1. Warm-up Exercise Course Environmental Design ARTG 4553
Time Tuesday + Friday 9:50–11:30
Place 305 Ryder
Instructor Ryan Sullivan ryan@pasteinplace.com
Office Hours By appointment
Flickr Group Wayfinding ARTG 4553
Overview The purpose of the warm-up exercise is to 1) collect data using an ethnographic research
technique, 2) visualize the data, 3) identify an opportunity or challenge within the data and
4) recommend a design enhancement based on the opportunity identified.
Challenge Spend 30 minutes in Ruggles Station as a fly-on-the-wall, observing and recording
human behavior. Take visual notes or photographs in order to document behavior,
interactions and/or movement patterns.
Consider one or several of the following aspects (or invent your own!):
> Who uses the station? (consider what time you go and how this impacts use)
> Why do they use it?
> What types of activities and behaviors does the station encourage or discourage?
> What types of activities or behaviors do people engage in when they are waiting?
> What paths and traffic-patterns do individuals follow? Why?
> Do different types of users engage each other? Why? Why not? How do they engage?
> Do you notice any unusual behavior or undesirable situations?
> Do you notice any signs of previous activity?
Create a diagram/illustration that clearly documents and describes the data that you
collected. As you are visualizing the data and reflecting on your observations, identify a
problem or opportunity. Highlight the problem/opportunity in your diagram.
Invent a design enhancement based on the problem/opportunity that you identify. Create
an illustration that describes your design recommendation.
Deliverable Format the 2 illustrations on a single 11x17 in landscape format.