Enriching Gifts - College of Arts, Media and Design (CAMD)

Menu

About
- Why CAMD
  
  Why CAMD
  Discover how faculty and students bring the mission and vision of CAMD to life. Learn about CAMD’s values – like creativity and innovation – and our community of multidisciplinary thinkers and practitioners who are creating solutions with an eye towards the future.
- About CAMD
  
  About CAMD
  Learn about the history of CAMD and it's six schools and departments, and how they combine to form a powerful, vibrant college.
- Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
  
  Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
  CAMD only thrives when all of our community thrives. Students, faculty, and staff work to make CAMD a welcoming environment and gives students the tools to create a more equitable future. Discover resources to support students and learn more about our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.
- Our Spaces
  CAMD has several on campus spaces including the Media Studios and Gallery 360.
  
  Our Spaces
  
  Media Studios
  
  Gallery 360
- Celebrations & Awards
  
  Celebrations & Awards
  Information about CAMD graduation and awards
- Contact
  
  Contact
  Looking for more information? Reach out to learn more about our programs and degrees.
About CAMD

Discover more about CAMD
Departments
- Architecture
  
  Architecture
  We provide students with focused, intensive training in architecture and landscape architecture, and tools to help solve real-world challenges. Explore undergrad, graduate, or post-grad programs or discover co-op opportunities to put your newfound skills into practice.
- Art + Design
  
  Art + Design
  Students engage with digital and media arts, using emerging technologies and practices. Learn how you can blend theoretical design principles with experiential learning in undergraduate and graduate degrees. See how you can gain real-world experience through international programs and co-op opportunities.
- Communication Studies
  
  Communication Studies
  Join a dynamic undergraduate program that will help you forge a distinctive niche within the vast and varied communication landscape. Engage with opportunities in Boston and around the globe as part of study abroad and build connections with co-op.
- Journalism
  
  Journalism
  Hone your investigative, analytical and presentation skills in our undergrad and graduate programs. Connect with industry professionals through co-op and study abroad programs.
- Music
  
  Music
  Cultivate a cross-disciplinary approach to the study and practice of music, underscored by cutting-edge technology and a wide-angle focus on music’s impact on cultures across the globe. Gain access to invaluable experiential learning opportunities through co-ops, workshops and professional networking.
- Theatre
  
  Theatre
  Aligning collaborative theatre-making (production, design, and performance) with academic study and practice-based research. Our students develop a rich foundation for meaningful and prosperous careers through experiential learning in co-ops and study away programs.
Interdisciplinary Design and Media, PhD

Learn about our department-spanning interdisciplinary PhD program
Programs & Admissions
- Undergraduate
  Learn about our diverse academic programs to decide which one best aligns with your interests and goals.
  
  Undergraduate
  
  Undergraduate Programs
  
  Undergraduate Admissions
  
  Portfolio Information
  
  Undergraduate Advising
- Graduate
  Embark on the next phase of your academic journey. Learn more about CAMD graduate programs, application information and deadlines, and program requirements.
  
  Graduate
  
  Graduate Programs
  
  Graduate Admissions
  
  Graduate Advising
- PhD Programs
  
  PhD Programs
  The PhD in Interdisciplinary Design and Media offers an innovative, globally-aware, human-centered approach to advanced graduate study, focusing on practice-based research and scholarship applied to or conducted through making or creation.
- Plus One Program
  
  Plus One Program
  With an interdisciplinary focus, CAMD’s PlusOne pathway provides students a framework to earn undergraduate and master’s degrees in different subject areas. The result is a highly flexible, practical, and personalized academic experience that primes students for success in a wide array of emerging fields.
- Program Directory
  
  Program Directory
  Browse and compare a fully searchable and sortable directory of all programs available at CAMD.
Programs & Admissions

About our programs and admissions
People
- All People
  
  All People
  Browse a fully searchable and sortable directory of students, faculty, and staff members at CAMD.
- Faculty
  
  Faculty
  CAMD faculty are committed instructors, active researchers, and passionate creators with deep and up-to-date expertise. Find faculty by name or department to learn more about their research areas and backgrounds or to get in touch.
- Staff
  
  Staff
  Need assistance from a program administrator? Find contact information for program administrators and for Offices on campus.
- Students
  
  Students
  Access academic and support services provided through specific programs and departments and take advantage of the numerous opportunities through the university. Explore the resources available to get involved in our vibrant student community and to make the most of your experience at Northeastern.
- Alumni
  
  Alumni
  CAMD alumni share their expertise and enthusiasm in a wide array of disciplines and roles. See where their CAMD education has taken them and how it has prepared them to succeed.
Our People

Meet our people
Experiential Learning
- Co-Op Program
  Join an experiential learning program that enables students to explore potential career paths while alternating semesters of academic study with 6-month periods of full-time, paid employment.
  
  Co-Op Program
  
  Co-op Program
  
  Co-op Stories
  
  Co-op FAQs
  
  For Employers
- Global Learning
  Enrich your perspective with CAMD’s global learning opportunities, including study away programs and Dialogue of Civilization courses.
  
  Global Learning
  
  Dialogue of Civilizations
  
  N.U.in
  
  Study Abroad
- Student Clubs
  
  Student Clubs
  Northeastern University’s Center for Student Involvement offers more than 340 clubs and organizations, open to students across all colleges and disciplines.
Experiential Learning

Learn about experiential learning
Research
- Research at CAMD
  
  Research at CAMD
  CAMD is where creativity, collaboration, and communication collide. Join us as we explore how new media technologies impact communication, creative engagement, and the human experience.
- Research Centers
  Our Centers are platforms and spaces for multidisciplinary exploration, collaboration, and research.
  
  Research Centers
  
  Center for the Arts
  
  Center for Design
  
  Center for Communication, Media Innovation & Social Change
- Labs & Initiatives
  
  Labs & Initiatives
  Promoting cross-university collaboration, research labs and initiatives support faculty-led investigations and scholarship into intersectional topics like health behavior and digital technology, and data storytelling and digital journalism.
- Student Research
  
  Student Research
  The College of Arts, Media and Design is pleased to offer research funds and grants to students who are looking to enhance their classroom learning through contributing to research, scholarship, and creative activity.
Research

Explore research at CAMD

Due to inclement weather, all classes at Northeastern University are canceled for today, Tuesday, February 28, 2023. Click here for additional information. Test

Home /
Work Showcases

By

N/A

Share

Experience Design to Understand Human Relationships

Author: Houjiang Liu

Keywords: Experience Design, Design Game, Gifts, Emotional Data

The purpose of the Enriching Gifts project is to analyze gift culture and understand its pluralistic individual values and symbolic social meanings. The designer uses participatory design to analyze the gift to understand its pluralistic individual values and meanings.

First, a gift-giving card game was designed to have players talk about their gift experience and reveal differences and issues in gift reciprocity. Secondly, a card sorting research was implemented to analyze how gifts, such as purchased gifts, self-made gifts, and experience gifts, are diﬀerently suited for various gift scenarios.

In conclusion, gifts are not only objects but an experience, enriched by human emotions. In order to enhance human relationships through gifts, there are patterns to identify potential objects as gifts and ways to enrich objects into gifts experience artiﬁcially.

Gift-Giving Card Game

Players put their emotional responses on gifts samples by votes

Players sort the gift based on how they feel about them: fast or slow? Authentic or personal. Afterwards, they also choose gifts and match them to the gift-giving scenarios. After the sorting and matching process, data is clustered on diﬀerent types of gifts, whether they are commodities, self-made objects, or celebratory events. By categorizing how people feel about those gifts, I use clustered bubble to visualize the sorting data. We can explore how people view this relationship through gifts. By categorizing what gifts people choose in diﬀerent gift-giving scenarios, I place them in a sequence of an ongoing relationship. Therefore, we can also explore the pace of gift-giving in a changing relationship.

All in all, the card game creates a fun environment for players, allowing them to understand how people interpret the meaning of gifts differently. In the game, there are two factors that inﬂuence players’ decision-making on choosing the gift: ﬁrst is the gift itself, second is the gift-giving scenarios. The visualization helps us to further understand how these two diﬀerently inﬂuence people’s decisions.

To learn more about this project, click here.