Growing up in a traditional Chinese family where extroversion is highly regarded, Yufei Wang—a self-identifying introvert—explored how introverts can thrive in an extrovert-centric world. In her thesis, Transversion: Creating Better Spaces for Introverts, she advocates for introverts by designing spaces in which they are not expected to alter their behavior or personality. Unlike existing social spaces, which reward extroverts and are challenging for introverts to navigate, Yufei’s designs support introverts rather than asking them to “rise to the occasion” through design interventions that include reflection, culture sharing, communication, and recharging.

Food sits at the center of human life. It fuels our days and is the root of social activities in restaurants and at family meals. Quite literally, it sustains us. Yet, as a culture, we have lost touch with where our food comes from and how a nutritious, delicious diet can be used to create a healthier, happier, more sustainable future. Bart Haney's thesis, Happy Plants and A Smiling Belly: Investigating the Probable Future of the Human Food System, proposes radical shifts in thinking about the design of public information. He designed provocative solutions to heal ailing bodies, toxic lands, and a broken system in the service of happy plants and even happier bellies. Reimagining the production and distribution of fruits, vegetables, and synthetic proteins brings traditional foodstuffs in line with current and future needs, building absolutely toward a healthier future.

Shin Young Park's thesis, Dear Financial Future: Designs for the Younger Generation's Better Financial Decisions, innovates tools to help the younger generation make rational financial decisions to better prepare for their futures. Throughout this project, Shin Young spoke with experts across the fields of economics, cognitive psychology, banking, and education to envision a range of design interventions, from tools to help with smarter spending to a platform that assists young people to better plan for their retirement.

In his thesis, AUTOMADA: Privacy and Propriety in the Age of Surveillance Capitalism, Weston Rivell sets out to address the universal problem of internet surveillance. This is part of a more significant issue we are now identifying as 'surveillance capitalism' thanks to author Shoshana Zuboff who states, "Users are not customers, nor are they 'the product.' They are merely free sources of raw material." This raw material is processed into behavioral information used to shape our worldview and manipulate our actions through targeted content and choice architectures.

In their daily lives, many people tend to invest time, energy, and attention towards caring for animals, yet overlook the emotional importance of plants. Although plants provide raw materials for food, clothing, shelter, and medicine, people often do not lavish the same affection that they do on animals. As a recent example, in 2019, when forest fires tore through Australia, and rainforest fires engulfed the Brazilian Amazon, many people were more concerned with how many animals were dying, rather than considering the destruction of plants. If people continue to overlook the crucial role that plants play in their lives and in their societies, many plants will go extinct—and humans, unable to obtain the species that they need, will eventually pay a terrible price. To counteract this, Yue Leng’s thesis aims to help urban millennial dwellers connect to nature before it’s too late. By exploring how design can help people to recognize and understand plant blindness in their daily lives, Yue proposes new biological pathways of communication between humans and nature.