The University of the Arts Studio Next Manual by UArts Design for Social Impact MDes / Master of Industrial Design

UASN09

chapter 1: the future of design education

The University of the Arts Studio Next Manual: 2009 Documentation and Archivation of the New Educational Design Model of Cross-Disciplining Cultures in an Art School Confidential

as compiled by the MID First Years

chapter 1: the future of design education

The Future of Design Education

MID Process

Introduction to StudioNEXT Design Methods

ts ec j o pr

11 The Finance Office 43 Pixie Engine 73 Eye Tracker 107 Space Box 139 Grow Lots

An Exploration in Urban Farming

Redefining Office Efficiency

Making User-to-User Connectivity Part of Everyday Life

A Study in Human Interaction & Technology

Examining Student Living on an Urban Campus Acknowledgements

174

iii

StudioNext 2009

Old Educational Model Industrial Design project

Graphic Design Multimedia

The Studio is conceived of as a working prototype for new models, initiatives, and pedagogical strategies for design education at UArts. Important to the success and effectiveness of the project is the building of robust, sustainable partnerships with outside organizations. The project aims to instill in students a commitment to interacting and engaging with diverse communities in Philadelphia by applying their knowledge to complex challenges and opportunities.

Studio Next will prepare you to thrive and create in this collaborative postdisciplinary environment. Studio Next does not aim to provide you with a road map to success that can be rigorously followed time and time again. Any such effort would be doomed from the outset, as no two challenges, projects, or design teams are identical. Instead, what is being offered in this design laboratory is the opportunity to develop a set of collaborative tools that can be drawn upon, altered, re-implemented and expanded over the course of a designer’s entire career to meet ever-changing challenges.

chapter 1: the future of design education

New Educational Model

Industrial Design Multimedia

Graphic Design

Masters of Industrial Design

A new design education model

studionext 60 students. 3 disciplines. 5 projects. 6 weeks.

the finance office

urban farming

eye tracker

pixie engine

spacebox

StudioNext 2009

While this approach to design may seem new and experimental in the context of UArts, it has been applied in a multitude of professional settings to address complex challenges.

Model Professionals IDEO

RED

CAP

IDEO formed a partnership with, International Development Enterprises (IDEO), Heifer

RED the research and development team of The Design Council, the national strategic

Initiated by the Indianapolis Museum of Art in 1999 in response to requests from

International, ICRW, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to create a toolkit for

body for design in the UK, uses a human centered processes and an interdisciplinary

applying Human-Centered Design to inspire new solutions to difficult challenges within

approach to challenge accepted thinking in business and the public sector and to

communities of need.

explore economic and social issues where design can make a significant difference.

city schools, The Collaborative Arts Partnership (CAP) provides after-school arts programming to students ages 5 through 17 by connecting the skills, staff and resources of Indianapolis-area arts and social service organizations.

chapter 1: the future of design education

An emphasis on collaboration can be found in academic settings as well, and many schools are adopting interdisciplinary collaboration as a key component of design and business education.

Edith Ann, [Lily Tomlin]

“I like a teacher whogivesyousomethingtotake home to thinkaboutbesideshomework.”

Institute of Design at Stanford

University of Art and Design Helsinki

“We want it to be a place where people from big companies, start-ups, schools, nonprofits, government, and anyone else who realizes the power of design thinking, can join our multidisciplinary teaching, prototyping, and research.”

“The University of Art and Design participates in active cooperation with industry and commerce, culture and the surrounding society. To achieve its aims it also networks with the best international universities and centers of learning.”

www.stanford.edu/group/dschool/big_picture/our_vision.html

www.taik.fi/en/about_taik/values_&amp_strategy.html

Harvard Business School “The cornerstone of the School’s renowned general management approach, the case method provides students with the transcendent skills, insights, and self-confidence required to meet the interdisciplinary demands of real business situations.” www.hbs.edu/about/

StudioNext 2009

process By endorsing sustainable business practice and to that extent considering it intrinsic to look at “bigger picture” scenarios and consider whole systems to drive change through design, we expand knowledge pools by connecting to relevant research centers outside the enterprise and its immediate context. The process informs collaborations through visualized, accessible design research that sparks dialogue and generates a list of key concerns as possible entry points for design projects. This generates complex sets of information into knowledge and — in participatory and collaborative settings — produces actionable, design-orienting scenarios for further development and implementation, such as model and prototype design concepts for testing and evaluation. The process is cyclical and iterative. This method creates value as learning happens and new knowledge is created

chapter 1: the future of design education

research

ute ec

reflect

sign de 4

pro p o

StudioNext 2009

ng i rm oEmpathy t Observing S g n i in Interviewing Project Space g y ra v n r i B e h Observing s Empathy ew pat e Brainstorming i c g v Observing Ob n a r Interviewing i m e p z Project Space Visualizing i Observingt EObserving l S Interviewing a In t Empathy Brainstorming su Analysis ec Empathy Interviewing i Interviewing j o V r ProjectPSpace Visualizing Common Threads Empathy Empathy Observing

SpaceBox SpaceBox

Interviewing

week week 1 1 2 2 3 3 4

Project Space Prototype Analysis Brainstorming Common Threa Character Profiles Brainstorming Visualizing Analysis Prototype Mapping Visualizing Visualizing Common Threads Analysis Character Profil Scenario Building Analysis Analysis Common Threads Prototype Mapping Common Threads Common Threads Prototype Character Profiles Scenario Buildin Prototype Prototype Character Profiles Mapping Character Profiles Character Profiles Scenario Building Mapping Mapping Mapping Huge quantities of information can be Ask questions to help understand a Scenario Building intimidating. Where do you start? Begin subject or point of view. Prepare a list Scenario Building Scenario Building by grouping common ideas and rejecting of specific questions beforehand. Begin those off-topic or of low priority. Look for with these questions. Formulate new common themes and qualities. Connect questions on the spot to dig deeper. the dots. Project Space

Brainstorming Project Space Visualizing Brainstorming

methods

Interviewing Common Threads How do MID students design such kick-ass projects? Here are our Project Space Character Profiles favorite methods Character profiles can help you better Your awesome project needs an equally understand the stakeholders in the awesome home. Pin-up notes & sketches, of innovation. design process. Consider people’s goals, plug in your laptop, and begin gathering coffee cups. Ideally, set up in a permanent space for the duration of the project. If this isn’t available, relocate as necessary.

Visualizing

Visualizing ideas makes them easier to understand. Complex ideas take digestible form in sketches and diagrams. Don’t worry about quality, the graphics guy can always tweak them later.

problems, traits, and other defining aspects of their character.

Scenario Building

Create a narrative of characters using your design. How will they interact, what problems will be solved, what are their needs? Acting out this scenario will help your spot and refine your design.

Project Space Brainstorming Project Space Brainstorming chapter 1: the future of design education Project Space Visualizing Brainstorming Brainstorming Visualizing Analysis Visualizing Visualizing Analysis Common Threads Analysis Common Threads Analysis Prototype Common Threads Prototype Common Threads Character Profiles Prototype Character Profiles Prototype Mapping Character Profiles Character Profiles Mapping Scenario Building Mapping Scenario Building Mapping Empathy

les i f ro Empathy P Empathy er t e s c Project Space Project Space p ra d y a t e s i Brainstorming Brainstorming o Cha r g t s h g n o y i n T l r i d a P Visualizing on Visualizing pp uil An a m B M m Analysis Analysis io r o a C Common Threads en Common Threads c S Prototype Observing

Observing

Interviewing

4 4 5 5 6 6 Prototype

Scenario Building

Character Profiles Character Profiles Mapping

Mapping

Scenario Building Scenario Building

Observing

Open your eyes, look at people or a situation, and take note of what you see. If observing a situation, avoid effecting it with your presence. If observing a presentation, ask lots of questions.

Empathy

Analysis

Assess ideas using a set criteria. After a brainstorming session, analyze ideas by voting on the top few for further develop. Consider feasibility, cost, viability, and group interest in the idea.

Prototype

Empathy allows you to gain a deeper understanding of your users’ wants and needs. Put yourself in the shoes of users and stakeholders. What is their life like?

Get your hands dirty and make something. Building prototypes helps you to better understand a design’s usability. Frequent and quickly built prototypes are most effective.

Brainstorming

Mapping

Quickly generate ideas based on research, assumptions, or your intuition. The point is to get as many ideas out as quickly as possible. Remember, there are never bad ideas—so long as they relate to the discussion at hand.

Mapping helps you compare and contrast ideas and spot connections and relationships. Try Bubble diagrams, Mind Maps, and Venn Diagrams. Find a method that helps you best organize thoughts and conversations.

grow lots client: kensington community

PHILADELPHIA: Home To 40,000 Vacant Lots

Blighted lands have an immense impact on urban neighborhoods. They contribute to an increase in crime rates, depopulation, economic recessions, and lower health standards in the areas surrounding them. Standard of living is dramatically decreased. Could the idea of starting community gardens and urban farms be the answer? The Grow Lots project grew out of these vacant lots in Philadelphia. By the end of the six weeks of Studio Next, the Grow Lots team was able to formulate the idea of a Green Center that would transform these blighted lands into a community asset.

StudioNext 2009

timeline

We maintained a blog.

Began to interview the locals, local gardeners, and organizations p. 18

Mapping vacant lots, who knew there were so many?

Gained traction.

Groups Methods

Can these vacant lots help alleviate the inadequate food supply? p. 17

Observing Interviewing Empathy Project Space Brainstorming Visualizing Analysis Common Threads Prototype Character Profiles Mapping Scenario Building

Phases

Research Design

Weeks

chapter 2: grow lots

As interviews come to an end, we can begin to analyze the data. p. 16

Victoria and Megan continue the project for their MID thesis.

Began to render the Grow Lot facility and create an operational plan. p. 29

Started to envision the various roles that the Grow Lot will play. p. 27

Larger groups need to be smaller

Looking from the inside out

We have the idea for Green Centers! p.25 Execute Present

Present

Reflect

6 10

StudioNext 2009

Blighted Lands = Opportunity

chapter 2: grow lots

These questions formed the core of the Green Lots Project’s mission. The project then began to focus on transforming Philadelphia’s vacant lots. The group wanted to devise a working model for future development of these blighted, vacant urban lands. So, we looked at existing urban gardens to get a sense of what worked. Why are some community gardens annuals while others are just perennial charms that are quickly forgotten? There is a sense of ownership that prevails in the gardens that work. Some gardens tend to become public trash cans while others are cherished community resources. To understand what makes

the difference, we need to look at grow lots from the inside out; to think like the gardeners and farmers that use these spaces. The group spent some time deriving questions for different interest groups: Kensington locals, gardeners, urban farmers, horticulture organizations, and city government. As designers, we had to develop a scenario that could provide solutions to their needs.

Digging through our research 12

StudioNext 2009

interview

Iris Brown, Villa Africana Colobo

Iris Brown is the head gardener at the Villa Africana Colobo community garden. Her main concern, “... not having enough time to make connections with the community while managing the garden,” is one of the viral problems of a community garden. She also cited limited funding, managing volunteers, and retaining knowledge from visitors.

The Villa Africana Colobo community garden runs multiple after school programs dedicated to gardening and the arts. Iris feels that “to nurture and actively involve neighborhood children and their families in learning responsibility for self, culture, community, and environment” is an important element for a community garden.

chapter 2: grow lots

In 2000, a University of Pennsylvania class led by Ira Harkabee was centered around creating a healthier community for students. A class project grew into establishing a half-acre farm between Drew Elementary School and University City High School that would increase local food access and decrease diabetes. The farm program includes Sayre High School and also -through a healthy cooking group at UCHS- involves a number of other surrounding schools. The program allows lower income high school students to work three days a week for three hours and get paid minimum wage by the Philadelphia Youth Network. The farm acquires much of this money from grants, and recieves plant starts and equipment from The

Philadelphia Horticultural Society. Mark Risso, who currently runs the UCHS farm, grows (and sells). John and Kira’s chocolate buys their mint from UCHS, and the group turns an $8,000 yearly profit from the public green-market sales at Muhammad and Clark Parks. Extra money from the program goes into profit shares for the working teens. There are generally 12 students working during the school year and about 30 in the summer. Students can work through the summer after they graduate, during which time they go through a college preparation program in order to figure out what comes next.

Elissa and Jared interviewing Mark at UNI

Mark Risso, Urban Nutrition Initiative

StudioNext 2009

interview

Interviewing Mary at her garden.

Mary WardBucher Hicks Street Community Garden

In 2007, Mary Ward-Bucher organized her community and inspired them to help clean up an abandoned lot that had become a dumping ground and crime ridden. Mary printed flyers and went door-to-door for help. The garden, on Hicks street in south Philly, is primarily a flower garden and serves to give people a place away from the streets. Most of the plants were donated or found in the garbage and rehabilitated. About 6 inches of compost from Fairmount Park was used on top of rubble. Some raised beds were used, but not many.

Mary wrote a letter to the owner of the lot and never heard a response. She and her crew continued to work on the lot, cleaning and planting. When the lot was nicer looking, the property owner suddenly became interested. Mary acquired a land trust through NGA and also received help from PHS. The lot was $17,400 and The Hicks Street Garden is still raising money to pay back this fee. The garden has mostly flowers, but also some herbs, tomatoes, green peppers, and a blueberry bush. There is a rain collection system in place from the neighbor’s roof runoff. They do not use pesticides and they wish to start composting. They cited a need for signage to let people know what the green lot is.

chapter 2: grow lots

A DIALOGUE WITH KENSINGTON LOCALS

John:

“Are you interested in gardening?” Local:

“Sort of, but I don’t have enough time!” John:

“Where is the closest supermarket?” local:

“Reading Terminal Market, Pathmart, Huntington & 9th Street, and Murries” John:

“How much do you spend on produce?” Local:

“Only $5 a month.” John:

“Are there gardens in your neighborhood?” Local:

“Not anymore. We don’t even have playgrounds for the kids!”

John:

“What would make it easier for you to start gardening?” Local:

“Gates!! You have to keep the crack heads out, they’ll eat anything!” John:

“Would you be interested in having your children participate in a garden to learn more about food and the growing process?” Local:

“Yes, get the kids involved. Kids nowadays don’t even know how to thread a needle. We need to teach them something.” 17

StudioNext 2009

research

complete our observations, we interviewed a number of organizations which Conversation Toexplained the logistics of Philadelphia’s urban gardening and farming movement, as well as how businesses utilize local foodsheds to differentiate themselves in a with Local competitive market. Agriculture Organizations While speaking with a representative from the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society,

we learned that although future gardeners are supplied with knowledge and the physical supplies to get a garden started, they lack a personal connection to other gardeners. As an organization, they saw the need for new gardeners to be mentally and emotionally supported as much as physically or financially. “There’s just more to gardening than dirt and shovels.”

chapter 2: grow lots

The Kensington neighborhood wants to build a cohesive community by creating a place for the youth

Agriculture organizations mentioned that they need to connect graduating students from Agri-Programs to jobs of interest Office of Sustainability in Philadelphia wants to beautify vacant lots and be able to provide accessible, nutritious, local food to all neighborhoods in Philadelphia

StudioNext 2009

research

To commence our research we looked into a number of the local food initiatives that are already taking place throughout Philadelphia. Each focused on different subjects, such as wholesale of local produce, increased local food knowledge through campaigning and increasing the number of farmers markets throughout the city. This made us extremely aware of what has already

Local food map in Philadelphia

been accomplished as well as how designers could approach this subject in a way that eliminates redundancy while strengthening the existing local food system. The following is a list of organizations we had in mind while working through this project: Buy Fresh Buy Local, Farm to City, Kensington Community Food Co-Op. Common Market, The Food Trust, Partnership CDC,

Philabundance, Fair Food, Local Food Philly, Greensgrow Farm, Weavers Way Co-Op, Mill Creek Farm, Proof, Philadelphia Youth Network, Grid, Urban Nutrition Initiative, Pedal CoOp, Teens 4 Good, Green Jobs Philly, Penn State Cooperative Extension, Next Great City, DVRPC, PhilaFEL, Newbold Neighbors, Point Breeze Pioneers, Bio Neighbors, and Norris Square Neighborhood Project.

chapter 2: grow lots

Garden Centers... GREEEEEEEEEEN Lots!!!!!!

StudioNext 2009

research

Cataloging all of my experiences from the Urban Nutrition Initiative for the posterity of other like minded individuals.

chapter 2: grow lots

D E V E L O P PA R K L A N D A N D O P E N S PA C E C O N N E C T I O N S A L O N G THE CITY’S CREEKS AND RIVERS The smaller of Philadelphia’s two rivers, the Schuylkill River runs from Philadelphia through Valley Forge and Reading to its headwaters in the anthracite coalfields. In the city, the land that abuts the river includes parks, factories, oil refineries, institutions, highways and railroad tracks. Recently, Philadelphians have worked diligently to reclaim parts of the river as green space for public use.

MY FELLOW PHILADELPHIANS:

G R E E N WO R K S plete without a nod to Philadelphia’s crown jewel—the Reading Terminal Market. In addition to its being a leading tourist destination, Reading Terminal Market is the leading redeemer of food stamps and Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program vouchers in the state.

P H I L A D E L P H I A

Yet, as the map on page 53 indicates, many city neighborhoods still lack access to locally grown fresh food. To increase this access citywide, Greenworks Philadelphia calls for the creation of 59 food-producing gardens, 12 farms and 15 farmers’ markets in Philadelphia. Expand the Number of Neighborhood Farmers’ Markets

The Mayor’s Office of Sustainability will work with non- and for-profit partners to target communities that have little or no access to fresh, healthy food, working, for example, with community development corporations to foster neighborhood interest in farmers’ markets. This work may also involve the City providing on-site amenities needed by farmers, including nearby parking for their trucks and access to water.

interested in gardening and food-growing techniques. Information and supplies for food production and necessary products, such as seeds, organic pest-management programs, tools, organic fertilizers, books, classes and pots would be provided. The Horticultural Center in Fairmount Park could serve as a hub of this activity and make technical assistance available to citizens who want to grow and produce their own food.

Leverage Vacant Land

Vacant City-owned land presents an opportunity to create new commercial agriculture ventures and new community gardens in the city. Produce, trees—which could then be replanted on city streets—and even sedum for local green roofs could all be grown on land currently owned by the City. These types of uses would help reduce neighborhood blight, providing interim uses for vacant lots on which more traditional redevelopment might not occur for years.

City agencies, such as the Commerce Department, the PWD, the Redevelopment Authority and the Department of Public Health will work with the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability to create a clear, transparent process for developing vacant land An on-line inventory of community gardens, urban farms, into community gardens or commercial-scale farms. The farm stands and other sources of fresh food will be created, Mayor’s Office of Sustainability will also explore the use of with a printed version available at neighborhood libraries and City-owned spaces and City equipment to facilitate getting recreation centers so that Philadelphians can find the nearest supplies to people who want to grow food locally. This planfresh-food location. The Mayor’s Office of Sustainability will ning work will address such barriers as zoning, irrigation and combine this publicity work with an on-line Web tool that preliability insurance as well. sents an inventory of land available for food-growing or As a starting point for similar future activities, the gardening. The effort will be modeled after London’s Capitol Redevelopment Authority has asked for proposals from local Growth strategy (www.capitalgrowth.org), which connects organizations and commercial companies to develop tempolandowners willing to allow their parcels to be used for growrary greenhouse structures on some of the land it owns. These ing food (including city-owned parcels) with people and greenhouses will grow fruits and vegetables, plants for green organizations that are looking for land for growing food or C I T Y OF PHILADELPHIA roofs and flowers for commercial sale. creating gardens. Publicize Local Food-Source Efforts

The Schuylkill River Development Corporation has led the efforts to revitalize the Schuylkill waterfront between the Fairmount dam and the Delaware River, completing a 1.2mile recreational trail and greenway where 16,000 people a week enjoy the outdoors. It is now working to extend the GREENSGROW FARM trail below South Street through a section of land called the DuPont Crescent. Established in 1998 on an industrial

I am proud to introduce Greenworks Philadelphia, our commitment to make this city the greenest in America. That’s the goal I set during my mayoral campaign, knowing this is our opportunity to show Philadelphia as a city of the future.

moving in, not out, and private investments are being made. People again view Philadelphia’s walkable neighborhoods and public transportation system, not to mention the diversity of its people and sense of community, as assets to value and nurture. Citizens are making Philadelphia a better place to live by volunteering to clean vacant lots, plant trees, reduce and recycle trash and reclaim our watersheds. And many of them understand that cities like Philadelphia will thrive in a world where fuel prices are high and carbon has a price tag. They know that cities are no longer warehouses of great need, but based on 2008 garden survey of PHS-affiliated gardens. There are likely Some people might question Maps the wisdom of alaunching a stratof great additional food and ornamental gardensreservoirs in Philadelphia thatvalue. are not in PHS’s database. egy as ambitious as Greenworks Philadelphia given the current economy and the city’s financial problems. Why start Greenworks Philadelphia is not a panacea for the city and its working now toward a greener, growing Philadelphia? current economic struggles. Rather, it is a vision for how Philadelphia can and should seize this moment, building upon My answer is simple. To ensure that Philadelphia’s best days the assets left to us by earlier Philadelphians and are ahead of it, we must dream big—and we must dream creating a better future for ourselves, our children and smart. And we must take steps today that will make our city’s generations still to come. That vision includes buildings that future more secure and more prosperous. use less energy so home owners and businesses save money, jobs for people to weatherize homes or manufacture new The stakes are high. Over the past five decades, Philadelphia green products, tree-lined streets in every neighborhood and lost jobs and residents. The pulls that caused people to leave cleaner air. our city and others like it were driven in part by government policies that valued highways over transit and new tract housing over older row homes. These pulls were aggravated by pushes that led many families to flee crime, blight and racial tensions. But in recent years, Philadelphia has begun to witness a rebirth. In many of our neighborhoods, people and jobs are

Philadelphia enjoys a reputation as a city that values work— real work, honest work, hard work. So despite these economic times—or perhaps because of them—it is time once again for all Philadelphians to roll up their sleeves and get to it. Together we will build a new city.

as well as nascent efforts promoteanfood-based economic A parallel process is under way for the NorthtoDelaware, 11-mile, 700-acre section of projects. riverfront Going that extends from The Mayor’s Office of Sustainability will work with the development forward, the Mayor’s Office of INITIATIVES the Betsy RossSustainability Bridge in Bridesburg to Pleasant Hill Park in buying clubs, espeDepartment of Public Health to explore whether neighborwill promote the use of CSA Holmesburg. The Delaware River City Corporation (DRCC) INCREASE ACCESShood TO FRESH FOOD grocery stores should be required to stock a certain has been leading the effort to replace vacant industrial and Urban marketplacesamount have always played anlocal important role (products in of fresh and produce grown within a other lands with a publicly accessible greenway. One sigthe formation of cities and even in theofpresent day contribute 100-mile radius Philadelphia) and reduce the amount of nature project will soon transform the 4.5-acre Lardner’s to neighborhood livability. Today Philadelphia enjoysto30square out- footage of the store. soda product sold in relation Point Park, which is located just south of the Tacony door seasonal farmers’ markets, which provide a place for peoPalmyra Bridge. The DRCC recently received $500,000 in Larger grocery stores could be required to purchase a certain ple to gather and purchase agricultural products from the Athos Oil Spill mitigation funds that it will use to remediate dollar amount per square foot of local product and limit the region. An additional 200 food-producing gardens combine to the land and construct new walking trails and a fishing pier of products with more high-fructose make access to freshamount food convenient for even city resi- corn syrup stocked per in what will be a new public park.

MAYOR MICHAEL A. NUTTER

Foster School-Based Efforts

The Mayor’s Office of Sustainability will work with Philadelphia’s public schools offer many ways in which academic, business and non-profit partners to connect healthy eating habits and an interest in fresh food could be communities and citizens with technical assistance and how-to promoted. Greenworks Philadelphia supports the work of such guides for would-be farmers. It will also support the establishorganizations as the Food Trust, which partners with local E N E R G Y E N V I Rment ON M E N T E Q gardening U I T Ycenters E C for O residents NOMY E Nto G A GtheEquality M EofNfood T served in cafeterias, creof neighborhood-based schools improve

square foot. to fresh food would be comdents. And no discussion of access

Fresh Food Access

Support Food Cooperative Expansion U I T Y and | 51 encourage the growth The City will continue toE Q support and expansion of food co-ops in neighborhoods by considering special financing and development incentives. Doing so will allow these stores time to build membership, adjust their business models so that they adapt to local preferences and create a demand for their products and programs. Since coops provide multiple community-development benefits in addition to the products they sell, supporting their expansion as part of neighborhood public health efforts makes sense.

ACTIVE FOOD GARDEN OR FARMERS MARKET

TEN MINUTE WALKSHED OF FOOD GARDEN OR FARMERS MARKET AREA LACKING FRESH FOOD ACCESS

ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES AND NEEDS PHOTO BY PETER TOBIA

LEFT TO RIGHT: PHOTOS BY PETER TOBIA

TARGET 10

Bring Local Food Within 10 Minutes of 75 Percent of Residents cially in neighborhoods without access to fresh food from

No issue illustrates the challenges opportunities other sources.and It will also use of thegoing Delaware Valley Regional green better than food. What we eat and how we get our foodanalysis that maps the Planning Commission’s supply-chain brownfield, is the most basic of human now the network. issue has both region’sneeds. food And distribution This analysis demonstrates Greensgrow Farm hydroponic techniques to grow On the sections of the Schuylkill thatuses run through East Falls local and global impact communities like Philadelphia focusregion’s food producers howasto connect Philadelphia to the vegetables. It sellsand those through its and Manayunk,heirloom neighborhood organizations localvegetables civic on the energy expended get food from farmfood to plate. and to processors, so that access might be increased in all Farm Stand operates like atocommunity-supported leaders are developing plans(which to reconnect residents the city neighborhoods. river. These efforts will kickprogram) off with the creation a bike agricultural and to localofrestaurants. ItThis also interest grows has created strong momentum for the creation of and pedestriana trail between the Wissahickon Creek a comprehensive locally grown food policy plan that establargelink variety of plants in its indoor nursery. Greensgrow Foster Commercial Farming and the Schuylkill in tours 2010. of the farm and offers lessons in lishes goals and activities for the City of Philadelphia, as well alsoRiver gives compostorder to create more opportunities for economic growth as for local non- andInfor-profit organizations. ingRIVER and in raising bees, helping educate new generations THE DELAWARE using commercial farming, Greenworks Philadelphia recommends of urban farmers. The Philadelphia Food Charter was created by Mayor Nutter The Delaware River is Philadelphia’s historic trade route that 12 commercial agriculture projects be established in the also establishing a small-scale commercial and the centerGreensgrow of its originalissettlements and commercial in October 2008 to facilitate the development of a sustainable city over the next 8 years. In order to do this, the Mayor’s kitchen church a became few blocks away from itscity farm. centers. Over the years in theawaterfront disconnectfoodThe and urban agriculture system—one that contributes Office of Sustainability, in partnership with other City ed from the main fabric theused city, by particularly since staff, the but will kitchen willofbe Greensgrow also be to community, economic, health and environmental goals; departmentsprotecting and external construction ofavailable Interstatefor 95,local whichentrepreneurs effectively cut to therent riverso that encourages they might local production, our organizations, natural and will help develop the off from the rest Philadelphia. For products decades, for efforts infrastructure to support urban farming. This infratestofand prepare food sale.toThe space will also human resources; recognizes accessnecessary to safe, sufficient, culturrejoin the city to thebusiness-development waterfront have failed. workshops focused on a varihost agricultural supply ally appropriate andstructure nutritiousincludes food as distribution a basic right facilities, for all Since 2006, Penn thefor clinical arm offood-business the University owners. ety Praxis, of topics would-be centers, reliable water Philadelphians; fosters community gardens and sources farming; and cre- processing facilities. of Pennsylvania’s School of Design, has been leading a Greenworks Philadelphia also proposes that a new zoning designaates economic opportunities for neighborhood residents; civic visioning and action plan for the Central Delaware, a encourages collaboration andcreated builds upon of existtion be in thethe cityefforts to allow commercial farming. seven-mile, 1,100-acre stretch from Oregon Avenue to ing stakeholders throughout the city and region; and celeAllegheny Avenue. In 2009, Mayorand Nutter created the food choices. The ate school gardens promote healthy of Healthy Food in brates Philadelphia’sEncourage multiculturalDistribution food traditions. Delaware River Waterfront which will will also use encourage and assist Mayor’s OfficeCorporation, of Sustainability Neighborhood Stores Penn Praxis’ work as a starting point and develop a master To further these goals and align the city’s food and urban agrilocal schools interested in creating on-site gardens. Given Philadelphia’s urban form, most residents buy their plan to guide future public and private investments. Its first cultural activities, Mayor Nutter also established the Food food from corner stores and neighborhood markets, few of major effort will be to transform Pier 11 at the base of the Policy Council. The Council will create a Sustainable Food CREATE DEMAND FOR LOCALLY GROWN FOODS Ben Franklin Bridge into a world-class recreational ameniwhichthesell locally grown produce. With our city’s young peoPolicy Plan that commits City of Philadelphia and its partgrown food, Greenworks ty. In addition, To workincrease is alreadydemand under wayfor on alocally recreational ple getting many of their dailyMayor’s calories from high-fat snack ners to achieving a number of goals together. The Philadelphia supports local trail that will run from Penn’s Landing to food-purchasing Pier 70 at Reed programs that have foods,hasmuch be done to improve the quality of Office of Sustainability been work takingmust the lead on impleStreet. The Center District overseeing this work.hospitals and beenCity created by isPhiladelphia’s many universities menting this work. those stores.

Mayor Michael A. Nutter

Provide Technical Assistance

PHOTO BY PETER TOBIA

THE SCHUYLKILL RIVER

THE PENNSYLVANIA HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY

E Q U I T Y | 53

While sustainable food policy promotes environmental and community benefits, it also creates opportunities for economic development and entrepreneurship. The development of a Philadelphia agricultural sector could provide major economic and fiscal benefits for the city. A report done in 2007 by 54 | G R E E N W O R K S P H I L A D E L P H I A

52 | G R E E N W O R K S P H I L A D E L P H I A

To continue our research we looked into what the city planned to address concerning the issue of blighted lots as well as increasing good access to food. Much of the information compiled in the Greenworks Report chronicles the city’s goals for energy, the environment, equity, economy, and engagement in green issues and initiatives, written by the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability. Many of the plans detailed will be enacted immediately and span a timeframe of the next 5-20 years. Many of the goals relate to the Kensington Project and could support the decisions that will come about to make the project a success. The following points are developments of interest for the work ahead. • Equity in the city is focused on delivering equitable access to healthy neighborhoods. Some of those plans include the GreenPlan from the Department of Recreation and Parks to have 100% of residents within a 10 minute walking range of green space.

This would require the increase of 500 acres of green space through developing and redeveloping waterways, creating open space in neighborhood development and cleaning & greening vacant lots • The city also wants to bring local food within a 10 minute walking distance of at least 75% of residents, specifically through joining local food (working gardens + commercial agriculture) with anti-hunger programs • Greenworks hopes to double the number of high and low skill green jobs. Presently 14,400 jobs green jobs are those that are well paid, career track opportunities that contribute directly to preserving or enhancing the environment. (Ex. Greenroof installation, maintenance, brownfield redemption (Greensgrow), urban forestry, wetlands and estuary (river shore) restoration, solar panel installation and energy related jobs.

Greenworks calls for 86% additional local food by 2015 and Mayor Nutter has established the Philadelphia Food Charter and the Food Policy Council to encourage and support these efforts

StudioNext 2009

design

What is a Green Center? How Food Is Created

Where Food Comes From

How To Cook

How To Eat Good Food

Education

Healthy City = Healthy Bodies

Educator

Manager

How To Garden

Jobs

Nutritional Food

Garden

Pride Beautification

Revenue

Agriculture Student Supplies

Forum For Neighbors

Garden Network

chapter 2: grow lots

The Green Center as we envision it

The community’s standard of living will improve once blighted lots are transformed into viable areas.

Green Centers will act as central hubs for organizing food production, creating green jobs, community building, and education. Occupying 3-4 adjacent abandoned lots (3/8 to 1/2 acres), the Green Center will have an office/storage area, on-site garden, two high tunnels, and a green house for the plant starters. The Green Center will involve a farm supervisor, information specialist, farm coordinator, retail manager, and several seasonal labor hands to help with daily operations. This concept will provide job opportunities to students graduating from Agri-programs who would like to venture into an agriculture field but stay within the city. This will help the local economy not only by providing necessary jobs to locals and local students, but also by providing accessible local nutritional food. The Green Center will have a positive influence on the neighborhood and on Philadelphia: slowly transforming the prosperity of its communities.

StudioNext 2009

design

Where Is The Green Center The group identified a vacant lot at 5th and Cecil B. Moore Streets because of its central location to key businesses and organizations in the area. A block north of the lot is Stetson Hospital, a small hospital that can help support the local food web. Local restaurants and food producers like Sequoya and Jaylin’s B.B.Q. Sauce, right around the corner, can also access local food for their small businesses. These institutions can also make use of the Green Center’s compost system by reducing waste streams to local landfills. By choosing this lot, we are able to inspire many people, creating a space between two major communities in need. The size allows for us to begin

modeling a monetary cycle, based off of an existing model, UNI, which is also a half-acre. The lot is just a few blocks from the Temple University campus, which affords an existing infrastructure for support and resources. The lot is located minutes from Norris Square Park, which can help promote and distribute produce and information within the Kensington and Fishtown communities. The half-acre was appraised by the Redevelopment Authority of Philadelphia for $250,000 (avoided if donated by the city). The lot is also located at the epicenter of many blighted lots, which allows for the start up of close satellite gardens

which will feed into the Green Center. Located a block and a half to the south is Ludlow James Elementary School, which can help influence the community and help educate children about nutrition and the importance of a local food system.

chapter 2: grow lots

WHO MIGHT WORK IN A GREEN CENTER?

Farm/Garden Supervisor

Garden/Farm Coordinator

Information Specialist

Retail Manager

Coordinates the relationship between surrounding gardens to the center.

In charge of organizing and educating volunteers about basic gardening/farming skills so that they can begin working right away. Also connects people to other urban gardening programs.

Heads the construction and organization of gardens.

Manages produce and gardening supplies. Determines whether produce is acceptable to put on sale and makes sure that rented tools are returned to the center.

Experience: Agricultural Program Graduate, College Graduate, or 7 year minimum in farming industry.

Experience: Community Organization and College Graduate.

Experience: College or Agricultural Program Graduate

Experience: H.S. degree, organizing Co-Op output, payroll, crop records.

StudioNext 2009

design

Office Space

High Tunnel

Constructed of simple shipping containers, the office space is affordable and sometimes free. These crates are retrofitted with windows, doors and an insulating barrier.

High Tunnels are unheated greenhouses that provide a longer growing season for gardeners by preventing precipitation and weather from affecting crops/soil.

The office is a place for meetings, accounting, and payroll management. It also provides storage space for tools, seeds, plant containers, tarps, netting, garden posts, and several other garden tools.

Typically the frame is plastic (primarily PVC), wood, or metal. Plastic film is draped over the frame.

chapter 2: grow lots

Garden

Greenhouse

Food produced at the Garden goes to CSA shares, farmers markets, local restaurants, and food stands.

An on-site greenhouse can be used for starts prior to the actual growing season. Sunlight is trapped in the glass structure and heats up the crops within. Vents on the roof are capable of efficiently maintaining optimal growing conditions at all times.

Compost is produced on-site behind the garden.

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present

How Do We Make More Green Centers? A

Graduates from agriculture programs go to the Green Center to learn the skills needed for their jobs

Managers from the Green Center teach their skills to the graduates

Graduates take their experience and skills to start their own Green Center in their own neighborhood

Replicable Process

chapter 2: grow lots

The Board

Business Expenditures Green Center Cost Effective?

The goal of the Green Center is to be cost effective and sustainable, but does the Green Center really offer a Triple Bottom Line? To try to answer these questions the Grow Lots group began to investigate if the Green Center would be a sustainable venture. We began to develop preliminary cash flow diagrams and put the income and expenditures pieces into a cohesive puzzle. The group derived the expenditures from several similar businesses in Philadelphia:

Greensgrow, Millcreek Farm, Urban Nutrition Initiative, and the Pennsylvania Horticulture Society. The businesses are sustainable and growing at a healthy rate, therefore justifying our required start up cost and providing a possible five year business plan for the Green Center.

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present

Startup Cost Analysis A

F G Downpayment $30,000

Renting Garden Tools $10,000

Office, greenhouse, shed $20,000

H Finished Compost (soil)

$35,000

Compost System

(If there is extra funds)

$20,000

Income

($340,000)

I Startup Capital (1st Year)

$330,000 Plant Starters and Seeds $150,000

Equipment/Materials/Tools $35,000

J K D

Produce

(CSA, Farmer’s Markets, and Local Businesses)

$145,000

Salaries/Wages $200,000

Brochures/Literature or Education $25,000

chapter 2: grow lots

A. Renting Garden Tools. Idea of renting tools from the Garden Center was developed from the model of the West Philly Tool Library that has been in operation since 2007. The West Philly Tool Library currently charges a yearly membership fee of $20 and the members are able to borrow tools on a weekly basis. The Green Center model would have a monthly fee instead of a yearly fee. B. Finished Compost. Soil made from the compost at the Green Center will yield a net revenue of $35,000 per year. This depends on the Green Center generating 2,900 pounds of soil each month. To be able to accomplish this daunting task, the Green Center will need about 5,000 pounds of a compost mixture that involves carbon and nitrogren material, produced from the compostable waste material from the surrounding area. The soil produced from the compost will be sold for $1.00 per pound. C. Plant Starters and Seeds. Selling the plant starters and seeds will generate a gross income of $150,000 during growing season. D. Produce. The total yearly revenue from selling produce is $145,000, including selling CSA shares, produce at farmers markets, and produce at restaurants, grocery stores, and food stands. The CSA shares will bring in $35,000 annually assuming the Green Center is able to sell 50 CSA shares at $700 per season. Another $90,000 of the produce revenue is generated from selling the Green Center’s produce to local restaurants and grocery stores.

F. Down Payment. The down payment of $30,000 is an estimate of what is required for an average $250,000 mortgage in 2009. A typical half acre lot (2009 prices) in Kensington costs between $225,000 - $300,000 according to the Redevelopment Authority in Philadelphia. G. Infrastructure. The $20,000 for infrastructure of the Green Center will be allocated accordingly: $7,000 for office area, $4,000 greenhouse, $6,000 insurance, and $3,000 for the high tunnels. The office area will be made from a new architectural ideology of sustainable materials by fabricating shipping containers into an aesthetic and usable office space. This will allow the Green Center to keep the development of the office in the realm of the budget of $7,000. Furthermore, the idea of reusing shipping containers is in line with the Green Center’s focus on sustainability.

J. Marketing. The education and literature funds will raise awareness for the Green Center along with the idea of promoting local nutritional food. K. Salaries. $200,000 of the startup capital is tied into salaries and wages. The break down of the allocated salaries to run the Green Center: Director at $40,000, two full time managers at $60,000 ($30,000 each), two full time teachers at $60,000 ($30,000 each), one full time staff at $20,000, and five part time seasonal staff at $10,000 ($2,000 each).

H. Compost System The compost system will be a forced aeration process. Ten of the forced aeration compost systems ($2,000 each) will be used at the Green Center. I. Equipment, Materials & Tools. Funds of $35,000 for equipment, materials, and tools will be used for garden tools, carpentry tools, office supplies, laptops, printer, scanner, office furniture, planting pots, soil, and plant starters/seeds.

StudioNext 2009

present

Operational Cost Analysis The income for the Green Center from the startup year to the following years is approximately the same. Yearly fluctuations may occur, as is normal for businesses.

Renting Garden Tools $10,000

Finished Compost (soil)

$35,000

Income

($340,000)

Plant Starters and Seeds $150,000

Produce

(CSA, Farmer’s Markets, and Local Businesses)

$145,000

chapter 2: grow lots

F. Salaries & Wages. After the first year, the Green Center will be able to expand the work force as expands the educational sector.

G. Marketing. The educational campaign for gardening and promoting nutritional eating habits will be expanded and the allocated funds for this sector will be increased to $90,000.

Salaries/Wages $220,000

H. Rent/Taxes. Taxes for the half acre land is approximately $20,000 per year.

I. Equipment, Tools & Materials. The equipment and tools will be reduced to $10,000 per year. The idea is that a fraction of the tools will be broken or lost.

Brochures/Literature or Education $90,000

Operational Cost (after 1st Year) $340,000

Rent or Taxes $20,000

Equipment/Materials/Tools $10,000

StudioNext 2009

propose

What Will An Actual Green Center Accomplish? Communication

Education and Nutrition Provides Agricultural Opportunities Meeting place for gardeners Forum for neighbors

Beautification

Tourism boosts local economy Healthy city means healthy bodies Increases pride Creates a sense of safety

Develop Vacant Lots City green spaces increase Local residents come together Local produce improves Creates a garden network

Create Green Jobs

Expands gardening as a profession Hires agricultural students Trains workers to be collaborative Green Center’s success increases revenue in a local economy

chapter 2: grow lots

(Filthadelphia) Grow Lots is concerned with creating green jobs while increasing nutritious options through Green Centers. These self-sustaining centers not only distribute starters and educate, but provide under-served communities with produce security. The Grow Lots would be selfsustained financially and would be a replicable model throughout the city. Grow Lots would help alleviate the abject vacant lots by providing accessible, nutritious, local food to bodegas in the neighborhoods.

Furthermore, students from agriculture programs would be able to use the skills they learned, stay in the city and help sustain the local economy. Alleviating abject vacant lots by installing a Green Center would help beautify neighborhoods. This will diminish the stereotypical view of Philadelphia as being a dirty city with a rampant obesity problem. This will also help bring a better quality of life to Philadelphia residents: property values will increase, jobs will

be created and good health practices fostered. Negative issues such as obesity, high crime and poverty would dwindle. With help from the citizens and government of Philadelphia, Grow Lots could turn the city into a healthy and sustainable example of ‘green’ living.

StudioNext 2009

reflection

BIGGEST ISSUE Larger groups need to be smaller

The act of stepping into another person’s shoes could have helped the project gain a new perspective. While it is unrealistic to be in the other person’s shoes the whole length of the project, it is necessary to experience the user’s needs to further develop the design for those needs. Taking this into account, the Grow Lots team could have pushed the design further. We, as a team, did not fully engage the targeted audience’s needs by partaking in gardening and farming. In doing so, the project’s deliverables would have a more profound impact on a wider audience. Smaller cohesive groups are able to accomplish more than one large group. We stayed together as a large group for the majority of the project and there were periods of frustration and angst. Dividing the tasks into smaller groups allowed our group to be more effective and allowed the smaller groups to benefit the larger group

on a whole. The smaller groups were able to easily voice their individual ideas amongst each other without fighting to be heard. These small groups allowed the members to feel, as integral players, an actual impact on the progress and outcome of the larger group. However, this did not occur until late into the design process of the project. All members of the group should have a stake in the project and a passionate group member who has made meaningful connections to the project will necessarily design objects communicating this. These objects may represent different ideas depending on the viewer, however, since there was no collective empathy for the focus of the project, these “objects” never fully materialized.

chapter 2: grow lots

The Urban Nutrition Initiative in the sun

Looking from the inside out Reflecting on the Grow Lots project, the idea of looking from the inside out was the key tool for the project getting from point A to point B. The idea of looking from the inside out is pushing the boundaries of the comfort area of designer by pursuing the issue from the point of view of the intended stake holder. Listening to all the stories from the people who are affected by

“wicked” problems allows the designer to design for empathy and a sense of purpose. Digesting all the stories from various view points allows a designer to be able to adequately design with the highest impact level. Looking from the inside out is way for not only the Grow Lot’s project, but all designers’ projects to help create a strong affinity for their stakeholders.

the finance finance section title office

client: University of the Arts

Through immersive research we engaged fundamental issues which hinder the functionality of an environment, and proposed a series of solutions to address these issues.

StudioNext 2009

timeline

The reocurrence of role confusion becomes evident.

Measuring the office space and observing behavior.

Groups Methods

Observing Interviewing Empathy Project Space Brainstorming Visualizing Analysis Common Threads Prototype Character Profiles Mapping Scenario Building

Phases

Research Design

Weeks

chapter 3: the finance office

The Team breaks into subgroups to develop the 5 thematic areas.

5 thematic issues are discovered. (p.46)

Creation of role game and office layout game.

Roles Language Documents Space Interaction

No testing of proposed ideas occurs within timeframe of project.

The project failed to fully engage the two multimedia students. How can we prevent this next time?

Both games are finally played post-presentation. Execute Present

6 42

StudioNext 2009

background The project began with a need. The client, the Finance Office at the University of the Arts was in need of some serious help. Efficiency and morale were in decline and it was the charge of a team of students (henceforth referred to as the team) to discover why this was happening. By better understanding both the internal processes, as well as the relationships with the larger campus community, this project aimed to identify opportunities for continuous innovation within the Finance Office.

team interviewed individual staff members to gain a greater sense of empathy. Based on the observations and the interviews the nature of the project was understood to be rooted in very human issues.

Despite the plethora of business models in existence, the team felt that no pre-existing model could effectively address the specific nature of this project. Therefore, it was imperative to begin with no preconceived solutions.

One of the first things the team learned was that the University of the Arts had recently been faced with an unfortunate fiscal reality rooted in reductions in tuition income, state funds, and University donations. To deal with this misfortune, the Finance Office was given the order to make campus-wide cutbacks in things like wages, benefits, and budgets. This process of attrition had also taken a toll on their environment in the form of a series of layoffs. The complexity of this project was beginning to surface rapidly.

To gain an understanding of how the Finance Office worked, the process began with research and observation. First, they went into the office itself and simply watched how things were done. Next, the

In addition to the contextual background, technology and psychology were important considerations as well: technology, because the potential solutions, had to match the capabilities of the client; psychology

had to address social situations involving acceptance, appreciation and the impact of vaguely-defined roles. The design team recognized the fact that dynamic issues often required dynamic responses and this project was no exception. Through their research and analysis, the students established five different ways to address this situation: roles, language, documents, space, and interaction.

chapter 3: the finance office

Office space?

StudioNext 2009

interviews

Gabe interviews Mirna and discusses how she manages her desk space.

Lyn looks over the questions Justin developed.

interviews While there was the initial consideration to interview both the staff of the Finance Office as well as some of the individuals who engage with the office (i.e. students, faculty, etc. ), The Team felt that the time constraints of the project prohibited them from effectively addressing such an expansive scope of research. Therefore, the decision was made to focus the interviews on the finance department staff alone. As a means for gaining rich information, the interviewing process produced incredibly valuable sets of data. While their outlook wasn’t entirely negative, the staff members each had noticeable levels of frustration and anxiety. By

sitting down and talking to the individuals, their emotions quickly surfaced. These feelings seemed to have two distinct sources. The first source was the recent wave of layoffs. This left each staff member with an increased workload as well as a constant fear of their own termination. The second source was that the office itself had recently been physically divided (several staff members were moved to a small room on the opposite end of the floor). The separation resulted in countless emotional and psychological issues. Additionally, the new room was exceptionally small and cramped, giving the displaced

individuals a feeling of punishment. The interviews also illuminated how the office members perceived their individual and group workflow. When asked to describe which tasks they were each responsible for, the staff members possessed an unclear understanding at best. When all was said and done, the interviewing process had given the design team a wealth of rich data to work with. Each member of the team who had conducted an interview brought their notes back to begin the process of analysis.

chapter 3: the finance office

Bill

Regina

{4 Years}

{9 years}

CFO/ VP of Finance

Senior Accounts Payable Clerk

-pay roll administration -establishment of University budget -management of financial programs -finances of school store -school wide utilities

-oversees ACCOUNTS PAYABLE -checks and verifies paperwork -acts as supervisor for others duties -writes, assembles and sends checks

Mirna

Jacki

Senior Accountant

{6 Years}

{10 Months}

-personal assistant to CFO -Financial Aid -filling of admin duties -invoice distribution

-Bank transfer -loans and payments for Bill -wire transfer for students -preparing for Audit -verifying balances on accounts

Administrative Assistant

Rosemary

Lyn

{1 year}

{19 Years}

Accounts Payable Clerk

-accounting -services contracts -payroll checks -signature authorization

-divide up paperwork -flag problems -sorting paperwork -processing and crosschecking

“rolls haven’t been written or defined” “the department feels scattered”

“mired in daily noise” “this place is in chaos”

“our space is like an emergency room” 46

StudioNext 2009

research

analysis We then sifted through all the information gathered from the interviews to search for common themes. Data was transcribed into character profiles to facilitate comparisons. We then categorized the interviewees responses and noticed several reoccurring themes. These themes formed our plan of action. First was the theme of roles. Due in part to the recent downsizing, each member had more responsibilities piled on their plate. Because individual tasks and roles were never officially assigned (nor were they ever explained) there was a

prevalence of department-wide confusion (which, as a theme, came up quite a bit). The second theme regarded language, specifically the language of money. Financial information was often presented to the faculty in the form of spreadsheets. While those in the financial sector are trained to understand this kind of language, the rest of the University was not. The third theme was documentation and the frustrations associated with it were exceptional. Incorrect execution and delivery had become standard practice, hindering functionality.

Frazer points out common threads found throughout the Finance Office.

The fourth theme we noticed regarded the space in which they worked (both the original location as well as the new smaller back room). Little thought had been put into the orientation of personnel and their resources, creating redundancy of action and a sense of chaos. The last theme had to do with the limited interaction between the Finance Office and the larger community. Feelings of under-appreciation and perceptions of being unnoticed (except in the case of some financial catastrophe) were common for the staff members. These 5 themes became the

structure with which the team would enter the iterative process of designing solutions.

chapter 3: the finance office

5 POINTS OF ENTRY Roles

Who does what?

Interaction How does the staff relate to the larger community?

Space

How is their environment organized?

Language

How is technical information presented?

Documents

How is data collected and stored?

StudioNext 2009

design

roles Who does what?

chapter 3: the finance office

The interviews introduced some interesting perceptions of roles to the situation. The staff of the Finance Office experienced some major job restructuring due to the recent wave of attrition. While in this state of flux, many roles were reluctantly assumed by new individuals, often by default or circumstance. Without having the necessary time or instruction to learn the these new roles effectively, a foggy understanding of individual responsibility developed. The staff had neither a clear understanding of their own roles, nor of their fellow staff members’.

With this in mind, we established that the designs should address functionality, increased clarity, enabling an environment of appreciation and establishing personal boundaries between roles.

Left: ‘The basket’ was a hot topic for Regina, who sorts the basket a few times per day, thus causing her stress. Top: Commonalities between employees are highlighed here, whether it is a responsibility or an obstacle...

StudioNext 2009

design

Any roles which don’t seem to belong in a staff member’s box go in the “?” box.

chapter 3: the finance office

game 1: delegate responsibility One consistent theme in the character profiles was redundancy, specifically the redundancy of responsibility. More than anything, the Finance Office desperately needed a clear understanding of roles. In response to this obvious need for clarity, we devised a game, the goal of which was to have the staff members actively engage in the process of understanding each other’s roles in the office.

To play, members were given a pile of paper pieces, each labeled with a specific office task. Next, they were presented with a series of boxes, each labeled with a staff member’s name. The object was to allocate given tasks (taken from our interviews)to the appropriate staff member. The variety of configurations affirmed our perception that no one in the finance office understood who does what: one game ended with a box almost entirely empty!

Mirna Bill Regina

Lyn

StudioNext 2009

design

language

How is their technical information presented?

chapter 3: the finance office

31820948 12984 847 19284192 72631 20948 1298 31820948 12984 847 19284192 72631 20948 1298 31820948 12984 847 19284192 ! 72631 20948 1298 ?

Excel spreadsheets make little sense to those who do not “speak” their language. The next theme in the dynamic of the Finance Office had to do with language. What we found was a language barrier between those within the finance department and those outside of it. Since the University has faculty comprised almost entirely of “right-brained” individuals, the “left-brained” nature of financial language presents a particular challenge for the CFO, Bill Mae. The clarity of this exchange is imperative to the success of the University. This financial overview is presented to the faculty at bimonthly presentations. Bill’s job at these events is to inform faculty and staff of financial standings.

Several members of our team attended one such meeting and did not feel the information was being presented in an effective manner. After talking with several other attendees, it became clear that this perception was fairly common. The spreadsheets which were presented made little sense to the unfamiliar audience. Because the information was only shown on a microscopic level, it was tough to extract larger concepts and relationships. In an attempt to convey this important information, we developed a series of infographics to visually illustrate several key points in Bill’s presentation. On a very

Left: Bill’s financial presentations end up being more confusing than informative for people who tend to be more visual.

Understanding the language an audience speaks promotes communication. primitive level, the goal was to initiate a more informed conversation between faculty and the Finance Office. From this starting point, maybe a more proactive dialogue would develop. With a more comprehensive understanding of how money distribution works within the University, those who depend on its function will be able to make better use of its potential. Could this help the faculty better design their budgets?

One of our initial goals was to instigate more informed conversations between faculty, staff, students and the finance office. 54

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design

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chapter 3: the finance office

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100 100

ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS

THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

100

ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS

100

Extra Revenue

+212K

Despite positive values traditionally shown in black, we decided this lacked the proper positive reinforcement to offset the powerfully negative red. Green seemed like the most obvious second color choice for such values.

StudioNext 2009

design

documents How is data collected and stored?

“It isn’t necessary to imagine the world ending in fire or ice. There are two other possibilities: one is paperwork, and the other is nostalgia.” Frank Zappa

The Team begins to edit the existing documents.

chapter 3: the finance office

verifying common obstacles A striking amount of the frustration on the part of the staff had to do with improperly filled out paperwork. When the Finance Office is faced with such a document, they typically make one of two decisions; they request the right form from the offender or, more likely, manually change the information on the document themselves. The reoccurrence of such a situation is staggering and reinforces how ripe these documents are for redesign. The problematic qualities we established included an inability to establish the hierarchy of information, inconsistency of form titles and an absence of instruction for the user. These concepts directed the design of new documents.

These two documents are differentiated only by their title.

StudioNext 2009

design

TITLE GETS LOST IN SURROUNDING FIELDS

UNRELATED INFORMATION IS CLUSTERED TOGETHER WITH BOUNDING BOX!

LIMITED USES OF COLOR

SHOULDN’T THIS BE LARGER?

RUSH

[ ]

mark this box if Check should be held

FORO FFICEU SE Vendor ID Due Date

Voucher #

ccount

Amount

American Express Check Request Form INVOICE PAYMENT REQUEST FOR:

Orders under p $200 laced without a P.O. or Subscriptions, Memberships, other Misc. payments

Date: Name:A

Distribution Information merican Express

Fund

SourceD

eptA

Address: Address: Address: Social Security #:

Purpose:

Dept. Head Approval: Adv. Bal. Approval: Finance Approval: Total- $

STAPLE SMALL INVOICES HERE (

STAPLE LARGER INVOICES AT THE BACK )

*** PLEASE MAKE COPIES FOR YOUR DEPARTMENT PRIOR TO SENDING PAPERWORK TO FINANCE ***

Name of person picking up check (other than payee) *

* All checks not picked up within 7 days of issuance will be mailed

Brainstorming how documents might work better.

Example of an existing document.

We brainstormed many different solutions to address the issue of documentation. Our first idea was a welldesigned computer system would streamline the process of collecting data. It could be connected to the

computing infrastructure within the school, enabling proper delivery of particular documents (and would walk the user through the process so no required information could be omitted before sending).

Unfortunately, the Finance Office has limited exposure to such technology. To overcome this obstacle, a 3-phase process was proposed to allow for periods of acclimation. Stretching out the process would also allow

for an appropriate amount of time to test and develop the complex proposal.

chapter 3: the finance office

THE 3-PHASE PROPOSAL The first phase is a redesign of all current documents. To convey a sense of informational hierarchy and enable greater navigation while maintaining a familiar look.

The second phase entails more significant changes. Systems of color coding and document titling drastically improve navigation and functionality.

The idea behind the final computer system is such that it takes the user step by step through the process of completion. This addresses the issue of paperwork being delivered to the wrong person or office.

StudioNext 2009

design

space

How is their environment laid out? Office of the CFO

Financial Services

Finance

chapter 3: the finance office

The process of moving several staff members to the new room was done with little attention to their individual workflows. This lack of consideration has noticeably dampened the mood of those confined to the new space, creating feelings of physical and emotional separation, redundant efforts and a poor use of resources.

Filing cabinets and paperwork consume the back office. 62

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design

GAME 2: The Office Our team constructed an quick intervention: employees would take an active role in the design of their own spaces. Giving them a sense of ownership in their work environment as well as providing an opportunity to exercise their creative muscles were two of the main motivations behind this idea. Furthermore, the staff would gain an understanding of how various spacial arrangements affect their productivity and interactivity.

chapter 3: the finance office

Side note: Research shows that education and empowerment are two excellent ways to motivate individuals.

We decided that it was time for another game: an activity to allow the staff to play with various interior layouts of their room. The staff’s concerns of linear work surfaces, improved scanning options and designated work zones would finally have an opportunity to be addressed. The emotional connection the staff have with their space was an important step for our team, since morale improvement was one of the original concerns students recognized.

Above: Three possible office layouts.

StudioNext 2009

design

interaction How does the staff relate to the larger community?

chapter 3: the finance office

The team struggled with establishing a heirarchy from which to focus their efforts. There was a personal level to the situation which needed to be addressed. The staff felt a noticeable disconnect with the rest of the University and its impact was apparent. Due to the various interpersonal interactions involved with the Finance Office, deciding on one relationship to tackle was a daunting endeavour. Additional attention was paid to the form in which an interaction could take since this office communicated with various people in various ways. For example, we found that interaction existed in both verbal and physical forms as well as written and online forms. Should we focus on an initiative which is incentive based, or is it simply an acknowledgement?

Significant time was spent defining interaction and the ways it was important to the Finance Office.

StudioNext 2009

design

Our proposal was based on an initiative implemented at Drexel University. The program was referred to as a “Gotcha” system, essentially rewards-based. This method has been proven fun and effective within the office environment. The system enables coworkers to acknowledge each other’s positive initiatives in the hopes of improving the contextual culture. Do-gooders are rewarded by their peers with Gotcha Points as a form of affirmation. The manager of the system, often the senior position-holder, then rewards those with the highest scores at

the end of designated intervals with perks like free lunches, days off, etc. It improves relationships within the workplace, boosts morale, and initiates acknowledgement between coworkers. Although this only develops interaction between people in the same department, the scope of this intervention could easily extend outside of the Finance Office door.

chapter 3: the finance office

StudioNext 2009

reflection

How we applied design thinking to our project: What was most fascinating about this project was the process of discovering how it could be addressed with design thinking. We were curious about how we could create a better environment for these people through our past experience within the workplace. This process of discovery taught us some exceptionally important lessons in regards to the process of design. Jes Williams (mid i) Donovan Preddy (mid i)

First, learning how emotionally layered the situation was in the very beginning, compounded the issues we tried to address in the solutions and interventions we developed. Much of what we designed doesn’t even fall into the category of solution, but instead existed as a means for establishing greater clarity. There were ideas we came up with which seemed to address many of the issues in an amazing way, but they were beyond the capabilities of the Finance Office staff and they had to be tossed. We also learned that complex problem like this one are almost never solved with one solution and finding a set of solutions which work in tandem can be quite complicated.

chapter 3: the finance office

Second is the issue of time and time management. Thinking of all the ways it worked against our process is a bit mind-numbing, so for the sake of this reflection we’ll only look at its largest points of impact. To begin with, the 5-6 weeks spent on this project was only long enough to begin to understand the dynamic of this problem. That the process of prototyping didn’t enter into the proverbial equation, which was frustrating for us. Time was also an issue within our group and specifically how we got work done. Finding a time to get everyone together outside of class was near impossible because of the variety of personal schedules. A good bit of work was therefore done on an individual basis. Another instance of time’s ability to disable is obvious when considering the process of collecting data. Getting a response from a particular email to a given Finance Office staff member took close to a week at one point, and while we recognize that this has to do with their oversized-workload, it still affected the pace we were trying to establish.

Finally and most importantly, we learned that design-thinking does, in fact, have a role in this type of project. The approaches and deliverables all speak of a unique set of tools and abilities which are not found in the positions which would traditionally be in charge of handling such a problem(such as Human Resources or Office Management). Despite the frustration of not being able to actually see our ideas put to the test, it’s a relief to know that a designer has relevance in this instance, as well as others.

pixie engine client: human network labs

Human Network Labs is a new company with big ideas. Their Pixie Engine technology is just gaining footing in the United States and Asia. And, although they worked with an amazing team of engineers and scientists, they had not used design thinking to further their Pixie Engine device. The Pixie Engine allows users to transmit a variety of data for communication that gives its users information about their surroundings. And although refined internally, it lacks an identity to connect with the public. While its potential uses were limitless, the technology had no personality. There is no doubt Pixie Engine is a unique product, with no other comparable technology. However, the true question is: How can The UArts Team employ their design thinking toward bettering a product with so few constraints in so little time?

StudioNext 2009

timeline

The whole Pixie Engine engineering team was here to answer questions!

We split into two groups

Similar technologies researched and mapped.

Research Mapping

Groups merge

Groups Methods

Observing Interviewing Empathy Project Space

Using PB works wiki allowed us to keep our ideas and files in one place.

Brainstorming Visualizing Analysis Common Threads

We mapped the technology to help convey its advantages over other options.

Prototype Character Profiles Mapping Scenario Building

Phases

Research Design

Demo of Pixie Technology.

Weeks

chapter 4: pixie engine

We designed, rendered, and 3d printed 12 cases for pixie engine chips.

Group works together on producing three videos.

Storyboarding begins for the 3 video shorts.

Human Network Labs had a positive experience with the UArts Team.

The casing itself succeeded in facilitating the need for a Pixie Engine image.

The videos never reached Singapore.

Pixie team takes case to Signapore Execute Present

Present

Pixie videos presented to the public. Reflect

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Getting to know Human Network Labs

Partnership The UArts collaboration with Human Network Labs developed steadily over the course of the six week Studio Next session. This collaboration strengthened as the team accumulated valuable knowledge and experience. With an emphasis on research, the team collected information that lead them to unique and unforeseeable opportunities. In addition, Human Network Labs aided both parties with valuable participation every step of the way.

Pixie Engine

chapter 4: pixie engine

& Pixie Engine. Where did Pixie Engine fit in the Human Network Labs vision of the future industrial and consumer markets? The initial UArts meetings began with the deconstruction of the Pixie Engine device. The team discussed many technicalities as they tried to grasp the Pixie Engine concept and, subsequently, posed many questions. - What is the difference between this and every other PDA? - How will the public respond to a new information device? - Is Pixie Engine purely a social networking tool? - What about Big Brother scenarios? Despite these questions, Pixie Engine was clearly a well conceived product with huge potential. Human Network Labs had developed concepts and scenarios, but still had a degree of uncertainty about the direction of their hardware. Before diving into any sort of prototyping, they began intensive research on other similar technologies already on the market. As the UArts team learned more about the details of both Human Network Labs and Pixie Engine, they started brainstorming concepts and possibilities.

StudioNext 2009

Where’s Waldo?! It’s no longer a mystery.

The Pixie Engine device was created to network people together in ways previously not thought possible or practical. What Pixie really offered was freedom from massive infrastructure. Human Network Labs created the Pixie Engine device to connect people in ways previously not thought possible or practical. For instance, the Pixie Engine offers the ability to identify every other Pixie Engine device user. You see them... they see you...in real time. Pixie also displays amazing tracking capabilities. It is able to show real time movement in a three dimensional space. Best of all, Pixie offers freedom from massive infrastructure.

chapter 4: pixie engine

In a crowd, Pixie can connect you with anyone.

StudioNext 2009

research

A Uarts team group discussion.

How does Pixie measure up against other communication technologies? Most others were developed for specific applications but have since branched out to serve other purposes. New cellular technologies offer users the ability to surf the web, receive email, pictures and video from their mobile device. Adaptation of GPS technology from its military roots gave consumers a navigation tool for cars and, eventually, became integrated into mobile devices. HNL designed Pixie Engine to specifically address the modern consumer needs of data transmission, location, and communication without the use of a cellular, GPS or greater network.

To connect its members efforts and research, the UArts team created a Wiki as the venue for developing and sharing thoughts and concerns about the project as well as posting relevant links and files.

chapter 4: pixie engine

InfrastructureN

on-Infrastructure

BlueTooth Cellular Phone Two-Way Radio Satellite Phone RFID - Active GPS RFID - Passive WiFi RFID - BAP Satellite Phone

Two-Way Radio

BlueTooth

Cellular Phone WiFi

A display of similar technologies and their specifications in comparison to the Pixie Engine.

StudioNext 2009

research

A screen shot from SecondLife.

SecondLife exemplifies the ability to be aware of all surroundings, including other people and places, without being physically present. So, what could the UArts team learn from the groundwork of SecondLife? Pixie Engine has the potential to operate in a similar way, allowing users to explore the real world around them without being aware of people, places or information without seeing it first. Pixie engine could very well connect people together in reality the way SecondLife was already doing in cyberspace. With the potential outlined, how could the UArts team find the right uses to showcase Pixie Engine?

chapter 4: pixie engine

Second Life & Pixie Engine

SecondLife displays the identity of its users, much like Pixie can do in real life.

StudioNext 2009

research

WiFi works great for smaller localized networks. It’s fast and relatively secure with modern security encryption. However, it has limited range without special equipment. And, it is only an extension of the infrastructure it’s attached to so performance can vary greatly.

Cellular Technology is great for connecting people over long distances. But, it requires vast networks of towers set in triangular patterns to approximate location and transmit data. Data transmission is comparatively low bandwidth and prone to fail during instances of peak usage.

With RFID, a tag can be placed in any device of almost any size to be read by an RFID receiver. Items can be tracked, tagged, and stream data. This has been used in devices like EZ-Pass toll payment devices and Pay Pass on credit cards. It is a very cheap technology to implement and has been widely spread because of this. However, it is very insecure and prone to theft.

2 Way Radio is old, but reliable technology. It transmits audio information over radio waves and does not require expensive equipment. Unfortunately, there are only a limited number of channels for use, and there can be bandwidth congestion. The range is limited to approximately 2 miles.

chapter 4: pixie engine

Pixie for the win!

GPS relies on satellites which orbit the globe. GPS devices on the ground send information to satellites who in turn relay locational data back to earth. GPS devices are preloaded with maps that plot your present location. This process is slow and easily hindered by inclement weather and overhead blockages. It is best used when implemented with cellular technology, making it cumbersome and expensive.

Pixie Engine had the ability to transcend global and regional infrastructure. Its unique ability to see and talk device to device means that the technology will function in locations without any existing infrastructure. Any Pixie Engine device within the 200m range could be seen and relay information to neighboring devices. Devices could be placed in shops, cafés, landmarks, hotels, taxis, buses, and more to show users the information around them in an affordable and efficient way.

Bluetooth technology works well for exchanging data over short distances. It excels at connecting devices to each other, but the limitation if range makes it an unlikely tool for networking with other people.

StudioNext 2009

design

Designstartswiththe

BRAINSTORM

Initial sketches during conceptualization of Pixie possibilties.

chapter 4: pixie engine

The strengths that Pixie Engine had over the various other communication technologies available today set the precedent on how the brainstormed concepts were chosen. Brainstorming concepts catalyzed many future scenarios and potential pitfalls, successes, and important uses of the pixie technology. The initial concepts were expanded, developed, and distilled into a few select examples which played on the best aspects and abilities of the Pixie Engine Technology.

Wide Shot)

StudioNext 2009

design

It’s easy to find a parking space with pixie!

The Pixie Engine Alarm Clock.

Of the many concepts that made the final cut, which could best, or at all, demonstrate Pixie’s potential on video?

e pulls up to a food market in their car. ale asks the male to make sure he gets a specific item. its car and enters the food market.

Consumers will like Pixie because it caters to the user more than any other device, enabling them to make extraordinarily powerful connections with minimal hardware. And the technology’s potential use in a huge number of applications means that the model could be applied almost anywhere.

chapter 4: pixie engine

A blind person uses pixie to identify their surroundings.

Hail a taxi with Pixie.

StudioNext 2009

design

DECIDING ON VIDEO& FINDING INSPIRATION IDEO produced various high concept films for corporate consumption that highlighted the potentials of technology in a highly produced, stylistic way. From these films, the UArts team learned how to craft a visual message about a technology that is not fully developed. The team identified that what Pixie needed was to reach out to the public by producing videos intended for consumer consumption.

Screen shots from AT&T’s highly romantisized consumer aimed commercials.

Phillips Design Studio developed a project called “food probes,” a product system for the analysis and introspection of food consumption and self sustainability in a future home. A complementary media campaign educated people on the potentials of this future Phillips® technology. The UArts team extracted the idea of advertising for Public Image: a socially-concious concept is developed and nurtured for the good of the future, but also increases the philanthropical image of the company and bolsters public interest and support. In the mid 90’s, AT&T made a series of commercials about the future of potential technology made available through the AT&T communications network. While strengthening AT&Ts image as a cutting edge developer, they also romanticized the image of technology with captivating scenarios of communicating in the near future. The UArts team realized that, if Pixie Engine was to succeed, it needed both the public and corporate worlds to not only understand its capabilities, but also make an emotional connection with the product. Using the AT&T commercials as models as well as the high concept films produced by IDEO, the UArts team set out to create an emotional connection to Pixie.

Philips design probes: A timeless feeling ad campaign that exhibits their technology and seemingly ethical grounding.

IDEO used superbly rendered cinematic storytelling to illustrate how technology could be applied in an innovative way.

chapter 4: pixie engine

text

For inspiration the UArts team looked at three previous media campaign efforts.

StudioNext 2009

design

Making a case for innovation

The assembled Pixie Engine casings.

Reception in Singapore During the course of the project Human Network Labs contacted the UArts Team to develop an external casing for the current Pixie Engine device. The prototype made its debut to an impressed group of businessmen and developers at the Microsoft Conference in Singapore.

Carlos Garcia (third from the right) shares the Pixie Engine with technologists at the Singapore Conference.

chapter 4: pixie engine

Prototyped face-plates for casing. text

A warm reception in Singapore. The casing created by the UArts team gave Pixie Engine the much needed personality and physicality it lacked, and aided the technological community of Singapore to connect with its potential.

StudioNext 2009

subsection

The Interface. With a highly developed hardware and technical capacity, the team turned toward Pixie’s outfacing user interface. The videos produced featured various animated interfaces.

The Pixie Engine interface prototype.

chapter 4: pixie engine

StudioNext 2009

execute

The videos were produced with the goal of communicating the Pixie Engine’s personalities. The UArts team took on roles of the film making crew.

chapter 4: pixie engine

QUIET ON SET! Film is a highly collaborative effort and requires technical proficiency and precision in many different forms to create a cohesive end result. The UArts team’s rookie filmaking efforts, although primitive, forged solid deliverables for Human Network Labs. The films were highly stylized, visually appealing, and, ultimately, impressive.

StudioNext 2009

execute

The Videos.

Balloon Scenario

Market Shopping Scenario

A young woman in the park uses Pixie to locate her lost child. This scenario expresses Pixie Engine’s ability to instantly locate objects and their proximity to the user.

Get your shopping done quick by knowing just where to go. One of the best capabilities of Pixie is its ability to data tag stationary objects, as shown in the Market scenario.

Animation & Voiceover The three videos were accompanied by voice over from a local vocal and talent in the Philadelphia region.

chapter 4: pixie engine

Trading Scenario Finding a book you need is easier and quicker than ever before. A “find it/buy it” situation showed the capabilities of Pixie Engine to act as a craigslist-like device for local social commerce.

StudioNext 2009

presentation

PRESENTING THE WORK. Students present their projects for criticism at the StudioNext unveiling

The forum by the Industrial Design Department at the University of the Arts acknowledged the partnerships between many organizations and Studio Next. Human Network Labs thanked their UArts collaborators for their hard work and thoughtful efforts and, unexpectedly, presented them with a placard marking the occasion.

chapter 4: pixie engine

The audience responded positively to the videos. 100 101

StudioNext 2009

reflection

Looking back, Human Network Labs had a positive experience with the UArts Team. The casing made for the Pixie Engine hardware exceeded their expectations and was well received at the Microsoft Conference in Singapore. Sadly, the videos, created to forge a public relationship with Pixie, never made it to the Singapore conference. In the future, the true impact the videos made on Human Network Labs may not be realized for some time. The videos catered to a public audience with entertaining scenarios and aesthetically pleasing production values. Was this the correct approach? Perhaps, by focusing more on the IDEO model, the UArts team could have inspired corporate opinion of their own device. The casing itself succeeded in facilitating the Pixie Engine “image”. And, although the team’s intended use of the videos never reached their target or succeeded in reaching their potential, they achieved the goal of making the public more aware of the Pixie Engine.

chapter 4: pixie engine

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eye tracking client: university of the arts

“What is eye tracking?” ...the question many of us asked ourselves as we signed onto this StudioNEXT project; and yet none of us imagined that eye tracking would also help us answer the question, “What is good design?”

StudioNext 2009

timeline

Eye Tracking demo is given by Slavko, we begin to see eye tracking potential. During the demo, we have the chance to question Slavko.

We are presented with 30 academic research documents.

Groups Methods

Observing Interviewing Empathy Project Space Brainstorming Visualizing Analysis Common Threads Prototype Character Profiles Mapping Scenario Building

Phases

Research Design

Weeks

chapter 5: eye tracking We create case studies that show how unique invividuals could use the technology. Matt builds the EyeWriter, an open source eye tracking device. Group members try this device and put themselves in the place of Tempt1.

We define three types of eye trackign systems. Our final case studies demonstrate each.

Execute Present

Present

Reflect

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StudioNext 2009

Tempt One, using the EyeWriter

Research

Our task: Build a portable, easily calibrated, affordable eye tracking device and several applications Our introduction to eye tracking consisted of new vocabulary, information on past methods used to track gaze and a brief on current usage including web site marketing. We were inspired by a video of the EyeWriter project, a DIY initiative to give Tempt One, a graffiti artist with ALS, the ability to tag with his eyes. Later, University of the Arts Professor Slavko Milekic, M.D., Ph.D., presented us with a UArts patent and eye tracking demonstration. He encouraged us to

develop applications incorporating the psychology of the gaze, a powerful human stimulus. We were given over thirty research documents and began to see the possibilities eye tracking could offer. With these three sources of inspiration, we were advised by faculty leaders to split into two teams, divide the work and see how we might collaborate.

Professor Slavko Milekic, M.D., Ph.D.

chapter 5:3:eye Chapter Eyetracking Tracking

Team Eye Eye

Team Iris

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StudioNext 2009

Research

es in y e e h t fix gaze : to tent look y in a stead Both teams approached the research phase differently, sharing progress at studio class each week. Team Iris asked all members to read all articles, then developed presentations of potential applications. Team EyeEye, on the other hand, divided the articles, and later shared the most important points from each. Both teams tracked their progress in blogs, however differently: Team Iris used the blog to track the progress made at each meeting, while Team EyeEye used the blog more as a tool to share new research and links with other members.

Although the research phase began with an emphasis on reading materials, it continued throughout the project as we refined our ideas. We explored how components might potentially work together and researched comparable technologies, all while looking at pre-existing eye tracking applications for inspiration.

chapter 5: eye tracking

ce of n a t s n i or an t c a e bject h t o : n n a o i n t o a fix es up y e e h t focusing

rapid l l a m s :a e saccade ment of the ey ve jerky mo as it jumps from lly especia one point to on n o i t g) a n x i i f d a e r n (as i r e h t o n a 110 111

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research

What is Eye Tracking?

A typical hardware setup consists of a small video camera and a number of infrared (IR) LEDs. Both the camera and IR LEDs are directed towards the eye. Infrared light is absorbed by the pupil, increasing contrast between the pupil and the rest of the eye. Software can then calculate the position of the pupil to determine the user’s gaze direction, allowing the system to measure eye positions and movement.

The high cost of eye trackers once restricted their use to research institutions. More recently marketers have used this technology to study how people view products and advertisements. Google, for example, uses eye tracking to fine-tune the delivery and display of search results, placing them where the eye naturally searches on the page. The open source movement has allowed for more affordable eye tracking hardware and software; the Tempt One EyeWriter project is just one example.

As eye tracking has become more widely available, more research is being conducted on how to use it in a meaningful way. Some groups, for example, are focusing on how to infer a person’s thoughts based on eye movements (targeting the psychological issues Dr. Milekic emphasized).

chapter 5: eye tracking

EyeWriter DIY Prototype Inspired by the open source EyeWriter project, Matt constructed a functional eye tracker. This rough prototype was built using off-the-shelf IR web cameras and a pair of frames. It underscored the importance of prototyping in the design process. With this technology we were able to ask important questions about our designs such as 1. How will it be calibrated? 2. Will it work with glasses? 3. Is it convenient? and 4. Will it provide a ten-fold benefit over pre-existing technologies? Using the open source EyeWriting software,team members were able to experience eye tracking first-hand. This illustrated the technology’s limitations but also inspired ideas for new applications. 112 113

StudioNext 2009

section sub title Design

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chapter 5: eye tracking

Brainstorming Getting ideas down on paper was one of the most important phases in our design process. Unlike some projects in StudioNEXT, we were given a technology and tasked with finding uses for it (instead of developing technology to solve an observed problem). Ideas were collected from our brainstorming sessions on 30 x 25inch note pads, provided as part of the collaboration “toolkit.” These pads proved invaluable for quickly filling walls with ideas. We then filtered these ideas, taking into consideration practicality, current designs, usefulness, cost, and the potential user. As we continued our research, Dr. Milekic stressed the importance of a “ten-fold benefit” needed for a new technology to be widely adopted. Eye tracking currently provides a ten-fold benefit for disabled people, allowing them to perform functions with eye movements that they could not perform otherwise. However, the technology does not currently provide the same benefit for the general public. For this reason, eye tracking is still not widely used, and our teams focused on applications that can be used by anyone. We hope this promotes acceptance of the technology. After selecting our most promising scenario proposals, team members chose one to further develop. Then, each week both teams would bring their storyboards to class, discuss them, get feedback, and part ways to revise. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

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StudioNext 2009

Execution

{

3 Tracking Methods

Wearable

• Short range (1–2 inches) • Mounted on glasses • Accurate tracking using one eye • Head movements can disrupt • Calibration needed

Fixed

• Medium range (1–3 feet) • Integrated into computer or display • Accurate tracking using two eyes • Freedom of head movement • Calibration needed

Distance

• Long range (35+ feet) • Self-contained unit mounted on a display • Counts number of eyes rather than position • Calibration generally not needed

chapter 5: eye tracking

Case Study 1: Dimming LCD Screen

How Can Eye Tracking Help Conserve Energy?

“Up to 30% of our time consuming media is spent multi-tasking.”

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StudioNext 2009

execution

Sony Bravia 40” VE5 Eco Series LCD HDTV Cost: $1,300

Current Technology With media consumption on the rise, studies estimate that up to 30% of our time consuming media is spent multi-tasking. Dimming screens while viewers are elsewhere could save a significant amount of energy. Our proposal, illustrated on the facing page, imagines an eye tracking system that senses the user’s gaze on the screen. When your gaze leaves the screen, the screen’s backlight dims (while the sound remains on). If the TV is left unattended for a designated amount of time, it will turn off.

Tobii Eye Trackers Cost: $6,000

chapter 5: eye tracking

Usage Scenario

Storyboard

User is watching the TV

Dryer buzzes, requiring user’s attention

User leaves the room

TV detects absence of gaze; dims

Upon return, TV returns to normal brightness

TV remains bright while detecting gaze on the screen

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execution

Case Study 2: Scuba Cam

How Can Eye Tracking Make Photography Hands-Free?

chapter 5: eye tracking

With current underwater digital cameras, the user’s experience is constrained. These devices trap the user behind an LCD screen and require hands to control functionality. Solutions that provide hands-free functionality are mostly video oriented. In this example, the user can experience a scuba diving adventure through the goggles and free their hands for exploration. Images can be composed, focused, captured and retained using only eye movements.

Canon EOS Elan 7 ne

Canon PowerShot D10

LiquidImage Scuba Series HD

Cannon has experimented with eyecontrolled focus since 1992. They have produced three versions of a film SLR camera with this technology, the most recent being the Canon EOS Elan 7 ne. This camera uses a 7-point focusing system, pictured above. The user selects the focus by staring at one of the seven locations at the time the image is taken. The camera must be calibrated for each user, and up to five calibrations can be stored. One improvement of the EOS Elan 7 ne from earlier versions is that the eyecontrolled focus works with horizontal or vertical orientation of the camera.

Underwater point and shoot cameras are becoming more and more advanced. In the past, a seperate seal-tight case was required to use a camera underwater, but the top companies are beginning to produce waterproof, freezeproof and shockproof cameras right out of the box. However, these cameras are only tested to 33 feet, whereas seperate housings allow for a distance of 200 feet. Since the limit for recreational scuba diving is 130 feet, point and shoot cameras out of the box do not serve our user. The typical point and shoot flash illuminates three feet underwater, which is also the maximum distance between the camera and subject that serious scuba photographers have reported as being acceptable.

Oceanic’s DataMask and LiquidImage Scuba Series HD are two advancements in goggles. The DataMask incorporates a miniature LCD screen inside the lower right-hand side of the lens to provide the user with information such as current depth, elapsed dive time, cylinder pressure and time remaining. The LiquidImage mask is the product most similar to our design. It has a video and image capturing camera contained within the goggles. However, the shutter and mode controls are on the top of the goggles and are controlled by the user’s hands. An LED indicator inside the lens notifies the user if the camera is on image or video mode. The goggles, with a five MP camera, are tested to 115 feet deep. Lights are sold seperately. 120 121

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execution

Power Button

Lens

Memory Casting

Flash

Poly-carbonate Lens and Casing

Neoprene Rubber

Scuba Cam Design Photo Count Warning

Camera Innovation

Battery Warning 50 20

Framing (etched into lens and lit)

Zoom Controls

Infrared Eye Trackers

With our system, the user can experience scuba diving adventure through the goggles and keep his hands free for exploration. Images can be composed, zoomed, focused, captured and stored all on the googles using just eye movements. The shutter speed and focal length are automatic. Our system uses two eye-trackers, one for each eye. An algorithm tells the camera to focus at a point between the two eyes. The point of focus can be determined using: a. the distance between eyes b. the location of eyes relative to the screen c. the coordinates of each eye’s line of signt

chapter 5: eye tracking

Usage Scenario 50 20

Rent scuba equipment

50 20

Jump in, focus follows direction of your sight

Flash conﬁrms photo is taken

Turn on the device

Calibrate eyes to the camera

50 20

Zoom by glancing left or right

A wink and snap there’s your photo

Battery low, back to the boat

Turn in goggles, receive picture CD

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execution

Case Study 3: Eye Reader

How Can Eye Tracking Enrich Online Education?

chapter 5: eye tracking

Adobe PDF Reader

Microsoft Office PowerPoint

With the influx of online education services, we need to ensure knowledge is transferred between students and teachers efficiently. Existing programs allow for unidirectional knowledge transfer from instructor to student. Distance education removes the traditional feedback avenues that instructors rely upon, making student comprehension more difficult.

“...we need to ensure knowledge is transferred between students and teachers efficiently.”

To this end, the Eye-Reader Knowledge Transfer System is proposed as a method of opening two-way knowledge transfer in education settings, enriching the learning experience for all stakeholders. It encompasses a document reading interface that enhances the student experience by increasing functionality through eye tracking, and a feedback system that captures eye tracking data and provides the instructor with vital information about student comprehension of topics.

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execution

Eye Reader Design

Intuitive Page Turning

Eye-Enabled Text Highlighting

The Student Interface allows the user to control a series of basic intuitive functions with their eyes, reducing the cognitive load of activating functions.

Embedded Media accessed and controlled through eye-gestures

chapter 5: eye tracking

“There’s opportunity here to redesign the way information is transferred between teacher and student.” 1

When a student reads a paper on the eyereader system, a data-log of their eye gaze position is recorded. The collected eyefixation data is then compared to major topic areas in the text and feedback about student comprehension is given to the instructor. This helps the instructor tailor future lessons to the students’ needs. 126 127

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Tim Brown, CEO of IDEO

“Learn how to prototype very quickly and very inexpensively. You want to do a lot of prototyping.”

chapter 5: eye tracking

Next Steps All of our case studies were conceptualized up to (but not including) the point of building and testing a prototype. Our teams avoided this phase considering the technical challenges of integrating eye trackers with the other technology of our scenarios in the 5-week time frame. We later found that this mindset prevented us from finding ways to model our scenarios even imaginary ones - and accurately evaluate our ideas.

You Need to Prototype We discovered that “prototyping” can include even the simplest steps and rudimentary materials: cardboard models included.

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Reflection

Learning from our mistakes Towards the end of this project, Team EyeEye and Team Iris merged into one group. The collective experience of the group helped push our scenarios significantly further. Understanding that splitting up made our teams more competitive than collaborative, we ultimately developed similar ideas. Reflecting on our process we now see how restricted we were by the amount of research we thought we needed. Instead of field-testing scenarios, we continued to research, which raised more questions, which led to more research. Consequently, we progressed slowly.

From this project we have learned the importance of different design phases, the concept of iteration, and that using different strategies is essential to stimulate innovation. These are fundamentals of good design. No matter what the project is, strategies such as observing, prototyping, mapping and interviewing can give the project important dimensions. Using different modes of thinking with these strategies inspires new ideas. More importantly, by learning from our mistakes we have real experience to build on for future projects. Most of our team

did not yet have so clear an understanding of the formal design process, which by nature limited the results. In some ways this method of learning was as hard to grasp from the beginning as the concepts of a rigorous design process. After completing this project we have also gained a more thorough understanding of learning by doing versus by studying. We hope to integrate these and other education methods in future projects.

chapter 5: eye tracking Tim Brown, CEO of IDEO

“[We can] expand the innovation ecosystem by looking for opportunities to co-create with customers s o EyeReader Understanding i r and consumers.” a n e EyeWriter c S Scuba Camera Interviews Observation

ATM Identification

s le

Museum

Dimming Screen Restaurant

Alarm Clock Interactive Kiosk MRI Exploration Hands-free Public Spaces Smart Homes

h c

Software Package

Assumption Private Research Speculation

r a

On Assumptions and Understanding

e s

e R

y t S

Contrary to modern design methodologies, our approach to the problem of what, exactly, we wanted to accomplish with eye tracking technology focused on how we saw ourselves using it. Our consideration of public use extended only so far as to make sweeping generalizations about how people might interact with the technology; surveys as well as focus groups were disregarded for being too time-consuming. Consequently, our designs were limited by our own assumptions and our true understanding of potential users was incomplete. We had no field observation from which to make judgements and no immediately concrete data to support interest in some of the products we propsed. In the future, we’d like to ensure a much deeper understanding of the technology, applications and potential uses by interviewing and observing the audience. 130 131

spacebox

SpaceBox is the North American version of UCube, a temporary modular building system. It is currently used for student housing in Europe. Mart de Jong, the designer of the original UCube, and the architecture firm MGA Partners proposed a SpaceBox community for an empty Broad Street lot owned by the University of the Arts in downtown Philadelphia. This proposal presented the UArts’ Industrial Design and Multimedia departments an opportunity to partner with UCube in an effort to develop SpaceBox for the United States market.

StudioNext 2009

timeline

individuals from each group join other groups in an attempt to influence directions

initial research leads the main group to divide Community Interiors Akternative uses

creation of spaceblocks adapt IKEA

Groups Methods

Observing Interviewing Empathy Project Space Brainstorming Visualizing Analysis Common Threads Prototype

groups converge for first time to share intial research & direction

Character Profiles Mapping Scenario Building

Phases

Research

Team visits the Navy Yard to inspect actual Spacebox Design

Weeks

chapter 6: spacebox

converge to create client presentation

alt usage and community merge decide on 2 final models shift to create unique funiture move to reduce the amount of spaceboxes used

final team meeting decides deliverables

live, work, sell model adapted

group resurveys the lot

! !

Execute

Present

MGA Partners comes in for first review of designs.

Present

The team presented 2 final ideas based on the research. The entire group conceded that the lot itself was too small for a conventional setup, and that a more dynamic, interesting use of the space & spaceboxes would garner more attention for the University.

MGA Partners and Spacebox designer, Mart de Jong, reviews the final designs Reflect

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Research Under the guidance of UArts faculty member Beth Van Why, a 13-student collaborative design team spent 6 weeks exploring possible interior designs, community layouts and alternative uses. They desired to enhance SpaceBox’s viability for UArts’ and other North American college students. The SpaceBox team employed a dynamic and continuous research process over the duration of the design process. The research began with an initial phase that identified, through brainstorming, the aspects of SpaceBox that needed to be addressed. And, throughout the remainder of the project the research expanded and informed the design iterations.

Analyzing an actual Spacebox, as well as interviews with the American architecture firm, MGA Partners took place very early in the process. The initial goal was to understand the impact that such a European model of living would have in an American urban environment. Both the physical and mental differences in the European living culture shapped the content that the team tackled moving forward and became a major factor in our decision for implementation on the UArts campus.

chapter 6: spacebox Size of proposed lot

Average American home size

2008 2300 sq. ft 2006 2600 sq. ft 2000 2200 sq. ft

152'

1970 1500 sq. ft 1950 1000 sq. ft

Size of a single spacebox unit

68'

25’ x 300 sq. ft 12’ x 9’ UArts Student Housing Cost

$7,200

$7,500

yearly

SPACEBOX PER UNIT PRICE

$35,000

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research

Project Keetwonen

m-ch 02 village

M-ch 02 is a micro-compact home developed in Germany. It is Keetwonen is the largest container city in the world. In the currently occupied by students of TU Munich. Researchers and Netherlands, living in a converted shipping container was a designers developed the m-ch 02 as an answer to an increasing new concept that turned out to be a big hit amongst students demand for short stay living for students, business people, in Amsterdam. It is now the second most popular dormitory sports and leisure use, and for weekenders. In addition, it offered by the student-housing corporation “De Key”. Initially people feared that these container homes would be too small, too sought out to test whether the functioning sleep, work, dining, noisy, too cold or hot. Opposite to initial assumptions, they were cooking and hygiene spaces were suitable for everyday use. Researchers believed the subjects would remain and dwell within spacious, quiet and well insulated. Compared to other student their designated space for the duration of the experiment. The homes in the city, they offered a return on investment. students, however, adapted to communal style behavior. Instead The shipping containers came complete with amenities often of living separately, they designated different cubes for different missing in other student dormitories: private bathroom, a activities. (I.e. one box for cooking, another for lounging, etc.) kitchen, balcony, separate sleeping and study room, high speed The m-ch 02 is now in use and available throughout Europe. It internet, large windows providing sunlight and a view. It even combines techniques from high quality compact ‘living’ spaces comes equipped with an automatic ventilation system with deployed in aircraft, yachts, cars, and micro apartments. Its variable speeds and central audio phone system for visitors design has been informed by the classic Japanese teahouse, but at the main door downstairs. Although the project was initially with advanced concepts and technologies. Living in an m-ch 02 meant to only stay on this site for 5 years, due to its success, it means focusing on the essentials. will not be relocated until 2016.

chapter 6: spacebox

“The students adapted to a community style behavior where instead of living separately they designated different cubes for different activities.”

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research

American living is different than that of the Europeans. Things are generally larger and this size leads to the misuse of space.

chapter 6: spacebox

The European style of living on the other hand, makes better use of tight living situations with convertible furniture and multi-functional rooms. These were major factors in the way SpaceBox was intended to be used on the UArts campus. Due to the dimensions of the SpaceBox and its foundation in European living, the team researched trends in using niches, vertical storage and other methods to organize rooms in a way that would feel more spacious to the occupant.

Typical Parisian home for a family of 4, with a dog

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research

On average in Northeast America, residential rooms are 200 sq. feet.

chapter 6: spacebox

The current UArts Dorm is, by comparison, already a palace s m oo r g n i v li e t ra a p se

e t a ar p se

s m o o r d be

UArts dorms are spacious and come equipped with wall-to-wall carpeting, a little kitchen, bathroom and plenty of storage. Students enjoy the freedom of living on their own in a safe building near school. Some floor plans share spaces, such as kitchens and bathrooms, in order to enhance the communal aspect of living.

e t a ar p se

en h c kit

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research

Gessellschaft

Relationships The SpaceBox team explored how different community layouts foster the relationships between the individuals in a community. They began by looking at the distinctions between Gemeinschaft and Gessellschaft. Gemeinschaft,, often translated as community, is an association in which individuals are oriented to the larger association as over their own self-interest. On the other hand Gesellschaft, often translated as society, describes associations in which the individual’s self-interest oftentimes fuels the larger association.

Gemeinschaft

chapter 6: spacebox

These ideas of Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft fostered a method for the team to think about community as layers extending outward from the individual. They were used to create a diagram of Community Zones: household block

neighborhood

city

Zone 1: Household

Roommate-to-roommate relations are an important element of the SpaceBox experience.

Zone 2: Block

The immediate surrounding neighbors impact the others close by.

Zone 3: Neighborhood

Zone 4: City

The entire SpaceBox development creates an inclusive community of residents.

There is a relationship between the SpaceBox community and the city, in which each has an impact on the other. 145 145

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design

team rssrsr ssrss sr rssrsr ssrss sr spacebox interiors

rsrs rsrs rsrs rsrs alternative uses

ssrss ssrss community The SpaceBox team divided into three groups in order to address some common themes that were developing from the onset of the SpaceBox project. Each team focused on a different aspect of SpaceBox: an Interiors Team, a Community Team, and an Alternative Uses Team. Each week, new research was presented to the entire team as an information avenue for progress and a means of enlightenment and inspiration.

The research addressed included: the dimensions of SpaceBox, its structural limits and physical attributes. The team needed to discover what made this modular living space suitable for UArts and Philadelphia. They addressed questions such as: What was the precedent of this type of student housing? What constraints would the lot place on this modular structure? If not student housing, what could be its intended purpose? Most importantly, what type of community would SpaceBox create on the Avenue of the Arts?

These aspiring student designers wanted to see SpaceBox enter Philadelphia in a meaningful and engaging way that showcased the creative and pioneering spirit of UArts. They anticipated that SpaceBox could be seen as an international contribution to the dialogue that surrounds Philadelphia’s alternative housing options, architecture and community planning.

chapter 6: spacebox

modular living

public performances

multifunctional furniture

roommate dynamics

avenue of the arts

art galleries

architectural statement

public park

relief housing

the intended location

architectural statement

furniture for small places

amphitheater

compact storage

modular furniture

nighttime light show

personal space

stacking techniques

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Design p u o gr

interiors Spacebox Interiors team tackled the layout of the spacebox. The team used research on existing modular living systems and the preferences of their residents. Floor plans, cost efficient furnishing ideas and custom modular furniture were designed. The interior team considered the important elements within the SpaceBox and designed multiple iterations for the placement of the kitchen, bathroom, workspace and living space. They looked at a variety of occupancy arrangements and proposed spaces for one box for two people, two boxes for three people and three boxes to four people. They narrowed these designs down to a standard one box per two people in order capitalize on SpaceBox’s space efficient function.

Once the floorplans had been established, the interiors team began experimenting with furniture placement. The furniture in question was pulled from IKEA. With a potential partnership on the horizon, the team sought out to possibly create a system by which the incoming students could customize exactly which elements they wanted in their room via an online catalog. The choices grew depending on the size of the unit the student was assigned too.

chapter 6: spacebox

Peter Ustinov

“Once we are destined to live out our lives in the prison of our mind, our duty is to furnish it well.”

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propose

client feedback

Alex from MGA partners directs the students after a midpoint presentation

chapter 6: spacebox

rethink the interior

While the use of IKEA furniture had its pluses ( i.e. cost efficient, partnership opportunity, student customizing), the unique qualities of SpaceBox required custom furniture to maximize the convertible use of space within the living quarters. Team Interior began developing different variations of multi-functioning furniture, as well as re-elvaluating internal construction of the SpaceBox. The goal was to maximize storage space and create a better interior aesthetic.

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design

Kitchen Cart

Work Station

Wardrobe

Bed and Dressers

This wardrobe provides the student with a place to hang their clothes. It also provides a storage cubby on the bottom. The Wardrobe was placed on casters so it can be easily moved and rearranged.

The bed was made tall enough to allow two side-by-side dressers to fit underneath. The bed also had register marks so that two beds can stack to create bunk beds.

The kitchen cart acts as a small kitchen island while stored away. The Cart is easily expanded to provide dining space. This unit was placed on casters so its positioning can be dynamic and adaptable.

The work station was placed on casters so it could be mobile and dynamic. The working surface can be folded down to reduce the stations foot print when needed.

chapter 6: spacebox

the designs were narrowed down to a standard “one box per two people” in order to capitalize on SpaceBox’s space efficient function

1:25 scale model of the optimized interior

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propose

Above: Isometric render of the redesigned interior with newly designed furniture Below: Top view of the same unit

After considering many different room share and suite options, the Interior Team presented a final interior package geared toward a two person box arrangement. The students choice of a full capacity situation was a tough constraint to maximize the space, storage and utility of furnishings. Custom furniture was designed to maximize the interior space. Final concepts included a mobile kitchen cart, a collapsible working station, a wardrobe and a bed with space underneath for sideby-side dressers.

chapter 6: spacebox

The interior design optimizes the occupant’s common space without encroaching on the comfort of the bathroom and kitchen. Arranging the bathroom on a 45-degree angle and placing the kitchen on the exterior wall accomplished this.

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propose

p u o grCommunity Space Blocks The Community group focused its efforts on designing a mostly residential layout that promoted the SpaceBox as an efficient, utilitarian and affordable dorm-room alternative. The process included creating two variations of the models. The initial “SpaceBlocks” were created to quickly begin envisioning what the footprint of the buildings might look like in reference to the lot where the SpaceBoxes were to be located.

chapter 6: spacebox

angular

Different themes arose during this initial brainstorm of general layouts. Organic arrangements juxtaposed the SpaceBox community to the city grid, yet drastically limited the amount of units that the lot could contain. The more geometric shapes, however, maximized the number of units that the lot could contain. It was found that the more standard grid shapes detracted from the showcase effect the design team was trying to encourage.

shared space

organic

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propose

client feedback

Alex from MGA partners directs the students after a midpoint presentation

chapter 6: spacebox

10 ft. rethink the exterior The Community team noticed a deficiency in the original SpaceBlocks, and modeled another scaled model of the SpaceBox and the surrounding lot. This variation of the model, complete with the buildings to either side of the lot, gave a better sense of the space and allowed a more insightful way to experience what the lot could be if the Spacebox community was built. Some problems immediately appeared that were not so apparent with the original model; namely the space between units was very tight and some of the layouts only gave ten feet of distance from front window to front window. This brought yet another dimension to the design process that dealt with not only the aesthetic of the project, but also the comfort level of the potential end user.

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design

The team builds a new model based on a resurveyed lot

Team grasps sense of scale

New models begin production

Lot gets resurveyed

chapter 6: spacebox

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execute

The final design of this residential layout attempts to maximize the number of SpaceBoxes in the lot while keeping plenty of open common space and offering an interesting structure when seen from Broad Street. The units were arranged to create a communal space for the students as well as being easily accessable to the surrounding community. Spacebox building specifications limited the design to be stacked no more than three boxes high.

chapter 6: spacebox

39 box dorm layout with gallery gate entrance

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design

gallery

performance

hotel

shops

mall

restaurant

space

movie theater

park

offices

bowling alley

studios

p u o gr

Alternative Usage The Alternative Uses team considered what Center City is, should be, and how this facility will improve South Broad Street and accentuate The University of the Arts. Alternative Uses asked the question: How can University of the Arts give back to the community while simultaneously benefitting the economy of the Avenue of the Arts?

gym

dance hall

amphitheater

arcade

landmark

chapter 6: spacebox

What usages could benefit UArts specifically? The surrounding community? What is its role on the Avenue of the Arts? Can it retain graduates? Involve faculty? Help UArts forge partnerships with local companies? Help nurture ideas? Bring in excess revenue? Help UArts grow? 164 165

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design

push the constraints create a landmark energize a University

chapter 6: spacebox

The group explores whether the box needs to look like a box

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execute

Retail Space

Studio Space

Restaurant

Amphitheater

chapter spacebox Chapter 6: Spacebox

Live.

Work. Sell.

Seeing the limitations of using SpaceBox for student housing, the team explored alternative applications. They sought to help the entrepreneurial-minded student by including them in Philadelphia’s established creative markets.

SpaceBox as gallery spaces, performance spaces, shops, restaurants and movie theatres. They pushed the boundaries of how SpaceBox could be arranged and how it could interact with a community dedicated to the arts. The Alternative Uses team asked if SpaceBox could be a place for the University to partner with other businesses for internships and training, essentially creating a glitzy, attractive landmark on Philadelphia’s Avenue of the Arts.

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reflection

chapter 6: spacebox

The Alternative Uses team challenged the entire SpaceBox team to create a venue that not only pushes the constraints of the box itself, but becomes a landmark venue for the University on the Avenue of the Arts. Any college can create a simple stack of boxes for dormitory life, but at the University of the Arts we need to strive for something greater. During the final days of the build, both time and patience were pushed as opposed to design. The group struggled, and communication broke down in the 11th hour. The final structures used some initial concepts influenced by the Alternative Usage team. The presented design did not capture the initial grandeur of the original. Had the entire group a chance to converge their ideas, perhaps a more dynamic structure would have been developed. Each group became hung up on constraints and operated under some misconceptions about the product’s goal.

Some of these misconceptions depended on the client and communication happening between the designers. These constraints of the “box” kept the team in a proverbial box. If there was more time, it would have been interesting to redivide the groups and have each group create their own unique structure complete from interior to exterior.

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ce n a Fin

MID 1st Year

Kim Forsythe John MacDuffie Woodburn

Donovan Preddy Jes Williams

MID 2nd year

Victoria Perez Megan Braley

Gabe Maricich Justin Witman Fraser Marshall

Jared Delorenzo Elissa Meyers John Pender Adam Rusisiki Wesley Thomas

Kiki Brown Mary Hyunh Bethany Casperite Amanda Kruzick

Angela Latini

John Waller Tom Gigliottiw

Michael McAllister

Jonas Milder

ID MM Faculty

Appendix

g n i ck a r eT y E

2009 Team e n i ng E ie x i P

ox B ce a Sp

Michael Barakat Jake Wells

Danny Chang Andy Grossman Georgia Guthrie Matt Miller Mike Smith

Kristin Freese Sherika Wynter Giacomo Ciminello Joshua Chadwick Mace Gratz

Jeff Lopez

Rachael Harr Gareth Roberts

Yu-Ching Hung

Candra Provenzano Sebastian Brauer Paul Gillespie Jesse Gerard Jin Hong

Elise Chepurny Shannon Malone Brennan Murray Tim Peet Carson Sio

JJ Sereday Spencer Hargiss

Josh Johnson M. Ryan Lapp Ben Jewett

A. Ona Krass Joshua Hey

De Angela Duff Dr. Slavko Milekic Katherine Bennett

Beth Van Why

Rama Chorpash

Matthew Braun Can Onart Thomas Reynolds Jackie Starker Christopher Mufalli

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ive innovative tan a r o b This book looks to document the first quarter of a l col ity ts and a company partnership effort between designers studen univers experiencing e difficulties common to all businesses in the modern global schools creativ economy. Our hope for this collaboration is that we sew the ts to appreciate that their seeds of empowering businesses studen strength and wealth critically depends on their emotional nts. e d u t s investment between them and their employees. Employees fellow They are what determines the success of a company, school and as such their opinions, ideas, dreams and hopes should be incorporated into the company’s reative market school DNA. Importanly, as the cglobal s ntthe e ts can offer businesses n d u e t d continues to change, designers tools s u t s fellow to harness the knowledge base within theirmsstaff elves and help guarantee their future success.

THE UNIVERSITY OF THE ARTS

MASTERS OF

INDUSTRIAL DESIGN CASE SERIES Vol.03

Credits This project would not have been possible without the cooperation and suport of: The University of the Arts Design Faculty Jonas Milder Chris Garvin Rama Chorpash Beth Van Why Michael McAllister De Angela Duff Dr. Slavko Milekic Katherine Bennett Neil Kleinmann Brett Snyder StudioNEXT Partnerships Human Network Labs University of the Arts MGA Partners Kensington Community of Philadelphia

James Bond will return.

MID@UARTS