastic Use With Children's Toys as a Case Study" (2020). Scripps Senior Theses. 1598.
https://scholarship.claremont.edu/scripps_theses/1598
This thesis is restricted to the Claremont Colleges current faculty, students, and staff.
