MFA Products Of Design

Designers don’t design things. They design consequences.⁠ ⁠ Join us today as the 13th MFA in Products of Design Annual Master’s Thesis Showcase takes place live at the SVA Theatre in New York City.⁠ ⁠ Nineteen master’s students will present their year-long thesis work—comprised of research, artifacts, services, experiences, and platforms.⁠ ⁠ RSVP to attend in person or tune in to the livestream at the link in bio.⁠ ⁠ #svanyc #productdesign #design #thesis

Our very own Monty Preston sat down with Acting Chair of the MFA Products of Design program, Sinclair Smith, to discuss the future of the PoD program, his favorite products of all time, and why it’s so important for kids to swing on swings. ⁠ ⁠ Check out the interview at the link in bio⁠ ⁠ #svanyc #productdesign #industrialdesign #design #gradschool

Second years are already deep into thesis exploration! This week, we considered the ways in which research can be a gift 🎁 Here’s one interpretation from the lovely @sophmakesthis 📸 #designresearch #thesis #productdesign #svanyc

Congratulations to the Class of 2026! #productdesign #svanyc #graduation

We invite you to attend the Masters Thesis Presentations of the 2026 graduating class of the MFA in Products of Design program, live at the SVA Theatre Today, May 7th, from 4:00 PM to 9:00 PM (EDT, GMT-4), with simultaneous online streaming. Nineteen graduating Masters students will each present their year-long thesis work, comprised of research, artifacts, services, experiences, and platforms. We welcome guests from all facets of design and innovation, including designers, entrepreneurs, students, teachers, advocates, talent scouts, journalists, and cultural critics. *The link to join the live-stream will be available on our department home page. 2026 Presenting students and topics: Christiana (Ana) Aghjayan The Language of the Road: From Noise to Nuance Daniella Carmel Berg Meshes of the City: Design for Interdependence Ta-Shea Brown Creativity to Enterprise: Art Education as a Pathway to Entrepreneurship Sofia Grytsenko Rekindling Joy: The Power of Play in Design Qi Guan Sensory Overload and the Reduction of Environmental Attention Sophia Haase Made By Hand: Reclaiming Analog Experiences Through Nostalgia Benjamin Hone Spectatorship: Instigating Sports Fans to Get Into the Climate Game Lauren Palazzi Holding On Differently: Reimagining Heirlooms in an Ephemeral World Monty Preston Entangle! Reconnecting to Wetlands Through Citizen Science Rongfengyan (Eva) Mo Between Presence and Production: Boundary Collapse in Remote Work Carol (Zeyu) Tian Expressing Anxiety (焦虑) in American Contexts Gudrun Tholl Torfadottir Designing Everyday Energy: Reimagining Renewables in the Home Jessie Wang "Table for One?": Building a Culture of Solo Dining Danli (Rida) Zeng Metaphor as Medicine: Revealing Meaning to Transform Chronic Pain Haosen Zhang Good Vibrations: Centering the Hum of Nature in Everyday Life Tong Zhao Why Parents Reach for Their Phones: Families and the Attention Economy Shiyu (Lynn) Zhang From Compulsive to Conscious: Using Somatic Rituals to Rewrite Behaviors Sige Zheng Sharing Waves: When Digital Nomads Meet Local Communities in Puerto Escondido, Mexico Qianyue Zhou Performing Realness: Posting, Pressure, and Visibility on Social Media

Metaphor as Medicine: Revealing Meaning to Transform Chronic Pain. ⁠ ⁠ Rida's thesis builds the missing layer between oversimplified clinical scales and the full, felt reality of living with chronic pain.⁠ ⁠ Make sure to RSVP with the link in bio for 2026 MFA PoD Thesis Presentations happening TODAY⁠ ⁠ #SVAPoDThesis

Metaphor as Medicine: Revealing Meaning to Transform Chronic Pain. ⁠ ⁠ From laser-cut pain archetypes to a body-mapping app, Rida built an entire ecosystem for the 99% of life that happens outside the clinic. Inward for meaning. Outward for communication. Because chronic pain deserves both.⁠ ⁠ Make sure to RSVP with the link in bio for 2026 MFA PoD Thesis Presentations happening TODAY⁠ ⁠ #SVAPoDThesis⁠

Metaphor as Medicine: Revealing Meaning to Transform Chronic Pain. ⁠ ⁠ What if strangers on the street could draw what a pain scale can't capture? Rida's Painting Discomfort pop-up handed people markers and asked them to leave their mark. ⁠ ⁠ Make sure to RSVP with the link in bio for 2026 MFA PoD Thesis Presentations happening TODAY!!! ⁠ ⁠ #SVAPoDThesis

Sensory Overload and the Reduction of Environmental Attention⁠ ⁠ Qi's thesis investigates how sensory overload quietly pulls us out of the present, and designs ways back in. From UI to industrial design, she builds systems that help attention return. ⁠ ⁠ Make sure to RSVP with the link in bio for 2026 MFA PoD Thesis Presentations happening on May 7th ⁠ ⁠ #SVAPoDThesis

Sensory Overload and the Reduction of Environmental Attention⁠ ⁠ What if the antidote to overstimulation was something you could hold in your hand? Qi's thesis-born product designed for mindful touch and everyday balance. ⁠ ⁠ Make sure to RSVP with the link in bio for 2026 MFA PoD Thesis Presentations happening on May 7th ⁠ ⁠ #SVAPoDThesis

Sensory Overload and the Reduction of Environmental Attention⁠ ⁠ Qi's thesis, Urban Reset, maps the pockets of calm hiding within 0.5 miles of wherever you're standing right now. Green escapes, quiet cafés, hidden corners. Your reset is closer than you think. ⁠ ⁠ Make sure to RSVP with the link in bio for 2026 MFA PoD Thesis Presentations happening on May 7th ⁠ ⁠ #SVAPoDThesis

Why Parents Reach for Their Phones: Families and the Attention Economy⁠ ⁠ Phones pull parents away. Kids notice. Tong's thesis explores that quiet disconnect, and designs pathways back. From UX to lived experience, she's turning behavioral awareness into something you can hold, feel, and actually use.⁠ ⁠ Make sure to RSVP with the link in bio for 2026 MFA PoD Thesis Presentations happening on May 7th ⁠ ⁠ #SVAPoDThesis⁠