Post Consumer Profile - Peter Smith

Our second assignment was to create a profile of a post consumer. To take a different view on this task, we decided to make a facebook profile of what we feel a post consumer would be like:

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001952368482

Peter Smith is a middle aged man, who volunteers for charities like Oxfam. His interests include environmentally-friendly things such as hybrid cars, and he is also into locally produced food, and likes growing his own vegetables in an allotment. Peter enjoys outdoor activities such as hillwalking and cycling, which are not only good for the environment but they also keep him healthy.

Personality test

Individually, our group took part in the VARK personality questionnaire. I found that although the questions were good, some of them were vague, and on a number of occasions I found that my answer was not a straight forward agree or disagree, but that it would depend entirely on the situation. In some circumtances I would agree with the statement and others I wouldn't, it would depend on factors such as the project, the group I was working with and the part I was playing in the groupwork.

My results found that I was moderate in both activist and theorist, however after reading the information about each group, I felt that I was most strongly an activist. This was also what one of the members of my group which I have worked closely with and am friends with thought I was.

For the most part, our group found that quite a lot of the results to the test were a bit wrong and did not fall into the group that they thought they would. Our group found we have a fair mixture of people in different groups, with four activists, one theorist, two reflectors and one pragmatist. I feel that this works well in our group, as a mixture of all the personality groups should be.

Technology Addiction (2) GIDE

It was interesting to see that many people said they could live without technology, so we decided to create a timeline of all the major technological discoveries - this ranged from fire to the most recent developments such as 'facetime' on the new iPhone 4 this year.

We then created a wall of images of different types of technology (and not just the obvious things) and we ask again - can you really love without technology?

Are we addicted to technology?

GIDE continued..

We are currently researching into Domestechtopia, and through this, technology addiction. Technology is becoming a more and more prominent part of our everyday lives, and many people will admit that they cannot live without it. Our generation has grown up with technology as part of life, and with more new technologies being discovered all the time, it is hard not to become caught up in it. But has it gone too far? Technology addiction is now being known as a real medical condition, especially in teenagers and young people, and therapy for this addiction is becoming more common. The Capio Nightingale Hospital in London was the first hospital to create a clinic to deal with the addiction of technology in young people. It admits mainly 15-7 year olds, but even children as young as 12 have been accepted. The clinic provides therapy for young people struggling with a continued addiction to technology. Patients are made to go 'cold turkey' from all technology, often causing symptoms typical of addiction, such as restlessness and stress. Individual and group sessions are in place to encourage them to interact with others and to address social issues that people with this addiction often face, like difficulties in social situations with other people.

We carried out a couple of surveys to see how addicted people around the art school were to technology, and what items they could not live without. The questionnaire results were interesting, with some people appearing very addicted to technology, and others not so much. Some students admitted to spending more time on social networking sites than with real people, and checked their emails "far too much", on excess of five times a day. Some pointed out that with the technology of smartphones, their emails get sent directly to their phone so are as available as a text message. Others said they could live without technology, although they wouldn't necessarily want to, and that their idea of utopia would not centre around technology. Some said they spent nothing on technology each month, whereas some said they spent on average of £50 - a lot of money for a student!!

We asked people to write down a piece of technology they could not live without, and the most popular results were laptops, hair straighteners, internet, iPod (or other music devices), and mobile phones - with iPhones appearing to be the most commonly mentioned, but there were many items of technology mentioned:

Whether iPhones seemed to be mentioned most could be for more than one reason: are they the most common type of mobile phone used these days, or are they simply more addictive than others, and people feel they cannot live without them due to the fact that they are useful for more than one thing - they have an integrated iPod, camera, text, phone, email account, internet, and thousands of apps to choose from.

The most visited sites seem to be Facebook and design sites (although the people who filled out the questionnaire were mainly design students), which poses another question - is the internet addictive, or are social networking sites?

Bomb Project

‘The problem is never how to get new, innovative thoughts into your mind, but how to get old ones out. Every mind is a building filled with archaic furniture. Clean out a corner of your mind and creativity will instantly fill it.’ Dee Hock

Over the last 3 days, all four years of IED have taken part in a group project called 'Bomb Project'. The idea was to create "a 3D reinterpretation, or a conceptual ‘portrait’ of a building typology." Each group was given a building typeology, either: care, learn, play, dwell or shop. Our group got dwell.

Through thinking about the word dwell and its meanings, the double meaning of the word was discovered. Dwell - a space or place, and dwell - to think, remember, ponder. Through this, the idea was to create a 'dwelling' in which to 'dwell'.

Our final design was a box which was covered in paper. The paper would be ripped down to release balloons into the air, which symbolised happy thoughts, and the escalation of them when a person's imagination and mind are left to wander.

The balloons had happy words on them, such as happiness, joy, glee and many more. In the centre of the box was a smaller carboard box, inside which was a single balloon with a question mark on it, asking the question: What is your happy thought?

GIDE: Group for International Design Education project

Our newest project involves 7 design schools in 7 countries: Scotland, England, Belgium, Italy, Slovenia, Switzerland and Germany.

The final outcome will be presented in Magdeburg, Germany, in February 2011. The project title is Expo / Exhibit / Exhibitionist and has to be based on one of the following topics:

Domestechtopia

Occupation

Fabrication

Interiors + Product + Interaction

We have been given one of the gallery spaces at the DCA (Dundee Contemporary Arts) for this project, a space which consists of two large rooms, joined by a sliding partition, with two very small rooms off one of them.

Me and Emilie have chosen the theme of Domestechtopia, and so far have been researching into the meaning of the term, through looking at the three words which make it up - domestic, technology, utopia. We have been looking at how domestic life and utopian ideal has changed through the development of technology, from where the centre of the family home was a few hundreds of years ago, and how this has changed into the centre of the home now. The relationship between families has changed dramatically because of technology and changing times, which is interesting to look at and is conjuring up a few ideas for us.

I will keep updating with how our project is developing over the next couple of months.

Modern Age: RSA Project, 4 weeks in...

Many elderly people who move from their own home into a care home are able in some areas and not in others. They may be at the stage where they cannot live themselves, but do not need constant help with everything, and everything provided for them. Through research of care homes, I have discovered that many do not cater completely for the needs of this group of elderly people. The elderly brain needs activity, and without this activity it can regress, making dementia more likely. Challenging the elderly brain by encouraging people to carry on with hobbies they have, using their personal skills, helping others and getting other people involved in activities plays an important part in keeping the brain healthy.

Through this design, I want to make the transition from home to care home easier for the elderly by keeping some of their independence in areas they are more able in, as well as keeping the brain from regressing through activities and using skills, along with interaction with other residents.

By creating an installation which provides a small kitchen, this gives residents the opportunity to carry on their hobbies and skills in the kitchen whilst they are able, but in a safer environment with minimal supervision. Having the option of a few people cooking at a time means that they are also interacting with one another, passing on tips and skills – another way of keeping the brain active. It also provides an area for classes and small contests between residents, activities which have been shown, again, to help prevent regression in the elderly brain.

Consisting of three islands, the installation is designed for any care home, for around 2-4 residents at one time. By keeping the numbers small, this will keep noise to a minimum, something which can disturb people as they get older, as well as being easier for care assistants. There will be an area for preparation, an area for cooking and a washing up area, the three main parts of a kitchen. It is designed to be placed in a small space within a home. Storage will be integrated in the design through pull-out cupboards, making things easier to find and safer. An anti-roll lip will be included on the islands, to prevent the user from having to pick things up from the floor. By making the islands as easy to use and safe for the elderly as possible, this brings the need of a carer down to a minimum. This means the user can do as much as possible themselves or with the help of friends and other residents, which gives them more independence and makes them feel less of a burden to anyone.