Assignment 5b

Proposal 5B

Research Methods To Develop ‘Bridges’ Brief

For one of my self- motivated projects, I chose to explore ‘Bridges’, concentrating on their structural build, their aesthetic appearance and their use as connections to get over waterways .My proposal for an alternative approach is to put more focus on primary and secondary research skills to tackle my original brief more diversely, developing my initial ideas and understanding further.

At the start of any design brief, I always begin by creating a mind map to collect together my initial ideas for research. Usually one idea sparks another idea, leaving me scope to go off on different routes as the project progresses. I would still use the mind map for this brief, adding new ideas as I looked at other research methods. A mind map helps to create a clear picture about how you are going to progress and which areas you are most interested researching into. At this point, I could further develop the topic by having a brainstorming session with friends, feeding off their ideas and adding these into my mind map. This would bring in other routes for researching which I might not have thought about. One idea could lead to several ideas to create a more developed and diverse study, for example, why bridges are built the way they are due to the land formation or their location, the environmental surroundings of a bridge including depiction of colours and what you can see through the architectural patterns of a bridge’s build. By using a variety of research methods, I could develop ideas from a mind map that were not so easy to tackle, instead of automatically going for options I feel more comfortable approaching. By looking into less obvious ideas, I feel I would get more interesting research from it.

Using the cross search tool would allow me to find appropriate resources in articles, journals or books. I could access diverse information on the topic, bouncing off ideas and also providing questions/answers from other people’s research and approaches to highlight an area I might not have considered before. Through such resources I could access historical information about bridges, information about design & construction and reasons for particular styles, because of the natural surroundings or usage. I would feel motivated by looking into other people’s research, another link to consider when creating my own brief. Reading extra literature would help broaden my understanding and encourage me to question and think more deeply about my own ideas on the topic. I might question why certain aesthetic materials were used and search for sources in connection to this. From using this tool previously, it does make you analyse more critically your own initial ideas and also introduces new ones for further consideration. This research method also provides answers to and results for specific aspects of the topic , for example the decisions taken on the type of architecture, the materials used to cope with vehicle weight and pressure, bringing in aspects of engineering, and the aesthetic appeal of the design. Although time-consuming, I feel using this tool would open up other areas to research and would be an effective research method to apply for this project especially as I have only a limited background knowledge of bridges.

I already use observation when carrying out any topic and in this topic I have already explored bridges and the surrounding environment to obtain good observational drawings and ideas to develop from. Taking more obscure photographs of the architectural build of different bridges, showing structural patterns, colour and surrounding landscapes, in connection with bridges of different times and styles would add an alternative approach. Looking at the different materials used to build rural bridges, compared to bigger urban ones would be interesting. The choice of materials would be related to the usage and weight on the bridge and through observation I could look at how this choice would affect the aesthetic look of bridges. I think videoing for a limited time to monitor usage of bridges as connections and to study people’s reliability upon them would also be interesting. Probably most people take for granted the importance of bridges in letting them reach their destinations more quickly and easily. The video would let me study their reactions and behaviour. It would be more valid to take video footage at peak travelling times to obtain most information. Previously when I undertook an observation, taking photographs helped to capture specific concepts I was looking into, which was useful to back up what I had said. Therefore, taking a series of photographs at the scene would allow me to capture valid observations, giving a sense of the place and atmosphere of where different bridges are, so the photographs would be telling their own story.

Conducting interviews would allow me to find out whether people really do take bridges for granted or whether they do realise their importance as connections to destinations. I would get varied opinions through Interviewing commuters and occasional travellers. It would be interesting to find out what they consider to be important aspects - the structure and design, the aesthetic look, including the surrounding landscape, ease of use- traffic jams /tolls, and the convenience of the service. I would be able to gather information about the importance of bridges in different locations. Would opinions vary for different bridges, for example busy urban ones compared to remote, quaint rural ones? From carrying out interviews previously, I have found people are willing to share their thoughts and by interviewing commuters as well as general members of the public I would be able to gather a range of opinions which would be useful to develop ideas from.

To conclude, by applying a variety of research methods, I would broaden my general knowledge of the topic and would be able to create a more diverse approach when developing my brief. I would get a lot of information from literature and images, but interacting with users through observation and interviews would add another dimension, which would be more meaningful for design issues, as their views would be important.

Assignment 5a

Proposal 5a

Using An Interactive Voting Device To Make Soaps ‘Stickier’

Having studied the Stickiness Factor in the Tipping Point, I chose to develop the idea of greater audience participation in ‘soaps’ to make these shows even ‘stickier’. Creating an interactive voting system would allow people to become more involved and interested in the selection of story lines, which could increase viewing figures. The proposal would be to discover the most appropriate type of electronic voting system, selected through direct interaction with the soap viewing public, as their views (interviewing ) and the way they interact with the machines (observation) are essential.

I feel that the two above mentioned research methods would help me gather the most effective results. I also read a journal about electronic voting systems and these results were gathered mostly by watching people use the machines and by talking to them/ collecting info from questionnaires. Observing people interacting with different types of machines would let you see how user-friendly they are and also let you watch people’s reactions/behaviour. Observing how capably different generations cope with each type of system would be important, as this would cover a broad spectrum of people. It would be important to notice any difficulties with use, so helping with the selection of the most appropriate device for the majority of viewers. To get viewers to vote for storylines they wanted to watch would involve finding a system that was easy and quick to use. For a more realistic and valid review , It would be best to observe from the background so people feel less conspicuous and embarrassed about being watched interacting with a device, especially if it’s new to them. Also, observing people as a group would let them feel more comfortable and relaxed. Previously, when I carried out an observation I found that people on their own were more wary and self conscious. Having that feeling of being watched might cause you to disregard the device or make mistakes with it, putting you off. My previous observational experience justifies getting a group of people together to try out different systems as they may be more willing to try it out and be less hesitant to take part. I noticed before that people, who were with others didn’t seem to notice or bother about their surroundings and appeared oblivious to others around them. As people would be less aware of me observing, I could watch for as long as I felt I needed to. Groups of people of different age would also allow for them to help each other out – maybe families could participate in the experiment. When I read the journal on “The Accuracy of Electronic Voting Systems” (Herrnson, PS (2007), the researchers observed people casting their votes. In doing so, they were able to identify types of errors and accuracy levels of different voting systems. Using a similar approach I would also be able to identify occurring errors and get accurate results for the different devices being used. Viewers would be less likely to vote for the storyline they wanted to watch if they were unsure about how to use the system, so by observing I would be able to home in on the most appropriate one for the majority of viewers, which should be easy and fast to use, to encourage viewers to vote for specific story lines and so make ‘soaps’ even stickier.

Conducting Interviews would also be a good research method, to find out people’s views about using an interactive voting system to select specific story lines and whether they would want to participate. Asking people of different generations, race and culture would provide a wide range of opinions and preferences. Would an interactive voting system be effective and practical for all groups of people or just certain viewers? When interviewing before, I realised many people have personal preferences on how they organise, arrange and do things. The interviewees were all willing to give me a lot of information as well as reasons for their decisions. I came to the conclusion that many people’s decisions were influenced by factors such as personality, social experience and personal choice. Interviewing would allow me to find out whether picking certain story lines via an interactive system would be worthwhile or impractical. Perhaps, some people will be more willing to vote than others. After talking to people before some said things had to be practical and if they weren’t then it would get on their nerves. So, I would have direct feedback on how appropriate the idea was. Apart from the practicality of the proposal, I would also get immediate feedback about devices tried out, as they would be able to make comments about their suitability and ease of use and whether they would be likely to use them or not. Following on from this, I could obtain more information about people’s views and attitudes by handing out questionnaires. Some people might prefer and feel less inhibited about writing down their views, but on the down side, others might find this method too time-consuming and disregard it.

Giving people a series of photographs, from which they could then create a ‘soap’ storyline from, could be interesting and creative, as people interpret images in many connotational ways. However, storylines could become more unrealistic as a result and ‘soaps’ are supposed to depict real life issues. I read a journal about how television can confuse people's ideas of social reality "The Role Of Source Confusion In Television's Cultivation Of Social Reality Judgements" (Mares, M (1996)which is why i feel this method wouldn't be as appropriate. Viewers could opt to participate online in this activity and would certainly be very involved, but practically, would viewers bother to sign in or remember to do so? It may only involve a percentage of viewers.

To conclude, when considering whether having an interactive system for viewers to pick specific ‘soap’ storylines they want to see would be viable, observation and Interviewing would seem the most appropriate methods to discover people’s attitudes and reactions from which to act upon. Observing people directly would allow me to witness user preferences/reactions to voting interactively. Gathering information from interviewees of different race, culture and age would provide a lot of information on viewers’ attitudes and opinions about interactive voting, leading to appropriate selection of device.



Bibliography

Herrnson, PS (2007) Voting Technology: The Not- So- Simple Act Of Casting A Ballot, Washington D.C: Brookings Institution Press

Mares, M (1996) The Role Of Source Confusions In Television's Cultivation Of Social Reality Judgements, Human Communication Research, Volume 23 issue 2, Pages 278 - 297: International Communication Association

Assignment 4 – What does the way someone decorates their living space tell you about them?

To answer the question, I had to interview individuals about the decoration of their living spaces. I began by creating questions about influences/ inspirations, colour choice, essential furnishings and arrangement of these, consideration given to male preferences in a couple’s/family’s home and also the importance given to usability versus the aesthetic appearance of the living space. I interviewed two married women, who both had different decor preferences, and a single middle aged man. Carrying out the interviews , I felt I was able to make certain assumptions about the decoration of their living spaces but it was interesting to hear how they decided on the choices they made. There were similarities but there were also differences, which could be put down to factors such as gender, inspirations and preferences. They all liked natural/ light colours influenced by nature, online sources, interior books and visiting shops for advice. They mentioned these colours created a sense of brightness and space in their rooms. They all said that the colours they chose were bright and cheery and reflected their personalities as well as capturing the right mood and atmosphere they wanted in their living spaces. One woman said that she was a ‘summer person’ and wanted warm welcoming colours. Dark colours would pull the walls in and not give enough light. All three said that they had to use light colours as the natural light was too dark. These neutral colours are also in fashion and have a more timeless effect and are often shown in magazine and store designs, which could be influencing. This shows the link with the role of advertising and the way companies display and promote designs to influence consumers. Both women said that the animals influenced their choice of carpets and seats. They chose darker coloured seats and had richly patterned carpets to hide animal hair. This shows the desire to keep their living spaces clean, but at the same time they still picked colours for these items by pulling out colours from other furnishings so that the room still matched.

All three of the interviewees had clear ideas about what they wanted their living space to look like and they weren’t totally happy with their present styles. They were all considering how they could adapt and make improvements, showing how important it is for the designer to have a natural feel for trends and realise the significance of the consumer’s role. It can be difficult to predict how consumers value different objects. All three wanted to create a living space which was personal and individual. Designers have to be aware of consumers’ needs to personalise their space and make it their own. One woman said that her decor was influenced by the style of the house. As it was an older styled house she felt that contemporary objects wouldn’t fit in. She had a modern candle holder which she felt was out of place in her home. The other woman liked the accidental look, placing something ‘quirky’ in the room that was not expected. When picking her colours she would go for similar colours but not completely matching ones. The man had a Feng Shui book, which would influence his future decisions about layout.

Consumers place different meanings and values on objects which cannot be directed. Both women had meaningful photographs and ornaments in their living space, which held memories. There seemed to be a stereotypical pattern in that the women both had a collection of ‘valuable’ items which created more clutter in their homes, whereas the male preferred to have a minimalist look, keeping it neat and tidy, therefore making it easier to keep clean. The man mentioned the importance of his television, which affected the arrangement of the seating so it could be viewed from all seats. Whilst the women had TVs, neither said they were significant, which could suggest consideration being given to the men in the homes. All three mentioned the importance of having comfortable seating in their homes, showing they wanted a restful homely living space.

All three interviewees said that the aesthetics and the usability were equally important. They all wanted a homely atmosphere, which looked pleasing, but didn’t want an ‘unlived in’ look. The way people personalise their spaces gives an idea about what they are like. It was clear that the women preferred a more ‘cluttered’ look and the man a minimalist look without clutter. One woman admitted being unable to throw anything out, referring to her space as ‘creative clutter’. The man preferred things neat and tidy, making it easier to keep clean. If his space wasn’t practical it would ‘get on his nerves’. It could be suggested that men generally like order and neatness and women clutter the space because they consider objects have memories which they don’t want to part from. It was really interesting to find out whether they considered male and female preferences when designing their living space. One woman said the choice was entirely up to her when decorating, but the other, although she probably had greater influence on decisions, would consider her husband’s view before purchasing. When it came down to price both women said that they could persuade their husbands to agree.

They way people decorate their homes can lead to assumptions about social and financial circumstances. Consumers have to consider what they can afford and this can influence the way they decorate their living space. There has to be a balance between what is wanted and what can be afforded. It is something the designer and companies should consider. When I was at the interviewees’ homes it was evident they were willing to pay to get the style they wanted. One woman had an expensive object carved out of wood, which she just wanted to add to the style and look of her room. The other woman had certain cushions in her living room to create an ethnic look but which didn’t entirely fit in with the colour scheme of everything else. The male was definitely more technically minded with his up to date gadgets – his large screen TV with surround system, his state of the art laptop and his iPod being essential in his living space. Consumers have to go with what they can afford, which definitely impacts on how they decorate their living space. Inspirational desires aren’t always possible when price is considered.

Seeing how individuals decorate gives an insight into what they are like. For example colours are very connotational and all three of the interviewees said that they liked natural colours that created a sense of brightness and space, which reflected their friendly personalities. What people consume can also suggest what kind of taste they have and their individuality. Decoration of living spaces is influenced by many factors- personality and personal choice, advertising, social experiences and affordability.

Assignment 3 – Design Safari

Observing Peoples Behaviour In Public

For this assignment I was introduced to ‘Ethnography’ a term I was unfamiliar with, but using it as a research method to gather information on human behaviour was quite interesting, not only for me but seeing if people noticed you making observations and causing them to react differently. It was fascinating to see how different people behaved in a public space- whether they were alone or with other people.

For this research two friends and I chose to go to Starbucks coffee shop in the town centre, an ideal location to observe the behaviour of a range of people. In Starbucks there did not appear to be a specific stereotype, there was a wide spectrum of people of different race, culture and age. There wasn’t a particular group of people in society in this public space.

The full length windows design seem to invite people into it. We quickly realised that people knew how to queue without thinking, showing a well thought out design. The take-away service is also another good service design to get people to use the product without spending too much time and seats are not taken up by these consumers. Another good strategy is the installation of wi - fi. A lot of business- like people were on their laptops making use of it, encouraging them to come to the coffee shop The only downfall about the layout is that the shop has quite a confined space, so people on their own appear more conspicuous. For example, a woman dropped her bottle of water but before picking it up she looked around to see if anyone was watching her. So, people on their own in a public place possibly behave differently than if in company. Her body language appeared hesitant as if she felt she was being watched. It was also noticeable that ‘single’ consumers generally tended to occupy themselves, reading the newspaper or using their mobile phones. This gives the impression that they feel awkward and self conscious about being watched. What I have just described displays normative action, but people’s behaviour may be influenced by different situations and conditions, depending on how they feel in these situations, for example, if they feel really relaxed and interested in what they are doing. Weather conditions may also have an effect. Observing the service within the shop, we noticed that when serving customers the employees put on an act, an unnatural kind of behaviour, showing that people can adjust their behaviour appropriately to suit the situation. People who were with others didn’t seem to notice or bother about their surroundings. They appeared oblivious to others around them. For example, there was a young group of teenagers who sat away from everyone else in their own space, maybe for others to realise that they had a certain identity in society.

We also decided to observe what people were wearing. A lot of people appeared to use popular retail shops, giving us some idea about their identities. They like to follow present fashion trends What people wear and how they behave in situations make them interesting to observe. We found that people would rather pick who they sat next to, maybe they look at how others are dressed or by how they show themselves in public. This made us realise that people constantly make judgements about the people around them, showing a pattern in behaviour. For example there was one man who stood out and had free spaces around him as people decided to sit elsewhere.

In conclusion, people’s behaviour changes depending on certain factors including whether they are on their own, in a group, in familiar or unfamiliar surroundings. Also, people constantly, sometimes unintentionally, make judgements about others, by their appearance and actions and slot them into groups in society. This shows a pattern in behaviour. People shouldn’t make judgements before getting to know someone, but that is how we start to find people we think are similar to ourselves All three of us felt uncomfortable observing others, even although we were doing it together, as some people noticed that we were observing, making it harder for us to carry out. Some people may have felt we were invading their privacy while they were just there to relax. Believing that someone is watching you can make you more self conscious, particularly if you are on your own and although we were doing the observing we felt like we were being watched at the same time. After observing people we came to realise that making assumptions and slotting people into stereotypes by their appearance and behaviour can influence what we think about them, but it’s important to realise that observing only gives a small insight into people in society.

This is a quick sketch of the design layout of the shop.