Fall 09 / Thesis / Begins

Thesis. It is well on its way by now. So I thought I would take some time to step back, examine my process up to this point and share it with you here:

I began my explorations when I began evaluating why I even wanted to come back to graduate school. I gave my best miss america speech in my statement of purpose about wanting to explore how design could make this world a better place for an individual, a community and society as a whole. And I have held onto those roots, I would say, in exploration.

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When first doing thesis research I found myself drawn to the area of emotional design. I explored the way emotions play a role in our decision making process. I latched onto the idea of "happiness" and wanted to promote positive thinking. I searched for a way that design could encourage behaviors that would lead to positive emotions. In my research I found that while the world tends to be grasping for happiness in general they are running off in well intended directions that take them further and further away from actually achieving that goal. The economic crisis we are facing now is a direct effect of one of those ill adviced paths, consumerism and the pursuit of material things.

In the Fast Company article "The Happiness Factor", James Roberts, a Baylor University marketing professor says '"all that consumerism is a pursuit of something other than Happiness: "The research is overwhelmingly clear," he says. "The more materialistic you are the less happy you are. We get Happiness through the love of others and sense of community. But we've been told by Madison Avenue that Happiness can come through the mall."' (The Happiness Factor, Fast Company) In the same article Cynthia Crossen of The Wall Street Journal notes, the American "pursuit of Happiness" certainly is of a piece with America's "capitalist democracy, where ever-increasing consumption" drives economic growth. (The Happiness Factor, Fast Company)

Why is it that it seems we are caring more for our economy and less for the individual? Does the economy shape the perception and well-being of the individual or is it the other way around. Does the individual shape the well-being of the economy?

Effective meaningful sustainable change has to come from inside first. And the heart of our economy is the individual. The heart of the individual is shaped from a very young age. Perceptions are developed, expectations are formed without any conscious knowledge. And how is this done? Through the examples set by others, such as parents, yes, but also through advertising and it's messages. In Jean Kilbourne's You Can't Buy My Love, she reports "that the average American sees more than three thousand ads per day and spends more than three years of his or her life watching commercials. Their messages are inside our intimate relationships, our homes, our hearts and our heads." (Kilbourne 12) There is no way to escape the pervasiveness of material culture and consumerism. And we as designers... what are we doing? We are the ones creating the tools for persuasion. We are complacent to the effects this has on the well-being of the individual. We are in many ways the vehicle to unhappiness.

One of the most targeted age groups for Credit Card companies are college students. Because students are a prime marketing opportunity. “If they can be in that kid’s wallet, they are more likely to have a customer for a good long time,” explains Geri Detweiler of ultimatecredit.com. (Weisbaum) Fresh from the material and financial comforts of home, guarded from the financial decisions their parents have had to make and the hardships they may have had to endure, college students often times have no concept of how personal economics work.

In a Newsweek article from early 2009 it reports how susceptible young college students are to building debt through credit cards. "The Center for a New American Dream, a group focused on helping Americans spend wisely, found that more than half of American college students signed up for at least four credit cards by the time they graduated. These card-stacked wallets help explain why, according to U.S. PIRG, the average American senior now racks up more than $2,500 in credit-card debt by the time they receive their diploma." (Soller, Majoring In Debt / Newsweek)

In today's economy the need for regulation is evident and laws are being past to limit the ways in which credit card companies target college students. Credit card companies may unjustly target college students by luring them with gifts and trinkets without explaining the real risks involved there is something inside the student to acquire that must be addressed. In "Can't Buy My Love," Kilbourne reminds us that for young adults advertising continues to invade their lives and "ads constantly tell us that products can help us find our identity, can make us unique, can help us understand ourselves and each other better." (Kilbourne, 91) In this new environment these students are well versed in self-expression through social media. Society is taught that you are what you own and that it is through these possessions that we can portray our desired sense of self.

SOURCES:

Kilbourne, Jean. Can't Buy My Love How Advertising Changes the Way We Think and Feel. New York: Free, 2000. Print.

Manners, Tim. "The Happiness Factor." Fast Company. 08 July 2008. Web. 23 Aug. 2009. .

Soller, Kurt. "Majoring In Debt." Newsweek. 17 Feb. 2009. Web. 23 Sept. 2009. .

Truth About Credit. Web. 23 Sept. 2009. .

Weisbaum, Herb. "Credit cards: A dangerous convenience." MSNBC. msnbc.com, 11 Aug. 2006. Web. 23 Sept. 2009. .



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Fall 09 / P1 / Cultural Probe / Round 2

The Thought Journal: When re-evaluating my "thought catcher" I realized that I am interested most in the thought, where the mind wanders while engaged in the ritual of being in the coffee shop. I don't want to be too intrusive in their process I just want to capture the thought as it is happening. And in return make the person aware of the wandering thoughts.

My New Idea: Provide a Thought Catching Journal that is left on the tables for the individual to discover, contribute and explore.

An interior page reads,
"What are you doing in the coffee shop today; reading a book, studying, having a meeting, texting a friend, day dreaming? Amidst this facade the mind wanders. Where does it go? This journal here is a way to capture those thoughts. Keep it with you the entire time you are in the coffee shop today and take pause each time a wandering thought enters your mind to record here in these pages.

Before you leave return the thought journal to the collecting bin near the doors and visit www.justathoughtproject.com to see what other thoughts are floating around the shop beneath the surface."

Each page has a place at the top to record the date, time and what they are doing at that time, then space for their thoughts.





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Fall o9 / P1 / Cultural Probe / Round 1

The Thought Catcher: Ritual and a Cultural Probe: Are the rituals performed in the coffee shop experience just part of an illusion of busyness or importance, a facade? Where does the mind wander during those ritualistic experiences? What are the thoughts beneath the surface of ritual?
My Probe: A single blank nesting doll is left randomly on tables, with a kit for creation inside including, a sheet of paper with directions and small colored pencils.

The customer is first prompted to capture what they were thinking of the second before they encountered the doll and write that thought on a piece of paper that will then be rolled up and placed inside the nesting doll. They are then encouraged to imaginatively represent their coffee shop persona on the outer most doll (through drawing, color, writing, etc.) and prompted to create directly onto the blank canvas of the doll.

The directions read:

just a thought...

What were you thinking about the moment before you encountered this object? Capture in your mind that thought and hold it there. Record your thought on the back of this paper. Then open the doll to place it inside.


An image...

What is your coffee shop persona? Are you all business, a slow sipper, a day dreamer, a book reader, a socialite? Using the tools provided and your imagination create directly onto the blank canvas of the doll a representation–a sketch, a sentence, or perhaps a single word–of who you are and what you do while here in this coffee shop.

and finally...

Place your captured thought and tools back into the doll and leave it in the collection bin near the register.

Then visit www.justathoughtproject.com
to view other representations and thoughts as well as your own.




Some creativity during critique...
contributors: Cady Bean-Smith, Tania Allen & Lauren Waugh...



contributors: Denise Gonzales Crisp, Kelly Bailey & Laura Rodriguez...


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Fall 09 / Cultural Probe / Findings

Upon explorations and musings on cultural probes getting at ritual I found that I am interested in where the mind wanders during those ritualistic experiences. What are the thoughts beneath the surface of ritual? And how can they be visualized? A "thought catcher" in a way. My classmate Tania, turned me towards a rather compelling photographic study (wish I would have thought of this on my own, and never told that this actually existed, although my photographs couldn't have been nearly as breathtaking). Explore The Thought Project by Simon Hoegsberby. [...]

Fall 09 / P1 / A Story

This semester is all about culture (Design as a Cultural Experience, to be exact). We could sit in the studio discussing culture round the clock (which I am sure we will take a stab at), and/or we could get out there and experience, observe, explore and wonder a bit. We start things off with the latter. For seminar we are to take a stab at a Thick Description (See Clifford Geertz's writings on this). The description is to be based off of observations in a local coffee shop. I camped out in a Starbucks on the corner of Gleenwood Ave. and Peace St. and the fun began. From our observations we began our first Studio Project...

The assignment: Write a story from the perspective of a player in the experience, i.e. a particular customer, barista, dishwasher, busboy, manager, delivery person, etc.

I choose a curiously contemplative customer. Check mine out:

Blessed rain. I hadn't had the heart to look out my park facing windows for several weeks now and watch as the grass turned to brown. Loraine would have loved this drop in temperature. She would have pulled out her fingerless gloves her daughter had made, then tugged at the imperfections. She would have reminisced about the good old days when we were neighbors, young mothers, with "tight assess", she would have said, on that Michigan cul-de-sac. I would have laughed then prayed that any foul language that finds its way out of her lips will taste like dirty gravel in her mouth.

Dear God, give Loraine's family the strength for another day and unwavering faith. I pray that you will soften their hearts to your words, to your guidance and that when unforgiveness tries to take root in their soul that YOU will pluck it out by the roots and replace it with the peace that passes all understanding. I pray that when all else fails...

Oh, is this a break in the rain? I should go now so I don't have to fumble with that awful umbrella.

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Summer09 / And the livin' is easy

This summer began with days of sleep to catch up on, long lists of projects to complete and a few meandering lines across my calendar indicating exciting journeys. It was a time to get re-inspired and re-connected with life. One of my plans of attack to achieve this goal included revitalizing another passion of mine, photography. Check out my photoblog here to get a glimpse into my summer happenings, if you like. [...]

Summer 09 / NCSU Design Camp

My fellow classmate, Liese Zahabi and I (along with our awesome TA, Helen Dear) took on the challenge of introducing 80 high school students to graphic design (16 a day for 5 days) during week three of NC State's Design Camp this summer. What did I learn? Well, it is a whole lot of fuss... but definitely worth it.

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For three separate weeks throughout the summer NCSU hosts a Design Camp for high school students in the area and across the country. It is designed as a way to introduce students with interests in design (general or specific) to five varying design disciplines; Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Industrial Design, Animation and Graphic Design. The students in groups of 16 spend a full day exploring in each design discipline rotating through each by the end of the week.

The theme of this year's design camp was "The Music Industry" and activities and projects completed within each design discipline were to relate to this theme. For Graphic Design Liese and I decided to start the day off with an intro to graphic design as well as an visual intro into what happens when graphic design and music collide. Then we moved into a activity in which we explore how music can influence the visual. We played three different pieces of music and the students worked at one of three stations for the entirety of one song then switched to the next station. One station contained tools for creation using just typographic elements, another just image elements and the last just color.

Next we wanted to see how an existing visual design can prompt a whole new design through the art of mashing up different elements. Each student began with one of the compositions they had already designed in the last exercise. This time instead of responding to the music, we wanted them to respond to the visual design that they saw. They were to create a brand new design—using elements from other student’s work, elements from their original composition, and any new elements they wished to create using the tools from the previous exercise.

Critique and Lunch Break at the fabulous cafeteria (seriously we had soft serve everyday)

For our afternoon project the students were creating posters and album packaging designs for a fictitious band or music group. They began by pulling two random words out of a hat, then took some time for individual brainstorming involving a creative brief and sketching. Next they discussed their ideas in small groups to develop them even further then got to work utilizing the same tools we had provided for the mornings activities. The pieces were created by working directly onto a 11 x 17 sheet of paper then scanned in and the students had an opportunity to set type on the computer. They were printed and comped up for the following morning's critique. The work was truly incredible.

You can check out some pictures from my flickr set here.
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Spring09 / Final Critique / Face as Interface

Final Critique was a culmination of all of our work from the past semester. I decided to even bring along a slightly unsuccessful but still intriguing (and hours of hilarity in studio) project too. For part of my Moments of Interface project I was interested in the reflection of one's self and was looking for how I may distort that in unsuspecting ways. I came up with the Face Mash Up.
I mounted images of some of my classmates faces, with specific parts cut out, onto mirrors. The plan was for the individual to encounter the mirror and line themselves up in order to see their own eyes, or nose, or mouth on the classmates face. The whole perspective thing through the project off, but the the cut up images stayed on my desk for the rest of the semester. Each day as I walked in their would be a new creation/mutant waiting to be discovered. We eventually came up with the ultimate mutant, Brooktonia, who was subsequently credited with any shenanigans from then on out. For final critique I managed to get photos from everyone of our classmates and set up a table just outside the crit room so that the fun could continue during breaks. Check out my NCSU Mutants flickr set to see some of the creations we came up with.

And to see more pics from the full day of final critique click here.
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Spring09 / P5 / Futurecast

The children of today are the parents of the future. Growing up in an environment where social networking is vital, thoughts are contributed in motion and walls of privacy are fading these new families lives will be one large system of communication networks. They will hold a great sense of value in this interconnectivity without boundaries and the web of networks will touch each and every area of their lives. Would this not include their babies too?

Interface Futurecast from Caroline Prietz on Vimeo.

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Spring09 / P4 / Moments 4, 5 & 6 / Wanderings

For our next three moments of interaction we were to respond to one motivation in 3 different designed environments, while maintaining comparable attributes of experience across. For this round I wanted to push myself to investigate form-making areas I may have never been before, and that meant at least something had to be digital and interactive. I also knew that I wanted to explore the idea of wandering and how that could manifest itself within three different designed environments.

The idea for moment #4 came quickly. I imagined a printed piece/book that wandered. In order to create similar attributes of wandering I constructed a piece that presented options to explore. In moment #5 the viewer is invited to wander within an digital interactive environment. As the participant wanders she discovers bits and pieces of reflective text that may propel her in a new direction. Moment #6 was inspired by the idea to invite individuals to slow down and wander by recognizing and rewarding that physical activity. Intended for physical wall space in hallways this piece responds to the movement of the passerby and creates a visual "wake". The size of the wake is dependent upon the speed of the passerby. Faster individual create smaller wakes, while slower, more wandering individuals create a larger wake which in turn reveals more to the wandering viewer.

The text across all three pieces comes from reflective writings from a "summer journal" which was composed throughout the course of several years but all from a setting by the sea. This influenced and inspired the visual language of each piece.

Moment 4, 5 & 6
Motivation: To step away
Attribute of Interface: Wandering
Attribute: Pleasurable/Inviting/Reflective

Moment 4
Environment: Physical book

A Wandering Book from Caroline Prietz on Vimeo.

Moment 5
Environment: Interactive Digital Space

Wandering from Caroline Prietz on Vimeo.

Moment 6
Environment: Physical Wall Space

A Wandering Wake from Caroline Prietz on Vimeo.

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Spring09 / P4 / Moments 2 & 3 / Reflection

In critique for my first interactive moment "Snack Time" we wandered into an area I found quite interesting and tender, the reflection of ones self. For parts 2 and 3 of this 6 part project we were to combine 1 motivation with 1 attribute of experience then combine the same motivation with 1 attribute of experience that shifts the motivation. I choose the motivation of reflection.

Moment 2:
Motivation: To view a reflection of one's self
Attribute: Transformative/Uplifting



Moment 3:
Motivation: To capture a reflection of one's self
Attribute: Unsettling




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Spring09 / P4 / Moment 1 / Snack Time

Thus far this semester we have created some rather compelling studies on interface. Yet throughout our conversations we have found a common inquiry: Why would someone be motivated to interact with an interface in the first place? One could create the most sophisticated, functional or beautiful interface but if if there is no motivation for the individual to interact then the interface is useless.

Project Four focuses on why an individual would be motivated to interact and how the characteristics of the interaction could surprise, delight, initiate reflection and even shift perspectives. The project consists of six instances in which we pair a motivation with an attribute/characteristic of the interactive experience.


Moment 1 for me pairs the motivation of "wanting a snack" with the attribute of "unsettling".

Moment 1
Motivation: Wanting a snack
Attribute: Unsettling

Take a look:





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Spring09 / P3 / Rules (Part 2 of 2)

For the performance aspect of this project I was inspired from a past Valentine's Day gift idea that may have been misappropriated and went a little array. One year from Valentine's Day my gift for my husband, Zach, was a book, not necessarily one that he requested or that he would have even been interested in actually reading. In order to disguise the lameness of the gift I decide to orchestrate an elaborate scavenger hunt with impossibly difficult clues all pertaining to love and our relationship and such. The scavenger hunt was painful enough in itself, but seeing as the reward at the end of it all was a book was even more excruciating for Zach. So I decided to attempt to salvage my scavenger hunt idea and send my fellow classmates on a hunt for the rules.

There was also an audio element. The participant listened to a rule then followed a clue with a set of instructions on where to find the next. All along the way they were asked to bend, break or ignore the rules by entering the bathroom of the opposite sex, using their cell phone in the library, ignoring "Do Not Enter" signs and indulging in an abundance of sugary, frosted cookies with sprinkles. I am not sure that it was any less painful then the V-Day experience but at least we got out of the classroom for a bit.

For the typographic interface experience I designed a set of unconventional posters that would encourage the viewer to question the conventions of reading. Along with throwing out the conventional rules of writing and reading I wrapped posters around corners, in doorways, up stairs and on the ceiling. The intention was to inspire or motivate the viewer to alter their patterns of viewing and reading text by breaking the rules.










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Spring09 / P3 / Rules (Part 1 of 2)

In the midst of Project Two's Critique we were asked to free write on our reactions to each project. While I found myself writing about things such as; how proud I was of how far everyone had come in their form explorations, questioning how I could condition my body to not need sleep (thus being able to produce much more), magic and illusion, laughing until my face hurts, questioning conventions and even reflecting upon my delight in my decision to come to graduate school at NC State, I found a common theme resonating. It was about rules, how I feel the suffocating need to always follow them and how this has quite possibly stunted my creativity and my ability to truly explore. It seems to have permeated every aspect of my life. I have to follow a recipe, referring to it for every step and have a bit of anxiety if I have to veer at all. One might say my moral compass is painfully strong.

Other fellow classmates have somehow managed to escape this need and have in turn created some rather interesting and delightful things. I always think during presentations, "but, wait, you didn't follow the rules," but I have found that it doesn't seem to always matter. The rules are not the point.

For Project Three we were asked to elaborate on one aspect of these free writings and create another piece of writing that we would "perform" in front of the class. Then use in the creation of a strictly typographic interface. I choose to elaborate on my fascination with the rules and to attempt to break myself free (at least a small bit). I knew that I could not just jump write into breaking rules, so the best way to get a Rule Follower to become a Rule Breaker is to create a set of rules, naturally.

I am sure that there are many more to consider but as a beginner here is where I landed:

The Top Six Rules for Bending, Breaking and Out-Right Ignoring the Rules.

No. 1 | The Cardinal Rule. Never pay attention to anything that begins with the term “Number 1” in any of it’s various forms. You may read and consider and even think to yourself “Oh, that is quite interesting.” But never under any circumstances should you actually do what it instructs.

(Due to the fact that you are reading these rules in the first place says you are, at the heart, a Rule Follower. I can assume that you are at odds with yourself and are considering disregarding rule number one to move on to the next Rule. Don’t worry, I would be experiencing the same reaction. This is just the beginning.) You may actually disregard Rule Number 1 for the sake of this assignment and this assignment only.

No. 2 | Question Everything. Question everything. Rules hide in the most unsuspecting places. On signs, in gravity, they are everywhere. In order to ensure that you are never under the bounds of any rules you must be alert at all times.

No. 3 | Know the Rules. The key to bending, breaking and ignoring rules is actually knowing those rules in the first place. As stated in Rule Number 1, you may, and I argue must, read and consider the rules then graceful set them aside and start out on a journey all your own. The next step is distorting those things that you know to a point where they may no longer be familiar. This is the place where we just may find enlightenment, where things begin to change.

No. 4 | Toughen Up. Rule breaking is not for the faint at heart. You must be willing and prepared to accept the consequences in order to achieve the benefits. The consequences may include a range of things such as, but not limited to: speeding violations, strained relationships, weight gain, jail time, fashion faux-paus and bad grades. But you must remember that the key is in the achievement of breaking free of creating something, lets say, well structured within the confines of rules and in turn doing something extraordinary, interesting and compelling.

No. 5 | The Art of Illusion. Oftentimes you may succeed in augmenting rules without consequence. This requires great skill in illusion (luckily as designers we are trained in this ancient knowledge). The designer may spin an intricate web of illusion, or rather confusion, for the audience. You may succeed in confusing your audience so much that they do not know how to respond. They think something has gone over their heads and in order to not feel ignorant they remain silent, stunned, offering no criticism. Oftentimes the audience member may go even as far as to praise you for your so-called skills. The ratio of success of illusion can be greatly increased with the study of fields such as: prestidigitation, conjuration, mentalism, escapology, and ventriloquism.

No. 6 | Never Compromise. Never confuse yourself into thinking that in your quest for rule breaking you must go against or compromise your beliefs, standards, physician prescribed life or death health restrictions and/or morals. These things are not necessarily considered rules but rather a personally chosen way of life. If you feel some of them have been imposed upon you unjustly then by all means, get to bending, breaking and ignoring.
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