A Working Title by Allen Cochran

A Working Title The Documentation & Findings of Working With Design Students

Beth Benzenberg | Allen Cochran | Gabe Tippery

A Working Title The Documentation & Findings of Working With Design Students

Beth Benzenberg | Allen Cochran | Gabe Tippery

A Working Title The Documentation & Findings of Working With Design Students Design 786 Winter Quarter 2010 The Ohio State University Department of Design ÂŠ Copyright, Beth Benzenberg, Allen Cochran, Gabe Tippery, 2010

Contents 1. Introduction

2. Workbook

3. Secondary Research

4. Information & Primary Research

5. Knowledge & Findings

6. Future Work 7. Appendices 8. About the Authors

75 79 103

1 Introduction

Introduction

Over the course of this past quarter, we have all invested ourselves in a project geared at teaching us more about teams, collaboration and understanding design students’ working habits. From the beginning we set out to achieve one objective: ...to gain a better understanding of how design students perform work activities, organize their work spaces, both personal and academic (studio space, for example), and execute projects based on their group’s design process. With this in mind, our goal was to research the question, “how does a team of design students organize a project.” Design 786 with Liz Sanders provided us a framework to work in and gave us the tools to put together an investigation based on our question and objective. After establishing these goals in a preliminary presentation, our plan was to first prepare a workbook including a brief questionnaire and two simple MakeTools and utilize The Ohio State University’s Department of Design students as our participants. From there we would interview and observe a subsequent and smaller group that completed a workbook followed by a Velcro MakeTool session with a handful of this subsequent group. In the end, scheduling conflicts prevented us from carrying out our plan exactly, but we managed to adapt and end with some valuable information in that it: • helps us understand how design students are currently working in groups • provides us insight to the work spaces of our participant group.

Introduction

• shows us the varied yet similar working styles of design students • allows for key discoveries to develop from our findings • establishes a basis for us to make some recommendations about our participants needs This document represents the collective documentation from this project and the past quarter. We hope that readers will understand our process and, if so interested, pick up and continue the work set forth here.

Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success. - Henry Ford

To kick things off, below is an overview of our project. It outlines the different steps mentioned here and shows when we began our analysis. In the next pages, we’d like you to fill our a workbook just like our participants. It’s our hope that this will put you in the same mindset as them and help you relate to the materials throughout this book.

Project General Overview

Concept Presentation

Preparation

Workbook Execution

Interviews

Presentation of Findings

Quantitative Analysis Qualitative Analysis

2 Workbook

Workbook

Workbook Materials

These images were printed on full sheet sticky labels and provided in the workbooks. Some participants chose to use them, others did not. Participants cut the images themselves and used them in place of writing the equivalent word.

Workbook

Page 1 - Cover (Page 2 is blank and not pictured)

Hello! Thanks for checking our workbook. To launch our research project, we asked our participants to fill this out. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re interested in following in their steps, you can fill it out too. With the exception of this paragraph, this is exactly what our participants saw.

workbook on working. meta. name__________ date__________ 14

Workbook

Page 3

We are curious about how you work. As you start to fill out this workbook, think about how you work alone, how you work within a project team, as well as the tools that you might use to do your work. These tools could be analog or digital (Post-Its or Photoshop). They could help you communicate (Gmail) or keep your life organized (iCal). Whatever tools you use, we want to know about them and how they make your work easier. Thanks, Beth, Allen & Gabe

Use white space (like this area on every page) to jot down extra notes, sketches, or anything youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like to tell us.

If you have questions or suggestions, please e-mail us! Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d love to hear from you. turtle@tgethr.com

Workbook

Page 4

What is your gender? [ ] [ ]

Male Female What is your age? _______ What year are you in school?

[ [ [ [ [

] ] ] ] ]

Freshman (1st year) Sophomore (2nd year) Junior (3rd year) Senior (4th year) Super Senior (5th year or more) Think about working within a team. What is the role you generally play? Describe the various roles you may play below. ____________________________________ ____________________________________ ____________________________________ ____________________________________ ____________________________________ ____________________________________ ____________________________________ ____________________________________ Which of the following describes the organization of your preferred workspace?

[ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]

My workspace is generally messy and I usually have little idea where particular items are located. My workspace is generally messy, but I know exactly where most items are located. My workspace is generally orderly, but I usually have little idea where particular items are located. My workspace is generally orderly and I know exactly where most items are located.

Workbook

Page 5

Tell us in a couple of sentences about your best or worst team experience. Why was it the best? Why was it the worst? ____________________________________ ____________________________________ ____________________________________ ____________________________________ ____________________________________ ____________________________________ ____________________________________ ____________________________________

When working on a solo project: I like to set a plan and then execute. [ ] [ ]

True False I like to just jump in without planning the path.

[ ] [ ]

True False I like to work through a project step-by-step.

[ ] [ ]

True False I like to look at the big picture and break it down into manageable parts.

[ ] [ ]

True False I like to tackle the whole project at once.

[ ] [ ]

True False

Workbook

Page 6 - Workspace MakeTool

Think about your workspace. This can be your desk, your room, or the library, wherever you work the most. Use this page and the next to create a representation of your workspace. You can use pens, pencils, markers, magazine clippings, the materials provided, anything that will help you in your representation. You can even take a photo and label each item. Please include the items that you use the most and where they are in your workspace. For example, if you use a computer, where is it? What do you use it for? Do you use a planner to keep your schedule? Where does it usually sit in your workspace?

Workbook

Page 7 - Workspace MakeTool

My Workspace

Workbook

Page 8

When starting to work, do you spend time doing other things such as checking your e-mail or a social networking site? [ ] [ ]

Yes, I want to take care of messages immediately. No, I need to get straight to work.

If yes, what do you check? (E-mail, Facebook, texts, etc.) ____________________________________ ____________________________________ ____________________________________ ____________________________________ ____________________________________ ____________________________________ ____________________________________

Do you often multi-task and check these things while you are working? [ ] [ ]

[ ] [ [ [ [

] ] ] ]

Yes, I keep these things open at all times. No, I need to concentrate on what Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m doing.

Which of the following describes your preferred workspace? A community workspace (for example the studio) A public workspace (for example the library) My desk at home My living room Wherever my computer is

Workbook

Page 9 - Bull’s-eye of Important Tools MakeTool

Think about all of the tools that you need to work. These could be anything from pencils and paper to laptops and software. Your list will probably include the tools from the previous page. Also think about the online tools that you might use to organize yourself or others when working solo or in a team. On the bull’s-eye below, rank the tools in order of importance. The most important tools will be closer to you on the bull’seye and the less important tools should be farther away. You can write these in, draw them, or use the materials provided.

Less Important

Important

Workbook

Page 10

When working on a project in a team: I tend to work better by taking direction. [ ] [ ]

True False I tend to work better by giving direction.

[ ] [ ]

True False I like to work on team projects.

[ ] [ ]

True False Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d rather work on my own.

[ ] [ ]

True False

When working solo, a typical work session lasts: [ [ [ [ [

] ] ] ] ]

0 - 1 hour 1 - 2 hours 2 - 3 hours 3 - 4 hours 4 or more hours

When working in a group, a typical work session lasts: [ [ [ [ [

] ] ] ] ]

0 - 1 hour 1 - 2 hours 2 - 3 hours 3 - 4 hours 4 or more hours

Workbook

Page 11 (Page 12 - back cover, is blank and not pictured)

At what time do you most commonly begin your day? [ [ [ [

] ] ] ]

Morning (7am - 12pm) Afternoon (12pm - 5pm) Evening (5pm - 10pm) Night (10pm - 7am) At what times do you generally feel most productive? Mark on the scale where you fit. For example, you may be a night owl and work between midnight and 4am or you may work best right after dinner. 6am

9am

12n

3pm

6pm

9pm

12m

3am

Are you a: [ ] [ ] [ ]

Visual Communications Designer Industrial Designer Interior Designer

Are you a: [ ] [ ] [ ]

Mac PC Other ____________________________________

Thanks again for filling out this workbook. Would you like to continue to share your working style with us? We are looking for people to participate in interviews and an interactive group activity session (MakeTool). Please list your name and e-mail below if you are interested in participating more. name_______________________________ e-mail_______________________________

3 Secondary Research

Secondary Research

Teamwork

In all design specializations, projects are completed by designers working in teams. These teams allow people to expand on each othersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; ideas, to bring together people of different expertise, and to split up the work required to complete the project. So that we have a background for our research, we looked into knowing how teams work, in general. Here are some of the things that we learned The Four Câ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 1 There are four factors that must be managed for a team to be successful: 1. The context of the team 2. The composition of the team 3. The competencies of the team 4. The change management skills of the team The context refers to the organizational context. The larger organization surrounding the team must be supportive and provide the resources necessary. The composition must be well thought out. You need the right people on the team to do the work. The team shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be too large, or there will be social loafers, or those who do much less work than the others. The competencies of all of the members together must be such that they can manage conflict when it arises, keep themselves on task, and communicate with each other effectively. Change management skills refer to the idea that teams must have the skills needed to change their processes when their overall goals or surroundings change. Interdependence 2 Before a team is formed, it is necessary to determine if the team is actually needed. One way to do this is by determining the level of interdependence required for that particular task.

Secondary Research

The higher the interdependence, the more likely a team will be needed to perform the task. There are three levels of interdependence. Starting with the lowest, modular or pooled is when each team member works independently of the others, and their results are pooled into one common end product. Sequential interdependence is when one team member starts the process and the second member cannot complete his task until the first gives him the required information. This is more like a linear process. Reciprocal has the highest level of interdependence. This is when all information is shared and all decisions need to be made by everyone. Six Team Requirements 3 There are six requirements for a team to be effective: 1. Skill building - Team members must have the technical skills necessary to complete the task, the administrative skills to manage the procedural aspects, and the interpersonal skills to work with others. 2. Set clear goals - Team members should set goals and metrics to achieve them together so that all are on the same page and committed to the team. 3. Task and process feedback - Continuous feedback helps team members to strive for better results. 4. Creating team norms - Rules must be discussed at the beginning so that there is consensus among participants about how they will perform tasks. 5. Managing the boundary - Managers should give continuous feedback on the team’s performance on its own and within the larger organization.

6. Support from the larger organization - The organization must be committed to the team and support them with the proper resources. Effective Teams 4 There are three criteria in assessing team effectiveness: 1. Does the team’s output meet the standards of those who have to use it? 2. Does the team experience contribute to the personal well-being and development of the members? 3. Does the team experience enhance the capability of the members to work and learn together in the future? These criteria allow managers and team members to see the benefit of working in a team. The team’s output cannot be self-serving. It must achieve the goals of the “client.” The experience is also not only for the greater organization’s benefit. Team members learn and develop as professionals based on their experiences in a team. The better the team works together in the future, the more successful the organization will be and the more each individual will learn new skills. Punctuated Equilibrium Model One model of the team process is the punctuated equilibrium model. This is how teams evolve when they have a very specific time frame. The time is split up into two phases. At the beginning of the first phase, rules and norms are set up. Not much productivity happens during this time. At the mid point of the project time line, a transition occurs. This is when conflict may arise and new rules and norms are created. During the second phase, a high level of productivity occurs

Secondary Research

and lasts until the deadline. All design teams have a deadline and most likely go through this development process. Team Decision Making 5 Often, decisions in teams are made by consensus. However, there are some things to avoid. First, groupthink occurs when a team comes to consensus without exploring all ideas first. The need to fit in can lead members to agree to a decision that they do not feel is the correct one. One way to avoid groupthink is to appoint a “devil’s advocate” to ask appropriate questions before the decision is made. The Abilene Paradox occurs when a team takes a course of action that no one is in favor of. Each member agrees to the course based on their belief that the others are in favor so that they do not alienate the other members. The Abilene Paradox can be avoided by conducting a private ballot in which members are not influenced by the others’ choices and are free to make their own decision.

individuals are better at divergent thinking, or generating a lot of different ideas while teams are better at convergent thinking, or making a decision. In order to have the most creativity, it is best for individuals to brainstorm alone, then come together in a team to share ideas. Fluency, flexibility and originality will all rise. When teams try to brainstorm together, members are influenced by the others’ ideas and often do not let their own minds wander toward new or unique ideas. To enhance team creativity, it is best to have team members with a wide variety of backgrounds. Endnotes 1

Improving Team Performance (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2007) 5. 2

Creativity in Teams 6 When it comes to creativity in brainstorming sessions, studies have shown that teams are less creative than individuals. There are three factors that lead to creativity. Fluency is the quantity of ideas generated. Flexibility is the number of different types or categories of ideas. Originality is the uniqueness of the idea. Also,

Dyer, Dyer and Dyer, Team Building: Proven Strategies for

Improving Team Performance (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2007) 17-21. 3

Rousseau, “Teamwork Inside and Out,” BuisnessWeek

Advance Vol. 3 (1993): 2-22 4

Group polarization refers to the tendency of a group to either be more conservative or more risky than each individual. When making a decision, each team member gets more extreme in regards to their own opinion, leading the team toward the extreme in either the risky or the conservative shift.

Dyer, Dyer and Dyer, Team Building: Proven Strategies for

Hill, Managing Your Team, (Harvard Business School,

1995) 3. 5

Thompson, Making the Team: A Guide for Managers

(Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2008) 165-200. 6

Thompson, “Improving the creativity of organizational work

groups,” Academy of Management Executive Vol. 17, No. 1 (2003) 96-109

Secondary Research

Understanding the Demographic

Anytime a research group plans on working with a particular group of people, it is a good idea to learn as much as you can about their demographic before hand. In an attempt to do just that, we researched a bit about the generation of undergraduate students in college now. This is some of what we found: The undergraduate students in college now are part of a unique generation of demographics. The demographic following Generation X is commonly being referred to by scholars as Generation Y, Millennial Generation, Generation Next or Net Generation 1,2. Its members are often referred to as Millennials 3,4 or Echo Boomers 5. Generation Y is more radically and culturally tolerant than previous generations 6. The majority of Generation Y is culturally liberal with many favoring same-sex marriage rights to the LGBT community among other politically liberal stances 7. Depending on social and economic conditions, this generation is generally marked by an increased use and familiarity with communications, media, and digital technologies. In their 2007 book, Junco and Mastrodicasa 8 provided research-based information about the personality profiles of Millennials, especially as it relates to higher education. They conducted a large-sample (7,705) research study of college students. They found that Next Generation college students were frequently in touch with their parents and they used technology at higher rates than people from other generations. In their survey, they found that 97% of students owned a computer, 94% owned a cell phone, and 56% owned an MP3 player. They also found that students spoke with their parents an average of 1.5 times a day about a wide range of topics. Other findings in the Junco and Mastrodicasa survey included that 76% of students used instant messaging, 92% of those reported multitasking

Secondary Research

while IMing, and 40% of students used television to get most of their news and 34% the Internet. This generation spends at least 3.5 hours a day online. The rise of instant communication technologies made possible through use of the internet, such as e-mail, texting, and IM and new media used through websites like YouTube and social networking sites like Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter, may explain the Millennials’ reputation for being somewhat peer-oriented due to easier facilitation of communication through technology among the research community.

Endnotes 1

News, Stock Market & Financial Advice. Web. 08 Mar. 2010. <http://www.businessweek.com/managing/content/ mar2008/ca20080313_241443.htm?campaign_id=rss_null>. 2

1. They want freedom in everything they do, from freedom of choice to freedom of expression. 2. The love to customize, personalize. 3. They are the new scrutinizers. 4. They look for corporate integrity and openness when deciding what to buy and where to work. 5. The Net Gen wants entertainment and play in their work, education, and social life. 6. They are the collaboration and relationship generation. 7. The Net Gen has a need for speed- and not just video games. 8. They are the innovators.

“The Online NewsHour: Generation Next |.” PBS. Web. 08

Mar. 2010. <http://www.pbs.org/newshour/generation-next/ index-old.html>. 3

Strauss, William & Howe, Neil. Generations: The History of

America’s Future, 1584 to 2069. Perennial, 1992 (Reprint). ISBN 0-688-11912-3 p. 324 4

To summarize the Net Generation, Grown up Digital: How the Net Generation Is Changing Your World author Don Tapscott, provides eight norms that we can associate with these individuals 9.

“Netting the Net Generation.” BusinessWeek - Business

“What Comes Next After Generation X? - Washingtonpost.

com.” Washingtonpost.com - Nation, World, Technology and Washington Area News and Headlines. Web. 08 Mar. 2010. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/ article/2008/07/05/AR2008070501599.html>. 5

“USATODAY.com - Generation Y: They’ve Arrived at Work

with a New Attitude.” News, Travel, Weather, Entertainment, Sports, Technology, U.S. & World - USATODAY.com. Web. 08 Mar. 2010. <http://www.usatoday.com/money/ workplace/2005-11-06-gen-y_x.htm>. 6

“Understanding Generation Y.” College of Arts and

Sciences & Conservatory of Music - Oberlin College. Web. 08 Mar. 2010. <http://www.oberlin.edu/stupub/ ocreview/2006/12/08/features/Understanding_Generation_Y. html>. 7

“CIRCLE - A Nonpartisan Research Center Studying

Youth Civic Engagement and Civic Education.” CIRCLE - A Nonpartisan Research Center Studying Youth Civic Engagement and Civic Education. Web. 08 Mar. 2010. <http://www.civicyouth.org/?p=7>. 8

Junco, Reynol, and Jeanna Mastrodicasa. Connecting to

the Net.generation: What Higher Education Professionals Need to Know about Today’s Students. [Washington, DC?]: NASPA, Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, 2007. Print. 9

Tapscott, Don. Grown up Digital: How the Net Generation Is

Changing Your World. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2009. Print.

4 Information & Primary Research

Information & Primary Research

Project Objective

Stakeholders & Users

The objective of this project is to gain a better understanding of how design students perform work activities, organize their work spaces, both personal and academic (studio space, for example), and execute projects based on their group’s design process.

The stakeholders for this project are design professors that ask their students to work in groups. However, professors in general or any project manager that works with young designers may have interest in our research findings. Our primary user group will be design students. More specifically, we will probably be working with upper class students (juniors and seniors) who have had the opportunity to work within a group setting. Younger students are not excluded, but they may not have had classes early on in collage that require group work. Professors in OSU’s Department of Design were contacted in order to ascertain those classes that were or recently had been working in a group setting. We received four responses from professors, out of which we proceeded with three. Each of the three classes were given workbooks to fill out. 50 workbooks were given out; 35 were returned. These 35 became our user group of OSU Design Students.

Research Question How does a team of design students organize a project?

Information & Primary Research

Design Research Map

M D

[The above diagram] presents a map of the design research landscape in 2007. This space has been the focus of a tremendous amount of exploration and rapid growth over the last 5 years. It is currently a confusing mess of competing and complementary approaches that share common or related goalsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;to drive, inspire or inform the new product and/or service development process.

Our Research Interests

The map is an attempt to position all these approaches into one unifying, visual framework so that we can stop arguing over which is the best approach and begin a dialogue about where to play during all points along the design development process.

A more complete description of the map can be found in - Sanders, E.B.-N. (2006) Design Research in 2006. Design Research Quarterly, V.1:1, Design Research Society, September 2006.

Information & Primary Research

Methods

To achieve our objective, our team used research methods that pertain to what people say, make, and do. We touched on each of these areas, our group has identified that a workbook of sorts, containing several different items, best suited not only our target users, but helped facilitate the acquisition of a lot of information very quickly. In terms of specific information, our team incorporateed both a survey (including demographic and psycho-graphic questions) plus two simple MakeTools in our workbook. Workbooks were distributed to students through willing professors in the department of design at Ohio State. It was our hope that we can connect with at least three professors whom have classes working in groups. These workbooks allowed us to establish a baseline of tools students use and their various processes. Once workbooks were completed and returned (ideally the class period following the workbook distribution) we established times to conduct interviews with a selection of students that helped on the workbooks. These interviews gave us additional information that the workbooks did not and will give us the opportunity to photograph the studentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work spaces. Finally, our team utilized a more in depth MakeTool to get at the core of how students work and was organized specifically so that participants work in groups to accomplish the MakeTool. Due to constaints this original plan was altered so that it was a velcro MakeTool about a tool that helps individuals perform group work. This sesion provided us with qualitative information that goes beyond what the students say or do as in the workbooks and interviews.

Information & Primary Research

What People Say, Do & Make

The three ways to gather information from people are to ask them, watch them and see what they make. These are known as Say, Do and Make. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s often best to use a mixture of all three methods, but each is effective on its own. Do When looking for information about the present, the best method is Do. You can observe people in the present via many different methods: video, web cam, and simple observation. Say When looking for information about the immediate past and immediate future, the best method is Say. It is easy for participants to answer questions looking back and forward when discussing a short time frame. This can be done with interviews, surveys, and focus groups. Make When looking for information about the extreme past or extreme future, the best method is Make. Often these tools will bring out hidden desires, needs or fears. The story is often not about the widget that is created; the widget can be quite abstract. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s about what that widget can do for them.

Information & Primary Research

Preliminary Timeline Overview

Revised Timeline Overview

Revisions

Information & Primary Research

Timeline Detail Jan 22 • Preliminary presentation Jan 29 • Brainstorming • Create survey and interview questions for review in class Feb 5 • Prepare materials • Beth to give an overview of the information she has from her business team class • Create workbook of survey and short MakeTool(s) to hand out • Begin to solicit volunteers (we will ask to hand the workbooks out in undergraduate design studios and pick them up at the next class session, we will use this to inform our interviews and larger MakeTool) • We will ask students in the survey if they are interested in continuing with our research. • Create interview questions • How do you work/show us your work space • What type of role do you play on your project team (leader, secretary, etc) Feb 11 • Interviews & Observation • Interviews will be conducted with the students who volunteered previously. • We will also observe/photograph/film the students’ work space during the interview process • Create MakeTool Feb 19 • MakeTool sessions & Observation • Students who participate in the interviews will participate in our MakeTool sessions. • Class Presentation and status update Feb 26 • Finish MakeTool • Finish MakeTool sessions, if necessary • Begin analysis • MakeTool • Survey • Interview • Analyze what types of information each of these tools have given us OR determine what types of information may go into our ‘handbook’ for new design students Mar 5 • Analysis and documentation • Analysis • Begin final presentation and documentation Mar 12 • Final presentation • Finalize presentation and documentation

Information & Primary Research

Study Participants

Group 1 To recruit participants for research, it was determined that, at first, a larger pool was needed and that from there the group could be refined based on interest in the over all project. The first larger group of participants was gathered based on a mass e-mail to all OSU professors teaching studio courses. Professors were asked if their classes were working in groups and if we could have them fill out a brief workbook for the study. 3 professors with 4 classes replied positively and of them, 3 classes were approached. In the end, 50 workbooks were handed out and 35 were returned. Group 2 Originally, before the timeline was forced to change due to weather, the next group would have been made up of those people who completed workbooks and listed their contact information. Of that group, ten would be chosen for observation and interview in their preferred workspace. Since the weather changed these plans slightly, Groups 2 and 3 ultimately became a single group. Group 3 Of the initial 35 returned workbooks, 19 people listed their contact information for follow up. Each participant was contacted and 5 returned with further interest. This group because our interview, observation, and Velcro MakeTool group. In the end, due to scheduling conflicts, 3 females were our final group of in depth investigation into how design students work.

These participants appear throughout this book and are named Abby, Rebekah and Kelly.

5 Knowledge & Findings

Knowledge & Findings

Overview of the Analysis Process

Our workbooks contained a few different types of activities. There were multiple choice and true/ false questions, open ended questions, and two small collage activities (MakeTool). The multiple choice questions and answers were put into a spreadsheet to calculate percentages. For the open-ended questions and the MakeTool, we selected 12 out of the 35 collected to quantitatively and mostly qualitatively analyze. To ensure we had a wide variety, we split the workbooks into two categories: more developed and less developed. We then chose every third workbook for our sample from each category. We read through the open-ended questions to find common themes among them. For the MakeTool, we arranged them on the table so that we could see them all at once and looked for commonalities. We grouped them based on various observations. We also took notes based on the interviews, observations, and 3D MakeTool. We found common themes and noted interesting unique ideas. After performing all of these types of analysis, we compared them. For example, we learned that the most common tool listed in the bullâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eye MakeTool was the pen/pencil. We looked to see how much these were mentioned in the quantitative information and made notes of that. You can find this information listed in our quantitative and qualitative analysis portions.

Knowledge & Findings

Pictorial Overview of the Analysis Process

Quantitative

Workbook Findings

DISCOVERIES

Observation, Interviews, & Velcro MakeTool

Qualitative Workbook Findings

Knowledge & Findings

Quantitative Research Our quantitative research is based mostly on the demographic and psychographic answers recorded from the 35 collected workbooks. Additionally, those items listed, drawn, or somehow notated in the workspace MakeTool and the bull’s-eye MakeTool, from the workbook, were also included in our quantitative research. The graphs that appear on the following pages are the recorded answers from the 35 workbooks. Some of the most interesting findings from the questions are below: • The majority of the 35 workbooks were completed by 21-22 year old females at the junior level taking classes in the design department. • In general our participants keep their workspaces in a slightly methodical messiness. • Our participants like to set plans when approaching projects rather than tackling the project all at once. • The majority of students spend other time doing personal things, such as checking e-mail before they work but say the also like to multitask while working. • 15 of the 35 users say their preferred workspace is a community space while 26 people disclose though would rather work in a more personal, home like space (desk at home, living room, wherever my computer is). • Users contradict themselves however, in question 9 by saying that many participants take direction while working in groups but also give direction most of the time; they equally contradict themselves by saying that they work

on team projects but nearly the same amount work on their own. • Participants spend less time working together and spend more time working individually. • Participants begin their day between 7:00 am and noon but the overwhelming majority do not feel they’re most productive until early evening into the night-time hours. • Our participants ranged in majors but most were interior space designers and 60% worked on Macintosh computers versus Windows based PC’s. As this data was reviewed, it was determined that these answers were fairly consistent with an average student as in one who is constantly on the move, possibly working in a shared space, has class at random times during the business day and works on homework late into the night. Similarly these average students also would prefer to work on Macintosh computers either because they are required to purchase them by major or they believe that Apple computers are better for what they do. This conclusion was generalized from the data provided in the answers pictured here.

Knowledge & Findings

Total WBs: Total Workbooks (35 workbooks of 50 were filled out and returned)

1. What is your gender?

2. What is your age?

Male Female

Total WBs

18 years 18 years

19 years 19 years

20 years 20 years

21 years 21 years

22 years 22 years

23 years 23 years

24 years 24 years

25 years 25 years 26 years 26 years

Male

31 years 31 years

Female

34 years 34 years

Total WBs

Total WBsTotal WBs

3. What year are you in school?

4. Which of the following describes the organization of your preferred workspace?

Freshman Freshman

Sophomore Sophomore

Junior Junior

Senior Senior

Super Senior Super Senior

Grad/Pro Grad/Pro

Total WBs Total WBs

Messy, Messy,chaotic chaotic Messy, Messy,methodical methodical Clean, Clean,chaotic chaotic

33 18 18

Clean, Clean,methodical methodical

11 11

Total TotalWBs WBs

35 35

Some participants chose to write in answers such as â&#x20AC;&#x153;sometimes.â&#x20AC;? Additionally, in some questions users chose more than one answer. So even though the total number of Workbooks is always 35, in some instances the total answers were quite a few more.

Knowledge & Findings

Total WBs: Total Workbooks (35 workbooks of 50 were filled out and returned)

5. When working on a solo project: “I like to...”

Set a plan, execute 18 years

19 years

20 years

21 years Step-by-step

Break down, big picture 23 years

Jump in, no planning

22 years 24 years

25 years

Tackle project at once

26 years 31 years

Total WBs

34 years

6. When starting to work, do you spend time doing other things such as checking your e-mail or a social networking site?

7. Do you often multi-task and check these things while you are working?

8. Which of the following describes your preferred workspace

2 1

24 9 12 22 28 6 27 8 12 22 1 35

Total WBs

18 years

Yes

19 years

20 years

Sometimes

21 years

Total WBs

22 years

23 years

24 years

25 years 18 26 years years 19 31 years years

20 34 years years 21 Totalyears WBs

Yes No Total WBs

0 1 2 4 1 6 1

22 years

7 35 8

23 years

24 years Community 18 years workspace 25 years Public workspace 19 years 26 years 20 yearsDesk at home 31 years 21 years Living room 34 years Wherever my computer is 22 years Total WBs My bed 23 years 24 years 25 years

Total WBs

2 1 0 4 2 6 1 7 1 8 35 2 2

22 11 35

5 11

9 7 3 35

Some participants chose to write in answers such “sometimes.” Additionally, in some questions users chose more than one 2answer. So even 26as years though the total number of Workbooks is always 35, in some instances the total answers were quite a few more.

31 years

34 years

Total WBs

Knowledge & Findings

Total WBs: Total Workbooks (35 workbooks of 50 were filled out and returned)

9. When working on a project in a team: “I tend to...”

Takes direction 18 years

19 years

20 years Gives direction 21 years

22 years

23 years Work on team projects

25 years Work on my own

26 years

Total WBs

34 years

21 13 22 11 35

1 0-1 hours

35 1

19 years

1-2 hours

2-3 hours

20 years 22 years 23 years 24 years 25 years

3-4 hours 4 or more Total WBs

8 2 2 0

10 35

1 2

1-2 hours

4 1

20 34 years

2-3 hours

6 1

21 years Total WBs

3-4 hours

7 35

22 years

4 or more

Total WBs

18 26 years

0-1 hours

19 31 years

23 years 24 years

12. At what time do you most commonly begin your day?

23 10 1

Total WBs 18 years

21 years

11. When working in a group, a typical work session lasts:

24 years

31 years

10. When working solo, a typical work session lasts:

18 15 1

25 years

2 0

Morning 18 26 years years(7am - 12pm)

1 2

19 31 years years(12pm - 5pm) Afternoon

4 1

20 34 years years(5pm - 10pm) Evening 21 years Total WBs Night (10pm - 7am) 22 years 23 years Total WBs 24 years

6 1 7 35 8 2

0 3 35

Some participants chose to write in answers such “sometimes.” Additionally, in some questions users chose more than one answer. So even 25asyears 0 though the total number of Workbooks is always 35, in some instances the total answers were quite a few more.

26 years

31 years

34 years

Total WBs

Knowledge & Findings

Total WBs: Total Workbooks (35 workbooks of 50 were filled out and returned)

13. At what times do you generally feel most productive?

18 years 6am - 11am

19 years 11am - 4pm

20 years 21 years 22 years

14. Are you a:

4pm - 9pm 9pm - 11am

7 8

119 105

23 years 1am - 4am

24 years Total WBs

25 years

26 years

31 years

34 18 years years Visual Communication

Total WBs 19 years Industrial Design 20 years Interior Space Design 21 years Design Minor 22 years

15. Are you a:

1 1

35 4 6 7 8

11 4 14 4

23 years

Other

24 years

None

25 years Total WBs

26 years

31 years

34 years

Total WBs 18 years 19 years 20 years 21 years

Mac

PC Other

35 1

6 7

22 years Total WBs

23 years

24 years

25 years

26 years

31 years

34 years

Total WBs

0 35

Knowledge & Findings

Qualitative Research

The research that was analyzed qualitatively in this study started during the interview portion. Once all the quantitative work had been compiled, relationships began to appear. The top qualitative results show us the following: • Most participants indicated that in their best team experiences, trust, respect, and determination were key factors. • The overwhelming contributor to a bad team experience was social loafing of one team member. • Many expressed their displeasure in an uneven workload. • 100% of the participants claimed to be leaders in one open ended question form the workbook but later in the workbook say that they like to take direction as much as they like to give direction. • Participants, in this case all students, seem to be confused by the roles they play in a team. None of them are strangers to team work as shown by the number of departmental classes working in that structure, but they all seem to misunderstand relationships within the group.

Knowledge & Findings

Tool Importance Bull’s-eye MakeTool

Less Important

Important

ME 1 3

r ne

ci en P

er nn P

oo hb tc

ke S

er ul R

l ai -m

o ct -a

fe ni K

ho X

ls ci en P

s en /P

te pu om C

Prepared by counting the appearance of text words and pictures from 12 of 35 workbooks. A count of 12 = 100% 34 items appeared 1 time in these 12 workbooks, including “Workbooks on Working” which appeared outside the less important circle.

Knowledge & Findings

Interview & MakeTool Sessions Abby (Workbook #15) Date Interviewed: February 26, 2010 Major: Interior Space Design

The following are qualitative thoughts on the interview, observation, and Velcro MakeTool sessions.

Each day when she begins to work, Abby checks her appointments in her planner and her to do list in her sketchbook. She uses these two items almost exclusively to keep herself organized. Her sketchbook is very much more important to her than her computer, which is contrary to what we expected to find. We expected that university students would be much more connected to their portable electronics than their analog tools. Her sketchbook helps her in working alone (by keeping her organized) and in working in teams. It helps her express her ideas to her teammates through sketching. Abby created a widget that would combine her sketching abilities with her desire to share the information with her teammates electronically. You would draw on the screen on the outside with a stylus and the sketch would be saved on the laptop-like system. This widget would have at least four USB ports so that all team members could pull up their information at the same time. It would not only have the typical laptop keyboard and mouse but also a touch sensitive screen.

I have to use my planner all the time or I never get anything done. It has all my appointments on it and all my due dates for my projects and all my tests and everything. That way I can gauge when I need to study and how much longer I have before this project is due. - Abby

She mentioned that it would be important to have many different ways to insert SD cards (from digital cameras) and different ways to listen to audio. There would, of course, be no Mac versus PC debate since all types of media would be easy to read. Finally, Abby hoped that there would be some software to help the team with scheduling, task delegation, time line, and next steps. It could also help them in determining team roles for each member and what that person should be doing.

Knowledge & Findings

Rebekah (Workbook #7) Date Interviewed: March 1, 2010 Major: Interior Space Design

To Rebekah, her sketchbook is one of her central working tools. She starts a work session by reviewing notes that she has written in her sketchbook on previous days and sets an agenda for what she needs to accomplish today. When working in a group, she does this with everyone involved as she sees herself as the leader often times and feels that this allows her to help keep the team on track and moving forward. To Rebekah, her sketchbook is for drawing concept ideas, making lists of things that need done, keeping random notes organized, and communicating with her team members. Rebekah also uses her Blackberry to keep organized and communicate. While she checks e-mail on her Blackberry, she responds to e-mail from her laptop computer.

“I check e-mail on my Blackberry constantly… it is sort of a anxiety thing. I do not like seeing the little asterisk saying I have unread things… I put my due dates in my phone too, then set a reminder to go off three days in advance, even though I probably already know that the due date is coming.” - Rebekah Rebekah created a widget that resembled a laptop computer, but it had some pretty high tech functionality. Her device had dedicated buttons for providing food while working and forcing her creative team into “Production Mode.” The device also had a “Magic Zipper Pocket” that would allow her to always have her analogue tools with her. The pocket would make her tools such as rulers, markers, pens, and even her drafting board shrink down to fit in her mobile, laptop-like device. Her device also had a “Time Machine” function that would allow her to go back in time so that she could “say what (she) should have said” in critiques. It would also allow her to see into the future so that she could plan for otherwise unforeseen obstacles in the project. It also has all of the functions of a normal laptop without the issues of operating system compatibility with various software packages. Finally, Rebekah’s device would have a leash that allowed her to always have it connected to her as she tends to lose

I’ll just grab my sketchbook, because it is really not just a ‘sketchbook’ anymore. - Rebekah

Knowledge & Findings

Kelly (Workbook #1) Date Interviewed: March 1, 2010 Major: Graduate Design Development

Kelly loves lists. She mentioned them at least five times in her twenty minute interview. When she begins a work session (solo or in a group), she checks her list from the previous session. These items are discussed, a new list is made, and tasks are delegated. Interestingly, even though she is closely connected to her laptop, her lists exist in her Moleskine notebook. These are two items that she cannot live without. In fact, when asked what tools she would take to a deserted island, she chose her laptop, her Moleskine, and a candle (for ambiance). When doing solo work, Kelly likes to be in a comfortable place (hence the candle). However, a less comfortable place is better for group work, if it is conducive to collaboration. Her workspace is also very personal to her. She has had to work in others’ spaces and because of the personal touches (photos, etc), it made her uncomfortable. It is extremely important for Kelly to be able to personalize her workspace. Kelly created a widget that you can wear on your wrist or carry around with you like a cell phone. (She even suggested that it could be an iPhone app.) This widget has a screen on it and a keypad so that you could type your list in it. “Like a Moleskine you can carry around that’s little and electronic.” You could then send your list of to-do items to your teammates and they could accept them. There would also be a delegation function so that everyone would know who is responsible for each part of the project. Kelly’s Moleskine is a private thing, so this widget would have a series of privacy settings that can be customized.

Knowledge & Findings

Workbook #01 Annotated These are two examples of how the workbook MakeTool activities were qualitatively analyzed. Common themes were found and that information was triangulated with the other forms of research (quantitative questions and interviews).

When working solo, it is important to be comfortable and therefore focused. The studio space is a good place for team work to happen because of the collaborative environment. The Moleskine notebook (a favorite among creatives) is perhaps the most important analog tool since it is used as a planner, to-do list, and schedule.

Knowledge & Findings

Workbook #18 Annotated

Time management and to-do lists are a huge part of working as a designer, solo or in a team. Students often donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t separate class time from social time, keeping in touch with friends via text message during class. Analogue tools are still a must and were described as necessary in most of the workbooks.

Knowledge & Findings

Velcro MakeTool Widgets Abby (Workbook #15)

Knowledge & Findings

Velcro MakeTool Widgets Rebekah (Workbook #7)

Knowledge & Findings

Velcro MakeTool Widgets Kelly (Workbook #1)

Knowledge & Findings

Key Discoveries

Widgets • All of the widgets are electronic and portable. • All of our interviewees stated that the first thing they do when starting a work session is look at their list or notes from previous work sessions to see what they need to do next. • All asked for features on their widget to keep their teammates on task or to keep teammates in productivity mode. • Two participants use their phone or planner to write down exams and to keep track of due dates. • All of the widgets are some sort of combination platform for each participant’s favorite analogue tools to be combined with the electronic ones. Other • E-mail is still widely used, even though our secondary research seems to contradict this. • A lot of them go through the same process in a group meeting ◦◦ ◦◦ ◦◦ ◦◦

look through previous meeting notes discussion new action new to-do list and next steps

• In the workbooks, participants all identified themselves as leaders, but this is contrary to the quantitative findings which would say that participants like to take direction rather than give it. • Mobility was a theme that came up quite often. Most of the tools listed were portable and could all fit into a backpack. For example, pencil/pen, computer and paper were the top tools listed.

Knowledge & Findings

Computer

Sketchbook

Workspace

1 20

2 30

Interviews

Bullseye

E-mail Workspace 30

1 2

10 20

Interviews

Bullseye

Knowledge & Findings

At what time do you most commonly begin your day?

Number of students

3 0 6am

9am

12n

3pm

6pm

9pm

12m

At what time do you most commonly begin your day?

3am

Knowledge & Findings

At what time do you generally feel most productive?

24 20

20 20

Number of students

15 12

9 7

6am

9am

12n

3pm

6pm

9pm

12m

3am

Time of maximum productivity

Knowledge & Findings

When working on a solo project... Q1. I like to set a plan then execute Q2. I like to just jump in without planning the path Q3. I like to work through a project step-by-step Q4. I like to look at the big picture and break it down into managable parts Q5. I like to tackle the whole project at once

Q4. Q5.

Q3.

05 True

Q2.

False

Q1.

Knowledge & Findings

When working on a project in a team... Q1. I tend to work better by taking direction Q2. I tend to work better by giving direction Q3. I like to work on team projects Q4. I'd rather work on my own

05 True

False

Q1. Q2. Q3. Q4.

6 Future Work

Future Work

While our study did some interesting preliminary work into how creatives work, we have only just touched the surface. If we were to continue this vein of investigation, we have determined that our first move would be to reevaluate our workbook before getting it into the hands of a much larger data pool of creatives, both professional and student. We found that the workbook it a very effective way to get at a great deal of both quantitative and qualitative information, but our work thus far has opened many more questions. Some of these questions come from areas where our primary research seems inconsistent with aspects of our secondary research. For example, the trends we saw seem to contradict what researchers are finding in the larger age demographic (the Net Gen) that we looked at. Relating the two sources, our study would seem to suggest that creatives actually adopt new technologies into their workflow less rapidly than the general public. Due to the relatively small sample contained in our research we can not actually claim this as a stable finding, but given the opportunity, it is a definite hypothesis we could set out to test. If we were to scale the project to include more creatives in more age demographics, we could also look for indications as to if the differences are limited to the age demographic or actually the creative-field demographic.

Future Work

With this in mind, if continuing this line of inquiry we would spend more time crafting the workbooks to get at more specific goals. Some of these goals might answer questions such as the following: • Our secondary research regarding team creativity stated that individuals are better at brainstorming and divergent thinking, therefore more creative, than teams are. Is this the case when it comes to teams in creative fields?

• Among design students who use social media technologies in their current workflow, what tools are they using, how effective are they, and why are they using them? • What circumstances are occurring that allow the sketchbook/notebook to remain a core tool for creatives, despite the general trend away from analogue and towards digital technologies? • What aspects or criteria do creatives demand from a tool within a creative team?

7 Appendices

Appendices Workbook 1 - Workspace MakeTool

Workbook 1 - Workspace MakeTool

Workbook 1 - Bullâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s-eye Tool Importance MakeTool

Appendices Workbook 2 - Workspace MakeTool

Workbook 2 - Workspace MakeTool

Workbook 2 - Bullâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s-eye Tool Importance MakeTool

Appendices Workbook 6 - Workspace MakeTool

Workbook 6 - Workspace MakeTool

Workbook 6 - Bullâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s-eye Tool Importance MakeTool

Appendices Workbook 7 - Workspace MakeTool

Workbook 7 - Workspace MakeTool

Workbook 7 - Bullâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s-eye Tool Importance MakeTool

Appendices Workbook 8 - Workspace MakeTool

Workbook 8 - Workspace MakeTool

Workbook 8 - Bullâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s-eye Tool Importance MakeTool

Appendices Workbook 11 - Workspace MakeTool

Workbook 11 - Workspace MakeTool

Workbook 11 - Bullâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s-eye Tool Importance MakeTool

Appendices Workbook 15 - Workspace MakeTool

Workbook 15 - Workspace MakeTool

Workbook 15 - Bullâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s-eye Tool Importance MakeTool

Appendices Workbook 18 - Workspace MakeTool

Workbook 18 - Workspace MakeTool

Workbook 18 - Bullâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s-eye Tool Importance MakeTool

Appendices Workbook 24 - Workspace MakeTool

Workbook 24 - Workspace MakeTool

Workbook 24 - Bullâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s-eye Tool Importance MakeTool

Appendices Workbook 26 - Workspace MakeTool

Workbook 26 - Workspace MakeTool

Workbook 26 - Bullâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s-eye Tool Importance MakeTool

Appendices Workbook 27 - Workspace MakeTool

Workbook 27 - Workspace MakeTool

Workbook 27 - Bullâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s-eye Tool Importance MakeTool

Appendices Workbook 2 - Workspace MakeTool

Workbook 2 - Workspace MakeTool

BLANK

Workbook 2 - Bullâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s-eye Tool Importance MakeTool

Appendices

Presentation 01

Appendices

Presentation 02

Appendices

Presentation 03

Appendices

8 About the Authors

About the Authors

Beth Benzenberg

Allen J Cochran

Gabe Tippery

Beth received her Bachelor of Science in Design with a specialization in Interior Design from The Ohio State University in 2004. She worked in a national architectural firm with a focus on the health care and educational industries for a little over five years. She is now working toward her MFA in Design, also at OSU, researching how emerging technologies and processes affect the interior design and architectural process. She is currently teaching some of the undergraduate courses in the Design Department and expects to graduate in the summer of 2011. Beth enjoys cooking with friends and growing her own vegetables. You can follow her path through graduate school atâ&#x20AC;&#x192; bbenzenberg.tumblr.com.

Allen received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in the concentrations of Painting and Sculpture in 2006 from The University of Cincinnati College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning. Following his undergraduate career, Allen worked as the Gallery Coordinator of the ArtWorks Time Warner Cable Gallery for a year. In 2007, Allen was recruited to work at The University of Cincinnati Foundation as an event producer and graphic designer. He is now pursuing his Master of Fine Arts at The Ohio State University in design. Currently, Allen is taking classes and teaching courses in the Design Department. He expects to Graduate in 2012. Allen enjoys collaborating on projects, surfing the internet, watching movies, and reading in his spare time. For more information or to contact, check out I Look Good In Design, the research blog at allenjcochran.com.

Gabe received his Bachelor of Science in Design with a specialization in Interior Design from The Ohio State University in 2009. He is now a Graduate Teaching Instructor and MFA Student in The Ohio State University Department of Design with an expected graduation in the winter of 2012. His current research interests involve Social Learning Technologies in Studio Based Education. Gabe is also a Certified Recording Engineer, avid cycling advocate, musician, and a committed partner and father. Gabeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s online presence is evolving at gabetippery.com.

103

This document represents the collective documentation from a quarter long research project at The Ohio State University under the direction of Liz Sanders. We hope that our readers will understand our process and, if so interested, pick up and continue the work set forth here.