During the Easter holidays I have been working on my final presentation for SEPA. This has been a stressful time for me as sketch up and my rendering programme keep on crashing on me, work that should have taken hours has been taking days because everything is SO slow! Anyways... here is some of the work which I have done on sketch up- these still need to be rendered etc. Throughout the interior I have created natural curved walls which reflect the work in which SEPA does.

My main inspiration in a very abstract way are tree's which help greatly to reduce pollution by absorbing carbon dioxide.

GROUND FLOOR - The roots of the tree which are firmly in bedded into Dundee this is shown through the curved walls in a vertical direction up to the first floor.

FIRST FLOOR-  The core of the tree which is the office space. This is the place which has the most knowledge and years of experience.

SECOND FLOOR - The branches- learning more things and branching out which is where the meeting rooms and lab are.

Will blog up my final presentation once it has been completed! :)

HOW THE LIVING ROOM HAS CHANGED THROUGHOUT THE YEARS

Recently I watched an interesting programme on BBC4 on how our home has changed throughout the years. In this programme they are looking at how the living room has changed throughout the last 700 years. 


Firstly looking at the medieval days where the living room is arranged in a way where the most important person sits at the end of the table while people who weren't as important such as servants sat on the ground at the other side of the room, there was a divide in the room so that both the rich and poor couldn't cross. Later on in years the living room would be sub divided. With lighting being expensive in those days they used candles which were made from animal fat- to me this doesn't sound so appealing! Later on in the Elizabethan era living rooms where a way to show other how wealthy they were by their luxurious tapestries, statues and colour. The room was only used by the rich class which got used more as a ball room. Glass was also becoming more popular so rooms would be flooded with natural light. Even when moving home some people would take their windows out because they were that expensive.
  

The drawing room in the Georgian times were used more by the women for having tea parties - gilded gold rims, fire places and expensive tea ware. In the 18th century taste became a huge part of interior design and architecture. Designers such as Robert Adam designed more mass market interiors which could be seen in a more wealthy home for people who are from the working class and making it more affordable. In the Victorian times objects became a big part in the living room with every inch of the room filled with possessions. To me these rooms seem too cluttered and too much to look at with over whelming colours and different objects. Oscar Wilde changed the way in which the house hold looked by only putting hand made and unique interiors. Later on in the industrial revolution the living room had a multifunctional space for cooking, eating and for leisure time. By the turn of the 20th century electricity light bulbs became available only to the rich at first which changed the living room to a more contemporary way. The radio would become the main feature during the second world war after that the television became the main focal point of the living room. This changed the whole way the interior was laid out as the chairs needed to face the TV. In the 1960's DIY became the craze to make give the interiors of the house a new lease of life. In today's world the living room is more about technology with the games consoles and the multi functional space. 


For me this programme was a great insight into how the interiors have changed through out the years, I find it very interesting to see how the living room has gone from being very divided with wealth and class being a big part of it to then becoming a more equal space in today's world where pretty much all living rooms are very similar. To me the interiors of the Georgian and Elizabethan times are more unique and interesting than today's ordinary technology based living spaces. 
       

MASTER DEGREE DESIGN STUDENTS LECTURE!

In last weeks lecture we had two master design degree students who presented there research which they are each doing in their course. This was one of my favourite lectures and was very inspiring to see what their thoughts and views were. Firstly Bruno was trying to push the boundaries and ask how can blind people use other senses to there full advantage to communicate? Also how can design help a disability? He made us aware that only 10% of blind people actually know braille in the UK. Thinking about it how do blind people actually know when there is braille around? Surely there is an easier way to communicate with the use of another sense. Bruno showed examples such as the six speaking chairs which is used for people who have speech problems so that they are able to communicate better. Could there be an easier way for blind people to find there way around.


http://imd.dundee.ac.uk/sixspeakingchairs/about.html

Maria McLennan was researching into how jewellery could identify people in disasters. She explained how there is primary evidence such as DNA, finger prints and dental records but what if you where unable to find out any of this. These are effective ways to identify people but in certain situations this isn't possible. There is then secondary evidence such as clothing, passport, tattoos and jewellery but this may not be still on the body. Maria is now trying to design jewellery for this which I feel is a huge challenge. She is going to have to design something which is always on the body - cannot be moved and something which is made of a strong durable material which can with stand pretty much anything.


These projects interest me a great deal as they are actually dealing with real situations which could change a lot in the world for the better and have a real stamp on the design industry.

ACTIVITY 5B- SUMMER PLANS!

As I've got many months off from university during the summer holidays I am giving myself certain goals which I will do throughout the holidays such as making connections, organising my work and broadening my knowledge by reading more.

BOOKS-

1.THE DESIGN OF EVERYDAY THINGS BY DON NORMAN

This book  interests me as it reveals how smart design of everyday things is a powerful indication on how and why some products satisfy customers while others only frustrate people.

 I feel that this could help me in the future when designing interior spaces as I need to think more about what the client requires and how to design something that will fulfil their needs and wants. Whilst designing something functional and of good design.

2.BLINK: THE POWER OF THINKING WITHOUT THINKING BY MALCOLM GLADWELL

After reading 'The Tipping Point' by Malcolm Gladwell last semester I am going to read this book as I was inspired and interested in his other book. This will definitely be a book which I will read while lounging around on holiday.

This book is about the power of the sub-conscious mind and how decisions made very quickly almost by what your instincts tell you can be as good as taking ages to decide on something.

3.THE TEN FACES OF INNOVATION: STRATEGIES FOR HEIGHTENING CREATIVITY BY TOM KELLEY

Throughout second year and probably into my working life,  team work will play a big part in what I do. This book explains how both creativity and business innovation is needed in every business. It also highlights the different stages in which people play to get a better and faster result.

4.FASCINATE: YOUR 7 TRIGGERS TO PERSUASION AND CAPTIVATION BY SALL HOGSHEAD

What triggers fascination and how do companies, people and ideas put those triggers to use? This book explains how our fascination shapes our ideas, opinions and relationships and how to use this to our advantage.

I feel that this may help me in the future to understand and use  in a working situation.

5.THE LAYOUT LOOK BOOK BY CHRISTIAN CAMPOS

This book looks at different layout techniques that could be used for any design background from professionals to amateurs at any time in the design process.

Presentation boards are a huge part of my course at the moment and I feel that this book would help me understand how to layout my presentations better it could also maybe help thinking about how the layout of certain interiors could be achieved to a better level.

BLOG-

1.During the holidays I will create a delicious account. This will help me to organise all my bookmarks on the web so that I am able to find what I am looking for quicker and easier. As I use both a laptop and Imac this will be very beneficial to me as sometimes I'm unsure of where my bookmarked stuff is.

2. I will also join Twitter. I feel that this would be a good way to make connections with people from design backgrounds such as interior designers and architects.

3. Blog more about interesting design / architecture. I feel that recently with the end of a huge project looming I have been unable to blog as much as I would have liked so in the holidays I will read more articles to do with design and things which interest me.

4. As I have hardly changed my blog layout I will also do this in the summer to give it a fresh and more interesting display.

5. Lastly I will sort out my tags on my blog so that they are easy to read and more organised for both me and the viewer.

CONNECTIONS-

1. LORIN EDGAR

After my gap year to South Africa I have slowly lost contact with Lorin who I worked beside as an art teacher for 8 months. She was a very inspirational and interesting character so I hope by emailing her that I will be able to stay in contact with her again and find out what she is doing as I haven't spoken to her in around 4 years.

2. GAIL KELLY

Gail is an undergraduate graphic designer who used to attend DOJCAD. She is currently working in Glasgow as a Graphic Designer I will hopefully meet up with her in the holidays for a chat.

3. LEILA KALBASSI

Leila is the scenic artist at the REP theatre in Dundee. After doing work experience with her 2 years ago I am still interested in this field so will maybe try to contact her through email to see if she has any work experience over the holidays.

4. BLACK ANDREW DESIGN LTD.

5. BATTLEDOWN STUDIO NATURAL ARCHITECTURE

As the holidays are fast approaching I am wanting to get some work experience under my belt so I am hoping to contact different architecture firms (such as the ones above) to ask for work experience. Mainly I will be writing to them even if i get one acceptance then I will gain more knowledge in my field of work.  

ASSIGNMENT 5A- PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE

During last semester I started to investigate into the relationship between children and the world of advertising. First referring to the book ‘The Tipping Point’ by Malcolm Gladwell I looked at the stickiness factor, which looks at how brands such as Sesame Street become so popular that they “tip” and become sticky. Everyday without realising it we are surrounded (some could say suffocated) with adverts. Everywhere we go , everything we do advertisement is all around us from television and radio adverts to billboards and shop windows we are sometimes unknowingly being subjected to buy, buy, buy! During a university lecture by Jonathan Baldwin I watched a panorama programme which highlights the issue of how more than ever advertising is having an impact on children. This programme opens your eyes, it was astonishing to watch both children and parents buying only branded clothing as they felt pressure to fit in with others . I started to wonder if family upbringing or who your circle of friends are has a large part to play in this and if advertisement even has a part to play.  

For my proposal I want to investigate how much affect advertisement has on children and if this has an impact on what parents are buying their children. This would be an interesting subject as we are unsure if children even understand what adverts are or if they even pay any notice when adverts are playing in between their favourite cartoons. To get a successful outcome I need to think about researching into families from different backgrounds, ages and sexes so that my findings are of the best quality. I would like to further my research by using certain research service tools to find out more about this subject. Referring back to ‘Design Methods’ by John Chris Jones I can think about the most relevant design methods to explore my subject further. 

Firstly I would like to find out how children interact with television adverts therefore I feel that an observation would be a worthwhile exercise. I could observe how children interact with television advertisement in their natural environment. A nursery or school scene would probably be best as I could get a large group of children together at the same time without them noticing anything unusual. In a family living area the child may feel that I was doing something and therefore I wouldn’t get an accurate result. Where as in a school or nursery the children would be used to different people and therefore be more comfortable in that surrounding. I would look out for signs such as how much attention do they pay when watching adverts? What are they drawn to? Does sound, colour and imagery play any part to what they watch? 

The size of the group would probably be around 15-20 children at a time with 3 or 4 individuals watching them. Although this may be a problem as it is hard to track five children at one time to see what they are watching so to get a more accurate reading I could install a camera on top of the television monitor which could track eye contact and see what they are watching although this may be more costly. This would be quite a fast process and overall to get an adequate result I would watch around 15 children. To track results I would collect results and form them into a pie chart so that they are easy to read.

Another valuable research tool to find out how much branding has an impact on children I could do a visual analysis of photographs.  I would show children individually images of branded toys, food,etc without any text and see how good children are at recognising different logo’s to find out how exposed they are to branding. I could also let them listen to different jingles from adverts to see how in tune they are with advertisement. This would be an exciting process for them as they are shown different images and sounds which would be played like a game. In between all this a casual interview could take place asking children where they know the logo from? Have they been bought anything with that logo on? What do they like about the logo/jingle? 

I would approach around 7 different children aged between 5-10 to get an accurate result. The experiment would last for around 5-10 minutes so that children are alert and interacting with you. This would take place in an environment where children are such as at school or youth club so there is a separate room which could be organised to do the experiment. The streets wouldn’t be a suitable place as there are too many distractions also if a jingle is played there needs to be peace and quiet for the children to listen to it and concentrate. To record results I would fill in a questionnaire as I was doing the experiment which would have all the relevant questions that i would ask during the visual analysis and interview. As the children are so young they would be unable to fill in a questionnaire themselves. 

I feel that mind mapping wouldn’t be a worth while research method as the target group is children this wouldn’t be exciting enough for them to want to participate in therefore they will loose interest and an accurate result may not be shown. One to one interaction and actually observing the children is the bast way to find out if adverts are doing what they should and selling a product to its target market. 

These research methods will get a clearer indication  to what children are watching and what makes an advert interesting. Also finding out how exposed children are to brands and adverts to see how good the child's memory is. This gives an insight into if children understand what logos are and if they have an impact on their lives.

ASSIGNMENT 4: HOW DO SALES PEOPLE INFLUENCE PURCHASES?

For this part in the assignment I have to interview three to four individuals and ask them how sales people influence purchases? As I work in sales this question really interests me as I want to see if the answers reflect what I am taught to do in a day to day basis at work. I want to find out if our environment has any impact on what we buy from the interiors of how a shop is laid out to how people are approached by customers. I firstly did a mind map to think of what questions to ask. As the interview has to be in a semi-structured format I'm planning some of the questions and areas I want to explore but keeping my questions quite general. Using the service prototype tool I will then observe and interact in a shopping situation and observe how people interact with sales people.

Brainstorming questions to ask (above)

ACTIVITY 4C

Recently I have been interviewing people asking them how sales people influence purchases? Over all of the interviews one thing cropped up every time- the sales people need to be knowledgeable about what they are selling to the consumer and also take an interest in what the customer is wanting if not the customer might not take what they are saying into consideration. Many are often put off buying when they feel pressured into a product by the sales person. One interviewee said  "some sales people are just trying to reach their sales target for the day and really don't care for what the customer is wanting, they prefer to sell more expensive items which they might not want." This may be true in some companies as pressure to make sales is high but sales people need to act in a approachable and friendly manner or they may not get the sale as customers are put off with feeling forced into a sale. Two of the interviewee's work in sales and both are aware when someone is just trying to get money in the till which puts them off as they know  how the sales business works.

When asked "what influences you when out shopping?" The majority are influenced by price, advertisement and special promotions. This maybe because it is what everyone else is into such as a fashion so many may want to fit in with society. When looking at the price of something most people look for a good deal or bargain as they may feel that they have spent their money wisely as it could have cost them much more a couple of weeks back so there is a feeling of achievement.

http://www.uie.com/publications/whitepapers/ImpulseBuying.pdf 

When researching this further I found an interesting website that found that designing a website into categories influences people to impulse buy when shopping online so maybe this works in shops as well to sell more as people are aware of different things to buy such as if you were looking to buy a bikini for their holiday, you go into a shop to buy that but then beside it are sun glasses- you need those too (even though that isn't what you originally went for) so you may as well get them too. Sales people could also use this to get more sales by asking customers if they have certain items which relates to what they are buying.

Sales people need to be enthusiastic and believable about what they are selling to show the customer that they have a common interest in what they are selling to you. One interviewee described it as someone who is " on the same wave length as them." This is so that the customer can relate to the seller therefore feels more at ease to what they are buying.

As I work in sales I was able to watch some of the people without them assuming that I was analysing what they were doing, how they were interacting with the customers, etc. This is a research technique called prototyping which is used to observe a service by watching the interaction between the user of the service in the place, situation and condition of where the service actually exist. When analysing the situation I became aware that one person who specialises in customer service would approach certain customers but not others. When I interviewed her afterwards I asked her what her duties where when on customer service? She replied "to approach customers and either say hello or can I help you with anything?" I asked her why she didn't approach everyone and her reasons were that there are 3 different types of customers ones who are browsing but not buying, one who is looking for something in particular and one who is unsure of what they are wanting to buy. I feel that she may not have approached everyone as some people looked as if they were just browsing or their body language showed that they don't want to be approached. I feel that as a sales person you can usually sense if the customer wants to be approached or wants to be left alone to shop. One customer approached the employee and asked for a shoe in a different size which wasn't displayed, the employee then went up to the stock room to look for a different size, as there were no more in that style the employee offered an alternative shoe which she described as being " very fashionable and new to the summer collection" This makes the customer feel as if the shoes are very now in the fashion world and will be in trend for the summer months. This shows that the colleague is very knowledgeable and knows what fashions are on trend. The customer then bought these shoes- this shows that sales assistants can influence purchases as they have more knowledgeable in the products.

Overall I feel that sales people can influence customers quite a lot but the sales person must be knowledgeable about what they are selling, friendly and relatable to their target market.

ASSIGNMENT 3C- OBSERVE & RECORD!

PRIMARY SOURCE

For this part of the assignment I had to firstly observe people in a situation which I felt uncomfortable in. I decided to go to the Dundee United Vs St Johnstone football match. Then I was to try and engage in my surroundings as much as possible and finally record my findings. Here is what I found out!

Me just before the game! (Borrowed my boyfriends Dundee United strip so I blended in with the crowd)

As I approached St Johnstone football grounds I started to follow the swarm of people walking towards it as I was unsure of where to get in- there was no clear entrance until I went round part of the stadium then there were two entrances one for the home team supporters and one for away supporters, as I was with my boyfriend who is a massive Dundee United supporter we went through the away entrance so joined the small Que to get in. There was a strong police presence outside the stadium with a couple of police vans parked outside and I could hear the barking of the police dogs who I presumed were inside the vans.  There were also many stewards who were organising the crowds to make sure that the number of people queuing stayed down. The crowds were very lively, friendly and up beat- singing team songs- one person would start singing and within a couple of seconds everyone was singing along. The majority of people wore the team colours- tangerine and black for Dundee United and blue and white for St Johnstone so it was easy to pick out who supporter which team. As I approached the entrance it was a more unfriendly atmosphere with a metal turnstile in front of me and a staff member who only asked "how many tickets?" No "hello" or "thank you" just the exchange of money and then I walked through the small turnstile which felt more like a prison entrance than a football match.

 As I walked out into the stadium there was a great atmosphere in the air. I was able to sit anywhere so chose to sit in a crowded area so that I was able to observe as much as possible. The crowd was a mixture of ages from young children to older people and although there were some women it was mainly male dominant who were in small groups of friends or families. This was quiet a sociable space. As the game started I was amazed how competitive the atmosphere was when certain teams did bad, people would boo- this reminded me of going to the pantomime. Throughout the game there were many people shouting and swearing (mainly at the referee). After discussing with other people who have been to a football match they feel that it is maybe a stress relief for some people as they are able to shout in this situation. It became quite unpleasant at times but at times when the supporters would start singing there was a feeling of belonging and that people share the same passion for the teams so have something in common with each other. The stadium was divided with supporters to the right was the St Johnstone supporters who were in the bigger part of the stadium and to my right was the family area which was nearly empty. No one was in the stadium opposite me, I presume this is so that everyone is together and not scattered and to create more of an atmosphere for the crowd, also maybe to keep it safer as there is more staff in one areas and they don't need to scatter as much.
There were some rules such as:

• No smoking
• No alcohol
• No sharp objects
• Bag searches would take place
• Do not climb signs ( on the barriers to the pitch)

Although there weren't many rules I felt that I should react in a certain way in certain situations such as when everyone else stood up because one team nearly scored then I should do the same. I feel that this was spur of the moment reaction to my surroundings so that I didn't feel out of place or different. The police at all times would be walking around just outside the pitch watching the supporters and making sure that no trouble was started. If there was a large group of people singing or making loads of noise they would stop and watch to make sure no one was out of order. There were also two stewards who stand at each walkway around the stadium, I presume they are there in case any supporters need help or for security reasons. The fans body language was quiet open and friendly at times although when the game wasn't going too well they were more closed and angry- arms folded, etc.

                              

As half time approached many people went a couple of minutes before half time to get food and drink so there were no ques. Everyone seemed to stand up at half time and talk amongst themselves. There were many services such as a snack bar which sold hot drinks and pies and also a half time draw which was advertised on your way in to the game as well as programme sellers. I would have presumed that most people were from a middle class background and either from Dundee or Perth as that was where the teams are from but I soon realised that this wasn't the case! A man who was sitting beside my boyfriend started chatting away to us. He had a strong foreign accent, in his early thirties and looked like he looked after himself. We soon found out that he is an international football player and plays for both Holland and Ajax. I was quite surprised by this as this was just a friendly game at my local football grounds - why would he be watching this game? He later told us that he was here to watch his friend play who was recently bought over by Dundee United from Ajax. This totally changed my perceptions of the supporters! As the game came to a close many people left just before the final whistle- probably to get there cars out before the rush of people. When leaving there was a real feeling of frustration as the game ended 0 - 0. It was also a lot quieter, a feeling of failure...

SECONDARY SOURCE

For the next part of my assignment I was to observe a situation which we encounter on a daily basis. I decided to observe the bus station. As I got from Perth to Dundee and back every day to get to university this was quite easy for me to observe. The bus station offers many services such as a small newsagents, cafe (which serves hot and cold food and drinks to take away or stay in) and the ticket office. Some services which I have never realised such as the information point and travel finder- although I go straight past it every day I've never actually noticed that which sounds quite bad since I've been getting the bus for the last two years! I also noticed that the toilets charge you 20p- which to me sounds a bit crazy but I'm sure it probably makes enough money to maintain it. There is so much advertisment around such as a stand full of leaflets from cinema timings to adventure parks. Also there is a billboard outside behind the stances probably there to entice people to buy into their product as you wait for the bus to come. Even on the sides of buses advertising anything from films, cheaper bus tickets, to promoting breast feeding. 

The people who travel from bus are mainly from middle class backgrounds. There are quite a lot of people in there 20's and the elderly. This is probably because most working class people have cars and also it is only 4pm so they won't be getting out of work until around 5pm. There is a calming atmosphere and although most people have a friendly appearance and a casual open stance they seem emerced in either their iPods or mobile phones. Quite a lot of men are reading the paper, one is doing a crossword- maybe he is quite knowledgeable? Although the seats are in clusters of three only the two end ones are ever used- Thinking about this it maybe quite an unfriendly atmosphere or maybe its more about personal space, how close is too close to someone you don't know? The bus station is designed in such a way that there are three seats in front of the automatic doors and three seats away from them- majority of people sit at the seats away from the door in winter as it brings a chilling breeze.

 When someone walks past them people usually watch them for a couple of seconds- looking them up and down and then get back to what they were originally doing. One woman who catches my eye has a stricking appearance with a tartan scarf on and also a small scottie dog beside her who also has a tartan jacket on. I would think that she is  an animal lover and is probably proud of her Scottish heritage. There is also a man who has a red and white Amsterdam hat on- is he from there? has he visited there? Or maybe it was a present from someone? I think he was from Amsterdam he also had red and white trainers and scarf, maybe he likes matching clothes but I doubt it. There are a lot of different cultures that pass through Dundee and that has been highlighted when doing this excercise so this is maybe why there is an information and travel finder area.. 

 The staff workers are very friendly walking to and from the buses with a spring in their step. There is also one member of staff working there with a clip board and pen he probably makes sure that all buses are on time, I think it's probably only the mega bus's and City Link coaches as he always seems to stand around there. The only time individuals interact with the staff is if they have a problem and are worried about which bus to take usually the staff act in a sympathetic way to put customers at ease. There always seems to be a que at the blairgowrie stance but no others, I'm unsure why- might be because most people come from there into Dundee or maybe the buses aren't as frequent.

As a bus arrives most people walk out casually to the stance which it is at and wait in an untidy que until the driver is ready to board the bus then the ques become more sorted. When walking on the bus everyone sits in seats away from one another it is only once these seats are all filled that people have to sit beside each other, although many people put their bags or jackets beside the seat so that no one sits there. I have also noticed that certain individuals sit in the same seat day in day out. Probably more of a habit and where they feel most comfortable.

 Here are some of the rules which I encountered when at the bus station:

• Do not proceed beyond the yellow line- which was around the kerb of the stances so that no one is in danger when buses park.
• Keep Clear- beside automatic doors- if not kept clear a noise is made by the door to alert people to move.
• No smoking

You are also made aware that there are CCTV cameras in the bus station. After discussing my findings with other people they all seem to have the same kind of observations as me. Observing how people need there own space and feel annoyed if someone was to sit beside them if there are other free seats around. I feel that in the future through the use of enthology I could use this research tool to understand the clients needs who I am designing for.