Design Studies: Asking the questions

First we had to create consent forms in order to publish the information we gathered from our interviews.

After gaining our participants permission, we continued on with the questions. I won't go into detail with regards to individual answers and information collected, but the following were our generalised finds, along with patterns we began to spot.

The first question, asking if the participant recognised how many, if any of a selection of adverts was an example of a viral ad, got mixed results. A third of participants however, recognised that the "Visit California" advert was in fact not viral. Others recognised the advert, although were unable to determine which were viral and which were not.

The second question was in regards to Cadburys recent and currently ongoing viral campaign. After asking how they felt after seeing a selection of them, we found that the general response was that they were confused. Often they were unsure as to how the content relates to selling a product, although all recognised the videos themselves.

Thirdly, we asked why they think companies would chose to use seemingly irrelevant content in adverts, to which the general response was to make their product more fun, memorable or enjoyable.

On asking what music was used during a selection of mobile phone service providers adverts, we were left with an interesting array of answers. Although it was a bit of a trick question due to the fact that only one contained music, it was interesting to find that sost could not remember much about the content for Orange or O2 at all (the two with no music at all), however nearly all knew that a) T-Mobile was based around music and b) could name songs used (albeit not necessarily the ones used for the specific advert we had muted). It was interesting to find that a connection was made between the audio and memory.

We then went on to ask which provider each participant used, to which half of our participants use T-Mobile. This may just be co-insidence, but speculation may be drawn on this as to why, in comparison to the other main providers (namely Orange, O2, Vodaphone and 3) had such dwindling numbers in comparison.

Next, we asked if any of the people involved in our interviews could remember what the series of adverts was, or indeed the tag line used throughout for the new Windows 7 operating system. Although a few had no idea, a few of the male participants knew selected bits of them. Some knew the tagline was "I'm a PC and.." and some other knew they were short snappy ads. Here are the actual ads we were referring to:



There are several others available on YouTube from the same series.

It was interesting to find that more males than females remembered this type of advertisement. It's hard to say wether it is because of the quick delivery of the adverts that entices males over females, or if it is the content relating to computers, as computers are commonly regarded as being more interesting to males than females.

Lastly, we played only the audio of an advert, and asked if they could tell us what it was for within the first few seconds - being careful not to reveal the product name that is mentioned towards the beginning. Nearly all of them instantly named it, with the remaining one who did not name it being unable to put their finger on the exact product, although said they did recognise it.

This was the advert we used:

The conclusion we drew from our answers was that the reasons viral advertisements are successful is because in most cases, people remember the content and as a connected result, remember the brand. When a continuous style of unrelated content is used, a style is created, thus becoming part of the brand itself. An example of this is the continuous use of purple throughout Cadbury's adverts, the bright colourful fun extraordinary things that happen throughout Sony's Bravia adverts, or Honda's intellectual use of sound. As this becomes the standard for a brand, the products themselves are less and less important as by now the viewer knows that Cadbury's make chocolate, and Sony makes technological products. It's far beyond that stage. 

Basically, the theory behind it is to make you remember them, and from our findings - most of these adverts do just that.

Design Studies: Creating The Questions

For our second last design studies assignment of the year (*tear*) we had the pretty cringy task of interviewing people.

Dealing with drunk strangers from the other side of the bar at work - no problem. Asking for assistance in a shop - no problem. Phoning up a call centre about something (albeit a tedious task) - is also no problem. Standing in the street like some sort of person you'd expect to be wearing a bib with "Greenpeace" or "Amnesty International" on it, no so easy. Watch as the people avoid you like you are some kind of Moses, parting the seas of people by your mere existence. Embarrassing.

So, myself and Kirsty from Jewellery (JMD) decided to tackle this assignment together, as we had both derived similar topics from The Tipping Point in first semester. I had covered a derivative of the Airwalk Case Study, where alternative advertising was discussed, and Kirsty had researched semiotics in advertising from The Stickiness Factor. As we had slightly different areas covered, we aimed to do two things: create a set of questions that suited both of our needs, as well as educate each other about the slightly different path from our own. Win, win really.

Below is the mind map we created in order to generate our questions. We were careful not to create closed questions - a question that can be answered by a simple "yes" or "no" - as less can be learnt from these. We tried to consider how to reveal the questions to the participant, so that there was a mix of content shown before an answer and vice versa where an answer to the question was given, then the content be shown.

click to enlarge

Our final questions are as follows:

General topic to pursue: "Does alternative advertising increase your knowledge of a product, and/or make it more memorable? Does this then lead to possible purchase of said product?"

Tell the participants the following:

Viral advertising is when a product is advertised through a “gimmick” that may or may not be related to the product itself. These are often released online, but can also be seen on TV. 

Questions for Assignment 4

1. Below are three adverts. How many, if any, are successful “viral” adverts?

2. After seeing the following popular advert(s), how were you left feeling?

3. Why do you think companies chose to use adverts that do not seem to connect with the product? 

4. Can you remember what music is used in any of the following adverts? 

5. Who is your mobile phone service provider?

6. Can you summarise what the advert(s) for Windows 7 are? Can you also tell me the tagline used throughout?

7. Listening to the short sound clip only, can you tell me what product this advert was for?

After creating our list of questions, we created our consent form for

participants to sign prior to interview. These allowed us to use their information during our write up.

Finally, we had a set of questions to use. As our questions required video footage, we decided to use Kirsty's iPad for this, to make it simple and easy for participants. 

And also cause I wanted to play with it.

EcoOffice: Visit to SEPA Arbroath

On Wednesday, Paula, Christina and myself took a trip to Arbroath to interview one of the members of staff at SEPA's Arbroath offices. We tried to put together a selection of questions that the brief had not answered, and although he was very helpful, we have been left with some questioned still unanswered.

One of the main aspects that we were unsure about tackling, was a potential laboratory in the fictitious Dundee branch. Unfortunately, Arbroath is such a small office, it does not have such a facility. We were told however, that Aberdeen offices had recently opened their new building, which had labs. As a result of finding this out, we are currently deliberating wether or not to visit, as time is also becoming a factor.

The building itself in Arbroath was an old doctors surgery, and was reasonably old. Due to this, there was little sustainable aspects, and pretty much what you would imagine any office environment to be like. Coffee rings on desks, paper mounting up in piles, and the odd indoor plant to brighten things up. We also timed our visit just as it was being painted, with eco friendly paint I hope!

One of the questions we asked was if there was a running theme throughout the offices, and the answer was basically they would like to have the SEPA logo colours incorporated throughout. It's a teal colour, not unlike some of the typeface on my blog. This I assume, is not difficult for us to use during the remainder of our task.

A lot of our answers were based around what SEPA do as an organisation, and not so much about design itself. Although at first I was unsure as to how much help this may be, I have come to realise that the better we understand how they work, the easier it is for us to understand how to improve working conditions - and only after this, incorporate the sustainability factor. One of the things that is a result of this was realising that office employees also have a role out with the office itself, as they sometimes visit sites. An offshoot of this is that they also use equipment on site that in Arbroath's case, is currently kept in garage space some 10 minutes away. This is food for thought, as equipment space was not a requirement of the initial brief.

A lot of the facts that we were told can be found on their website, including annual pdf reports, documenting statistical data regarding SEPA's office emissions.

All in all it was a useful trip as it let us get an insight into how they work, although ultimately a trip to their Aberdeen offices would also be beneficial.

filing space seems to be an issue

...definitely need more filing space

a bit of a theme appears to be coming apparent

recycling efforts - I'm sure we could aim higher!

as a borderline OCD sufferer for organisation - this stresses me out!

Design Studies: There's a Moose Loose, Aboot Yer Hoose

Well perhaps not exactly a moose, more me - and no cheek about there being no difference thank you very much.

Anyhow, moving swiftly on - as the title suggests we were effectively let loose in our partners homes to "snoop" - a term psychologist Sam Gosling coined in his book of the same name. Below he explains what he researched.

For the original interview source and more from Sam Gosling, visit bigthink.

I was teamed with Joanne White of Textiles, who sent me several pictures of both her residence while at University, and her bedroom back at her parents home. 

Immediately I picked up on the "girly" factor - the purple bed covers and matching curtains in one, and pink in the other, along with an arrangement of toiletry products. There was also a kids pillow on one of the beds, and from this I assume she is playful and young, but not necessarily immature. Light hearted things like childish cushions may symbolise memories from being younger, and a longing to return to then, or in fact that Joanne herself is in fact just young at heart. Secondly, I noticed that on the wall there are framed school photos. These may be significant to her as she may be a relatively new school leaver and thus have sentimental value for it. I think it shows that she still deems that part of her life as valuable - enough that is, to warrant wall space. 

There are several coats hung up at the door, and as this is in her student residence room and not at a front door, I assume it's safe to make the assumption that they are all hers. From this I can gather that she is fashion conscious, as she has different outerwear for different occasions. To add to this, there is also a few clothes shop carrier bags scattered throughout the images, suggesting she clothes shops regularly.

There is a card on the shelves with a ribbon and heart on it, which is being held by a bear. As there are not several other cards to suggest a recent birthday, I assume this is from a partner, meaning she is not single. 

Amongst the items on her shelves, aside from the card, is the previously mentioned toiletries. On closer inspection of these, there appears to be several cans of hair spray - which could mean that she is image conscious, although I would assume that this is perhaps more geared towards evenings out. This is likely, as paired with the information gathered by the collection of coats and clothes shop carrier bags, it is safe to come to this conclusion. 

Further to the "girlie" aspect that I mentioned at the beginning, I have noticed that there are a few soft toys perched on a shelf in her bedroom at her parents house. These depict the same character that was on the cushion - so this may in fact be a specific interest in this character, and not a general children's character interest. 

Everything is neat and appears to have it's own specific place. This could borderline on neuroticism, but the bedroom used while at University is marginally messier - thus meaning that the tidiness could just be because the room at her parents is used less. Her University residence is more "lived in"- but not messy.

There is a bag in the waste paper bin to catch the rubbish - suggesting that Joanne is someone who likes things to be done properly, neatly, and efficiently, as by doing this it saves time later when emptying, and it also reduces possible mess.

Overall I would say Joanne is a tidy person without being a neat freak. Sometimes things may pile up during more stressful times, however her parents home shows she is a neat and tidy person when she has the time. I think she could be prone to getting stressed, and perhaps be slightly shy as there are few bold statements made in any of the images - however this could be a result of not being allowed to fully personalise rented accommodation.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Well, after the meeting I had with Joanne and a few others, it turns out the above is pretty accurate! She agreed with nearly all of it - and added further reasoning to my conclusions, all of which continue down the assumptions I had made.

Scarily, her analysis of me was also very accurate. From my images she got that I am bold, loud, outspoken about my beliefs and creative. She also got that I am borderline obsessive compulsive about my organising of things, pointing out that I often over arrange things - such as my hangers. Pretty much spot on (although I'm more things, not a horrid unbearable loud brute, I hope!) Another thing that was brought to my attention is my selection of Andy Warhol quotes on my bedroom wall. One stated that "one's company, two's a crowd and three's a party". From this she got that I'm light hearted, and up for having a laugh and enjoy company. She also got this from my halloween costume where I was dressed as a Pacman ghost. My choice of decor, namely the assortment of frames in the hallway indicate I am creative and take pride in presentation. My decision to tattoo the Andy Warhol banana to myself she said, was another indication to my personal beliefs - showing that I have no issues with being outspoken, and not concerning myself with what others think about me.

As I said, pretty accurate!

We also had to complete the Joharis Window task - a task that requires us to fill in adjectives into the relevant box, revealing areas of your personality that you may not be aware of. Groups of key words tended to be together under the various areas you may place them. The boxes include Open - which is the field that descriptions that are obvious to both you and others are places. Blind is the box that is traits obvious to others, but not yourself. Hidden is the field that are traits you know you have but others do not, and unknown are any other uncategorizable traits. Below are my findings (I used a standard set of 56 adjectives) :

DJCAD: New Studio Space

We have been told that DJCAD is set to be going under serious renovation over the next few academic years. As exciting as it is, it causes almost immediate disruption to the Interior & Environmental department as our current studio space inhabits most of floor 5 in the Matthew Building - which is set to be developed into the new cantina area. As a result of our current area being designated to other uses, we are being moved up stairs to the top floor - level 8 - over the next academic summer. Such upheaval has caused a mixed response within our department, leaving a lot of us a little perplexed at the thought of getting ready to move. There was a lecture provided to explain what exactly will be happening, however it unfortunately landed during the critical height of our projects, so few people made it. Nobody seems to be sure of how it will pan out - as the layout on the floors above is somewhat different, meaning we will have to alter our working layout. 

Currently there is a large studio housing first through third year, with two a-joining critique spaces, allowing us to showcase work and conduct meetings during group work. We also unofficially inhabit the gallery space on level 5, allowing us to mark out large spaces during early development work. Fourth year are housed opposite in a long private studio, with an additional crit space at the end, which can also be used by all years. All in all, the current layout works well, and with the main studio acting somewhat as a "hub" for the bustle and energy, allowing fourth year to continue in peace. I&ED is after all, renowned for their nursery like ways - paper planes and paint everywhere. 

Being interior students, we had to investigate our to-be studios. Upon conducting our  investigation upstairs, we were a little surprised and found that it was a totally different atmosphere to what we were used to. I can't help but feel that when I step out the lift, I have just entered a floor of The Overlook Hotel: 

And having an overactive imagination such as I do, it means I then expect to return along the corridor to be confronted with the iconic blood elevator: 

But as I say, I just have a terrifying over active imagination. 

I hope something interesting is done with regards to the studio spaces, as it looks as though we are going to have two studios - perhaps splitting first and second year from third and fourth. This may work well, as it allows the latter stages to bounce ideas off of one and other, as they are more developed in the course. 

I do hope the orange doors are painted, or removed altogether - it's currently a Stanley Kubrick nightmare. Bare breeze-block is bearable to an extent, but I find the whole attic like space quite terrifying. I can't imagine I'd be staying behind late on my own, in the winter, and snow...it's sounding more and more like The Shining. 

On discussing this with fellow classmates, Ross suggested it may be good to incorporate "Idea Paint" into the new studios - a paint that once dry acts as a drawing space that may be cleaned and reused. This would be fantastic for group work and brainstorming - and even mind maps! I'm unsure as to the expense of such a product, but it is surely within reach. I hope sustainability will be high on the agenda as well, as I would feel awfully hypocritical to study sustainable building in a space that contributed hugely to waste!

Although it will be sad for us to leave what we have considered a home from home over the (almost) past two years, in a way, it will be a nice thing to happen...as what is more interesting to an I&ED student, than a studio refurbishment? 

...just leave out the horrid carpets, please. 

*Shudders*

Furniture Design: Implosion!

Welcome to our final outcome - our light installation development video. 

There was a minor disaster early on the morning of the presentation, as when the final arch was moved to make space for the 4th years critique session, the arch collapsed. Fragile, much.


With help from Malcolm the interiors workshop technician however, it was erected again and put on display in the Level 5 Matthew Gallery space for presentation. A series of stills were shown interlaced with short video clips of the processes we went through during out time in the workshop. Among our presentation were our final InDesign presentation sheets, which can be viewed on my Portfolio page.


We got a good reception during presentation, and with all the usual difficulties associated with group work aside - I think we are all pleased with the outcome.  Below is a series of images after the original completion:

Furniture Design: From Pallet To Paper

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Finally I feel as though we have got somewhere. Yay!

I was unable to get into the workshop during much of the bad weather, but alas - my group battled on. By Friday we were in a good position workshop wise, and I am continuing with putting together our InDesign presentation sheets at home. Below is our first few pages to give an idea of the style we are going for. 

We have been given a short extension from Friday 10th December to Monday 13th December, with presentations taking place on the 14th. This is all very well in terms of letting us have the weekend to complete tasks out with the workshop, but it's the crucial workshop time a lot of groups have lost out on, which will not be able to be re-accounted for during the extension. We, however, are going to do our best to be completed for the original target. 

initial research page, including text explaining our findings

further research into what can be done with pallets

early development, including our original communal seating area,
and the possibility of incorporating plants

break down of the pallets, explaining how we altered the original cuts

AutoCad drawings illustrating our design 

I'm currently in the process making the development sheets, including our sketch work, photoshop work, development photos and sketchup images. From there I shall create the plans sheet, and finally; final outcome sheet(s). 

We aim to document the build via a continuous shoot of still images, thus producing a stop motion performance as the final piece, however the preparation is where the hard work is. Amidst trying to clean up the pallets in their final form, and document every process for presenting it feels as though we should be nearly finished. The hard graft may be, but the final piece is far from over.

8 days to go. 

Furniture Design: Someone Said It Was Snowing?

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To update, the snow shows little chance of withdrawing its horrid self from these parts, thus extending the mass hysteria and travel related delays. Oh goody.

To date, we have been unable to continue our workshop project since Monday, and given the final presentation deadline is a week tomorrow (Friday 10 December) I have little faith that we will be able to complete it and present fully in that short window. It has been announced that the workshop is open indefinitely today, however how long that will last, nobody is sure.

Just as I thought we may get somewhere today, another stumbling block appears in the form of all buses within Dundee have been cancelled until further notice. Boo! The last attempt to get into the workshop (and the last time it was open) was on Tuesday, to which I managed to get a bus only to find the workshop was closing on my arrival. Typical.

It's nobody's fault - everyone is working hard, but it doesn't stop the frustrations. I especially have sympathy for bus drivers and the council workers trying to clear roads and paths - but some people are being extremely selfish. I went on the Facebook site for the University to try to get a heads up on wether or not I should attempt travelling in, only to find unbelievable comments from some of the students:

"speak english people,, i dont have ANY clue about whether uni is open or not.. YES or NO are the possible answers,, not that whole thing that even google transator wouldnt help :S " - a students response to other people trying to shed some light on the University opening hours. I really hope this person does not study English. The irony does make me laugh though.

Hurling abuse onto the University's page will get them nowhere. It's stupid to expect places to open when staff cannot travel in safely - tutors tend not to live in halls opposite the facilities, love. It's funny how people have excuses not to attend class when it's sunny but when they are bored and want to attend class, it's everybody else's fault. Well, the snow is nobody's fault - even the multiple accident-helpline-lawyers-4-u-get-a-no-win-no-fee-compensation-you-deserve companies would agree.

My personal favourite comment was:

"Pathetic that they were not open today. All my revision material is in a locker in the library, and my exam is next wk! We, as students, pay A LOT of money to attend university, the least they could do is open the buiding. Should be better prepared for events like this! I don't even have the internet in my flat, so I can't even get assess to revision that way! What a joke" - I'll let this person stay anonymous.

I would however like to point out that the person who commented the pointless statement above is from Brechin, so will no doubt get SAAS funding - not costing them A LOT personally. Secondly; they received a mouthful back from a sympathetic student to the University:

"Hang on a minute here chap. It's not exactly the Uni's fault, they can't control the weather. Yes the Uni does get a lot of money for us to attend, but does that mean that the security and maintenance staff have to risk their lives so you can get into a locker. In any case did you leave your revision material over the weekend? Not that worried are you, or if you left it there overnight surely the weather last night was an indication that you should have taken it home with you. Yes we need to be told if the Uni is closed or not in advance but don't be a complete tool." - anon student/legend.

Win!

On a more serious note; I hope I can get on with things soon enough, or at least be allowed some time to make up for what we have lost. Doing the odds and ends in the mean time is all very well, but I'm itching to get on with proper work!

Thats right snow - I'm talking to you! Clear off! 

Furniture Design: DeFrustrate - ReFrustrate

Currently we are in a bit of a state of limbo - and as a result, I'm not sure as to where this project is going anymore. We have had some what of a turning point. I guess every good story has one, so here it is.

A short chat with our tutor has revealed that we are going down a "brutalistic" route, which, given architecturally the building in which we study - seems apt to me. An open brief such as ours, and with subsequent in-depth research, surely means that we are open to interoperate the brief and outcome in any such way we see fit.

Not only this, but we had gained only 4 brand new pallets, with later access to limitless materials, however not in quite such perfect condition. We had been advised to break down the pallets into the blocks we wished to work in, and play with compositions, documenting the process by photograph for development purposes. However, as a result of going through the aforementioned process, it means the pallets that we wished to maintain as our surface material due to their condition have been sawn into blocks - which may (and undoubtably will, given my recent luck in life) render them useless as we move towards a new direction.

I'm at a bit of a loss as to what direction the group are to move in next, as not only do we have a diverse group in terms of opinion - which previously proved difficult when narrowing down design from endless and vast variations, but we also have to go through this process all over again - with only 17 days until presentation.

Crap.

Furniture Design: Deconstruct-Reconstruct

Since the last post about my on going project in the studios with Emma and Hamish, we have decided upon several things. Firstly, the "living" aspect of it - to which we had intended on incorporating living plants within the pieces, has been scrapped. Secondly, we have decided that, given the pallets may only be cut in a set amount of ways to maintain their strength, we thought it best to build these on SketchUp and play around with compositions in blocks, not unlike Tetris.

This modular aspect had several benefits - one of which being that is allows us to create an "interlocking" system using the pre-existing blocks, to perhaps allow users to arrange the piece in ways suited best to them. It meant that it was more sociable, and catered for perhaps two individual smaller groups of people, or a larger group. We also had mutually agreed to keep the light sculpture aspect, as it created a recreational area by day, as well as being an installation come light feature by night. Currently, we are researching into how to tackle the outdoor lighting issue. For the purposes of this project, I think we will provide indoor lighting, with plans for it to be on a grander scale including safe outdoor lights.

Other things that have been discussed include: it's purpose, who would use it? For this we have come to the decision that it could be potentially mass produced, and used in recreational parks. The interlocking feature of it also allows for it to be transported.

Obviously due to the many compositions available we will continually be developing the final outcome. I suspect that by the end of the project, we will have some form of light installation come seating - however what form it shall be in, is yet to be set in stone.

I have included some images below to document our process so far. Two of the delivery pallets have been sawn down in the two basic ways we have agreed on. From here we will arrange, re-arrange, de construct, and arrange once more until we are happy!

Design Studies: Storms-a Brewin'

Finally, the four of us finally got some time today after our lecture to finish our brainstorming from earlier in the week. We then went on to do the related discussion. Below are images documenting the rest of our brainstorm: 

After completion of our brainstorm, it was on to the discussion; to which we rearranged some of our ideas into better groups: 

By the end, we had added a lot of ideas and information to our sheets. Thinking back to the beginning of this assignment, we never thought we would have so much to discuss. It definitely became easier as we went on, and using the contexts in which we learned about the issues brought up in the book to help relate the topics to design helped a lot. I never realised how much of the book I was able to retain until now!

...and then it was time for a break

Furniture Design: Pallets Pallets Pallets

I haven't updated about the recent goings on in my current furniture project. 

It has been mutually decided that we will use 100% found and recycled objects to build our piece. Initally we had been keen on using a log, however it turned out to be unfeasible - not only would it be difficult to locate, but it is unmanageable in the workshop. So therefore, it was on to plan B. Pallets.

Fortunately we got our hands on a selection of pallets from our Students Union who kindly let us huff and puff them up a set of stairs, up a ramp (on a hill), then across gravel, and into the studios. We kept them there for a few in days in order for them to dry off as they had been somewhat damp due to the beautiful weather we are currently encountering. This also gave us a few days to mull over what to do. 

What to do, indeed! Some items had been delivered to the university on clean new pallets to it was decided that we should do a trial run with our first batch, in order to get used to working with this type of material. After our recent "bomb project" we thought a quick, one day installation project using the pallets would be appropriate, so came up with building a pallet tree - by this I mean, crow barring apart the pallets and using the reclaimed planks to build a tree sculpture. It also had the nice aspect of putting the wood through a full cycle of life - once a tree, then it was felled, made into a pallet, used as intended, and then back into a tree. 

It's not entirely finished because as it turns out, crow barring these are not as easy as it was first thought. 

I'd make a rubbish car thief.

I&ED: Bombs Away!

kaboom!

It was the finale - if you will, of our "Bomb Project" today. 

What an array of work! We actually had a lot of fun in the process, not to mention getting to know some of the other years that you may not of had so much contact with prior to this task. The variety of responses seen from each group was astounding - it's amazing what different people take to mean from one single word. 

By the end of it, our studio space including the adjoining gallery space outside on Level 5 of the Matthew building was colourful, to say the least.

I've added a selection of photos from the other teams work below, so enjoy! 

play

care

danger

play