There is a high prevalence of depression in the United States, and the impairment from depression and the impact it has on an individual’s functioning can also be severe. Thus, it is vital to examine the different causes of depression. In this study, I am investigating the effect a sense of belonging has on depressive symptoms by administering questionnaires to participants from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study and participants from the University of Washington. MIDUS is a national longitudinal study of different aspects of health and well-being. I am also investigating the moderating effect a strong ethnic identity, specifically ethnic identity for individuals of Asian descent, has on the relationship between a sense of belonging and depression through questionnaires that will be completed by participants from the University of Washington. I am predicting that individuals, both from MIDUS and the University of Washington sample, who have a higher sense of belonging will have a lower level of depressive symptoms. Additionally, I am predicting that participants who have a lower sense of belonging but a strong sense of ethnic identity will have a lower level of depressive symptoms. Regardless of the results, the findings of this study will aid in our understanding of the role of sense of belonging for individuals with depression, and will also shed light on the importance of ethnic identity for minority ethnic groups.

Design awareness is the practice of being cognizant of the steps one takes in the design process and how one moves through them. Design awareness can help designers make more informed choices and find the best pathway through their design processes. In a quarter-long seminar, students explored the concepts of design awareness and created prototypes for a design awareness tracking tool to help them stay aware of the design process while fully immersed in it. The goals of this research are to explore methods of teaching students design awareness and to determine the effectiveness of these methods at demonstrating concepts of design awareness and the tools that can help them stay aware. The seminar began with students keeping a journal as they engaged in a design project over the spring break. The students closely examined their own design processes while exploring other methodologies of design. The seminar culminated in student presentations of their sketched prototypes for an artifact designed to increase their personal design awareness. Students reflected on their experiences and were found to have new definitions and understandings of the design process and what it meant to them. Follow-up research explored one design awareness tracking tool and the development of a physical working prototype. The design awareness tracker could record a design process through the different design activities that were engaged in. Data from paper prototypes of the device demonstrated that using the device increased users awareness as engaged in the design process. Further work is being done to widen the scope of design awareness teachings to reach a broader audience.