Research
The Organic Learning Garden is a fenced, 1,200 sq ft space adjacent to the Art Complex, surrounded by heavy foot traffic, shaded seating areas, and key campus amenities including the bookstore, bodega, cafeteria, and student services.
We conducted on-site observations at different times of day and week, documenting spatial conditions, signage, and foot traffic, and spoke with garden members, staff, and casual passersby. Although 70-80 people passed by within 20 minutes, very few noticed or entered the garden. When members were present, the space felt welcoming, but without them, it felt confusing and closed off due to the lack of information and conflicting signage. Conversations with members and our own experience showed that currently, discovering the garden depends largely on chance encounters, making word of mouth the primary path to participation.
Research on third places and community gardens reinforced the garden’s value for sustainability education, food access, and social and cultural connection, especially amid rising loneliness. UX strategy research and nonprofit case studies emphasized designing for activities, touchpoints, and participation rather than assuming a single path of engagement. However, desktop research uncovered a major disconnect: the official SMC garden webpage and social media were outdated, fragmented, and unclear, directly contributing to low awareness. This confirmed that while the garden aligns with proven third place models, weak communication limits its reach and impact.
Garden members described the space as peaceful, welcoming, and deeply meaningful for learning, sharing food, and mental well-being. At the same time, they noted issues such as limited space and facilities, ineffective organization, and the lack of public awareness. Faculty advisors and directors framed the garden as a long-term campus resource, with a vision for an edible campus that integrates food production, education, certificates, and basic needs support over a 5-10 year timeline. They emphasized that student advocacy is essential, while institutional approvals, funding, and cross-department coordination remain the primary constraints to scale.
We collected 21 survey responses from garden members and the general student body to evaluate campus space usage and awareness of the garden. Students prioritized third space features like quiet study zones, workshop spaces, events and produce share, and class integration. Respondents were also highly interested in hands-on learning and community events, including “how to grow” workshops, mental health, sustainability and nutrition, soil health, indigenous plant knowledge, and cooking.
Research showed that while the garden already serves a small, committed community, fragmented information limits broader participation and understanding. At the same time, the garden has reached physical capacity, prompting interest in expanded space and facilities. In response, we proposed a centralized website to clarify access and opportunities, a speculative expansion concept, and long-term vision to support future growth.
Prototyping
After establishing a shared team vision, I developed the logo and high-fidelity website prototype. Feedback sessions validated the “carrot” concept as the strongest visual anchor for the garden and informed improvements to the website’s information architecture. I reorganized content hierarchy for clearer storytelling, refined visual affordances for interactivity, and adjusted the layout to reduce cognitive load on text-heavy pages.
Final ProductS
The garden lacked a visual identity, making it easy to overlook both physically and online. I designed a logo and color palette inspired by existing main SMC logo, the Sustainability Center, and Club Grow branding to feel official, familiar, and scalable across signage, web, and campus touchpoints.
The website consolidates all garden-related information into a single platform, replacing fragmented, outdated sources while showcasing our concepts for events, facilities, and education.
The interim expansion plan repurposes the Art Complex, which will be unused for the next 10 years during campus construction, while preserving existing trees and infrastructure. It introduces more planting spaces, aeroponic towers, accessible paths, shaded seating, and even a pizza oven. Existing art classrooms are reimagined as a community kitchen, study rooms, and a tool library. The concept emphasizes adaptability, reuse, and student-driven growth.
The 10-year vision imagines a fully reconfigured Organic Learning Garden following the demolition of the old Art Complex, featuring outdoor classrooms, greenhouse-inspired gathering spaces, communal cooking, and expanded food production. Beyond campus, the vision extends to the planned closure of the Santa Monica Airport in 2028 as an opportunity for large-scale urban farming and food preservation to support the campus Bodega and address food insecurity at scale.
Results & REflection
Although we were unable to conduct user testing with students or garden members, the final feedback from our professors, who are also garden advisors, was overwhelmingly positive. The project concluded with a strong recommendation to pitch the work to the college administration.
This project showed how clear, accessible communication can shift perception and participation in a physical space, even without immediate construction. Addressing informational clarity alongside long-term spatial constraints helped reframe the garden from a niche club space into a major campus third place and resource. Ethnographic research revealed that the garden already supports strong social connection for a small community, reinforcing the importance of designing with—not over—existing practices. Together, these insights shaped an approach to third-place design focused on supportive, capacity-building interventions rather than disruptive change.
