I wrote about my planned intervention idea here.
My blog group peers George and Becky were kind enough to offer me their own insights on my idea, which I share below.
George: Interesting to learn about your under-utilised Atelier space. My first thought is that I’d be curious if any UX experience principles or theories could be applied to your project. I imagine the course is digitally rather than spatially oriented, but if there are opportunities for theories learnt in the course to be applied in your intervention, it could add an interesting pedagogic dimension to the project.
I also wonder if you’re planning on administering this survey individually or if you’re completing together in the room itself. It feels like there’s an opportunity to facilitate a conversation with the student group around the use of the space, in the space. You could also use this as an opportunity to stage a discussion also about the design of your survey itself. How do students feel both as a user of the Atelier and as a recipient of a ‘user’ survey? And what might this exercise teach them should they be in a position like yours in the future where they want to gather insights and consensus from a subject or user group?
I think George is right that this is a great opportunity to apply UX research principles to the problem, and I think that the students who are participating in the research will really benefit from seeing our discipline in action in such a tangible way. I am undecided about whether to schedule my research during session time (thus guaranteeing participation, but eating into scheduled learning time), or as an optional session during their afternoon independent study time. As I have just learnt that our face to face contact time will be reduced from 3 to 2 hours per session next block, I think I err on the side of the latter.
We introduce the methodologies of surveying and qualitative research to students in their second unit, so I do think giving them this little teaser will be nice. I am also strongly tempted to revisit with my former first year (now second year) students, as a) they will already know these methodologies so it will be great to see them applied to real world research so relevant to themselves, and b) they will have deeper insight into their workplace preferences than the incoming first years who are still getting to grips with university.
Becky: Perhaps you could introduce a workshop, or Workshop series that asks the students to work in groups and re-design/imagine the space to suit their group’s needs? Not only could you collect feedback from students by providing some sort of framework – e.g. sheets with questions, padlet for uploads, online survey, open discussion with handwritten reflections pasted up in the studio space, but you may be able to collect visuals and see what the students expectations and needs are. By actively involving the students and suggesting how changes can be made in response to their ideas, you may find more active engagement and positive suggestions for making the studio space more inclusive. Could this also be tied in to the User Experience Design curriculum in some way so that it feels relevant to their studies as well as personal interests?
Although I realise there will be budget and time restraints for impacting any direct changes, this insight could grow through consultation with the students and perhaps simpler solutions could be provided for complex individual issues that support a range of needs. I think reflecting on new first years and potentially repeating a developed session at the end of 1st year/beginning of 2nd year might give students more time for reflection on what they actually needed rather than what they thought they needed?
Perhaps if the benefits of your study are recognised, there could be room in the timetable to invite students to be physically involved with altering the space for their needs?
On our course (BA illustration) we consistently get requests for students own dedicated, permanent space in the studio – an issue that has been grappled with for a long time and I wonder if it has come up for you too? Especially as your atelier space is quiet during non teaching times. It seems space in our studio was reduced due to lack of use, however now there is not enough space to cater for individual workspaces the students seem dissatisfied. Part of your study could help identify how students can still create an individual and lasting presence in the studio without having a ‘permanent space’ – e.g. rotation timetables or different days? Lockers/drawers/wall space? Flexible group space and/or permanent spaces.
We have an offsite space in Peckham Levels that is only for students to work in (no teaching). So that we could offer students a fair allocation of using this space, we asked students to submit if they would like a permanent or flexible desk space here, and also asked how likely they were to visit at all. This worked out well as students were given a fair opportunity to speak out about how they would use the space. However no consideration has been given on how to make this space more inclusive and accessible, so my first response would be to ask the students what they would like.
I also wondered if you could look into the research of Annabel Crowley (PG Cert Monday tutor). When I attended a Monday session, she laid out multiple fidget toys for us to use during the session, to help with focus during the session. She mentioned this is part of her ongoing research but thought it could be interesting in relation to what we can add to our environments to help neurodiverse students. A quick search brought this up that I thought might be interesting? https://shadesofnoir.org.uk/content/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-disabled-disability-practitioner/
References that might be helpful:
I came across the term ‘contact zones’, developed by Mary Louise Pratt that may be of interest to you in relation to the HE environment:
‘I use this term to refer to social spaces where cultures meet, clash, and grapple with each other, often in con texts of highly asymmetrical relations of power, such as colonialism, slavery, or their aftermaths as they are lived out in many parts of the world today.’
Pratt, M. L. (1991). Arts of the Contact Zone. Profession, 33–40. http://www.jstor.org/stable/25595469
Article where architecture students were involved in design and build of space – https://sparkjournal.arts.ac.uk/index.php/spark/article/view/103
Could you also acknowledge how some students may feel a barrier to the physical environment due to their needs – can the studio accommodate a more digital approach?
Lee Campbell: ‘Digital Pedagogies Open Studio’: disruptions, interventions and techno-empathy
I hugely appreciated Becky’s in-depth thoughts here! Firstly, I love the idea of running these as workshops, and this has further strengthened my resolve that this research should occur outside of regular scheduled sessions, and instead run as a standalone session. The only risk of this is that some students with less motivation won’t attend, when those are precisely the students whose views I would be most interested in gathering.
Becky again mentions the benefits of tying this to the curriculum — while the timings of introducing these methodologies aren’t quite right for the first years, introducing these research processes in this way can only be a good thing, and may serve me well to refer back to when we do get to introducing them formally later in the year.
I’m interested in what Becky mentioned about ways of establishing permanent space in an inpermanent space (or in a space where it is impossible to offer desk space for all). Our room is so small, and two walls are totally given over to windows, that I cannot see any clear way of doing this. But this is where we must get creative, and I do want to learn from the students, and give them, as Becky says, a chance to ‘speak out’ about what they want from the workspace.
The suggestion of fidget toys is interesting, as I had been considering other potential offerings like noise cancelling ear defenders or headphones, blankets or cushions, or other sensory ways of enhancing the space based on student feedback. I will definitely read Annabel’s research and take this into account!
The question of whether the studio can be made to accomodate a more digital approach, for students who struggle being present physically feels beyond the scope of this project, though it is something I and my team have been discussing seperately.
Anyway, plenty to ponder on here, as I proceed to consider my intervention in more depth!