What I understood from this… Was the interaction people have with space, which was pretty interesting to read.

The prime example featured is the Plaza.  And Plaza by definition is “A public square, marketplace, or similar open space in a built-up area.”  This was invented as such since the greco-roman era as a place where people came together to socialize, perform talks, protests, or even sold goods.

I never really thought about a plaza as an interactive space before I read this piece.

In New York City, where space is scarce but plazas existed.  According to Whyte’s observation, a plaza had an impact in people’s lives.  Especially those who worked a lot and who worked nearby a plaza.  Employees were the number one users of plazas, mainly to get away from their bosses or their work.  They would eat their lunches there and also socialize  It apparently attracts conversation and chance interaction between people.

Also another interesting observation he points out, a plaza’s attraction depends on how attractive it is, does it have a fountain?  Are there restaurants and shops?  But mostly he points out that the availability of chairs and what type of chairs also determines a plaza’s worth.  Whether they have benches or those free standing ones, influences how people get together.  The free standing ones where you move around tends to isolate people.  There’s also the question of shade.  Whyte points out that sometimes  plaza is empty because of the sun… So perhaps weather is also a huge factor, and to have a successful plaza, mind building some shade.

Whyte also explains the important of a “sightline” and the importance of a street.  So meaning to say, you’d need a street to lead you to a plaza, which happens to be at a corner.  If you don’t have anything like that, then the plaza would just be ignored and be stagnant.  He also points out that sometimes, it’s a good idea to have a plaza you can see right away.

Well in regards to what we’re doing in class, how is this relevant?

The example of a plaza is relevant in a way because it’s a space meant for interaction.  So as to say, if a kiosk is poorly design, it won’t be used much.  Nor if it’s not visible or readily accessible.  Does it also give back? Does it add value in someone’s life?  These are practical questions that should be asked when building an interactive piece.

A very interesting read on how things are approached in order to receive accurate data.

I was impressed by what they’ve done, in terms of process.  By not building an intrusive package and in it materials that didn’t seem daunting to that particular receiver.

I really liked this comment: “Instead of designing solutions for user, then, we work to provide opportunities to discover new pleasures, new forms of sociability and new cultural forms.  We often act as provocateurs through our designs, trying to shift current perceptions of technology functionally, aesthetically, culturally and even politically.”

Up until now, I’ve been a commercial designer.  I’ve never really had any challenges such as this, where something is designed as an actual insertion into a society, whether it was received well or not.  Because in my previous work, the only thing that I was concerned about in either designing a package, identity or brochure, was that it had to protect, provide an experience, and visually communicate.

I was never really exposed into delving into a cultural setting where you get to discover new forms of socializing or interacting.

This is what I learned: 1) sometimes materials need to be designed to provoke inspirational responses.

Also love this point: we believe aesthetics to be an integral part of functionality, with pleasure a criterion for design equal to efficiency or usability.

There’s something about having the right aesthetics in order to gain the proper results and I think it depends on every field.  As a commercial designer, I’ve always had to promote an attractive hook to the demographic/target audience.  For architects, it’s something else different.  I can only assume that their designs would have to involve inspiring a sense of mood that an individual can transcend from sight to emotion.  Same thing perhaps for Product Designers, who I think have the hardest design jobs of all.  Their creations must have both form and function, and if it doesn’t function, then it’s poorly designed.

But all in all, I was happy to read this, because it’s something I can use when working on my future projects, especially when dealing with designs that would have an impact in society.

Reading #1: The Social Life of Urban Spaces, William H. Whyte

 The Social Life of Urban Spaces by William H. Whyte explores the findings of The Street Life Project, a three-year study that looked at the usability of New York City public spaces such as city parks, plazas, sidewalks and playgrounds. Whyte wanted to pin point the reasons why some public spaces attracted more people than others. Through observation and reviewing time-lapse videos, researchers were able to see which places around New York City were utilized more often, during which part of the day they were used more and, most importantly, how they were being used and what was being done in them. Researchers mapped out behaviors such as male vs. female behavior, where people congregated in groups and where they decided to sit.

The most important, and possibly the most obvious, result of the research concluded public spaces that were utilized more frequently were the ones with ample seating. The research went on to investigate what kind of seating the public preferred. Benches, although architecturally beautiful, were the least popular because they did not have backrests. Also the depth of the seating played a large role in the comfort of the sitter. Deeper sitting areas encouraged more people to sit, either next to each other or back to back. The study also concluded that women preferred to sit in inconspicuous areas of plazas while men liked to sit near the entrance and be “gate keepers.” Men also congregated in groups to watch women walk by, especially if they were “construction workers on their lunch break.”

Areas of “triangulation” seemed to be welcoming spots for passer-bys who were looking for a place to rest. These areas are defined by “external stimulus that provides a linkage between people and prompts strangers to talk to each other as though they were not. An example for that would be street performers or food trucks. These kinds of areas gather people and force them to exchange glances and strike a conversation.

Parks were a large interest as well in The Street Life Project study. Bryant Park was exemplified as a danger zone that “has become the territory of dope dealers and muggers.” Although outdated, this observation illustrates that shut off or gated areas like Bryant Park have less popularity due to the fact that the participant is secluded from passer-bys, “you can’t see in, you can’t see out.” Sunken plazas had a similar effect on the public; they were not used and seemed unsafe.

The research methods for this study focus on the sociological and psychological aspects of human behavior when they are in public.  Before beginning to design a public space, it is important to understand why people choose to gather in some places and not others. How does their environment control their comfort level? Through focused studies of chair heights, locations and reasons for why someone would want to go to a public space, the architect can truly understand his/her audience and be able to empathize with their needs.  Although dated, this article was helpful in clarifying considerations that should go into performing research on public spaces and the human psyche behind the decision making process of being part of a particular public space.

Reading #2:  Cultural Probes by Bill Gaver, Tony Dunne and Elena Pacenti

A two-year study was performed by the European Union to look at interaction techniques between the elderly and their hometowns in order to increase their presence in their communities.  Cultural probes such as maps, postcards and photo cameras were used to entice responses about the subjects’ personal views, opinions, likes and dislikes. Through their responses using the probes, researchers were able to establish a personal relationship with their subjects and to collect more personal and accurate data.

By using every day items that emotionally connect to the subjects, the researchers created an environment that did not feel intimidating or uncomfortable. Unlike questionnaires or surveys, using cultural probes excited the elderly and motivated them to be more honest, open and share more than what was asked of them. This type of research also stripped any stereotypes of the elderly as people who are “needy “ or “nice.” Going past these self-imposed research roadblocks became crucial in “opening new opportunities for design.”

I believe that this study was extremely interesting and very effective. The open, free communication flow between the subject and the researcher, which is extremely difficult to attain, was essential in gathering precise and bias-free data. Not only did the researchers understand what was important to the elderly and where they were coming from, they were also able to understand why they felt a certain way. Because this study was performed across three different countries, it was important to recognize cultural differences and how design could be properly applied to individual life styles and cultures. It would be a mistake to generalize and create “one size fits all” design. Furthermore, this article showed the importance of sociological research in the design field. This research clearly states that design should complement the subject’s life style. Thus, design’s role becomes that of a mediator between the environment and the user.

I started with taking a radio apart, in an attempt to be able to use analog switches to create variable inputs.
I began testing for outputs with the multimeter which did not succeed. Then I took an old joystick apart and used buttons to create a variety of different notes.
At the same time, Brian my teammate created a drum machine using a rotating old VCR head, inserting conductive pole just next to it, and applying aluminum foils, evenly spaced on the surface of the head; So that as the VCR head would turn, there would be an evenly-spaced signal going out.

Ultimately, the plan was for me to play  notes and for him to plug in his drum machine to perform together; something that unfortunately did not come true due to overwhelming number of inputs into the arduino boxes. So Brian could not plug in his drum machine, but I performed a bit in that chaotic 12th floor scrappy space!

FEEDBACK LOOP:

The Sitting Calculator:

Below is a video of my prototype. I used an apple to simulate a person sitting down on a chair. Ideally I would have used a counter to indicate how long the person was sitting. In this case I used an LED. As a person sits down, the feedback loop would be the counter that starts counting how long the person is sitting for.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GPLBRf-_II

MASHUP #1: Software-Screen based

GreenMarket Mapping Project:

My goal was to analyze which neighborhoods have the most amount of greenmarkets and how that data correlates with New York City’s obesity rate and income level of each neighborhood. Each pin on the map shows the name, location and hours of each greenmarket. Pin with a dot in the center represents locations that are open year-round. I am using Google Maps to mash up existing data.

Final Map: 

View Greenmarkets in NYC in a larger map

MASHUP #2: Software/Hardware

It’s Great To Be an Engine

Below is a prototype of a kids’ sound book that I  mashed up with headlines about wars that are going on in the world right now. I used voice reader on my Mac to read NYTime’s articles that talk about violence and death. Superimposing these stories with a children’s book narrative gives off an eerie feeling because the book juxtaposes the idealized image of the world that we present to our children and the actual reality.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyKqinqOels

FEEDBACK loop presentation