The student body gets involved...
Here is a summarized version of the student body involvement in the recent closing of the Bench room and current shop policy. These activities go hand-in-hand with this project:
About two weeks ago (Feb 14), the ID Bench room hours were reduced from 24 hours down to only during the Model shop hours (12-16 hours per day). The three ID classrooms were also restricted from 24 hours, and began to close at 5:30 pm. These restrictions occurred because some students blatantly ignored the policies in place to ensure the health and safety of everyone that uses the facilities. Specifically, there was a problem with some Intro to ID students working irresponsibly with fiberglass, and well as students in other classes doing shop work in the classrooms. There was not enough self-regulation (from upper-classmen and other students) to prevent this from happening.
Max Younger, one of our most involved ID students, called a meeting with Victor, Jon, me, and a few other faculty, staff, and students to discuss this action. We met two days later, and tossed around some possible causes of the problem, including lack of information, lack of respect, and even just a predominance of apathy throughout the student body.
Victor requested that the students come together and create a plan to reinstate 24-hour access. Max initiated a student meeting the next Friday afternoon, and I assisted him in creating list of possible solutions to discuss at the meeting.
17 (!) students attended this meeting, and we spent a great deal of time considering the causes of, and possible solutions for, the problem. At the end, we agreed that a volunteer program would be most effective in motivating the students to take responsibility for themselves and those around them (also known as peer pressure!)
Over the weekend, some student work was locked in one of the classrooms, and as a result another pair of students wrote a letter to Victor in response to the closings.
I wrote a proposal of what the students agreed to, with Max’, James’, and Jon’s help, to present to Victor and Dave. This proposal included a specific plan to institute the volunteer program.
When we meet to discuss it, both Victor and Dave were responsive to the plan, and seemed to greatly appreciate the involvement of the students and all of the work that we put into the proposal. However, there was concern that the plan would not be successful because of the work habits of many of the students – in other words, some felt that in this case we need to cater to the lowest common denominator of responsibility (which is, sadly, Low).
So … Victor and Dave proposed that Max and I create signs to post in the classrooms outlining what is and is not allowed to occur there, along with a document for all of the students to sign explaining the importance of being responsible for ourselves and others, among other things. Also, they committed to looking for a Work-Study student for the Bench room. The student will work for the first 4 hours of each evening after the Shop closes in the Bench room to extend the hours the room is available.
Max and I created both, tailoring the content of each to Victor’s specifications. The signs were posted, reopening the classrooms 24-hours, and the handout was distributed and signed by students in classes on Wednesday and Thursday. Based upon our agreement, the Bench room was to open for extended hours beginning this Thursday night.
I arrived at Gulfstream this evening at 12am. You’ll just love what I discovered – the Bench room had been closed since 10pm, when the Shop closed for the evening. Does that sound like extended hours to you? Me neither…
I will report more on this soon.UPDATEThe early Bench room closing was caused by a mis-communication... hopefully solved now.
Taxonomy - fun, not stuffed, dead animals...
We reviewed a, “Taxonomy for Extracting Design Knowledge from Research Conducted During Design Cases” by Zimmerman, Evenson, and Forlizzi from the HCI Institute at Carnegie Mellon today in class. [phew!] The text is a written a lot like the title. Jon used a teaching technique which I found to be astoundingly affective – he gave the class 45 minutes to teach him about what was in the document. We had to not only figure out what was important to convey to him, but also how to best convey the information.
After about 10 minutes of going back and forth, we decided to simply discuss each section of the article aloud; I volunteered to take notes on the white board to outline to main points as we verbalized them, and so it was…
The best thing about this was that in order to convey the information to Jon and the other students that had not yet read the document (I admit, I was one…), we had to discuss and break down everything through a lot of discussion and debate. It also required that everyone stay involved the whole time to keep the conversation moving forward.
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I came away with a good grasp of the information, in part because I was listening to and synthesizing what everyone was saying in order to write it on the board.
The most interesting portion, for me, was the comparision of a range of theories and practices:
Making the cut
When Lauren and I outlined the specific deliverables below, and sat down to begin the work, we realized that it was an extremely aggressive plan, and that given our limited time on this project some of it would have to be removed.
We had to eliminate the brief handouts and, for lack of a better descriptor, lesson plans, for some of the lower level classes (Intro, Model Shop, Studio 1) that we intended to include. We did this for 2 reasons – first, our experience on this topic is almost non-existent, and second, the assignment first and foremost specifies signs as the main deliverable.
I’m personally very sad that we had to make this cut. I strongly believe that the most effective way to instigate the cultural change that the current state of the department demands is through a pairing of written and verbal reinforcement. That is, I think that signs alone will not be as effective as both signs and verbal teaching. Often, hearing something from someone you know and trust – peers or professors – is all that is need to affect a change in behavior, especially when you have to look that person in the eye if that change doesn’t happen.
The end is near
Lauren and I have just worked for 8 straight hours to produce wire frames of all of the system elements that we will propose. Wire frames are a format that we use to specify the content of information design problems without getting bogged down in visual details. We created the following:
Dangerous Machine Signs – (Including safety, operational, material information, when maintenance is needed, and where to go for additional information) 
-Sanders – disk, spindle, belt
-Compound miter saw and Radial Arm saw
-Milling machine
-Band saw, Metal Band saw
-Table saw
-Drill press
-Metal Break and Metal Shear
-Wood Lathe
-Metal Lathe
-Jointer
-Vacuum forming room
-Metal Grinder
-Paint booth
Bench room signs
-Hood
-Dust Collector
-Down draft tables
-Hazardous Materials disposal can - small
Model Shop Signs
-Emergency procedures and General shop guidelines
Hallway signs
-Hours of operation, Safety glasses, dress code sign before entering each door and in badge-check in room
Magnetic for posting above door handles
Culture-changing signs
-“Clean” sign
-Sources of additional help sign
People – graphics to represent each role (monitor, shop manager, etc)
-Monitor’s basic duties, to inform students
-Areas for reference – reference area, peers, etc
Training materials
-Shop policy signature handout
Redesigned so students will read it, with ‘take home’ portion, 2 pgs
-Student Reference area
Sign to label area
SBA model shop manual cover with icon
MSDS manual cover with icon
-Monitor training –
Specific training materials for them to take home after hiring
Laminated ‘key-points’ card to post on monitor station
We will also create guidelines for the replication of the system throughout SCAD as the project progresses.
Ouch...
Well, that was painful… We knew this morning going into the presentation for Dave, Aaron, and Mark that we had missed our goal – The clarity of our interpretation of the research, synthesis, and design was just not there, we didn’t have our designs as far along as we would have liked, and we didn’t include explanations of most of the terms and processes that we used. The worst part is that I know both Lauren and I have to ability to prepare and give professional presentations.
To be frank, we just weren’t sufficiently prepared. And Jon let us have it. And we deserved it.
Lots to do to catch up by Wednesday…
Can’t go the Tufte lecture in Atlanta this weekend… Have … to … do … more … work. [sniff]
Moving forward...
We meet today to do more synthesis and to begin the design phase.
We started the meeting by reading the interview with Dave, and adding the high points to the concept map.
Take-a-ways from the interview with Dave:
-We discovered that we had missed the down-draft tables, dust collector system, and hood altogether on the map, and recognize that the use of this equipment needs attention in our system.
-Dave conveyed that monitors are selected based not only on skill, but also based upon a positive attitude and reliability. We also discovered that specific training is provided only once per year, which leads us to propose a quick, inexpensive system for training new shop Monitors upon hiring them.
-“ID has 300 students, so there is a bigger impact of people and it is more difficult to manage the space…so there is a lot more mess and a lot more debris hanging around.” From this, we realize how important it is to positively change the shop culture in the department NOW, because as the department increases in number even further, change will become even more difficult.
-The biggest issues he identified were cleanliness and tool check-out and return. Tool check-out is being taken care of with the new badge system.
When the ID shop moved from Fahm to Gulfstream, the department received new machines that older students were not trained on. There is an expectation that they will ask for additional training from the shop staff or faculty if they need it, but most don’t.
-“It seems like the ID students use the shop a lot for quick down and dirty sketch models. They rarely use nicer materials.” This may contribute to the difference in shop culture between the ID and Furniture departments.
-Dave pointed out the large number of columns present in the shop area, which we think are good places to post signs, but make moving any of the machines a logistical nightmare.
Once we had a relatively complete diagram of the research findings, we began to outline what an ideal shop culture and environment would look like, using short, specific statements. We made sure to describe the results of the ideal situation, rather than the cause of the situation. For example, ‘students clean on their own,’ rather than ‘a signage system that tells students to clean.’ This process allowed us to paint a shared picture of the desired results of the system we will design.
We next developed two personas to help us visualize both current and ideal shop scenarios.
Using these personas, we developed two scenarios – one to demonstrate the current shop culture, and the other to demonstrate the ideal shop culture.
LINK TO THIS WORK HERE
Goal Meeting
Met with Lauren this evening to set a plan for our work this weekend, which essentially meant discussing the concept map that I created, her analysis of the information for each dangerous machine sign, and identifying the most important categories for focus that we gleaned from the research synthesis.We had a discussion with James about the ways to persuade someone – appealing to their emotions, logic, and intellect together. We feel that successfully stimulating all three of these could greatly enhance the effectiveness of our system.
Information Architecture, for the World Wide Web
Information Architecture, for the World Wide Web
Louis Rosenfeld & Peter Morville
My notes and thoughts from the book and the discussion in class today…
Page 24 – Should Technology be a part of the ‘User – Content – Context’ Ven Diagram? They say it would look silly to add another circle…you can’t be serious! If the medium is the message, and one doesn’t consider the possibilities & realities of information delivery based on the technology used, then the presentation of the information is incomplete. To not add another circle because it might not look pretty is absurd…
Page 25 – “…Communication is built upon words and sentences trying to convey meaning.” I disagree - The written word does not have inherent meaning until we assign it, and is more complex for the brain to comprehend than images or symbols. I assert, as usual, that communication is always enhanced with the inclusion of visual elements. The partnership of words and symbols is appreciated, enhances clarity, and remains searchable.
Three common information needs:
-The right thing – known item seeking
-A few good things – exploratory seeking
-Everything – exhaustive research
Our understanding of the world is based on classification. We are all librarians of our own information, and are becoming increasingly so because of the amount of information we encounter in our technology-driven world. Therefore, we must education the populous about good information architecture techniques. With this in mind, maintaining a creative, visual perspective on the world in the face of the verbally-biased modern education systems becomes even more important as our children grow up.
Some other things I found interesting:
Page 52 - Words can be ambiguous, making classification challenging
Page 53 – Homogeneous systems are much simpler to classify; Heterogeneous system are difficult to place in a single organizational structure; there is no one-size-fits-all way to structure it.
Page 54 – “…labeling and organization systems are intensely affected by their creators’ perspectives.” The user is not like me; what I would logically label something may not be what others would logically do.
Organizational schemes – “…defines the shared characteristics of content items and influences the logical grouping of those items.”
Organizational structure – “…defines the types of relationships between content items and groups.”
Bench room clean-up
We just spoke with Dennis, the building custodian, and he shared his process for cleaning the bench room. He empties the trash each day, and sweeps the floor every other day. He does not clean the bench tops.
Interview - Victor Ermoli, ID Dept Chair
Below is a Summary of the interview I conducted with Victor Ermoli, head of the Industrial Design Department...
-Are there any standards for cleanliness already in place?
The expectation is for tables to be completely empty, all trash off the floor; absolute clean – it is supposed to be common sense;
“I hate when you have to treat people like monkeys…Maybe its not a problem of not knowing what clean means; it’s a problem of that they are lazy.”
He then gave me the Model Shop safety exam with questions related to cleanliness, as well as two different pages with safety guidelines that are given to the students each quarter “So, what’s the misunderstanding?”
-Is there an area for material storage?
Yes, no, and maybe. Faculty storage is in room 132 or 134, next to the Special Topics room. Storage there could be optimized; the area is used for faculty and model shop storage, and is cleaned once a year.
-Are there areas for student storage?
The Bench room racks and shelves, and assigned lockers are for students. Stuff outside of these areas shouldn’t be there.
-Is there a budget for additional storage?
You must make any requests within 11 days (by Feb 21st) for the year beginning in June.
We simply need to meet with him with cost and purpose information to propose changes; no forms are needed.
-What are the biggest problems you currently see in the building?
Students don’t clean their space. Students don’t respect their space.
For example, students spray glue on the tables, drip epoxy on the bench room tables and leaving the bulge of glue there so no one can use that space. Most of the lockers have the hinge broken or the door dented. People cut on the tables in the bench room or studio.
People write with markers on the bench room tables instead of using paper – “That tells me you don’t care; you don’t have a respect for the space.”
-Anything else you want to tell us?“Sure, I don’t think the students use the opportunities that they have around here. For instance, I got I don’t know how many tons of carpet donated to the department and the faculty did a sample of how you might creatively use these things, and I talked with the grad students and they made this kind of couch-round-cool-thing. There are still 20-30 boxes of carpet; it’s a sound dampening device and we all complain about sound. We all complain about walking on the concrete floor hurts my knees and feet. You can weave it; you can glue it; you can tape it; do whatever you want.”
Visual Revelations
We discussed Howard Wainer's book Visual Revelations in class today. Here are some of the ideas that I came away from the discussion with:
Charts and graphs are to communicate, and if they don't do so well, just don't use them.
The methods that Wainer discusses to represent data should be tailored to the specific data set of a project.
Double y-axis graphs are the devil and bring bad karma. They can manipulate any data set to portray any conclusion the creator chooses. Don't trust them. Don't use them. Don't let your friends use them.
Wainer discusses the various methods from an almost 'pure data' perspective. I was surprised that visual and hierarchical representation methods were not discussed in the pages that we read. After all, the book is called
Visual Revelations. There is a great opportunity to enhance the 'single-glance comprehension' of any data set by using visual elements.
There is a big issue with data presentation standards, like in many design areas. People are familiar with pie charts, so they are often used, although they are inaccurate and ineffective for most data.
The trilinear plot method of representing data is interesting, although I think its presentation could be greatly enhanced by opening it up into a linear format. Because the data progresses from one area to another, and cannot complete a fully-circular pattern, the two most extreme areas should not physically touch - the layout is very misleading and requires the viewer to memorize the rules of the chart before interpreting the data.
If the medium is the message, there is a great potential for using implicit graphs on PCs to enhance their clarity. That way, the reader would be able to choose the data on each side of the chart, and then quickly run through many different scenarios without cluttering up the chart with lines.
Additionally, I had an interesting conversation last night about the book. I asserted that bar graphs are easier to understand than pie graphs because the bar more closely resembles the linear human experience of time (which is common to all), and a pie graph requires a cognitive leap from that format. Riaz and a few others that were milling about replied that time is experienced differently in different parts of the world. As the discussion progressed, I began to see that my experience of NOW can change my future, but can also change my understanding of the past. Therefore, time is not limited to forward movement. Ashton expressed that her experience of time is cyclical, like a clock, to which I replied that that was a learned way of interpreting the world. She disagreed, and seemed to indicate that each day is the beginning of another circular path in time.
There seems to also be a difference between perceived time (time flies when you're having fun) and 'pure' time (as kept by a clock). Wouldn't it be annoying if someone followed you around all day with a metronome?
Wainer says in his book that the standard error of any statistic is 1 over the square root of the sample size, and that this formula is attributed to God - what in hell does that mean?
Interaction design is...
Here I go, thinking again. Someone push the off button before I explode...
Interaction design has one of the most powerful potentials as a catalyst for change that I have ever experienced – change within individuals, change within design, and change with the structure and direction of societies. I am astounded each and every day by the depths to which this can be explored, and the explosive potential that lies within.
Information architecture, in particular, can not only influence our future, but change our understanding of the past. The interaction between the human mind and our vast, common body of knowledge is fascinating.
For me, the human experience is grounded in these interactions. They are at the core of our being, and drive us in our daily lives. I will spend my life possessed with an insatiable desire to understand them, and for that I am grateful.
Aaron Reed interview
I just caught Aaron Reed, Gulfstream’s Studio Manager, in the computer lab and we had a great conversation about the research findings I saw earlier today in class.
He doesn't like to look at the camera when he poses for pictures; I just think it makes him look shifty :)
I asked him about the ‘cleanliness’ issue, and he believes that it is more of a safety issue than I previously believed. For instance, dust and debris on the floor can easily cause slip & fall accidents. He has also often observed objects obstructing the exit at the back of the ID studio space. Razor blades can easily be hidden by trash on the floor, or sharp objects in a tossed-aside model can impale someone. These situations are dangerous for anyone attempting to clean the area, including custodial staff members.
We then discussed the unclear expectations for cleanliness. He agrees that, “Pick up my mess,” can have widely different meanings. Also, he has observed that if the trashcans in the bench room are full, students do not pitch in to help by emptying them out; they simply pile more trash on top.
“It’s amazing how many problems Dave and I could solve if someone would just tell us.” It’s more like plugging holes because of the lack of communication… If there was a system in place to identify these problems, we could be more effective at solving the problems. For example, if no one tells us that the brooms aren't being replaced in the bench room, we are not aware of the problem and can't fix it. Our time is very limited, and the help to develop a plan is appreciated.
On emergency procedures, he echoed what we discussed in class. Blood is dangerous, and the first step in an emergency may be to use a biohazard kit. The first aid kit is located below the monitor station in the ID shop, and is mounted on the wall outside of his office in the Furniture shop.He also requested that I send him an email so that he may attend the next research presentation.
Branding: My toaster made me do it...
Lauren & I are discussing Brand on her Blog...
Lauren said...
Brand as a Platform
Branding is a tool that big companies and corporations use in order to establish a reliable customer base. It is also a tool that is used in order to make a product mean "more" than what its function dictates. Is that right? I don't know. I do know that I don't want to be told what to think, how to feel, or told to be loyal to a company that pisses me off.What does that mean?
Dana said...
I'm not quite sure what you're asking, but I have opinions anyway, so here you go... :)
Branding is manipulation. Manipulation is unethical. Done.
But maybe not...
Manipulation also removes the power/control over the situation from the one being manipulated. Basic human nature drives people to maintain control - even in uncontrollable situations, adrenaline kicks in to give a person a sense of capability; they believe they are able to regain their control.
On the flip side, there is no real objective view of a product (or anything in life), so to assert that branding should be completely removed from the product scenario would be in vain - the surrounding situation will always influence a buyers perception of a product, and that situation is always controlled by someone...
There is also an interesting facet to branding that closely resembles the suspension of a buyer's reality. Like role playing, the buyer can be anyone he or she chooses through brand.
View Lauren's blog here:
http://legitimatexperience.blogspot.com/2005/02/brand-as-platform.html
Powers of Ten – Charles & Ray Eames
We watched
Powers of Ten, by Charles and Ray Eames, in class today. It’s a brief video (~ 8 minutes) that visually demonstrates about 40 different views of the same scene, ranging from outer space to the molecular level.
The video begins with a close up of a man and woman on a picnic blanket. In the first half, the view of the scene zooms out by a power of 10 each ten seconds. So the initial scene becomes the central square of the screen, with the surrounding area (equivalent to nine more squares) is of the park on the perimeter of their blanket.
The video continues to fluidly zoom out of the scene until we see a broad cross section of outer space.
We then zoom back down to the picnic, reviewing each cross section in reverse order. At that point, the video begins to zoom into the hand of the man on the blanket, following the same format, until we get to the nucleus of an atom.
The use of a square outline at each 10-second point allows the viewer to position themselves in the continually-changing space, and emphasizes the ‘slices’ that are determined by the time limitation. If each slice were not connected by moving video, the viewer would have lost their sense of being a part of the zooming space, and the effect would have been lost. The video is an extremely effective way of conveying almost incomprehensible concepts like 100,000,000,000,0…
The increases and decreases in levels of detail parallel's Richard Saul Wurman's ideas about the progression from Data to Information to Knowledge to Wisdom. The more precise and limited one's view, the closer the content is to Data. The more broad and inclusive one's view, the closer one approaches to Wisdom.
I've personally always been driven to find the broadest, most inclusive understanding of a topic - both the data and knowledge - before progressing forward. This video really put a 'face with a name' for me, which I'm already finding useful in visualizing my design process.
I've observed on more than one occasion that if I do not arrive at a comprehensive view of a problem before I begin designing, I will mentally limp along right through until the end. I MUST be able to see both the parts and the whole before I begin to manipulate them - aka Use Big Paper!
Awww...
(That's JK on the left, Jonathan on the right...)
Contextual Research - Synthesis
We found a LOT of information on the internet about each machine in the shop. Many of the items were general shop safety guidelines, so we complied those into a separate list. Through this research, we confirmed out belief that each machine does have its own safety guidelines, and to understand all of them for each machine a shop user must learn a lot of material. In particular, many of the machines have different margins of safety and speed settings that the user must memorize.
Student working in the Bench Room...
In our interviews with the students, we learned that they do not fully realize the danger of the machines. When they were asked, “What machines do you consider to be dangerous?” none of them responded that all machines are dangerous. This is obviously a huge problem, and I would like to explore how we can drive the idea that ALL machines are dangerous home to them.
The mill was cited as the safest machine by students because of the widened proximity of moving parts to their hands. Also, they felt injuries stem from carelessness and improper handling of materials.
Shop Monitor Steve Aboud...
The shop monitors answered our questions in a very similar way to the students, although one of the monitors did reply that, “All machines are dangerous.”
Key takeaways from our research:
Every machine needs a sign
All machines have overlapping guidelines
For example:
Don’t force material in any machine
Don’t use dull blades
Wear safety equipment
Make sure work area is clear of debris
Every machine is dangerous
Experience determines level of fear
More experience = Better understanding
Current visual references are unclear or non-existent
Students need incentive to comply
View our complete presentation here...
Contextual Interview - Mark, SCAD ID Shop Manager
Although we were hardly bright-eyed and bushy-tailed this morning at 9am, Lauren and I interviewed Mark, the ID shop manager, about his general shop experiences as well as experiences specific to many of the machines. We began by recording the interview on my digital mp3 player, but the noise in the shop soon put that to an end. We did take detailed notes though…
The interview took about 1 ½ hours, and during this time we were able to talk about approximately half the machines in the main shop. We eliminated one of the questions (Can we watch you use this machine?) because he was providing us with a lot of quality information by simply discussing the machines, and although we would have liked to continue our interview until it was complete, time restrictions prevented us from doing so.
Mark also printed out the SCAD - SBA Model Shop Safety Manual for us. I was surprised to see the detailed amount of information contained inside for each machine, and a bit disappointed that the manual was not available to students, especially those in Model Shop class. The information is divided by machine, and although it is mostly text it would be a good reference to have available to anyone who wants to look at in the shop.
Some of the things we learned from Mark are that he feels that every machine in the shop is dangerous, but that the most dangerous machine is the Band Saw. He pointed out that dull blades increase the danger of any machine because the user must employ additional force on the material. This danger is often underestimated, and students rarely notify him of a dull blade. He also noted that some students get very upset when he corrects their behavior in the shop, and that students need some sort of incentive to behave correctly.
Mark sharpens all the tools for the Lathes himself because the Grinder is not adequately covered in Model Shop class.
He told us that many of the projects assigned are way beyond the skill level of the students. Also, he feels about 10% of the students in the shop just don’t have an adequate enough understanding to be there, but that they must be allowed anyway because they are in the Model Shop class.
My Personal Shop Experience
It was effective that Lauren was able to conduct the majority of the interviews this weekend. My own experience, as a former ID shop monitor, was challenging to set aside during the questioning; she says she is much more of a novice, which is great for obtaining an objective view. Although I am trained in proper interview techniques, and tried not to ‘lead the witnesses,’ I had to keep myself from jumping in with my own experiences and observations. But here, I can record my thoughts; yay!
I worked as a SCAD ID Shop Monitor for about 6 months last year. I remember the experience as being very stressful; my goal was to make it through my time there without ever seeing an injury, and I took my responsibility to protect the safety of the students very seriously.
I remember observing that many students didn’t have much fear of some of the machines, and would take it very personally when I, or any of the other monitors, had to correct what they were doing. Some students felt comfortable asking us questions if they were unsure, but many did not. I occasionally would observe that, particularly on the Band Saw, even though a student knew that they were breaking a safety rule they planned to continue until one of us stopped them…Scary and frustrating.
The Table Saw was the machine that I remember students making the most ‘mistakes’ with, but that may be because I find that machine to be the most dangerous. There was also a lot of confusion with the Mill and Metal Lathes, but that was more from inexperience with the precise controls and less about ignorance of safe procedures.
Cleaning the shop and bench room was as big of a problem as it is now. Students were under the impression that Monitors are paid to clean up after them, and get a real attitude when we asked them to stop what they were doing to clean. Because it was such a pain to motivate them to do the right thing, I eventually quit asking all together, and did one big cleanup of the shop at the end of the night.
Research Question Writing Session
Today Lauren and I met to brainstorm questions for the contextual interviews. We determined that it would be most effective to create two sets of questions. One set for the students and monitors, and the other for the experts.
We also determined that we wanted to talk with Mark, because he spends the most time in the shop and has substantial experience in the machine shop; we set a meeting with him for Monday morning. We will ask him to discuss each separate machine in the shop with us.
Student Questions:
What machines do you consider to be dangerous?
What steps are you sure, or unsure about in the operation of this machine?
Have you ever experienced a dangerous or harmful experience while working in the shop? Please describe… If so, what do you know now that you wish you knew then?
Which of the dangerous machines do you know the least about? Are you scared to use it?
What kind of safety equipment do you use?
What machine do you feel the safest operating? Why?
Expert Questions:
What machines do you consider to be dangerous?
What key things do you look for in order to insure someone is using this machine correctly?
What problems have you witnessed or heard about students having with this machine?
What would you like every student to know about this machine before they use it?
Can we watch you use this machine? OR Can you describe step-by-step instructions for using this machine?
What problems have you had while using this machine?
What kinds of safety equipment do you use?
What machine do you feel safest operating? Why?
Research Planning Meeting
Lauren and I meet today to set a plan for our research over the weekend. We determined that we wanted to do as much contextual research as possible, including interviews of students, monitors, and experts to reveal any SCAD-specific information. We will also do internet research to determine any widely accepted safety guidelines for each machine. I will also conduct a Heuristic Evaluation of the Band Saw during my Studio 3 sketch model creation this weekend.
We hope to discover any discrepancies between the Mental Models of the participants’, the Implementation Models we find on the internet, and the Manifest Model from the Heuristic evaluation of the Band Saw.
Affinity Diagram - Shop Safety
The class agreed to begin the design process by collectively creating an Affinity Diagram. An Affinity Diagram is used to understand the broad scope of the design opportunity, and to identify categories for further exploration. The diagram is a bottom-up approach in which words or phrases associated with a topic are recorded on individual notes, and then organized into categories based upon common ideas and themes. (method from Hugh Beyer and Karen Holtzblatt’s book Contextual Design.)
After removing some of the extraneous items from the group of notes we created, we identified the following categories:
Emotions & Signage
OSHA & Safety
Dangerous Machines
Tools & Rules (including cleaning & storage)
Authority & Culture
Air Quality, Materials, & Cleanup
We split the categories between groups and individuals in the class, and Lauren Schlam and I agreed to research Dangerous Machines. We will meet within the next few days to set a research plan.
It is also interesting to note that we are both really excited about this project, and I look forward to working with her because she is hard working, committed to a high standard of quality, and just generally awesome.
