Water Project

The last project of our Fall 08 semester was for the AIGA Aspen Design Challenge. We were split into two groups of 8 for the conceptual and research process, then into pairs of two for the execution of the project. Each group produced four design solutions in response to the challenge which was addressing the global water crisis. My group chose to focus on local behaviors and how to shift those behaviors through design. LOCAL ACTION, GLOBAL IMPACT was our tagline enforcing the overarching idea of "Everything is local". The issues my group addressed included:
private water, public right
product inventory, industrial water usage
private disposal, public pollution
residential water use, awareness of options

After mapping and diagramming the physical, cultural, social, technological and economic systems as a group, we worked as pairs. I worked with Sidney Fritts on an E-rating system that would hold retailers, manufacturers, and consumers accountable for the electronic products purchased, used, and disposed. Using Robert Ennis's taxonomy of critical thinking behaviors and David Rose's description of audience readiness, we identified four possible design solutions: Retailer Trade Ad, Online Comparison Tool, Instore signage and all communicating a labeling system.

Schemas : Group Process : In the Studio

The process that is in another post is plastered on the walls of our studio space at the moment...here is a photo.

Schemas : Group Final : Presentation and Prototype

This first video presents how Lynch's theory of spatial navigation was applied as an organizational principle. The second video is a simulation of the interactions in the online experience.

Schemas : Group Project : Description

Our second project of the semester is a group project. My group was instantly named "Team Fried Pickle" for various reasons. Cady, Lauren, and Sam are my teammates. It has been an excellent process so far.

The project goals are to create and document a process for developing an interactive experience and to show a prototype of how one may move through it. The objectives are to use Kevin Lynch's theory of navigation (from Image of the City) to make Raleigh legible in an interactive environment. Our topic of Raleigh had to consider schemas, the mental constructs created within an individual's thought process. These are place schema, role/persona schema, or event schema. Before beginning this project we went to DC to the Holocaust Museum and the American Indian Museum. Each museum is organized by a different schema. The Holocaust Museum uses event schema where the experience is arranged in chronological order. The American Indian Museum is organized by persona schema, is it arranged by tribe.

Other posts will outline our process and the final prototype.

Schemas : Group Process : Documented

This shows the process for our interactive experience. My group worked together at every step. Post-its were the form for our negotiations.

1 TOPIC BRAINSTORM : as a group we shared general ideas of interests, then came back together and used note cards to note ideas, forming three topics



2 TOPIC PROPOSAL : presented three topic ideas to the class


3 TOPIC DEFINING : after choosing a general topic we needed to narrow the story we wanted to tell; this is when we chose Mrs. Henderson as our persona for our narrative


4 TOPIC PITCH : introduce big idea, audience, scenario and schematic map to the class; the schematic map began to define elements of navigation in terms of Lynch's Image of the City


5 USER MAP : as a group we mapped our potential users and their motivation for visiting the site; this allowed for us to further define the purpose of the site



6 CONTENT DIAGRAM : we outlined all of the possible content needed and categorized them into time, place, and gardener



7 BEHAVIOR MAPS : using the content elements from the previous exercise, we began to form ways a user may move through the content; we identified a system moving through macro - mecro - micro; we saw that the paths through the content were very linear, we then rearranged the content to create a cyclical movement by the user and situated them at the merco level






8 WIRE FRAMING and USER INTERACTION : we developed “scene” cards to visual the narrative we wanted the user to move through; we further defined the user path with the structure formed from the cards; from these cards we developed our wire frame that highlights user interaction, content, site intent, and transitions



9 DESIGN STYLE : we wanted to continue our group process in the “design” phase of the project, we built a mood board together which will become our structure for designing the site



T.F.P. © 2008 N.C. State University / College of Design / Meredith Davis Studio

Symposium : Photos

Kelly MK has most of the photos posted here from symposium...thanks Kelly.

Symposium : Motivation Session

Exploring Motivation in Participatory Culture
This session addresses how designers can respond to motivation within four different participatory cultures centered around: an online Lomographic community, collective publishing, virtual and physical town commons, and substandard living conditions. These projects will serve as a springboard to generate dialogue about motivation within other collaborative environments.
--Marty Lane, Matt Muñoz, Alberto Rigau & Rebecca Tegtmeyer

MAIN QUESTIONS ASKED:

Need to get these from Marty

TALKING POINTS:
Introduction to JPG Community:
• JPG is for photographers who share their work online
and would like to see it in print.
• The community participates online and votes on photos to be
published in the next magazine issue that is published by JPG
• Participants are professional and amateur, various levels of experience
• Participants contribute content and critique online, creating content
for the magazine which is printed 6 times a year

My Perspective:
• The magazine felt like it did not represent the community online
• It focuses on photos as if it were a stock book, not interesting

My Approach to What if motivation was wanting to be published?:
• My approach shows the back story of the photos that include details
of the community (comments, favorites, bios, etc.)
• By showing the collections of photos from a person’s favorites page, I am allowing the idea of being published to extend past just photography, publishing their participation.
• Showing community as photographers and curators

These are my questions relating to JPG and motivation:
• Does the difference in design and content of the magazine influence
more people to participate
(comparing mine with the original)?


• What motivates the community of JPG to vote on other individuals photos?


• Would inclusion of the photos "back stories" increase the
motivation to participate?


• What causes individuals to not participate in this culture?
(like myself?) (what would others say?)

QUESTIONS:
• What motivates interaction within a particular object, community, event?

• Are there levels of motivation (as it relates to an individual, community)?

• What obstacles inhibit motivation? (time, tools, knowledge?)

• What charges motivation?

• Does motivation lead to participation in various activities,
if your participating in one, are you more likely to participate in several?
• How much time do we participate in something online? In a given day? How much time do we participate in something in RL? What correlations can we draw on motivation from this discussion?



Poster for Presentation

Symposium : OPTION SHIFT CONTROL

This weekend was our graduate symposium (Nov. 30 and Dec 1). We had been planning it all semester and working hard at the preparations. I am happy to say that it was a great success as our attendance was full of participating people from various backgrounds and places. There were design grad students from CalArts, MICA, Art Center, Eastern Michigan, and Cranbrook present at OUR symposium. Total attendance hit around 60 (I need to do final tallies). My peers worked so hard at what they had to present, they gave it their all, I was proud to be a part of the group.

My responsibilities included doing the communications (I always get that job for some reason...KC A+C) and registration. I presented my future cast project, Lifeline Timeline, and did a working session on motivation with Marty, Matt, and Alberto. See other post

Here is the link to our symposium site and blog...
OPTION SHIFT CONTROL