Design Practice 1

Week 5: Working on Feedback

After Formative assessment I had feed back from peers and Sue. This week was spent on readings and working on the ideas suggested.

Week 4: Formative Assessment:

Details of this presentation are in the Formative Assessment sub-menu.

Week 3: Tacit & Embodied Knowledge

Mapping of the Five words – New ideas and Material Exploration

1. EXPERIENCE

2. CONTOUR

3. PUNCTURE

4. AFFECT

5. NARRATIVE

• 

Week 2 : From Observation to Theory

Expanded Field

Week 2 involved exploring deeper meanings of the five words. Grey background indicates further explorations.

1. EXPERIENCE –

Dictionary Meaning: An event or occurrence which leaves an impression on someone. Encounter, Meet, Undergo, Feel, Endure,

In relation to my design practice – Experiential Spaces. Spaces which leave an impression and make one feel an emotion or a sensation.

Exploring Deeper – Experience is having a physical contact with body, to be conversant, acquaintance with mind or soul. It could an adventure or it could be learning through readings, people, profession. It could also be an impression of an occurrence or event which could touch one emotionally.

• 

• 

• 

• 

Lifelogger – Someone who most of the time carries a device (camera, phone etc) enabling him/her to capture day by day experiences

Holistic Experience – encompasses multiple layers of stimulus and engages the whole person

Few questions while designing for a Holistic Experience –

How can I ensure that people use their body to move around, engage all of their senses, relax their bodies and participate in practical hands on physical activities?

How do I ensure that people engage their mind to analyse ideas, see different perspectives, solve problems and create new neural pathways?

How do I generate positive emotional experience experiences from the heart and ensure that people care about, share with and learn from each other in a safe environment?

How do I ensure that people can connect with their true inner spirit self, find meaning and connect with the wonder and energy of life?

Haptic Experience – the human ability to experience and interpret things based on touch or movement, non-verbal, by way of feelings and emotions

Examples of Haptic Experience/ Perception

Customers run their hands across a chair to judge the quality of its material and build.

People read braille by moving their fingers across a surface (tactile information).

An emergency brake on a high-speed train is designed with a unique feel to it such that an operator could identify it without using vision (safety).

Touch is used by doctors to diagnose medical conditions such as to detect if an internal organ is inflamed.

A game gives players feedback in the form of vibrations through a controller (haptic technology)

An interesting blog on Haptic Perception – http://myriammahiques.blogspot.com/2009/10/essay-on-haptic-perception.html

Based on our experiences and haptic impression we often make assumptions regarding the characteristics of a product – Kiefer: “In a certain context we associate heaviness with quality, light-weighted items with cheapness. Observing such connotations is extremely important. The message that is to be communicated also has to be efficiently conveyed in a haptic manner. For instance things that are soft and warm trigger off the association of safety and trust, a slimy matter is perceived as being very unpleasant. What we perceive in the present is influenced by previous perceptions. Aesthetic experiences convey positive emotions – as do haptic impressions, when something ‘feels good’.” – https://www.eppi-online.com/2014/03/25/haptic-advertising-a-touch-of-science/

2. CONTOUR –

Dictionary Meaning: An outline representing the shape or form of something. A way in which something varies especially the pitch of music or pattern of tones in an utterance. Mould to specific shape, Mark.

In relation to my design practice – Identifying different patterns/ pitch/ layers and the way they are formed – they way they vary as per requirements/ emotions. Various layers formed and their patterns will help transcend experiential spaces.

Exploring Deeper – in phonetics contours is a distinctive pattern of changes in pitch, stress or tone extending across all or part of an utterance, especially across a sentence and contributing to the meaning, meaningful exchange in the innotation of speech. It also means the characteristics or structure of something like the contours of a political or social theory. Contours of a persons life could mean the life history of the person which had its ups and downs. Contour of a person could mean their personality trait/ characteristics which make them different as an individual. Contours in a building could also be the facade and the layers in its facade.

Why do things look like they do? – because of its contours – which reflects the background, color form, material and culture. Contours in background could be the topography, the landscape. Contours in colour could be the variations/ shades in colors. Contours in material could be the properties which define the characteristics of the material. Contours in culture could be the variations in culture of a place, thing, person.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Threshold of a Contour – would mean the desired limits of a contour that should trigger or finish something

Materials of Contours – would mean the tools used for contouring or the properties that define the contour.

3. PUNCTURE – 

Dictionary Meaning: Make a hole in, penetrate, perforate

In relation to  my design practice – Perforations in facades, Vertical Punctures could be courtyards, Horizontal punctures could be doors, windows, corridors puncturing spaces. Punctures and perforations in buildings/ spaces can add an extra dimension and change a space to a great extent.

• 

• 

• 

• 

Exploring Deeper : Punctures could mean the various junctions in a narrative or story. It could mean cutouts which defines a material/object like donuts are defined with holes. Punctures in spaces could be skylights, courtyards, openings, stairwells.

Punctures in Story telling could mean the various chapters/ junctions which alter the story-line.

Punctures in Material could mean the various processes that have altered the original raw material to make a new product/material.

4. AFFECT

Dictionary Meaning: Make a difference to, Have an effect on, Touch the feelings, Move emotionally

In relation to my design practice – Sensory design. Architecture/ spatial design closely affect the people using it/ living/ working in it emotionally.

Exploring deeper – A sculpture of a historic personality or a street art could affect a space emotionally. Associated Colors could change the mood of a space. The climate outside could affect a persons mood like a warm interior for a chilly day would be ideal while a cool interior for hot and humid climate. The type of textures used on the floor, walls, ceilings could also emotionally affect a space. Textures affect sight and and touch.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Affect could be associated with Territorial markers when some elements in space touch us emotionally to an extent that we associate it as its identity.

Affect could be Emotive when it touches us emotionally.

5. NARRATIVE –

Dictionary Meaning: A story, Connective events, Art of telling stories, still or moving images. It could be a poetry, story, theater or dance

In relation to my design practice – How spaces can narrate a story about the people using it and about themselves. Every building/ space is actually a narrative by itself. What kind of story they narrate is important!

Exploring Deeper – The way and process by which buildings respond to the environment and climatic conditions create a narrative. A museum building reflects the story of ideas in history as they trace events. Interactions between people in a space and about it create stories. Different elements in a building/space respond and interact with each other to create a narrative.

Week 1: Leaving the Familiar Behind
Five Words – First Strata of Understanding/ Their Etymology

1. EXPERIENCE –

Dictionary Meaning: An event or occurrence which leaves an impression on someone. Encounter, Meet, Undergo, Feel, Endure

In relation to my design practice – Experiential Spaces. Spaces which leave an impression and make one feel an emotion or a sensation.

2. CONTOUR –

Dictionary Meaning: An outline representing the shape or form of something. A way in which something varies especially the pitch of music or pattern of tones in an utterance. Mould to specific shape, Mark.

In relation to my design practice – Identifying different patterns/ pitch/ layers and the way they are formed – they way they vary as per requirements/ emotions. Various layers formed and their patterns will help transcend experiential spaces.

3. PUNCTURE – 

Dictionary Meaning: Make a hole in, penetrate, perforate

In relation to  my design practice – Perforations in facades, Vertical Punctures could be courtyards, Horizontal punctures could be doors, windows, corridors puncturing spaces. Punctures and perforations in buildings/ spaces can add an extra dimension and change a space to a great extent.

4. AFFECT – 

Dictionary Meaning: Make a difference to, Have an effect on, Touch the feelings, Move emotionally

In relation to my design practice – Sensory design. Architecture/ spatial design closely affect the people using it/ living/ working in it emotionally.

5. NARRATIVE –

Dictionary Meaning: A story, Connective events, Art of telling stories.

In relation to my design practice – How spaces can narrate a story about the people using it and about themselves. Every building/ space is actually a narrative by itself. What kind of story they narrate is important!

Week 1:

Meta-cognitive Questions – Answers to a few questions about myself as a designer

How have you framed problems in the past?

Yes, I have. I have structured and presented various design projects. They key to structuring has always been the end-users/ client/s of the project. I usually do a lot of brainstorming session with the user/audience asking questions about their way of life, their belief, their attitudes. Analyzing their answers helps me to get clues about the project. From these clues I usually brainstorm further connecting ideas and I derive my concepts. These concepts form the outline/base of the project.

What are the key methods you use to determine effective and/or evocative solutions?

The key methods I usually use to determine solutions to a project are – firstly as I said I try to brainstorm for ideas from clients/end users and derive my concepts/ ideas for a project. Further I make sketches, conceptual models and study the climatic/environmental conditions of the context/site. Brainstorming session with design group and consultants help further in analyzing concepts and finding solutions. Usually I would have many options for each solution and work around each option to get the best possible effective solution. I also try to get feedback from the clients about various options and analyse those to reach to a more evocative solution. Constantly trying to improve the design throughout the making process is also my way of working. The process through which the solution s derived is always important. Well sometimes I do feel…the conceptual process models/sketches looked so good and more interesting than the actual solution!

Identify patterns in how you use your design practice to frame problems?

Usually the patterns are structured based on previous experiences on projects. Firstly, understanding the program/ project idea which at one stage involves the end user. Understanding its context in terms of site and also understanding constraints if any. Next is the concept stage where initial ideas and concepts are sketched. The process stage comes in after this which is for me the most interesting stage for me to explore. Analyzing these concepts and working towards solutions is a to and fro process. Involving consultants to get better effective solutions from time to time is also important. Also feedback from clients and working on those to get better solutions. This is usually the pattern followed by me for my design practice

Do you ever collaborate with other designers or your peers?

Yes, I do that very often. Sometimes its better for somebody other than people involved in the project to give feedback so at many stages I do ask for comments/ suggestions/ feedback from peers. I also collaborate with structural designers, HVAC designers, municipal consultants, 3D designers to get better solutions. Working in a group for projects is extremely important as it makes the process more innovative (with a lot of ideas), easier and simpler (with more heads thinking) and fun to work on.