Micro UX: Glasshouse
Exploring, exploding, exploiting process, criticality and interaction in relation to user experience design.
Brief
Design a way to transform a public place into a feminist space.
Team-mates
Jumleena Bhagawati, Weiting Chi, Jennoir, Yanxu Chen, Kimberly Rodrigues, Xiyuan Han (Cyrus), Harry Solomons
Date
20/04/23 - 27/04/23
Title: Hagley Road Toll Gate Birmingham, 1800 by Charles Rudd Title: Corner of Ann Street and Congreve Street Birmingham, 1873. Alfred Dickens Perry
Welcome to week 6 of Micro UX: Feminist Space. In this blog, I have discussed how our team developed the concept from the "musical cubes" to something far more enriching in terms of creating a space that is closest to what we have been so far in creating a space that says "You have the right to the city".
- Roadmap -
- Discussion & Debate -
We examined our findings regarding feminist spaces and their impact on individuals and society. We explored the various aspects of these spaces, such as their goals, methods, and challenges. As a collective, we acknowledged the importance of fostering inclusive, empowering environments that promote gender equality and challenge oppressive systems. Additionally, we recognized the need for continued conversations and research to better understand and support the growth of these spaces.
While our concept promoted interaction and playfulness and equality to anyone approaching to utilize the space, the important question was : what was the significance of the space? We felt like our musical cube missed a sense of depth that could unmistakably let the user know what the space exactly stood for. While it was a third space designed for rest and fun, at this point wanted to consider how the space could create a difference in people's understanding of the city they live in and the controlled environment that it is build around.
- Concept Design -
Creating a feminist city involves designing urban spaces that prioritize inclusivity, safety, and the well-being of all individuals, regardless of their gender. Incorporating different colors, textures, and removing hostile architecture can contribute to a more feminist city in several ways.
Challenging Gendered Norms: Traditional urban design often reflects and perpetuates gendered norms and expectations that limit women's freedom of movement and participation in public spaces. By incorporating diverse colors, and textures, and removing hostile architecture, a feminist city challenges these norms and creates environments that are more welcoming, accessible, and inclusive for all individuals, regardless of their gender.
Promoting Safety and Security: Hostile architecture refers to design elements that are intentionally implemented to deter certain activities or specific groups of people, often targeting marginalized communities. Removing hostile architecture from a city fosters a safer and more inclusive environment, reducing the potential for harassment, surveillance, and exclusion. This enables everyone, particularly women and marginalized genders, to feel more secure and empowered to utilize public spaces without fear.
Creating Welcoming and Empowering Spaces: Colors and textures can influence the atmosphere and ambiance of public spaces. By incorporating vibrant, warm, and inviting elements, a feminist city can create an environment that encourages people to engage, socialize, and feel a sense of belonging. This is particularly important for women and marginalized communities, as it fosters a sense of empowerment and ownership over public spaces.
- Initial Design -
We went looking for spare fabric or donated clothes to create a life-sized prototype. For this initial version of the prototype went to one of our team-mates residence to find donated clothes in the bins of the building where people usually dump their unused clothes.
The pieces were them sorted, complied and sewn onto 6 square cutouts of another fabric. Then the pieces were sewn together to form a cube, leaving a small gap for the stuffing to go in. After the cube was stuffed the opening was closed back down to finish the seat.
The image below shows the initial cube seat prototype that we created from the donated clothes.
Looking at our prototype it was clear as day to us, finally we were onto something.
- Expanding the Concept -
We wanted to incorporate as many shapes we could possibly create to design the seating, however we knew that with very little time remaining it would be a giant task to take on at this tage of concept building. Also is it really replicable?
Thus we started exploring different ways to use fabric to transform spaces or reclaim it. Why not instead of creating seats we use the fabric over existing infrastructure.
- Presentation -
In our presentation, we delved into the extensive research conducted on the topic and examined the findings from various angles. We aimed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the subject by highlighting the key points and discussing the implications of the results. Through this analysis, we were able to identify trends, correlations, and potential future directions for further investigation. By synthesizing the collective knowledge, our goal was to deliberate on how our design could contribute to the ongoing conversation surrounding the area of feminist spaces. Ultimately, the presentation served as a platform for sharing our findings, fostering dialogue, and inspiring further exploration of the subject matter.
- Feedback & Remarks -
For this week's presentation we presented out prototype. We discussed about our changed concept and spoke about our prototype. After seeing the demonstration the class came up with the following remarks and feedback to aid us with our concept and design further down the road:
1. The design speak for itself without the need for much explanations. 2. We managed to make it replicable. 3. We needed to organize a workshop for people to come together and transform spaces together.
4. We may not use the touch sensor or the sound in this design as the space itself will speak volumes.
- Reflection -
After analyzing the feedback we realized that we need to further our concept. We deliberated the need to organize a workshop where we could have participants transform space with items they bring which they do not use any more. We liked how the colors and textures of the cube had the potential to influence the atmosphere and ambiance of public spaces. By asking people to incorporate their vibrant, warm, and inviting elements, we believe we could create a feminist space that brings in a sense of personal touch, care and personality to an otherwise dull city. For next week through conducting our workshop our hope is to encourage people to engage, socialize, and feel a sense of belonging.
Kommentare