One of the objectives of this class is to give you an opportunity to hone your
observational skills and an appreciation for ‘ethnomethodological’
research. This exercise will require repeated site visits in order to reinforce
the importance of observation, documentation, and analysis as the foundations
for the design process.
For this project you will analyze the spectacular OSU library. The goal is to
study the library as an information system, and how well it supports
You should plan on visiting the library at least three times
in the next week to flesh out your notes and observations. Feel free to share
your notes, sketches, and observations with each other. After each visit you
should review your notes, identify issues for further study, and summarize your
findings. Discussion and review will help deepen and consolidate your
understanding of the complex relationships between the technological support,
the architectural spaces, the objects in the space and the humans interacting
with all three.
On your first visit to the library plan to spend at least the hours and a half
normally dedicated to this class because you will be taking an inventory of the
elements that constitute the library experience. Be sure to take advantage
of/explore every form of support that is available to you at the library
(computers, maps, flyers, staff etc.). Be sure to take a notebook of some kind
in which you can record your observations: notes, sketches, diagrams,
photographs.
In order to make this project easier on you, I recommend that you follow the
outline given below. Don’t try and ‘do’
everything at once; get a sense for each of the four elements described below
before you try and tackle the space as a whole. Remember, understanding is both
iterative and cumulative. You will not ‘get it all’ right away. Do
not worry about ‘getting it right’ either. The primary goal of this
exercise is to build your observation and analysis skills.
First, make an exhaustive inventory of the four elements that are in place:
Keep these elements separate as you do the inventory; try to focus on one at a
time. This part of the inventory could be in the form of lists, charts or maps.
Please also use sketches and/or photographs of specific items. This is a big
library; I am not looking for a detailed inventory of the whole library. Do a
high-level inventory, then pick a spot and study it in more detail.
Next, analyze the relationships within each system. How are different elements
organized and arranged? See if you can describe how these interact to form a
system. Do the various elements work as a group or sets of sub-groups? Are
there any elements which seem out of place? How would you diagram their local
and systemic relationships? Are these relationships linear, circular, cyclical,
iterative, (non) hierarchical? How well do they
operate as a system? Where are the synergies and disconnects? Use maps,
diagrams, and sketches to communicate your analysis.
Finally, analyze how the elements interact to support the students experience
as a whole. Do they work together or are they at cross purposes? Does the
technological support system, for example, map onto the architecture, and vice
versa? How do the objects interact with the space? With the
technology? What are the connections, threads, networks that the
designers have created to augment the user experience? Again, use maps,
diagrams, overlays, sketches, etc.
On a separate visit, focus just on the
‘user’. Observe five different people as they interact with the
library (look for information). Write an in-depth description of each person:
age, gender, dress, how they interact with the other three elements (building,
technology, and objects). Be discreet, be nice. Sketch their path through the
space. Record the various actions and action-sequences as they interact with
the technological support. Record what you perceive to be their motivation for
carrying out their actions, and whether you believe them to be successful or
not (both from your and their perspectives). You could sit in one place and
just observe that spot and the people that come through or you could actually
follow people on a part of their tour.
Once you have completed these two parts review the material you have collected,
and summarize it according to the following template. Email us the final result
so we can review and pick some of these for discussion in class. Hang on to
your notes, at the end of class you’ll want to put these into your final
portfolio.
1. The
four elements
a. Objects
Summary description of the elements and their operation as a system. (300
words)
Selected graphics and images. (lists,
charts, maps, photos, diagrams, etc.)
b. Architecture/Space
Summary description of the elements and their operation as a system. (300 words)
Selected graphics and images. (lists,
charts, maps, photos, diagrams, etc.)
c. Technology
Summary description of the elements and their operation as a system. (300
words)
Selected graphics and images. (lists,
charts, maps, photos, diagrams, etc.)
d. People
Summary
description of the different groups and their actions/activities (300 words)
Selected graphics and images. (lists, charts, maps,
photos, diagrams, etc.)
2. Relationships Between the Elements
a. Summary description of how the three elements interact with each other to
support the user’s experience. (300 words)
Selected graphics and images.
b. Summary comments on the following interactions (300-600 words):
The interaction between objects and technological support;
The interaction between objects and the architectural/spatial support;
The interaction (or map) between the architectural/spatial and the
technological supports.
Selected graphics and images.
3. Visitor Interactions
a. Summary description of the five visitors and their interaction with the
museum. (600 words)
b. Descriptions of some actions and action-sequences. (300 words
each). Selected graphics and images.
Example http://swiki.cc.gatech.edu:8080/barcelona/1724
Example http://swiki.cc.gatech.edu:8080/barcelona/1716
Example http://swiki.cc.gatech.edu:8080/barcelona/1720