Assignment 5 A - The Proposal
For this assignment, I will be looking back to the topic I researched in Semester 1 to propose what the next steps would be. The topic I researched was on 'New Brainwave Technology'. I researched things like, Neural Control of Hand Movements and Contact Forces from the Journal of Neuroscience and The Mind Map Book by Buzan. This information was more to do with how the brain works as this was the closest information I could find relating to brainwave technology. I also looked in to brainwave technology that is at present, undergoing investigation and development. Brainwave technology is still in development, so there was not much I could find out about the topic from secondary research. I found that my research for this topic was hard to understand. This is because, how the brain works is very complex and just reading about it was slightly confusing. I feel that if I were to do some primary research, I would be able to hopefully understand the topic a bit better.
Reading over my research from Semester 1, it shows that the research I found was more to do with how the brain works and how different parts of the brain are used. The information I was hoping to find would have been more to do with brainwave technology. I did find a mind-controlled wheelchair and car by the company Toyota, however it was still not the information I was hoping for. I was trying to find information on how to use the brain to control something completely, without using any other method of movement i.e. no use of hands/feet or body.
As my secondary research was not the information I was hoping for, the next step I would take is to do my own primary research. I was thinking back to the experiment I did for my second assignment in semester 2. I found the experiment to be very enjoyable and the information I gathered was very useful to the task I was undergoing. The experiment was about the concept of Polysemy. The experiment involved asking people questions and using images. However I do not think that this type of experiment would be relevant for my research at this point. This is because my topic is on new brainwave technology and the concept of Polysemy has nothing to do with what i am resarching. Also, people who are not familiar with the complexity of the brain, will not know the answers to my questions. Questions that I do have however, could possibly be answered by people like, brain surgeons and neuron scientists.
This brings me to believe that conducting interviews with brain surgeons and scientists, could be successful in gaining as close to the information that I need as possible. I think that this method of primary research could be successful because if I interview people that have an understanding of this topic, I am more likely to gain the information that is relevant to my research. Also, it will possibly help me to understand the topic better myself. To make sure my results are reliable I would conduct interviews with a range of brain surgeons and scientists from different locations. Places such as, Glasgow Royal Infirmary and The Institute of Medical Sciences in Aberdeen are possilbe destinations to conduct interviews with people who are studing the brain. From my previous experience of using interviews as primary research, I would make sure that this time I use a more comfortable approach. By this I mean that I would start by using light conversation with my participants, to ease them in to the interview and I would make sure that they feel comfortable enough to answer my questions. I would then analyse the results from the interviews to look for similarities and differences.
Another method of primary research used in Semester 2, was going out and about and observing people in different situations. If I was to use this method for my research, I would have to think of what type of people I would need to observe and in what places these people would be, for my results to be successful. Observing people in situations where they need to use their brain to do something, would be a good start. Even something like, observing a life drawing class. From this I could observe what people see and how they interpret what is in front of them. People will have different drawings infront of them which will be interesting to evaluate the similarties and differences on how different people's brain's see different things. From this observation I would want to get inforamtion that shows that every brain is different and the power of the brain is different for everyone. However, the information I would get from this would not be as relevant as the interviews. It would not be as relevant to the topic of 'new brainwave technology', but it could give me information relating to how the brain works. I will not get answers on how to use brainwave technology to move objects using only the power of the brain. This method of research could be a starting point to help move further towards the findings of 'New Brainwave Technology'. To make sure I got consistent results from this method, I would have to first of all observe similar people i.e (of a certain level of education) and then compare the results. Then I would have to observe completely different people i.e (of a level of lower education) and compare their results also. I would then compare both sets of results and analyse my findings.
If I were to think of other ways to research this topic, I could possibly contact the company Toyoto and ask them if they would be willing to participate in an interview. I could ask questions like;
Are there any designers on the project, if so, what do they bring to the project?
Explain any failed attempts and how they went wrong?
Who was involved in the test runs of the products?
Is the project expensive?
Will the research benifit the future?
I would futher think about other questions while in the interview so I am not just reading off of a list. This interview would give me information that I need about the experiments they are currently undergoing involving brainwave technology.This could be more useful than the way I researched their experiments in Semester 1. In Semester 1 I used secondary research to read about Toyota's mind-controlled wheelchair and car. When reading about their experiments, it was hard to understand. If I were to use primary research methods instead and contact Toyota directly, I would possibly recieve information that would clarify what I did not understand before.
However, I feel that using the method of interviewing people will be the most successful for my research. This is because my topic is very complex so I would need to speak to people that understand it. The other methods of primary research could be helpful, but not as helpful as the interviews. Conducting interviews with people like brain surgeons and scientists and even speaking to a designer from Toyota, will give me the information that i am looking for and by listining to these people it will help me to understand my research so far. Using secondary research is more about reading up on things, and because my topic is difficult to understand, using primary research will definetley be more benificial.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Buzan, T & B (2006) The Mind Map Book, Division 1 - Chapter 1, BBC Active
Chib, VS (2009) The Separate Neural Control of Hand Movements and Contact Forces,Journal of Neuroscience 29
http://www.engadget.com/Toyato-mindcontrolledwheelchair
Part B
Assignment 5 Part B
At the very beginning of Second Year, we were given a brief relating to the word 'Culture'. This was to be my own interpretation, so I was able to go in any direction I wanted. I chose to investigate Buddhist Symbolism. As this was my first project of Second Year, I was obviously not as confident as I am now. I did not really understand the importance of Primary and Secondary research. As Buddhist Symbols is not something I could go outside and draw, I got a lot of my information from Secondary research by looking at books and information on the internet. The information I got however, was limited due to Wikipedia being an unreliable source. Also I was not successful in finding good images of the Symbolism. If I got the chance to do this project again from the beginning, I would have definitely used some of the research methods I was taught in Design Studies.
I started the project by doing a mind map. At this stage, I did not know the proper ways of using mind maps and brain storms. In Semester 1 we were to use these methods in certain tasks. By learning about these methods in Design Studies, I learned how to use the methods properly and how to get beneficial information from them. If I could do my mind map again, I would know how to do it properly this time. By doing it properly I could have possibly taken more information from it and had a better understanding of my project. The mind map I did was basically a mess and I could hardly understand what I had written.
After doing my mind map I started doing some secondary research. I first of all looked for information on the internet. If I were to do this project again, this time instead of just typing in 'Buddhist Symbols' into 'Google', I would have also considered using cross-search which is an online search tool. I would use this tool because, the results I got when using it for the first time in Semester 1 proved to be were very helpful. There is so many more reliable sources on cross-search and the amount of sources to chose from is overwhelming. With more variety in my research, I could have taken my project that little bit further. By this I mean that if I had better resources, my drawings could have had more information in them, leading to better results in the development process. When I first used cross-search I did not think it was necessary and I thought it would just give me the same information as I found on other search tools online. I was wrong! The information on the internet is not always reliable for example Wikipedia, in which the information can be written by anyone. Using cross-search I would be able to discover more books on the topic that have more information and images on Buddhist Symbolism and I would be more confident in trusting this information. When I looked for books in the college library, again I was limited to what they had. The books had little or no images of Buddhist symbols, and the images I found on the internet were not as good as I had hoped for.
In Semester 2 we learned about Primary research methods. One of which is how to conduct interviews to gather information. I think that this method would have been of particular use because I did no primary research for the project and this method would have allowed me to venture out-with the studio. If I were to conduct interviews, I would perhaps go to some Buddhist Temples and interview people who are there at the time. I may ask them to tell me about their religion and try to get an insight into the symbolism of the culture. If I could get them to explain the symbolism, It may have helped me to do better drawings as I would have a better understanding of what it is that I am drawing. I would also use the time there to look around the temples and extract information to use for my drawings. This could have allowed me to have more drawings in my sketchbook and also, by being in the presence of the religion itself it would allow me to get a better understanding of the culture.
Design Studies has really opened up so many things to me over the two semesters. When Design Studies first started, I did not see the connections between my studio work and the Design Studies work. Over the year I have started to make the connections with design that is all around us with the work I do in the studio. When doing some of the assignments I started to notice design issues. For example, when observing people in the subway I was beginning to see the design connections like why the layout is the way it is etc. I now look at things around me alot differently too, for example, while standing in a bus station I now look around me and observe other peoples' behaviour, even if I don't know that i am doing it. Then once I have observed their behaviour, I question the things they did and try to make connections through design. I do not just see myself as a textile designer any longer. I now see the many issues I have to consider when designing that does not just involve what materials to use and what colours to use. I totally appreciate Design Studies so much more now. Even though I am still learning, I think the Design Studies programme contains excellent information and methods that will benifit me as a growing designer.
Wednesday, 31 March 2010
Thursday, 18 March 2010
Assignment 4a - choosing a topic
The topic i chose for this assignment is 'What object do people treasure the most and why'. I thought this would be an interesting one to do as it will give me interesting results on how similar or how different people are. I first did a mind map on the topic to see what kind of things i wanted to find out. This helped me to come up with some questions to enable me to collect this information. I interviewed three people for this assignment. I gave them all a Participent Information Sheet and they all signed a Consent form. They were all happy enough to be interviewed and for me to use their answers in my blog. I used a semi-structured approach to the interviews which lead me into different questions and more information which was what i wanted. Here is a ROUGH guide to the questions i asked. ( Where appropriate, i asked other questions relating to the answers my participants gave me).
1.What is the layout of your bedroom?
2.What objects do you have in your bedroom?
3.Do you have anything that was given as a present?
- where do you keep them in your room?
- is there one you like more? why? is it sentimental?
- who gave it to you?
4.Do you have anything you bought yourself?
- where do you keep these things?
- how much did it cost?
- what made you buy this?
The first few questions i asked because i wanted to get a feel of what kind of person they are and the things they like. By telling me about their personal space, i was able to see what kind of things they believe to be of value to them and why.
5.What kind of things do you carry in your handbag? (female), wallet/pockets? (male)
6.Have you ever lost/miss placed or had something stolen from you that made you upset?
- what was it?
- who gave you it? did you buy it ureself?
- did you get it back?
- why were you upset?
7.( I then looked to see if the person was wearing any jewellery and asked if they could tell me about what they are wearing, i.e who is the items from or did they buy the items themselves, is it sentimental, how long have you had them for, etc)
8.If your house was on fire and you were to vacate immediatley!, but you were allowed to grab one item only, what would it be and why?
9.I then asked them the actual question - what object do you treasure the most and why?
The last lot of questions i asked, really told a story about the person's feelings towards certain objects. This helped me to gather the information i needed for my analysis.
THE INTERVIEWS. Part B
The first person i interveiwed, was a female of 18 years that i dont know very well. She is my youngest participent, which I thought would be good to get a range of ages to see how different or how similar their answers would be.
I felt as she was younger than the others i interviewed, her answers were not as descriptive and she was not really sure on what to tell me.However, i encouraged her to tell me what ever she wanted to and this was the results i got; (i will list her answers in the format of the questions and this person will be reffered to as person A).
1. Person A has a bed, her room is small, white and plain.
2. She has a bed, television and dvd combo, chest of drawrs, cd-rack, posters, cd,player, photoframes (all of her friends), jewellery and a jewellery stand. I asked her what cd's she listens to most often and she said, Lady GaGa, Cheryl Cole and JLS.
3. A present that she has been given is her jewellery stand. It is from her sister and she has it on display next to her television. She informed that it is not really of any value to her. It was meerly a gift at christmas time.
4. Things she has bought herself are things like, cd's, jewellery, dvd.s, clothes and a playboy lamp she said is her favourite item in her room.
5. In her handbag she carries, her mobile phone, lipgloss, a mirror, a lighter, perfume and her purse. I asked her if these possetions are important in her day to day life and she replied that she could not go through a day without her phone. The rest of the items she said are to simply fill her bag.
6. Something she had lost that was very upsetting, was her SIM card for her mobile phone. I asked her why this was so upsetting and she replied that everything is on her SIM card like her friends phone numbers and photos. So she felt that she was not in reach with everyone else and felt alone.
So far i have gathered that she uses her phone everyday and could not live without it. It is a possetion that means alot to her.
7. I looked to see if she was wearing any jewellery. She had one ring on her finger. She said it was from her sister and she has had it for about a year. It was her sisters old engagment ring from a previous relationship. She has mentioned her sister a few times now so i asked her if her sister is someone she looks up to and is influenced by. She told me that they are very close and she is a huge influence on her. Everything in her room is influenced by her sister, even the clothes she is wearing. The ring she was wearing is very precious to her and she said she would be very upset if she ever lost it. She explained that her sister is not very well at the moment and the ring is the one thing she has been given by her sister that has ment the most to her.
8. The one thing she would grab from her burning house would be . . . her mobile phone. I was positive she was going to say this! I asked her what about things your sister has given you etc, and she replied that again, everything is on that phone! Phone numbers, photos, videos etc. She said that her reasons for choosing her phone is because she likes looking at her photos for memories of nights out and she couldn't go through a day without texting!
9. When i asked her the actual question, her reply was the same as question 8! her mobile phone.
The second person i interviewed was a male of 25 years. I dont really know this person either. I thought that because he is my oldest participent, he gave more imformation in his answers and he was more relaxed than the younger female. ( I will refer to this person as Person B, where needed).
1. Person B has small bedroom that is shaped like a coomb which he says makes the room even smaller. He has a three-quater bed that takes up most of the space. Behind his bed he has a long shelf where he keeps most of his things.
2. He has a bed, units, television and dvd combi, dvd's, cd's, playstation2, guitar, small pres up grips, washing basket and a waiste bin. In a wooden box that he made by himself, he keeps things like aftershave, cleansing products, hair products, smelly stuff, pens, chalk for pool que and keys for his band room. In a cabinet that he also made by himself, he keeps all his important things like, letters and documents. He has a drawer where he keeps his bracelets, bangles and knecklaces. He aslo has a drawer specifically for his belts. He told me that he keeps his clothes seperated into coloured sections in a precise layout. He keeps all of his white socks in one drawer, and his black ones in another.
I gathered that he is a very organised person and he takes car of his bedroom and the things that are in it.
3. Presents he has in his room are, dvd's, aftershave, cd's and clothes. He said that nothing he has been given is of any sentimental value. They are just gifts. He does not have a favourite present.
4. Things that he has bought himself are basically everything that is in his room he tells me. He says he has spent alot of money over the years on his bedroom and the things that are in it. He said that he loves collecting dvd's! The first dvd's he ever bought were Mall Rats, Chasing Amy, Happy Gillmour and The Waterboy. All of these dvd's have either Adam Sandler or Ryan Reynolds in them. These are his favourite actors he tells me. His collection consists of 162 dvd's, from the last time he counted them.
5. I asked him what he keeps in his pockets on a day to day basis and he replied that he keeps just his wallet and his phone on him at all times. I then asked what he keeps in his wallet, and he said just the same as everyone else, cards, recipts, money and photo's. I asked him what the photos are of, and they are of his friends ans some of his family.
When he said ''just the same as everyone else'' and then he mentioned photo's, i gathered that photos must be of an importance to him beacuse he assumed everyone carries photo's when infact not every one does. So this shows that he ''un-knowingly'' keeps photos that mean something to him.
6. When i asked him this question about something going missing etc, he automatically said dvd's! He said that dvd's go missing out of his room and he hates it!! He does not like people in his room touching his dvd collection. He also told me a story about something that he lost that made him very upset;
A couple of years ago he was in the Merchant Navy and on one occasion, they were to dock at Majorca for a couple of days. When they arrived in Majorca, he went and bought a disposable camera to take photo's of there night out in Magaluf. He said he used up the whole camera that night and it was one of the best nights he has ever had! Unfortunatley, he lost the camera in Majorca and only realised this when they had left to go back to England. He tells me that this was the most upsetting thing he has ever lost as he has no photo's of the experience, and now that he is not in the navy anymore, he does not see many of the friends he made. The photo's were to be a keep sake and a memorabelium of that occasion where all friends were there together.
7. I could not ask this question as he was not wearing any jewellery.
8. For this question he said he would save his photo's. He has photo albums of friends and family, from very young so he would definetly save them. His explanation was that, photo's can not be replaced. They are a memory to look back on. Happy or sad, of loved ones and occasions. Nothing can bring back a photo memory.
9. When i asked him the actual question, he said probably his mobile phone because he uses it every day, and it has all of his music on it, photo's, videos and is a way to keep in touch with people.
The third person I interviewed was a female of 21 years. I sort of know this person but I know nothing about her personal lifestyle. This person was very expressive with her answers and I gathered alot of good information from her. She was very relaxed and willing to share her stories with me. (I will refer to her as Person C when needed).
1. As you walk in to her bedroom there is a double bed straight in front.She has a bed side table with a crib next to it. Then there is a washing basket and a radiator underneath the window.She has a built in double wardrobe with mirrored sliding doos, which faces the bed. There is two large, leather storage boxes in the corner.
2. Objects in her room are, a teil lamp, sented candles, painted teil mirrors, sea grass ornament, oil burner, television, dvd racks, photo-frames, jewellery stand, money bank, tall iron candle holder, white curtains wit teil circles on them, in different shades of teil, three different shades of teil vases on window shelf, minx faux fur throw on bed, silk cushions and a painted canvas.
3. A present she has in her bedroom is her jewellery stand. It is from her best friend for her 18th birthday three years ago. It is on display and she said it is special to her because of who gave her it and why it was given. (18th birthday). Another present in her room is a hand painted canvas on her wall. It is from her best friend again for passing her driving test two years ago. She said it is also on display on her wall and again it is special to her because of who gave her it and when. (passing her driving test). She tells me that her friend means alot to her and any present given by her, will always be special.
4. Bought items in her room she tells me is mainly everything. She has bought quite alot over the years fot her bedroom, which has cost her quite alot of money. She even painted her room by herself. She likes her room to be a certain way, organised and sophisticated. Everything in her room matches she tells me. She likes her candles and teil ornaments, but could not live without her flat screen television which is on the wall.
5. Things in her handbag are, mobile phone, keys, make-up, perfume, baby wipes, hair brush, nail varnish remover, nail file, lip balm, cigarettes, lighter, hairspray and her purse. I asked er if there was anything in her handbag that was used every day and she said, not really they are just things to keep in the handbag that might be needed at some point through the day. I asked her how often she uses her mobile and to my surprise she said she hardly ever uses her phone. It is not something she needs all the time.
6. Things that have been lost/damaged or stolen; she told me that she had three teil ornaments on her window shelf, and her cat jumped up and pushed them on to the floor. They all smashed unfortunatley. She had to by replacements, but she could not find the exact ones, which was upsetting for her. She said they were perfect on her window shelf, they matched all the shades in her bedroom. Another story she told me is that she was given a beautiful siver choker as a present for Christmas, by her mum and dad. She said that she wore it all the time and it was perfect with every outfit. Unfortunatley, while on holiday she lost the choker and she never found it. She said she was really upset, especially because it was from her mum and dad so it ment alot to her. Also, she told me of when she was younger and how her most favourite ornaments misteriously smashed. When she was about 9 or 10 years old, she went to visit her Great Aunt. She said she absoloutly loved this women and was very upset when she was told her Great Aunt was very ill. Person C was given the chance to pick something out of her Great Aunt's bedroom, to have when she dies. Person C chose two ornaments which were of two women in lovely yellow corset dresses with their hair all nicely up in curls. Her Great Aunt soon died after that and Person C was given the ornaments. She said she loved them to pieces and she had them proudly displayed on her unit in her bedroom. Her mother told her she was not allowed them and they were to go in the bin because they were ugly. Person C was very upset and angry with her mother but she cried and cried until she was allowed to keep them. One day Person C came home from school, to find her ornaments missing. She ran through to the living room and demanded them back from her mother. Her mother told her that when she was dusting Person C's bedroom, she ''by accident'' knocked them over and they smashed. Person C was devistated. She knew her mother was lying and she delibiratley did this to get rid of them. Person C said this has to be one of the most upsetting things she has ever had taken from her. It is because it was from her Great Aunt when she died. Person C said that she will never forget that traumatic day, and she has never forgiven her mother, even though she still denies smashing them on purpose.
7. I looked to see what jewellery she was wearing, and asked her to tell me about it. She was wearing a diamond ring that was giver to her for her 18th birthday from her mum and dad. She said she loves it and it is very precious to her. She was also wearing a silver braclet that was given to her for her 16th birthday from her brother. She said it is also very special to her. I noticed she was wearing a silver choker, like the one she had described that she lost on holiday. She told me that her older sister was given the same one by her mum and dad and she saw how upset Person C was when she lost her one, so her sister kindly gave her the one she had to replace it. Person C said this item of jewellery is the most precious out of everything because of the story behind it.
8. Something she would take from her burning house would be . . .a box of bits and bobs she has collected since she was little. In the box are things like photographs, old school reports, baby tags from when she was in the hospital, a gold baby ring she was given by her grandmother, school photo's, a stuffed animal she has had since she was born and a few other things. She said she would have to save this because it is a box of her life and nothing in there can be replaced.
9. I then asked her the actual question and she said the object she trasures the most is a box of old rings that has been passed down the family for generations, and she now has it to pass down to her family.
Part C - The Analysis
After i had done the interviews i read over all of my notes on each particapent. I felt that Person A was a bit too young to understand how to answer my questions in depth. She was very quick with her answers and she did not give me any stories about her possesions. However, from her answers I think that she is very close with her sister, and she tresures things given by or relating to her sister. So this tells me that she values sentimental things, like the engagment ring. Also, i felt that she valued her mobile phone more than anything. This could be because she is a bit younger and a mobile phone is still very precious to her. It is probably the most used object that every one uses on a day to day basis. As she said, important information is kept on a mobile phone, especially contact numbers. I can see why she values this to be most important because i would certainly be upset if i lost my mobile phone. I have important contact numbers also. Person B was much more descriptive in his answers. From his answers i could tell that he treasures his friends and family over anything. So his photographs are very important to him. This is completley different to Person A. Person A was more interested in her mobile phone, than anything else. She did mention her sister, but she was not as enthusiastic about her family, unlike Person B. Person B was devistated when he lost his camera in Majorca. This also shows his feelings towards his friends and his values towards memories. Person C was also very descriptive with her answers. She gave me the most information and alot of stories. Her age is inbetween Person A and Person B, so i feel that because she is in the middle of the age group, she was better at answering the questions. Person C i could tell is a very emational person and she values things that have sentimental value, like the presents from her best friend and the siver choker from her mum and dad. So as my participants got older, their values were much more sentimental. Person B and Person C are a bit older so they can see the more important things in life, like memories of loved ones, friends and objects that are irreplacable.
1.What is the layout of your bedroom?
2.What objects do you have in your bedroom?
3.Do you have anything that was given as a present?
- where do you keep them in your room?
- is there one you like more? why? is it sentimental?
- who gave it to you?
4.Do you have anything you bought yourself?
- where do you keep these things?
- how much did it cost?
- what made you buy this?
The first few questions i asked because i wanted to get a feel of what kind of person they are and the things they like. By telling me about their personal space, i was able to see what kind of things they believe to be of value to them and why.
5.What kind of things do you carry in your handbag? (female), wallet/pockets? (male)
6.Have you ever lost/miss placed or had something stolen from you that made you upset?
- what was it?
- who gave you it? did you buy it ureself?
- did you get it back?
- why were you upset?
7.( I then looked to see if the person was wearing any jewellery and asked if they could tell me about what they are wearing, i.e who is the items from or did they buy the items themselves, is it sentimental, how long have you had them for, etc)
8.If your house was on fire and you were to vacate immediatley!, but you were allowed to grab one item only, what would it be and why?
9.I then asked them the actual question - what object do you treasure the most and why?
The last lot of questions i asked, really told a story about the person's feelings towards certain objects. This helped me to gather the information i needed for my analysis.
THE INTERVIEWS. Part B
The first person i interveiwed, was a female of 18 years that i dont know very well. She is my youngest participent, which I thought would be good to get a range of ages to see how different or how similar their answers would be.
I felt as she was younger than the others i interviewed, her answers were not as descriptive and she was not really sure on what to tell me.However, i encouraged her to tell me what ever she wanted to and this was the results i got; (i will list her answers in the format of the questions and this person will be reffered to as person A).
1. Person A has a bed, her room is small, white and plain.
2. She has a bed, television and dvd combo, chest of drawrs, cd-rack, posters, cd,player, photoframes (all of her friends), jewellery and a jewellery stand. I asked her what cd's she listens to most often and she said, Lady GaGa, Cheryl Cole and JLS.
3. A present that she has been given is her jewellery stand. It is from her sister and she has it on display next to her television. She informed that it is not really of any value to her. It was meerly a gift at christmas time.
4. Things she has bought herself are things like, cd's, jewellery, dvd.s, clothes and a playboy lamp she said is her favourite item in her room.
5. In her handbag she carries, her mobile phone, lipgloss, a mirror, a lighter, perfume and her purse. I asked her if these possetions are important in her day to day life and she replied that she could not go through a day without her phone. The rest of the items she said are to simply fill her bag.
6. Something she had lost that was very upsetting, was her SIM card for her mobile phone. I asked her why this was so upsetting and she replied that everything is on her SIM card like her friends phone numbers and photos. So she felt that she was not in reach with everyone else and felt alone.
So far i have gathered that she uses her phone everyday and could not live without it. It is a possetion that means alot to her.
7. I looked to see if she was wearing any jewellery. She had one ring on her finger. She said it was from her sister and she has had it for about a year. It was her sisters old engagment ring from a previous relationship. She has mentioned her sister a few times now so i asked her if her sister is someone she looks up to and is influenced by. She told me that they are very close and she is a huge influence on her. Everything in her room is influenced by her sister, even the clothes she is wearing. The ring she was wearing is very precious to her and she said she would be very upset if she ever lost it. She explained that her sister is not very well at the moment and the ring is the one thing she has been given by her sister that has ment the most to her.
8. The one thing she would grab from her burning house would be . . . her mobile phone. I was positive she was going to say this! I asked her what about things your sister has given you etc, and she replied that again, everything is on that phone! Phone numbers, photos, videos etc. She said that her reasons for choosing her phone is because she likes looking at her photos for memories of nights out and she couldn't go through a day without texting!
9. When i asked her the actual question, her reply was the same as question 8! her mobile phone.
The second person i interviewed was a male of 25 years. I dont really know this person either. I thought that because he is my oldest participent, he gave more imformation in his answers and he was more relaxed than the younger female. ( I will refer to this person as Person B, where needed).
1. Person B has small bedroom that is shaped like a coomb which he says makes the room even smaller. He has a three-quater bed that takes up most of the space. Behind his bed he has a long shelf where he keeps most of his things.
2. He has a bed, units, television and dvd combi, dvd's, cd's, playstation2, guitar, small pres up grips, washing basket and a waiste bin. In a wooden box that he made by himself, he keeps things like aftershave, cleansing products, hair products, smelly stuff, pens, chalk for pool que and keys for his band room. In a cabinet that he also made by himself, he keeps all his important things like, letters and documents. He has a drawer where he keeps his bracelets, bangles and knecklaces. He aslo has a drawer specifically for his belts. He told me that he keeps his clothes seperated into coloured sections in a precise layout. He keeps all of his white socks in one drawer, and his black ones in another.
I gathered that he is a very organised person and he takes car of his bedroom and the things that are in it.
3. Presents he has in his room are, dvd's, aftershave, cd's and clothes. He said that nothing he has been given is of any sentimental value. They are just gifts. He does not have a favourite present.
4. Things that he has bought himself are basically everything that is in his room he tells me. He says he has spent alot of money over the years on his bedroom and the things that are in it. He said that he loves collecting dvd's! The first dvd's he ever bought were Mall Rats, Chasing Amy, Happy Gillmour and The Waterboy. All of these dvd's have either Adam Sandler or Ryan Reynolds in them. These are his favourite actors he tells me. His collection consists of 162 dvd's, from the last time he counted them.
5. I asked him what he keeps in his pockets on a day to day basis and he replied that he keeps just his wallet and his phone on him at all times. I then asked what he keeps in his wallet, and he said just the same as everyone else, cards, recipts, money and photo's. I asked him what the photos are of, and they are of his friends ans some of his family.
When he said ''just the same as everyone else'' and then he mentioned photo's, i gathered that photos must be of an importance to him beacuse he assumed everyone carries photo's when infact not every one does. So this shows that he ''un-knowingly'' keeps photos that mean something to him.
6. When i asked him this question about something going missing etc, he automatically said dvd's! He said that dvd's go missing out of his room and he hates it!! He does not like people in his room touching his dvd collection. He also told me a story about something that he lost that made him very upset;
A couple of years ago he was in the Merchant Navy and on one occasion, they were to dock at Majorca for a couple of days. When they arrived in Majorca, he went and bought a disposable camera to take photo's of there night out in Magaluf. He said he used up the whole camera that night and it was one of the best nights he has ever had! Unfortunatley, he lost the camera in Majorca and only realised this when they had left to go back to England. He tells me that this was the most upsetting thing he has ever lost as he has no photo's of the experience, and now that he is not in the navy anymore, he does not see many of the friends he made. The photo's were to be a keep sake and a memorabelium of that occasion where all friends were there together.
7. I could not ask this question as he was not wearing any jewellery.
8. For this question he said he would save his photo's. He has photo albums of friends and family, from very young so he would definetly save them. His explanation was that, photo's can not be replaced. They are a memory to look back on. Happy or sad, of loved ones and occasions. Nothing can bring back a photo memory.
9. When i asked him the actual question, he said probably his mobile phone because he uses it every day, and it has all of his music on it, photo's, videos and is a way to keep in touch with people.
The third person I interviewed was a female of 21 years. I sort of know this person but I know nothing about her personal lifestyle. This person was very expressive with her answers and I gathered alot of good information from her. She was very relaxed and willing to share her stories with me. (I will refer to her as Person C when needed).
1. As you walk in to her bedroom there is a double bed straight in front.She has a bed side table with a crib next to it. Then there is a washing basket and a radiator underneath the window.She has a built in double wardrobe with mirrored sliding doos, which faces the bed. There is two large, leather storage boxes in the corner.
2. Objects in her room are, a teil lamp, sented candles, painted teil mirrors, sea grass ornament, oil burner, television, dvd racks, photo-frames, jewellery stand, money bank, tall iron candle holder, white curtains wit teil circles on them, in different shades of teil, three different shades of teil vases on window shelf, minx faux fur throw on bed, silk cushions and a painted canvas.
3. A present she has in her bedroom is her jewellery stand. It is from her best friend for her 18th birthday three years ago. It is on display and she said it is special to her because of who gave her it and why it was given. (18th birthday). Another present in her room is a hand painted canvas on her wall. It is from her best friend again for passing her driving test two years ago. She said it is also on display on her wall and again it is special to her because of who gave her it and when. (passing her driving test). She tells me that her friend means alot to her and any present given by her, will always be special.
4. Bought items in her room she tells me is mainly everything. She has bought quite alot over the years fot her bedroom, which has cost her quite alot of money. She even painted her room by herself. She likes her room to be a certain way, organised and sophisticated. Everything in her room matches she tells me. She likes her candles and teil ornaments, but could not live without her flat screen television which is on the wall.
5. Things in her handbag are, mobile phone, keys, make-up, perfume, baby wipes, hair brush, nail varnish remover, nail file, lip balm, cigarettes, lighter, hairspray and her purse. I asked er if there was anything in her handbag that was used every day and she said, not really they are just things to keep in the handbag that might be needed at some point through the day. I asked her how often she uses her mobile and to my surprise she said she hardly ever uses her phone. It is not something she needs all the time.
6. Things that have been lost/damaged or stolen; she told me that she had three teil ornaments on her window shelf, and her cat jumped up and pushed them on to the floor. They all smashed unfortunatley. She had to by replacements, but she could not find the exact ones, which was upsetting for her. She said they were perfect on her window shelf, they matched all the shades in her bedroom. Another story she told me is that she was given a beautiful siver choker as a present for Christmas, by her mum and dad. She said that she wore it all the time and it was perfect with every outfit. Unfortunatley, while on holiday she lost the choker and she never found it. She said she was really upset, especially because it was from her mum and dad so it ment alot to her. Also, she told me of when she was younger and how her most favourite ornaments misteriously smashed. When she was about 9 or 10 years old, she went to visit her Great Aunt. She said she absoloutly loved this women and was very upset when she was told her Great Aunt was very ill. Person C was given the chance to pick something out of her Great Aunt's bedroom, to have when she dies. Person C chose two ornaments which were of two women in lovely yellow corset dresses with their hair all nicely up in curls. Her Great Aunt soon died after that and Person C was given the ornaments. She said she loved them to pieces and she had them proudly displayed on her unit in her bedroom. Her mother told her she was not allowed them and they were to go in the bin because they were ugly. Person C was very upset and angry with her mother but she cried and cried until she was allowed to keep them. One day Person C came home from school, to find her ornaments missing. She ran through to the living room and demanded them back from her mother. Her mother told her that when she was dusting Person C's bedroom, she ''by accident'' knocked them over and they smashed. Person C was devistated. She knew her mother was lying and she delibiratley did this to get rid of them. Person C said this has to be one of the most upsetting things she has ever had taken from her. It is because it was from her Great Aunt when she died. Person C said that she will never forget that traumatic day, and she has never forgiven her mother, even though she still denies smashing them on purpose.
7. I looked to see what jewellery she was wearing, and asked her to tell me about it. She was wearing a diamond ring that was giver to her for her 18th birthday from her mum and dad. She said she loves it and it is very precious to her. She was also wearing a silver braclet that was given to her for her 16th birthday from her brother. She said it is also very special to her. I noticed she was wearing a silver choker, like the one she had described that she lost on holiday. She told me that her older sister was given the same one by her mum and dad and she saw how upset Person C was when she lost her one, so her sister kindly gave her the one she had to replace it. Person C said this item of jewellery is the most precious out of everything because of the story behind it.
8. Something she would take from her burning house would be . . .a box of bits and bobs she has collected since she was little. In the box are things like photographs, old school reports, baby tags from when she was in the hospital, a gold baby ring she was given by her grandmother, school photo's, a stuffed animal she has had since she was born and a few other things. She said she would have to save this because it is a box of her life and nothing in there can be replaced.
9. I then asked her the actual question and she said the object she trasures the most is a box of old rings that has been passed down the family for generations, and she now has it to pass down to her family.
Part C - The Analysis
After i had done the interviews i read over all of my notes on each particapent. I felt that Person A was a bit too young to understand how to answer my questions in depth. She was very quick with her answers and she did not give me any stories about her possesions. However, from her answers I think that she is very close with her sister, and she tresures things given by or relating to her sister. So this tells me that she values sentimental things, like the engagment ring. Also, i felt that she valued her mobile phone more than anything. This could be because she is a bit younger and a mobile phone is still very precious to her. It is probably the most used object that every one uses on a day to day basis. As she said, important information is kept on a mobile phone, especially contact numbers. I can see why she values this to be most important because i would certainly be upset if i lost my mobile phone. I have important contact numbers also. Person B was much more descriptive in his answers. From his answers i could tell that he treasures his friends and family over anything. So his photographs are very important to him. This is completley different to Person A. Person A was more interested in her mobile phone, than anything else. She did mention her sister, but she was not as enthusiastic about her family, unlike Person B. Person B was devistated when he lost his camera in Majorca. This also shows his feelings towards his friends and his values towards memories. Person C was also very descriptive with her answers. She gave me the most information and alot of stories. Her age is inbetween Person A and Person B, so i feel that because she is in the middle of the age group, she was better at answering the questions. Person C i could tell is a very emational person and she values things that have sentimental value, like the presents from her best friend and the siver choker from her mum and dad. So as my participants got older, their values were much more sentimental. Person B and Person C are a bit older so they can see the more important things in life, like memories of loved ones, friends and objects that are irreplacable.
Tuesday, 2 March 2010
Assignment 3 - Design Safari
Observe and Record
For this assignment, I was to choose a public location to observe and record people’s behaviors in. I decided to go with a friend to the Subway. We chose the Subway because it is a popular lunchtime spot, and also because it is one of those places that attracts everyone – not just a specific group which we thought might be interesting to observe how different cultures interact with each other.
As Jackie and I found a table to sit at, a group of school children came in to the Subway. They were very smartly dressed, with blue blazers and ties. They walked in very straight, head held high as if looking down at everyone else. (This could also have been because they were very tall!) As they approached the queue, they huddled together in a group, separating themselves from others in the queue. I think that because the children are in school uniform and they are of a young age, they may have felt superior to others that were in normal clothing. This is maybe due to them having a uniform on and walking in as a close group. This made them intimidating to others and also made them stand out from everyone else.
Once the schoolchildren had left, we focused on a group of Americans that were sitting in front of us, at a table of four facing each other. They appeared to be tourists as there were backpacks underneath their table and their accents sounded like they were from a High-end part of America. This tells me that they are possibly quite a wealthy group of men who can afford to travel around. We also got the impression that they felt comfortable eating their lunch. We thought that maybe they have tried to stick to what they know while travelling over here. By this I mean that they have chosen the Subway, which is open to all cultures, rather than choosing a local pub for a pub lunch. Obviously they would not feel as comfortable in a local pub because it would be a specific group that would go there and they would probably feel as if they did not fit in.
Soon the Americans had finished their lunch and they had left. A man to the side of us had now caught our attention. His age seemed to be late 20’s early 30’s, dressed in a white shirt, a black tie and a black suit. He is possibly a businessman, maybe someone who works in an office and he just wants a quick lunch before returning. He was sitting alone and eating his sandwich very quickly. He was facing away from everyone in the place and he was only looking down at his food or at his table. He did not seem to be enjoying his lunch, as he did not look comfortable at all. He was very jittery and awkward, and it looked like he wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible. In contrast to this, there was an older man sitting by himself in front of the younger single man. The older man looked very relaxed and very comfortable. He was reading a newspaper and taking sips of his coffee. After Jackie and I discussed the two single men, we thought that maybe the older single man is more relaxed because he is use to doing things by himself and because he is older he does not care what other people think of him sitting alone at lunchtime.
As I mentioned before, the Subway is not stereotyped and it attracts lots of different people. So, at the moment we have seen, school children, American tourists, a single businessman and an older single man. We then noticed two old women sitting in the corner, behind the single men. We discussed that the women were using the service differently from the others we had observed. This is because, we did not see any of the others use their napkins until they had completely finished their sandwich and it was used to wipe their mouths. The two old women used their napkins throughout the process of eating their lunch and they also broke parts off the sandwich instead of eating it whole. This suggests to me that perhaps they would have been more comfortable eating their sandwiches with cutlery, instead of using their fingers in front of strangers.
From where we were sitting, we could see the workers behind the counter. They were aligned in a row, carrying out specific jobs. This method of production is known as flow production. Within this method of business management, there are disadvantages to the workers. Using the flow production method, workers are involved in a production line manufacture. This means that each person is set to one job, which can be repetitive and boring. As we observed the workers, they looked bored with glum faces. This does not look good to the customers and it does not make people feel welcome. So, perhaps the design issue here is that the Quality Management needs to be re-addressed. Workers should be able to swap jobs every now and then to give them more of a variety, and this will help to keep the customers satisfied and the environment happy.
Some other design issues were brought to my attention. I noticed that the Subway is a very popular lunchtime spot, with the queue hardly ever budging. Down the side of the queue is people trying to eat their lunch. They are crammed in to the wall and they look very uncomfortable and they do not appear to be enjoying their lunch. I think that because the Subway is so popular, they would be better off investing in a bigger place that can hold their customers properly. This would definitely make people feel more welcome and enable them to enjoy the service properly.
The Subway is so busy and there is a bit of waiting about to do before getting served. Watching people in the queue with their arms folded starring at the workers; I felt that there should be pictures (not of food) or things to read on the walls. This would keep the customers occupied until it is their turn to be served, instead of watching the workers every move, making them feel uncomfortable.
Here is a photo i took, the two old women are at the back and if you look close enough, you can see her holding her napkin. Then there is two school children who appeard after the younger single man left. Finally, closest to you is the older single man reading his newspaper.
For this assignment, I was to choose a public location to observe and record people’s behaviors in. I decided to go with a friend to the Subway. We chose the Subway because it is a popular lunchtime spot, and also because it is one of those places that attracts everyone – not just a specific group which we thought might be interesting to observe how different cultures interact with each other.
As Jackie and I found a table to sit at, a group of school children came in to the Subway. They were very smartly dressed, with blue blazers and ties. They walked in very straight, head held high as if looking down at everyone else. (This could also have been because they were very tall!) As they approached the queue, they huddled together in a group, separating themselves from others in the queue. I think that because the children are in school uniform and they are of a young age, they may have felt superior to others that were in normal clothing. This is maybe due to them having a uniform on and walking in as a close group. This made them intimidating to others and also made them stand out from everyone else.
Once the schoolchildren had left, we focused on a group of Americans that were sitting in front of us, at a table of four facing each other. They appeared to be tourists as there were backpacks underneath their table and their accents sounded like they were from a High-end part of America. This tells me that they are possibly quite a wealthy group of men who can afford to travel around. We also got the impression that they felt comfortable eating their lunch. We thought that maybe they have tried to stick to what they know while travelling over here. By this I mean that they have chosen the Subway, which is open to all cultures, rather than choosing a local pub for a pub lunch. Obviously they would not feel as comfortable in a local pub because it would be a specific group that would go there and they would probably feel as if they did not fit in.
Soon the Americans had finished their lunch and they had left. A man to the side of us had now caught our attention. His age seemed to be late 20’s early 30’s, dressed in a white shirt, a black tie and a black suit. He is possibly a businessman, maybe someone who works in an office and he just wants a quick lunch before returning. He was sitting alone and eating his sandwich very quickly. He was facing away from everyone in the place and he was only looking down at his food or at his table. He did not seem to be enjoying his lunch, as he did not look comfortable at all. He was very jittery and awkward, and it looked like he wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible. In contrast to this, there was an older man sitting by himself in front of the younger single man. The older man looked very relaxed and very comfortable. He was reading a newspaper and taking sips of his coffee. After Jackie and I discussed the two single men, we thought that maybe the older single man is more relaxed because he is use to doing things by himself and because he is older he does not care what other people think of him sitting alone at lunchtime.
As I mentioned before, the Subway is not stereotyped and it attracts lots of different people. So, at the moment we have seen, school children, American tourists, a single businessman and an older single man. We then noticed two old women sitting in the corner, behind the single men. We discussed that the women were using the service differently from the others we had observed. This is because, we did not see any of the others use their napkins until they had completely finished their sandwich and it was used to wipe their mouths. The two old women used their napkins throughout the process of eating their lunch and they also broke parts off the sandwich instead of eating it whole. This suggests to me that perhaps they would have been more comfortable eating their sandwiches with cutlery, instead of using their fingers in front of strangers.
From where we were sitting, we could see the workers behind the counter. They were aligned in a row, carrying out specific jobs. This method of production is known as flow production. Within this method of business management, there are disadvantages to the workers. Using the flow production method, workers are involved in a production line manufacture. This means that each person is set to one job, which can be repetitive and boring. As we observed the workers, they looked bored with glum faces. This does not look good to the customers and it does not make people feel welcome. So, perhaps the design issue here is that the Quality Management needs to be re-addressed. Workers should be able to swap jobs every now and then to give them more of a variety, and this will help to keep the customers satisfied and the environment happy.
Some other design issues were brought to my attention. I noticed that the Subway is a very popular lunchtime spot, with the queue hardly ever budging. Down the side of the queue is people trying to eat their lunch. They are crammed in to the wall and they look very uncomfortable and they do not appear to be enjoying their lunch. I think that because the Subway is so popular, they would be better off investing in a bigger place that can hold their customers properly. This would definitely make people feel more welcome and enable them to enjoy the service properly.
The Subway is so busy and there is a bit of waiting about to do before getting served. Watching people in the queue with their arms folded starring at the workers; I felt that there should be pictures (not of food) or things to read on the walls. This would keep the customers occupied until it is their turn to be served, instead of watching the workers every move, making them feel uncomfortable.
Here is a photo i took, the two old women are at the back and if you look close enough, you can see her holding her napkin. Then there is two school children who appeard after the younger single man left. Finally, closest to you is the older single man reading his newspaper.
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