Category: 4th Year Graduating Projects

‘Exploring inclusive methods regarding physiology to de gender bias in design’

My project is exploring inclusive methods to cancel out the physiological bias found within design, with a heavy lens on gender, since women have often been ‘invisible’ in the design process, from the data collection to product.

Gateway One

‘Exploring inclusivity through applying adjustable solutions to a product with body bias’

For this first gateway I focused on the physiological differences between men and women and how to apply an adjustable solution to a common ill-fitting product, in this instance, the glove. This product came up in discussion when considering products that don’t fit how they are intended on someone smaller than the ‘default man’ (Criado-Perez, 2019). Since the glove also fits into being a piece of PPE it seemed a relevant and necessary starting point.

Adjustable Method Applied – Self Blown Balloon Technique

Testing the self blown balloons mechanism paired with a medical glove in order to mimic self vacuum forming the glove to the hand, making it a customisable fit.

Results

During this exploration I realised the self blown balloon mechanism only works one way. In order for the mechanism to ‘seal’ it must be inflated, rather than suctioning the air out, and once air is blown in the seal does not allow it out, instead the balloon needs to be popped.

Therefore I want to now explore successfully applying this technique, through applying an actual vacuum form device/plug to a product, and maybe exploring scale and different materials.

99p Futures

‘A future where everyday products are reactionary to the size of their user’

For this mini project I wanted to reverse the previous prototypes method of shrinking objects to size to instead have objects inflate to size within a futuristic narrative.

First exploration looked at inflating a pencil, came to realise, a pencil is potentially a bad example of object that would benefit from being re-scalable with a balloon application.

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I then considered the phone, and how Caroline Criado-Perez discussed the iphone has reached its limit in size due to being too big for the average man.

As I have now considered ways of inflating and deflating, I have since thought about other adjustable synonyms and their antonyms. As well as other adjustable technologies:

Gateway Two

Since my project is aiming for inclusivity more than anything, the three aspects I am exploring within this gateway are all focused towards achieving inclusivity, and the different ways this could be done, through physiological means.

Achieving inclusivity through:

1. Adjustable Solutions

Considered an Edinburgh tenement bin kit intervention, turns out they are busted for everyone and although the bins are this large to fit more rubbish in, the opening could be more inclusive, like city bins with bin storage underground (image to the right).

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2.Modified Instincts

In order to have inclusive spaces, for women and others in danger of violence against them in public, there needs to be modified instincts, an evolutionary trigger for physiological reactions to danger, fight or flight.

Things to test:

• Do women have heightened instincts already?
• headphones/musics effect on confidence and awareness
• Can subfrequencys instil fear/unease?
• How to create goosebumps and other physiological reactions to fear
• Recreate feeling of point of no return, when you’re on the cusp of falling off chair

Further Exploration:

• Animal defence mechanisms…
• How to design for comfortability rather than discomfort.

3.Physiological simulation/mimicking

An empathy toolkit for finding bias that I haven’t considered as a near average woman

Reverse periscope to help uncover the overlooked differences (still to be pictured)

Inclusivity is about: access, mobility and safety

As this project has progressed I have become increasingly aware of the benefits for designing for inclusion, where many others can benefit from the inclusive considerations in design. So although I am focussing on gender, hopefully my product will reach beyond this. Designing for ‘Edge Cases’, (Monteiro, 2019)

Citations

Criado-Perez, C. (2019) Invisible women : exposing data bias in a world designed for men / Caroline Criado Perez. London: Chatto & Windus.

Monteiro, M. (2019) Ruined by design : how designers destroyed the world, and what we can do to fix it / Mike Monteiro. SFCA: Mule Design.

“While most contemporary products may have the attributes of being economical, convenient and pleasing to the eye, they also tend to be monotonously mundane, inherently destructive of the environment, representative of grossly inequitable employment practices, culturally damaging in their blanket distribution and ethically questionable in terms of their marketing.”

Stuart Walker (2006, p.10)

This project was initially triggered by the bleak realisation that anything I produce as a Designer will ultimately end up in a landfill, whether this be 1 year or 100 years after its design inception.

Leading me to greatly re-asses my practice and its implications. In the search for a more sustainable way of making I came across BioDesign: The collaboration between biology and design. This field has gained a renewed traction with recent bio-technological advances. The diverse material and functional opportunities that engaging with living materials has to offer represents a great attraction for designers.

Objective:
The main aim of this project will be to explore material growth and properties in order to produce unique designs engineered by nature, addressing the growing desire for bespoke products through an alternative way of manufacturing. Through co-designing with nature, I hope to produce unexpected outcomes both for me and for the user
following a more ‘life-sustaining’ approach to product creation.

MOVING AWAY FROM HEAT/BEAT/TREAT

After decades of faithful study, ecologists have begun to fathom hidden likenesses among many interwoven systems. …a canon of nature’s laws, strategies, and principles…

Nature runs on sunlight.

Nature uses only the energy it needs.

Nature fits form to function.

Nature recycles everything.

Nature rewards cooperation.

Nature banks on diversity.

Nature demands local expertise.

Nature curbs excesses from within.

Nature taps the power of limits.

Janine M. Benyus (1997, p.7)

I began by defining nature’s way of manufacturing by adhering to Janine M. Benyus’ criteria synthesis of nature’s manufacturing material process:

• Life-friendly manufacturing processes

• An ordered hierarchy of structures

• Self-assembly

• Templating on crystals with proteins

With these parameters of what it means to design like nature, I could begin to build a framework for my ‘Growth as Design’ practice. I wanted to explore changes in morphology obtained from non-heat/beat/treat approaches but first I decided to begin testing precisely with the heat/beat/treat to gain quick insight into fast changes in morphology. Heat/beat/treat approaches are those involving heating materials at extreme temperatures, beating them into shape, or treating them with harsh chemicals.

They served their purpose of playing with morphology in 3 key ways:

• A material surface that morphs by the addition of another (they all changed shape once hot wax was added)

• A form that changes in property by the addition of another material (a once flexible material, has now become of rigid and ‘brittle’ structure)

• A material surfaces that affords new functions (before the wax was added, water could not be contained in the mesh structures)

With these findings in mind I began employing materials that would change in morphology through non-heat/beat/treat approaches such as rice paper.

By providing a base structure I could maintain the co-creating aspect of my practice, Designer would guide the structure and it would be completed by the change in morphology of the living material. I then applied this to yeast (living material) obtaining the following results.

From this experimentation I concluded that for an object to be deemed co-designed with nature, its purpose must be completed by the growth of the living material. This completion can be understood through one or more of the following criteria:

– aesthetics: the visual aspect of the object is it’s main purpose, and thus a morphing of this results in a completion of the product.

– properties: the addition of the living material affords new properties not previously existing in the product.

– function: the living material affords the physical function of the product.

which have been mapped from my initial quick-wax experiment observations.

EXPERIMENTING WITH MATERIAL CREATION

In order to gain deeper understanding of co-designing with materials, I needed to explore material development and testing, as the methodology would aid me in deciding whether I would want to pursue a bio-based material approach or continue to employ materials as co-designers.

3 Areas of focus.

Material Making

Natural Foams: (possibility for packaging)

The way in which these materials dried led me to keep exploring a change in morphology through water evaporation, similar to how rice paper dried. This time I used Agar Agar (as a proxy for Microfibrillar Cellulose) as my main material.

These explorations have re-defined some of my initial project aims, as they are not necessarily living materials but they do involve an alternative to heat/beat/treat manufacturing. (Criticism: Despite Agar being the main active ingredient, the structures are made from PLA, which has been heated to high temperatures, would need to find alternatives)

Material Agency

Through exploring design practices and working with yeast, some connections started to build. Until now I had seen Biodesign through the lens of a new edge-cutting design field mainly involving technology. However, the more I worked with how yeast grew and changed, the more I noticed it had a lot in common with craftsmanship and design fields such as ceramics, bakery and glass-making. All containing materials change in shape through manual ‘moulding’ during the design process, and which are sensitive to their environments (temperature, component proportions, humidity..).

The interaction with these materials that change in morphology allow to place this design practice within Growing Design; which entails growing materials from living organisms to achieve unique material functions, expressions, and sustainable solutions for product design. 

Key framework:

From the experiments and prototypes I have begun establishing parameters for my work as well as definitions which will help guide the next steps.

From the first prototypes, I established that the fabrication of the product must move away from heat/beat/treat and I concluded that for an object to be deemed co-designed with nature, its purpose must be completed by the growth of the living material. This completion can be understood through one or more of the following criteria:

• aesthetics: the visual aspect of the object is it’s main purpose, and thus a morphing of this results in a completion of the product.

• properties: the addition of the living material affords new properties not previously existing in the product.

• function: the living material affords the physical function of the product.

From the second prototypes, I was able to revise my definitions of living vs ‘dead’ materials and instead refer to them as Passive, Active and Semi-active materials:

Active: A living material that will continue to physically develop after the designer’s rigid input, resulting in a change of shape/colour/texture not stemming from water evaporation.

(e.g: yeast, mycellium, bacteria, fungi, algae…)

Passive: A non-living material that will adhere to the designer’s rigid input, without further post-designer development. Changes in texture, colour & shape occur directly from direct exposure to designer’s heat/beat/treat.

(e.g: wood, metals, plastics…)

Semi-active: A passive material in which changes in texture and shape may occur resulting from a ‘setting/settling’ of the material into place, but these will be due to water evaporation.

(e.g: pulp, agar, clay, plaster, cellulose…)

Additionally, I began to consider living material not only as visual co-designers but potentially benefitting from their products (e.g gas production, changes in colour/texture…)

In this manner I will take forward these parameters and apply them to the manufacturing and designing of the product to-be. The revised aim for my project will move away from current heat/beat/treat manufacturing methods, looking to design using less energy-consuming processes.

Revised project aim:

A co-design exploration of Active & Semi-active materials in product development as a response to unsustainable manufacturing methods, in search for unique and ‘life-sustaining’ design outcomes.

”The exploration of gender in all capacities through products to express gender identity and implement the non-binary in design”

Gateway One

Prototype 1

Aim of this prototype was to test a hypothesis inspired by Judith Butler’s gender performativity theory in which she states that the repetitive performance acts forms what it means to be male/female. performance includes behaviours, decisions and desires which are associated with masculinity and femininity.

I was testing to see if a feminine/masculine repetitive ritual influences a persons gender identity. I focused on the feminine ritual performance of wearing a bra and was wondering if performing this repetitive feminine ritual for 3 days on a male test subject would influence his gender feelings for 3 days after the test.

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A key aspect of a bra is to cover the nipple and I wanted to test this repetitive ritual to see if the wearer would feel more feminine. The prototype was made from adhesive tape so it would fit any size chest. The cover has a genderless form not resembling a traditional bra so the wearer would respond to the feelings of completing the ritualistic act not from the shape of the cover.

In order to test this prototype the subject wore the cover for 3 days and made notes on their gender feelings. I provided probe booklets which had prompts to help the wearer think about their gender feelings towards the ritualistic act they are taking part in. After the 3 days of wearing the cover they made notes about their gender feelings after the test too but didn’t wear the cover during this.

Observations from Prototype 1

•Connall became progressively more comfortable with wearing the cover over the three days. Uncomfortable in how he was perceived

•His behaviours were altered as he tried to make himself feel less uncomfortable.

•He noticed his chest area more while wearing the cover and this continued when not wearing the cover.

•“it does make me feel more effeminate”.

•Gender feelings were influenced but not for a prolonged amount of time and didn’t affect him while not wearing the chest cover.

•Test could have been made fairer by testing on more people and testing for a longer amount of time.

Prototype 2

After conducting the test for prototype one which aim was to test the ritualistic act of covering the nipple it can’t be ignored that form and the shape of the cover could also influence the wearers gender feelings too. 

I am testing if the form of prototype influences gender feelings when enacting a ritual and also testing if the form is more influential on gender feelings than acting out a ritual. My hypothesis is that a more traditional bra form will make the subject have more effeminate gender feelings due to the societal connotations around it compared to the prototype which was more non-traditional in its form.

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I tested this prototype by conducting an interview to find out the feelings of the subject while wearing it. This was done in the form of a video interview (screen shots taken from the video). I asked questions about their gender feelings and their feelings in comparison to prototype one.

Observations from Prototype 2

•The form of a product used is possibly more influential on gender feelings than the actual ritualistic act it is used to conduct – gender also influenced through the interaction with a product. The interactions that can take place are influenced by the form of that object.

•Second prototype used for shorter time but more influential on gender feelings than prototype one. 

•I learnt that the length of time is insignificant when it comes to influence. 

What I learnt from Gateway one and how I used it in application to Gateway two

As I concluded that form and perception of that form is crucial in influencing gender feelings of the user, form is a key area that I am bringing forward to explore. Interaction with form is another area I will bring forward into gateway 2 as I discovered in prototype 2 interactions with a product influence gender feelings e.g. when the wearer lifted and readjusted that strap of the chest cover they felt more effeminate. Perception is another area that popped up more than once. Self-perception of the wearer of the cover and perception by other people looking at the wearer of the prototype.

Gateway Two

In my pervious project proposal I stated that I was mostly exploring the non-binary and this is the approach I took in Gateway one e.g. non-traditional genderless form for the chest cover. But through further research and observations of our society the concepts of sex and gender are intertwined, and heterosexuality as well as the binary is reinforced through social institutions to create social order and hierarchy. My point being is that as the binary is so ingrained in our society on all levels, I can’t simply ignore it!

My hopes is that through the exploration of the binary in various ways (perception, form and interaction) to create prototypes I can understand how gender exists in products and how this influences gender identity.

Perception Prototype

Gender identity is influenced by self-perception and perceptions others have. It is defined as a way of understanding and interpreting. Social perception uses the person, the behaviour of that person and the location to build up understanding. I used these three areas to test perception of self and outsiders perceptions.

Bra Prototype to test perception

Building on the prototypes I made in gateway one I altered and changed the form, meaning and purpose of the prototype. It is still linked to the nipple/chest cover by exploring a traditional feminine item and ritualistic act of wearing something across the chest, but this prototype doesn’t explore the act of covering the nipple. I removed the cups as I didn’t want the perception to be based off the idea of having breast as the shape of the cups would imply this but  I wanted the perception to be based off wearing a bra shaped form.

I moved away from tape as a material as I wanted the prototype to be more refined but also needed it to be worn by multiple people for testing. The prototype is to be worn over clothes in different social settings to test on different people to see how it alters behaviour, self-perception and outsider’s perception of the wearer of the prototype. 

Aims and Hypothesis of Social perception test

My aim is to test the perceptions of the wearer and observe outsiders perceptions of the wearer. Looking at social perception as a concept my aim is to see the influence that the person, location and behaviour has on the perception of the wearer. The final aim is to see if the perception of the wearer is altered depending on their gender.

My hypothesis is that when someone with a feminine gender identity wears the bra prototype, they won’t have major alterations to the perception of themselves and their behaviours won’t alter massively. Whereas someone who is masculine gender identifying, when wearing the bra prototype will be perceived by outsiders and themselves as being more effeminate. Their behaviours will alter for example embarrassment and hiding the cover or to compensate for the bra they change their body language to appear even more masculine.

Method

•Get a person to wear the prototype in a public location

•Make notes on the wearers behaviours while wearing the prototype- does their behaviour and body language change?

•Ask the wearer about the perception of themselves- what do they notice while wearing the prototype?

•Observe outsiders reactions to the wearer in the prototype- visual observation

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Observations from the tests

Upon conducting these 2 tests I observed that Location didn’t influence perception of the user greatly as they both broke social norms by bringing the bra into a public setting and I feel the Perception of the user would be the same in most public settings. Due to this breaking of a social norm both genders were viewed as odd as the received strange looks and double takes. I did notice that the behaviour of verity showed that she was more comfortable while wearing the prototype than Cameron. This could have been due to the fact that she wears a bra normally and a bra is associated with her gender identity. Both of the wearer’s behaviours were altered as they became nervous and conscious of others perceiving them, I assume this is because it is not the social norm for either gender to wear a bra on the outside of their clothes.

In this test the perception of outsider’s views were only observational as I made notes of people looking/staring at the wearers. No verbal opinions of outsider’s perceptions were taken which is something that is explored in the next test of the prototype as I felt it wasn’t enough just to note down if the wearer was looked at strangely. 

Outsider Perception test- Aim and Hypothesis

This test of the bra prototype is solely looking at the perception of outsiders. 

My aims are to gain insight into outsiders’ perception and to see if gender is an influencing factor in this.

My hypothesis is that outsiders will view both genders as odd as they are breaking a social norm but for different reasons depending on if they are masculine or feminine. 

Method

To test my hypothesis, I being the person of feminine gender identity sat outside the ECA café waiting for strangers to ask me questions about the prototype I was wearing to gain insight into the perception of outsiders. A person of a masculine gender identity did the same thing but in Bristo square. 

During this process I made notes on the questions people asked us and the discussions we had. 

Questions/statements made by outsiders to the feminine wearer

•What are you wearing?

•Is that a bra?

•Why are you wearing that?

•Is it a fashion statement?

•Did you make it?

•Is it an accessory?

•Why is your bra on top of your shirt?

•Surely that bra has no function?

•Your bra should be under your shirt, love! 

Questions/statements made by outsiders to the masculine wearer

What are you wearing?

Why are you wearing that?

Mention of politics in discussion with wearer- political statement?

Are you gay?

Why are you wearing it over your shirt? 

What do you study? Intrigued if they were in the art school?

Do you want boobs?

Are you drunk?

Do you want to be a woman? 

Is there a purpose to you wearing this?

Observations from Outsider Perception test

I observed that Location influences who inhabits the space and therefore how the wearer is perceived. The location of the public settings in itself doesn’t influence the perception of the wearer but it’s the people who inhabit these different spaces and the questions they asked that influence the perception they have of the wearer. Different people inhabit different locations on campus for example more students at the ECA and more people of the general public at Bristo square.

For the feminine gendered person (me) the prototype was seen as an “accessory” and “fashion” compared to the masculine gendered person where the prototype was seen as a “political statement”. This is due to the fact that the bra as a clothing item is linked to the feminine gender

Outsiders pointed out to me when I wore the prototype that the “bra is on top of your shirt” and they went on to say that a bra is intimate and private and shouldn’t be on show, where as for the masculine wearer there was no follow up to that statement.

When worn by the masculine person it was seen more as an expression of their gender identity and sexuality with questions being asked such as “do you want to be a woman?” and “are you gay?”. The questions were sometimes put insensitively but they implied more that the bra was a form of expression in comparison to the feminine wearer who was viewed as making a mistake or a fashion statement. 

But overall, both genders were viewed as odd as they both broke social norms by bringing a bra into the public space. For the feminine gendered person it was the act of wearing a private and intimate bra on show to the public and for the masculine gendered person it was the act of wearing and potentially identifying with an effeminate item of clothing.

Both show the subordination of femininity in our society as it is looked down upon to identify with being overtly feminine. 

What could be improved

Because I and the masculine participant attend the university we would run into people we knew while wearing the prototype and they would ask questions more freely which isn’t accurate and does produce bias.

Next time I would not choose places on campus around the uni n hopes that this would mean I would see less people I know.

On the other hand as they knew me and the other participant they would ask questions more freely and it is still someone’s perception whether they know us or not.

Conclusion

Moving forward I am interested in the idea of a collective experience for both feminine and masculine genders this collective experience can explore the idea that femininity and masculinity can exist in one person as a way to introduce non-binary into the design of products.

Form Prototype

As discovered in Gateway one, form influences gender feelings of a person using that product somewhat more than the actual act of doing.

I wanted explore gender through form by creating prototypes which are sculptural to prompt an emotional response in the user.

The aim is to better understand how gender physically presents itself in products.

The aim is to create forms with the idea of the “origin” of femininity and masculinity in mind.

Exploring this idea of “origin” forms.

Method

Using language and words which are used to describe feminine and masculine aesthetics I created two lists splitting them up. The words that make up the lists come from descriptions of gendered products e.g. razors for men and women.

I took words from the list of feminine descriptors and made a prototype using them as a prompt then I did the same from the list of masculine descriptors.

I then chose random words from both lists to create prototypes more ambiguous in its form resembling masculinity and femininity.

From the previous bra prototype I made and tested I now want to explore femininity and masculinity existing cohesively. Through these set of prototypes I explore the binary but I also explore how femininity and masculinity can exist together in one form.

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What I learnt

I felt like the forms that embody masculinity and femininity together were more complex and interesting than the forms that only resemble masculinity or femininity on their own. This links to the conclusion that I drew from the perception prototype that masculinity and femininity can coexist together in one person but in this case I explored this through form. I learnt that 3D printing is an effective way of producing accurate and complex forms that I could necessarily do by hand. Only down side of 3D printing is that it only prints in one material and only a couple colours so materiality and colour couldn’t be explored effectively in these prototypes.

What could be improved

I could have done more but due to time pressure 5 was all I could produce. By producing more I could explore other trigger words and different combinations of them to produce forms that resemble both masculinity and femininity.

Some words on my lists were linked to texture, materials and colour. These prototypes only explore form and shape, nothing else. So to improve on these prototypes I need to explore how materials and colour influence the perceived gender of an object. I would like to explore this in my next iterations. 3D printing allows complex shapes to be produced which is useful in exploring form but maybe next I could look at applying different materials to the 3D printed forms I made to explore materiality more deeply.

Interaction Prototype

Interaction with a product and its form influences gender feelings which I discovered in a gateway one through my test subject interacting with a chest cover with a traditional bra form and feeling more effeminate while wearing and interacting with it than a chest cover with a non-traditional shape.

My aim is to observe and ask questions regarding peoples interactions with the gender ‘origin’ prototypes I made previously.

I want to see what objects they are drawn to and why.

I want to see which form they identify with the most.

I want to ask what words they would use to describe each prototype and to see if gender is used in their description.

My hypothesis is that people will choose to interact with the prototypes that lean towards their gender identity e.g. feminine people will interact with feminine objects.

I don’t think gendered words will be used often to describe the forms and if they are used they will be one of the last words on the list and they couldn’t think of other words to describe that from. Gender weighted words will be used to describe the objects earlier on e.g. cute, soft, hard.

Method

I have not completed this yet but this will be the method I plan on using.

Sit various people ( I am thinking four people, two men and two women) in front of the prototypes. Do nothing for the first minute and don’t prompt them to do anything as I want to see how they would naturally interact with the forms.

After that ask the a series of questions:

Why did you interact with that form?

What words would you use to describe this form? get them to write as many down as possible

Which form do you identify with and why?

Ask them to gender each object masculine, feminine, non-binary. Do this later as I don’t want the person knowing the test is centred round gender. I want the answers to be as authentic as possible.

I will ask questions that come to mind too as each person will interact with each object differently and to understand their actions more deeply I will need to ask more specifically catered questions to them.

I will record the sessions I have so I don’t miss anything that is said and so I can go back and dissect what people said further.

Conclusion

Test to be completed…

The purpose of my project is to investigate ways to change consumer behaviours and habits to make consumption more mindful.
My project is divided into three layers, 1) Mindless consumption; 2) Saturated market; 3) Sustainability; all of which have the objective to not deplete our planet from its resources.
Overall, the goal is to design for longevity.

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Gateway 1:

In the first round of making prototypes, my ideas were fixated on the notion of what is ‘essential’. This initial experiment involved making chair prototypes, exploring their essential or inessential characteristics, ultimately aiming to find their truest form.

In re-thinking this idea about what is ‘essential’, I looked deeper into how and why we consume, learning about our emotional attachment to objects and how that affects our habits as consumers. There is a constant state of desire that will most likely never be satisfied, as one always strives for more. These cyclical loops of desire and yearning for excess often draw the consumer towards objects that have a short life span to satisfy the temptation and brief moments of pleasure.

Gateway 2:

This led me to disentangle words that are affiliated with consumption: desire, renewal, self-identity, newness, excess, status, display, unnecessary, temptation…

Playing with this notion of desire, I began to explore objects of sentimental value that may over time become essential to us. We do not want to discard them, rather it’s these objects that we want to keep for the rest of our lives. Objects that are symbolic of specific moments in our lives, storing mementoes and memorabilia.

I must make a disclaimer that there is irony in this exploration. It is almost promoting consumption and accumulation of things. But I aim to make something that enhances our sentimental value towards those objects that are meaningful to us.

To reach this aim, I interviewed various people, asking them to share with me their collection of sentimental objects. The group of people interviewed varied in age group to have a broad depiction of what could be ‘essential’ to each individual. They described each of the objects’ backstory and why they are emotionally attached to them. With this, I collected a database of what this sentimentality looks like. 

The following are some of the conclusions I made from these interviews:

– Most objects are not purchased by themselves but rather are gifts from other people; they behave as physical and symbolic representations of these particular people
– Some of the objects are stored away or even hidden in boxes or drawers, rarely used daily
– One of the participants is emotionally attached to the objects she uses for work, meaning she interacts with them daily
– Photos and jewellery are particularly meaningful and the most common objects of sentimental value

I realized that you cannot design something that can become sentimental over time, but rather you can design to heighten its value. Using this data, I made three different prototypes aiming to enhance the objects’ sentimental value.

Prototype 1:

This prototype alludes directly to Wunderkammern (16th-century cabinet of curiosities, that were used for scientific development and also influenced how things are displayed). Using glass jars, the objects of sentimental value were placed inside. I think there is an enhancement of value and each of the objects has more presence.

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Prototype 2:

Using the data, I designed an object that is more specific to one of the participant’s collections. The aim was to spotlight each object and in observing the prototype, it looks like a structure used in window shop displays. The corresponding participant agreed that their value was heightened, but it wouldn’t be something that she’d have displayed in her home.

The aim was to see how the value can be enhanced and how the form changes when putting in different objects. This particular prototype only works for a specific collection of objects, so there is something quite personal about producing these structures.

Prototype 3:

Being that the other two prototypes were very specific to two different people, I wanted to make something that was more general and could be applied to a wider audience. This third prototype was made to be configurable so that it can be suited to any user’s needs.

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Individual wooden sticks were joined together using magnets, as well as wooden boards to create designated sections where sentimental objects could be displayed on. I think this prototype is the most versatile and the most playful, but also the most impersonal.

If we think about our empty shelves, they too are impersonal, it is only when we fill them with our personal belongings, they begin to feel more customised.

Overall, these three prototypes were not successful in testing this sense of sentimentality. They were not effective in getting a clear resolution as some of the ideas were rushed and did not reach the level of depth I aimed for. However, I was able to get an insight into object-user relationships through the interviews, understanding how people interact and keep their personal items.

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In conversation about sentimental objects, there is a key statement I got quite often: “I could get rid of everything I own if I just replace them with new things”. The notion of replacement I think is something that could be interesting to research further in my project.

• We must replace our unsustainable behaviour towards consumption with conscious and mindful consumers.
• We must replace unsustainable materials and products.
• We must find ways to replace the current state of the market with products that will not deplete the earth from its resources.

For gateway 2 the direction of my project has been digital communication focussing on making it closer resemble face-to-face communication, for both the work from home market and families and friends living apart. The three prototypes targeted different areas of digital communication with the aim of gathering findings from all three that might be useful in creating a more immersive feeling, and therefore more lifelike form of communication.

These three areas were:

+ The addition of short uneditable subtitled videos to work-related messaging apps with the aim of better conveying human emotion.

+ Making use of peripheral vision as a stimulus for those working from home.

+ Using motion control to create a more immersive chatting experience.

These three areas will be explained below in relation to their respective prototypes, and the findings will be discussed at the end of each prototype description.

Prototype 1

The addition of short uneditable subtitled videos to work-related messaging apps with the aim of better conveying human emotion.

From some discussions with people who actively work from home either due to the pandemic or had previously been working at home prior to the pandemic, I was able to highlight some issues that they had found problematic with digital communication. The area that I have chosen to explore is how to better convey tone and human emotion as I found that a lot of people find text-based messages regarding work degrading and lacking in tone, something that they also find difficult to emulate in their own text-based messages.

This prototype would allow individuals to record short video messages and have subtitles added automatically. These messages would then be sent to the receiving party immediately after being recorded and would automatically pop up on the receiver’s screen with the aim of creating a message that better conveys tone and emotion.

Hypothesis: The addition of a video to short work-related messages will feel closer to face-to-face communication that would happen in an office environment and therefore heighten the emotional connection between the two individuals.

To test this prototype I edited a short video that would resemble a working prototype and asked a number of individuals to watch the video and comment on the addition of these short video messages and their feelings after receiving these messages. I have attached this video below.

Feedback

Many of the participants said that it was nice to hear a voice and see a face, and liked that they didn’t have to click anything for it to pop up, saying that this made it feel closer to real life as in an office people would pop up to them without them having to fully remove themselves from work to listen to them. They also found that the messages sounded less passive-aggressive, and could imaging themselves sending messages and it being easier to convey their tone and would ultimately take less time out of their schedules. One thing that was found though was that it would be annoying if these messages popped up during work calls.

Improvements

The addition of a physical busy/active button that would allow the user to very easily share whether or not they are free to receive messages. It was also noted that the addition of a log or history of messages would be helpful if you missed messages or if there was lots of information to process.

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Prototype 2

Making use of peripheral vision as a stimulus for those working from home.

This was a self identified theory that I chose to test in this prototype. In an office full of people, your peripheral vision is stimulated throughout the day with people getting up to use the loo, or to make a coffee, or simply to come and chat. This is something that I believe is missing from the home office environment.

Hypothesis: The stimulation of the peripheral vision with movement will communicate the presence of other individuals and emulate a shared working environment.

In order to test this, I build a curved display that I then attached a mirror to reflect the motion of the user, this I believe would emulate the movement of other people around you in a shared office environment.

Feedback

Movement was noted but it was too close to the screen to be noted in the peripheral vision. Sadly the mirror also made it too obviously their own reflection so failed to emulate the feeling of others. One thing that was noted though was that the peripheral vision was seen as a less intrusive means of communication, something that might be able to be used for notifications to seperate them from the work on the screen. Another aspect that was noted throught the testing of this prototype was non-verbal office based communication such as when to stop for lunch or when to clock off at the end of the day, something that would be easily seen in an office as people leave their desks, yet difficult to read from a home office.

Improvements

Use this curved screen as a notification system to make notifications feel less intrusive during the work day. The next improvement would be the ability to convey non-verbal office communication such as when people are stopping for lunch or when they are clocking off at the end of the day.

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Prototype 3

Using motion control to create a more immersive chatting experience.

The aim of this prototype was to test the use of movement within video calls, and if translating the movement of each party on a video call to the movement of the camera of the other user would make for a more intutive video call experience.

Hypothesis: The addition of movement controlled by parties on video calls will increase the immersive feeling of that call and therefore heighten the emotional connection between both parties.

To test this I designed a low tech movable arm that would allow one user to move the camera of the other and therefore allow them to explore the surrounds of the individual that they were chatting to. I made the two parties wear headphones and chat through there video call to make sure they were communicating through the prototype and therefore truely testing the immersive nature of the product. A video of this test can be seen below.

Feedback

The design was successful in making the call more immersive and made individuals feel more comfortable in a conversation as it allowed them to explore the other users environment, putting them at ease. One area that it didn’t do as expected was in gestures, I believed that it would be used to gestate, ie moved up and down when answering yes to questions, but upon asking it was found that because it was controlled by the hand it didn’t feel natural to gestate like that. One downside to this prototype was that it was quite distracting for me on the side of the non-controller as I had to look at the screen to see the other user which meant I was unable to maintain eye contact with the camera, which also reduced the immersive nature of the product from my side.

Improvements

One addition to this prototype would be controlling the camera with head movement, this would make the movement of the camera feel more intuitve and therefore make the call feel more immersive. The other addition to this design would be the placement of a screen along side the camera meaning that you would be able to continue to focus on the screen as well as the camera and then maintain better eye contact with the user you are chatting to.

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Re-foccused project statement

The re-framed focus of my project is an exploration of the inclusion of other senses (ie movement & peripheral vision) in the design of digital communication to create a more immersive and intuitive experience, focusing on both remote working and connecting families in different locations.

Next Stages

One area of findings from these prototypes that stood out was non-verbal communication within the office that is not replicated in the home environment, these forms of communication also help to create a community that is missing when working in a home office and an issue that I believe needs to be addressed.

Areas to Explore

+ What does a fully digital world look like?
+ What should we look to avoid in a digital world?
+ How to emulate all nessessary human interactions digitally
+ What makes human interactions feel inately human?
+ Where do communities form?
+ Suspension of Disbelief
+ Mapping Spaces

The areas of these prototypes that I will continue to explore are the addition of movement into video calls to futher develop the immersive experience, and the use of peripheral vision in notifications to create a less invasive from of communication and notification.