1 year ago
I have reached a point in my project where I feel that my understanding of the subject of depression has become the very reason I am anxious to start designing for it. The strong hold that this negative power takes on many different people, all with their own complexities and stories, leaves you thinking what difference can you make? However, it has always been clear to me that people have to help themselves in the end, but we can do a whole lot to support the people in our lives who struggle living day to day.
Once again, the project is not a fix-it solution. This is an exploration on how we approach the illness, how we can offer support and maybe challenge the way people can help themselves. This area has long been a taboo, especially within design, with very little sign of attention, and consequentially, innovation. In which case, I should shed the fear of failure and be confident that people can take my ideas and hopefully challenge and build on them.
1 year ago
THE DESIGN SPACE
How might we create a transition or trigger out of the “force field” of negative thought, in the aim to provide an opportunity for relief?
This could use the following functions:
>setting tasks
>creating distractions
>alter the environment
>informal communicaton/interaction with people
I have to set some constraints:
It has to get the user outside!
I feel it should involve the friends and family in some way, however small.
Next…Brainstorm!!!
USER RESEARCH
I have carried out various interviews with people who regularly battle depression, resulting in isolation, low-motivation and self-esteem. For some, engaging with nature and the outdoor environment can be a relief from the repetitive negative thoughts,
“I am more likely to live in the moment if I’m in nature”
but the prospect of leaving the house itself becomes an internal struggle;
“it’s like a force field you just can’t get out of”
The user diary above questioned;
the communication with others including friends and family, and through what mediums. Preferring to text, or speak anonymously through the internet, to avoid exposure of their emotional state.
the triggers that brought on depression; negative memories or events
the triggers that could bring them into a more rational state, whether it was challenging themselves, small tasks, distractions or the intervention from friends and family,
the securities in their home environment, or the discomforts
the obstacles they come across
the experience of stepping out into the outdoor environment and the thoughts evoked from this.
There is no underestimating the severity of dealing with depression; the aim of this project at this point is to try and provide a small relief from the torrent of negative thoughts encompassed by depression. Interpreting this research, I have defined a design space and parameters for the concept generation, in the hope to maintain a constant dialogue with the users themselves.
Next post… The design space
Final Project time…
It’s about time I revisited the blog-osphere to discuss my current project.
THE STARTING POINT: Parkour and city spaces.
I was initially inspired by Parkour (freerunning) and the way the ‘traceur’ (Parkour participant) translates and uses the built environment in a completely different way, reframing public space. How can the movements and visions of Parkour be translated for others, creating a more experimental and engaging use of a city? Also how this physical activity outdoors can enhance the wellbeing of the participant.
After initial research and meetings with ‘Traceurs’, the philosophy of Parkour became more significant to me than the physical act; a positive mentality that can improve your day to day outlook on life.
“Learn to see things in a different way; as opportunities opposed to limitations’
For me, this outlook resembled the likes of the positive thinking employed in treating depression, initiating my next stage of research.
I identified people with mental health problems, predominantly depression, as my user. I wanted to explore how the metaphor of Parkour, and the translation of the city, could inspire others moving in the city, to help them engage with their environment in a richer way for their recovery. It was not about encouraging the same physical movement, but more the positive outlook and discovery of space.
“A space should put you in the mood - experiencing a space is equally as important as the movement itself”
This appreciation of space and the outdoors reminded me of the practice of ‘mindfulness’ and and how it can be utilised in battling depression, and more over the importance of outdoor activity in their recovery.
Next stage… user research!
1 year ago
1 year ago
CIID Summer school!
CIID Summer School 2010 is a series of back-to-back workshops where participants can choose to take part in one, two or three of the modules. Week One – Exploring Interaction Design (July 12th-16th) Week Two – Computational Design (July 19th-23rd) Week Three – Physical Computing (July 26th- 30th) Participants will gain an overview about what interaction is and how interaction design can define behaviours. They will then have the opportunity to learn hands-on practical skills for designing tangible and graphical interfaces. We recommend that people participate in the full three-week programme but we understand that some people might have specific interest in 1 or 2 weeks. We would like participants to become engaged with the topic of interaction design, learning practical skills in the process. We hope that we can infuse both the knowledge and enthusiasm to encourage participants to study interaction design at a higher level or to use their new-found skills in their current practice. It will be great to have more people around in the month of July. Check out more about CIID at www.ciid.dk
1 year ago
1 year ago
APPLY TO CIID!!
In parallel with the launch of our new website, we are very pleased to announce the opening of the application process for our next generation of students.
As an education concerned with the broad potential of design and technology, the CIID Interaction Design Programme is looking for a wide diversity of students. We plan to have a class of 25 people and welcome applicants from all over the world with educational backgrounds in varying disciplines. You should be curious and creative, enthusiastic about design and have the desire to study in a cross-disciplinary environment. Whether you’re currently studying or working, you should be interested in the connections between education and interaction design practice.
To find out more about the application process and requirements please refer to the website: http://ciid.dk/education/admissions/ - there is a list of FAQs but if you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to ask.
The curriculum teaches students to apply technology to everyday life through the design of software, products and services. We believe in a hands-on and user-centered approach to interaction design. Students learn the programming and electronics skills needed to work with technology as a design medium. They conduct user-research and experience prototyping to provide real-world grounding to their concepts. Frequent work in multi-disciplinary teams encourages peer-to-peer learning and a diverse selection of visiting faculty exposes students to a range of expertise.
You can view documentation of the course and student projects here: http://ciid.dk/education/portfolio/.
1 year ago
“Happiness itself is a commons to which everyone should have equal access”
Enrique Peñalosa
http://shareable.net/blog/can-we-design-cities-for-happiness
The former mayor of Bogotá, Colombia is spreading the message of hope for developing cities around the World as his overhaul of Columbia’s capital city improved the quality of life immensely in just three years: For example
- Led a team that created the TransMilenio, a bus rapid transit system (BRT), which now carries a half-million passengers daily on special bus lanes that offer most of the advantages of a subway at a fraction of the cost.
- Built 52 new schools, refurbished 150 others and increased student enrollment by 34 percent.
- Established or improved 1200 parks and playgrounds throughout the city.
- Built three central and 10 neighborhood libraries.
- Built 100 nurseries for children under five.
- Improved life in the slums by providing water service to 100 percent of Bogotá households.
- Bought undeveloped land on the outskirts of the city to prevent real estate speculation and ensured that it will be developed as affordable housing with electrical, sewage, and telephone service as well as space reserved for parks, schools, and greenways.
- Established 300 kilometers of separated bikeways, the largest network in the developing world.
- Created the world’s longest pedestrian street, 17 kilometers (10.5 miles) crossing much of the city as well as a 45- kilometer (28 miles) greenway along a path that had been originally slated for an eight-lane highway.
- Reduced traffic by almost 40 percent by implementing a system where motorists must leave cars at home during rush hour two days a week. He also raised parking fees and local gas taxes, with half of the proceeds going to fund the new bus transit system.
- Inaugurated an annual car-free day, where everyone from CEOs to janitors commuted to work in some way other than a private automobile.
- Planted 100,000 trees.
I have always had a keen interest in utilising public space for social well-being and this article has ignited it to a new level: Peñalosa does not just have an idealistic view on how to bring about good quality of life - he has implemented and proven that some sort of happiness can be reached for a broader range of society.
With CIID final projects coming up, Urban design may be a little out of reach, but the core values of Peñalosa will be ingrained in my own project aims. Otherwise, I am extremely happy to have read this article, leaving me inspired by the saving power, and ingenuity of…a politician.
