From carrying out the interviews about why do people collect stuff showed a number of different sides to why people think they do. There were some similarities that came up in a few answers, the items normally relate back to a person, mostly family members. Which brought me to think that things are kept for a sentimental reason, this makes we question whether or not the item would be kept if it had not been give to them by someone close/special to them.
Whilst talking to one of the interviewees she mentioned that some people could hold on to things because they do not like to throw out things, none of the items have a meaning behind them. I found this point she made very interesting so thought I would go online to see if I could find anything that backed up what she was saying. I came across a website called essortment.com, it talks about ’compulsive hoarders’ which is a term I have never heard before. It means that the person accumulates things that most other people wouldn’t bother keeping. Some of the things that they keep are very bizarre and even at times if you asked them they wouldn’t even no why they kept it. This website lead me onto the ‘Understanding Obsessive Compulsive Hoarding’ website. It give details about it and says it is a link to being a form of OCD, the website then gives people the chance to explain why they do it.
There are so many different reasons as to why people do it from the item being sentimental, passed down through the generations, don’t like throwing stuff away, might need it in the future, but this I feel is mainly about why people accumulate stuff.
When looking at why people keep stuff I suppose does fit into the last area but I feel it is more about sentimental value of an item is why people keep most things. For each of the answers I got were about items that were given to them from someone, which I feel myself would be the reason as why I would keep a specific item.
The interviewing process I found a little uncomfortable at the beginning, especially due to some of the people were not too sure what to say at the beginning making it much more different to get answers that were helpful. I think if I had made more questions and given more time on each of the interviews I could of collected better information. I will know for the next time I do an interview to answer the question myself first and then come up with some more questions that could make it easier to get more useful answers.
Sunday, 20 March 2011
Assignment 4: Interviewing
For this part of the assignment we had to carry out interviews with people to collect information from them.
To start the interviews I asked my flat mate Clare would she ask a friend from her course to meet us at a café to answer a few questions. We arranged to meet the next day with two of Clare’s course mates and one of there flat mates. I thought meeting at a café was the best option to keep an informal interview, more of a chat really. Each of the three people I was interviewing that day asked to not be named on my blog so I have kept there details confidential. Below is what I found from the interviews.
Female, Law student
When asking the questions I found that she collected cocktail rings, it all started around eight years ago when her grand mother passed on one of her cocktail rings to her. She said that she would never have collected something like this unless it was from some special that started it off, which her grand mother was. I asked her if there was any reason behind why her grand mother kept it or why she passed it on, but she didn’t seem to think so. It was more just a special piece of jewellery that she wanted her grand daughter to have and keep for the future. She carried on the collection due to finding these pieces of jewellery pretty and functional. She told me that it was hard to find more of them and that she would have to go to vintage shops and boot sales to get them. She keeps them in a vintage 40’s jewellery box that was also give to her from her grand mother at the same time. After finishing talking about her grand mothers jewellery, I asked her why she thought people collected/kept stuff? She answered with, “I think its more about the sentimental value of an item rather than what it actually is, like my grand mothers ring, I don’t think I would have collected more of them or kept it if I hadn’t been given it by my grand mother in the first place. It can be nice to keep happy things around you. Other times it’s just force of habit of not throwing things out.“
Female, Law + French student
When I started talking to this girl she was glad she went after the first interview as she found it hard to think of something, but in the end she realised that she collected/held onto tickets of all the gigs she had been to before. Which makes me think that maybe sometimes people don’t even realise they collect thing, and she said the same thing that she never really noticed herself specifically saving them, it was just automatic. She said the reason she kept them was that she liked to be reminded of all of the people she had been to see and this was an easy way. She has them stuck over her shelves in her bedroom at home, so that it is easy to be reminded of them which is a big deal to her as she said she loves music. When asked how long she has had them for, she thought that the first one she has is from 2006 which would been she started to keep them for five years. When asked why do people collect/keep stuff? She said, “People like to be reminded of things they have done or places they have been to. With keeping hold of things from these place, they keep the memories in them and make is easier to remind yourself of things.”
Female, Nurse
For the last interviewee when we were in the café this girl said that the thing she collects and treasures the most are cards that she has kept from many different occasions such as birthday, christmas, good luck, congratulations etc. When trying to explain why she had kept them she was finding it hard to explain this, but she basically was trying to say was that she didn’t like to throw away stuff that someone had personally made or wrote for her. She said that it is nice to look back at them years down the line and to see who was in your life at that period of time. Which isn’t really a meaning to them but was that she liked to keep hold of personal stuff. All of the cards are stored in a large box in her bedroom at home, that she has had for years. She said that after her next birthday she will have to get another box as the one she has is nearly full. She thinks the first card she has kept was from her first holy communion which with her being 20 years old was a long time ago. When asked why do people collect/keep stuff? She said, “I think it’s because the item/stuff you keep is usually given to you by someone so you want to keep it as it is a gift, but also if you like a certain thing then there is more reason to not through it away, and to gather more of them. It’s more of a personal thing to yourself whilst other people could wonder why you would keep such a thing.”
For my last interview I went down to my next door neighbour that I have only meet a few times to ask some questions. This is what I found out from talking to her.
Female, Art student
We went into her bedroom to have the interview as she trying to organise some work at the same time. When talking she said about how her granny made her a Dumbo headboard and ever since then she has collected all elephant like things, such as toys, teddies etc. so when I was looking around her room I thought it was strange the way she had no signs of this, but she then said that all of this stuff is kept in her bedroom in her family home. She has now got to the stage that she doesn’t want to throw them away, especially since it has been fifteen years since she started collecting them. Over the years most of the items came from family member and close friends. Since being in her room it was good as I noticed that elephants were not the only thing she kept, she had a drawer full of what it looked like receipts, train tickets and gig tickets etc. When I asked her about it she said that it was just a habit to throw them in the drawer and once they were put in there she didn’t really like to get rid of them. I then asked her why do you think people collect/keep stuff? She answered with, “Many nostalgic purpose, but I guess some people like having a story to tell and don‘t like to throw away things they have had for years.”
Assignment 4: Mind Mapping
In this assignment we were asked to pick a question, brain storm/mind map it and then interview three or four people with questions relating to the chosen question.
I choose the question 'Why do people collect/accumulate stuff?' From mind mapping it i came up with these seven questions.
Do you collect anything or have accumulated anything?
Why have you kept it?
Meaning behind it/them?
Where did you get it/them from?
Where do you keep them? Special place?
How long have you had/collected it for? Or taken to collect them?
Why do you think people collect/keep stuff?
Saturday, 5 March 2011
3C - Observe & Record
Primary Observation
For this part of the assignment we were asked to visit somewhere we had never been before, either a bingo hall, a casino or a football match to observe people and to see how we felt being in an unknown place.
I decided to go to a bingo hall as this would be a totally new experience to me. Before I went I wasn’t to sure what to expect when entering the building but once I went in I actually felt a bit nervous because it was all new to me and I wasn’t sure where to go or what to do. At reception I asked would it be possible to enter the hall to observe people playing the game which actually doing so myself, the guy behind the counter was very helpful and informed me that you had to become a member before you were allowed into the hall. Once I became a member I made my way into the bingo hall and worked my way upstairs to the second floor as I thought it would be a better place to observe everything that goes on.
The place itself was a lot more different than I thought it would look like, it was much more glamorous especially with all the slot machines etc. They also offered free tea or coffee you just needed to ask a staff member, there was also an area to get food and other drink, which would be good as I think a lot of the people in the hall would be there for most of the day.
I went with a couple of friends that also had to do this assignment, and we noticed that as soon as we walked in the older people already sitting were looking at us in a strange manor. It was as though they didn’t approve of us being there. We also found out at the end from the manager that some of them had been asking why were we there taking notes etc. The manager also said that the old people usually tend to sit in the same seats each time they come so that they have the same number on the cash line boards each time.
Whilst observing you can feel the intenseness and the competitiveness in the place and you can see how serious the people take the game. There is complete silence in the hall until someone calls ’house’ then there is a bit of talk until the game starts again, then its silence again. When ’house’ is called, the staff run about the hall to find the person and then calls out there numbers to see if they have won.
When I was looking out over the balcony on the second floor I noticed that there were a number of people covering up there books with the numbers. I thought this was very strange because its note a game you can cheat in to win, but then I figured that it was probably so people couldn’t see how far they were to wining.
After a few minutes in the hall a member of staff came up to use with out member cards and a member pack, which contained a free session for you and a friend in it and a voucher to use on there online bingo. Then about 5 minutes after another member of staff was handing out £5 special books for Sundays to everyone in the hall. After the main game had finished there was the chance to play cash line which was an automated board built into the tables, they had a special offer on it which was two for one. These were all the offers/strategies I seen to entice people to play and spend more.
As we thought it would be best to only observe and not play the game itself, a couple of the girls I was with decided to play the cash line game. I just sat beside them and watched, it was very exciting especially when the boards started to get filled up the intensity started to build up so that know one else called it before you had all your number. I could understand how it could become addictive and I didn’t even play.
When looking around the hall I noticed that people either sat by themselves or it was a large group of people together. But even those in a group they only sat together but never actually interacted with each other. All of those that were there by themselves seemed to sit away from the large groups of people and really kept themselves to themselves and didn’t bother talking or sitting near anyone else.
For this part of the assignment we were asked to visit somewhere we had never been before, either a bingo hall, a casino or a football match to observe people and to see how we felt being in an unknown place.
I decided to go to a bingo hall as this would be a totally new experience to me. Before I went I wasn’t to sure what to expect when entering the building but once I went in I actually felt a bit nervous because it was all new to me and I wasn’t sure where to go or what to do. At reception I asked would it be possible to enter the hall to observe people playing the game which actually doing so myself, the guy behind the counter was very helpful and informed me that you had to become a member before you were allowed into the hall. Once I became a member I made my way into the bingo hall and worked my way upstairs to the second floor as I thought it would be a better place to observe everything that goes on.
The place itself was a lot more different than I thought it would look like, it was much more glamorous especially with all the slot machines etc. They also offered free tea or coffee you just needed to ask a staff member, there was also an area to get food and other drink, which would be good as I think a lot of the people in the hall would be there for most of the day.
I went with a couple of friends that also had to do this assignment, and we noticed that as soon as we walked in the older people already sitting were looking at us in a strange manor. It was as though they didn’t approve of us being there. We also found out at the end from the manager that some of them had been asking why were we there taking notes etc. The manager also said that the old people usually tend to sit in the same seats each time they come so that they have the same number on the cash line boards each time.
Whilst observing you can feel the intenseness and the competitiveness in the place and you can see how serious the people take the game. There is complete silence in the hall until someone calls ’house’ then there is a bit of talk until the game starts again, then its silence again. When ’house’ is called, the staff run about the hall to find the person and then calls out there numbers to see if they have won.
 |
| Membership card |
After a few minutes in the hall a member of staff came up to use with out member cards and a member pack, which contained a free session for you and a friend in it and a voucher to use on there online bingo. Then about 5 minutes after another member of staff was handing out £5 special books for Sundays to everyone in the hall. After the main game had finished there was the chance to play cash line which was an automated board built into the tables, they had a special offer on it which was two for one. These were all the offers/strategies I seen to entice people to play and spend more.
As we thought it would be best to only observe and not play the game itself, a couple of the girls I was with decided to play the cash line game. I just sat beside them and watched, it was very exciting especially when the boards started to get filled up the intensity started to build up so that know one else called it before you had all your number. I could understand how it could become addictive and I didn’t even play.
 |
| Cash line Board |
When looking around the hall I noticed that people either sat by themselves or it was a large group of people together. But even those in a group they only sat together but never actually interacted with each other. All of those that were there by themselves seemed to sit away from the large groups of people and really kept themselves to themselves and didn’t bother talking or sitting near anyone else.
Wednesday, 2 March 2011
3B - Ethnography
After reading The Ethnography Primer I now understand what ethnography is. To begin with i thought it was just a research tool, which is it but it has a lot more depth to it than what I first thought. It provides a much more in-depth analysis of someone/ a target audience. It a good way of gathering information and communicating with people rather than going on statics collect by someone else. I personally feel that it is better to gather your own data about a certain thing, as each individual person gathers different things from it. The information collected by yourself is going to be more relevant to the data which you need in comparison to someone else's data. This will then help us as designers to create a product or service that will relate better to person/people in question.
3A - Service Design Tools
For the first part of assignment three we were asked to look at this website servicedesigntools.org and look at the tools and case studies used then relate them to our studio projects.
Affinity diagram - is a creative process used for gathering and organizing large amounts of datas, ideas and insights by evidencing their natural correlations. I could have used this tool in any of my past projects, as it would have helped lay out the initial ideas when starting to design.
Mock up - is a model, an illustration or a collage describing an idea. This tool would have been good to use in my exhibition design project, as you have to create a relationship between the exhibition space and the concept (Jute Industry). This could have helped bringing the of the information from both parts together easier in the beginning.
Storyboard - it is the representation of use cases through a series of drawings or pictures, put together in a narrative sequence. This tool would have worked well for my first year project, domestic dwelling as I was designing a space for a person in a slum to live. It would have helped identify connections between the designer and the user.
Service specification - is a written document that grows up during the design process. It describes the aim of the project in a detailed way and the evolution of the ideas developed step by step. This tool would have been useful in my furniture project, due to working in a group it would have been good to do this a keep updating document each time someone else moved forward with an idea etc.
Affinity diagram - is a creative process used for gathering and organizing large amounts of datas, ideas and insights by evidencing their natural correlations. I could have used this tool in any of my past projects, as it would have helped lay out the initial ideas when starting to design.
Mock up - is a model, an illustration or a collage describing an idea. This tool would have been good to use in my exhibition design project, as you have to create a relationship between the exhibition space and the concept (Jute Industry). This could have helped bringing the of the information from both parts together easier in the beginning.
Storyboard - it is the representation of use cases through a series of drawings or pictures, put together in a narrative sequence. This tool would have worked well for my first year project, domestic dwelling as I was designing a space for a person in a slum to live. It would have helped identify connections between the designer and the user.
Service specification - is a written document that grows up during the design process. It describes the aim of the project in a detailed way and the evolution of the ideas developed step by step. This tool would have been useful in my furniture project, due to working in a group it would have been good to do this a keep updating document each time someone else moved forward with an idea etc.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)