As humans we tend to follow order, whether it is consciously or subconsciously we abide by these rules typically set by inanimate objects to the point we nearly become blind to them.
For the second project in this module as a group we are tasked to research and create a sign inervention in DJCAD. They must effect the behaviour of people in a chosen space.
Primary research
My group went for a walk around DJCAD to explore different areas that already have signs directing people around the building. To document our findings we took photos of the different things we found.
This is a very poor sign found near the lecture theatres at the ladies bathroom.
These signs are simple but functional.
Some students might find this sign quite fitting for the architecture course. It was found on level 6 and is made from the original architecture sign.
These footprints were found in a corridor leading towards the second year fine art stdio. They were a part of an installation a student was creating all about different shoes.
This was left outside the second year fine art studio. Someone has come along and vandalised it but oh well, it’s not my fruit.
This sign was ignored by people, we found it down by the workshop and is specifies that there should be no spray painting here.
As another form of research, we used masking tape on the floor next to the pits to create hopscotch. This is typically a very busy space where people gather between lectures or to go to and from studios which made it the perfect space to observe people discreetly.
We sat next to our hopscotch for 45 minutes and these are the results from our observations:
- 57 people walked around the hopscotch
- 25 people walked over the hopscotch
- 11 people used the hopscotch
In total 93 people noticed the hopscotch and interacted with it in different ways.
We took out a third form of primary research but it didn’t go as well probably due to the time of day. We sat out two packets of playing cards in the pits and observed to see who would voluntarily interact with them. To encourage people to play with them we also sat with a deck and played with them so they wouldn’t feel singled out or assume someone dropped them. We played cards for an hour and a half and obtained these results:
- It took 15 minutes for someone to play with them and they played for 5 minutes.
- Four people also sat next for the cards for two hours.
Secondary research
I went online and researched generic signs to find different signs that my group could play with and change to make our own.
I also researched the definition of sign to ensure my groups project fit the brief and so I could maybe twist some of it’s words to create something quirky.
I have also found an article about a man who added floor arrows to an IKEA store creating confusion amongst staff and customers. People alerted the police saying they had been “locked in” the store leading to the man being arrested. Cashiers were found playing on their phones when the authorities arrived because they had no customers. Some people made use of display toilets and a lady almost gave birth on a carpet; messing with the university similar to this will lead to my group getting into trouble so we will look to doing something different for our project.
Final idea
For the final idea I suggested to my group that we add question marks to existing signs around the art school to make people think about what’s already there and to make a tiny alteration to the environment that they wouldn’t typically notice.
This went down well with the observations as we received a wide range of mixed emotions. Most people laughed at the question marks because some of the locations were strange or they couldn’t work out what was different in the first place. Others asked why they were added which was our desired reaction. We wanted viewers to question the simplicity of a question mark being added to an everyday sign or notice.
But unfortunately, the day after we put up the question marks we noticed that most of them had gone missing. Although we ensured they weren’t obstructing important signs, we think someone removed them for safety purposes.
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