This blog post outlines my strategies for how I plan to analyse the research I gather, in order to develop proposals for potential interventions to implement.
Interviews
My go-to process for interview analysis is ‘coding’, as outlined by Corbin and Strauss (2008)
(Corbin, J.M. and Strauss, A. (2008) Basics of Qualitative Research: Techniques and Procedures for Developing Grounded Theory. Third Edition. Los Angeles: SAGE Publications, Inc.)
I read this book from cover to cover while undertaking my first serious research project in a professional context, and it truly changed my way of thinking about qualitative research, and the huge potential it contains for deep, rich insight.
Their ‘coding’ processes continue to inform all interview analysis I do to this day. Their process involves close reading of interview transcripts, pulling out key quotations and grouping them into themes, and using these themes to inform overarching insights, summaries, and potential action (in this case, interventions). This is the process I plan to undertake on the material I gather from both students and staff, which will hopefully give me a broad set of categories and subcategories of ideas to work from.
The raw interview transcripts will be stored in UAL’s onedrive system, then for my analysis I will use my preferred text editing/note taking app Notion, which offers richer tools for this kind of work than standard word processing software.
I will also apply this process of coding to any notes taken from discussions which occur during the workshops or observations.
Workshop
As described in my previous Research Methodologies blog, I plan to run a workshop with students which will set them a drawing exercise, asking them to visualise their ‘dream’ work setting.
An important part of this workshop will be the conversations which accompany the main drawing exercise. I will not be recording these, due to the challenges of multiple participants, and wanting everyone to feel comfortable and at ease during the session, but students will be made aware that I am taking notes, and all students will be given information prior to the session and a consent form, granting permission for their drawings and verbal discussions to be used as part of my research. These notes will be analysed using the coding processes described above, the same as my formal interviews.
In terms of how I plan to analyse the collected drawings, the main method will be content analysis, dissecting each drawing and noting common elements, keeping a record of recurring themes across the drawings.
Hurdley describes a similar approach in one study:
“Content analysis of all 150 questionnaire drawings was valuable in producing a comprehensive “common culture” of domestic display practices, which could then be situated within the available literature on design history.
It is also worth noting the role that the students themselves may play in the analysis of the data…
If the research has been completed in close cooperation with the community, the researcher should ask the community to also participate in the analysis of the material
Jokela, T & Huhmarniemi, M. (2019). Art-based action research in the development work of arts and art education. Availab;e at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/335797712_Art-based_action_research_in_the_development_work_of_arts_and_art_education
At the end of the workshop I will conclude with a group discussion and reflection on the completed drawings, welcoming student thoughts on the collective body of work and what ideas it explores (I will take notes on this).
I will then cross reference the themes from the drawings and accompanying discussion with my other research to see where commonalities can be found.
Survey
I hope to recieve somewhere between 50 and 80 responses to my survey (there being around 100 students across all three year groups of BA UXD, this seems realistic, though may prove optimistic).
In terms of analysing the data once it has been recieved, I am keen to visualise the data for easy consumption and analysis. As a graphic designer with many years working in industry, I have plenty of experience of creating compelling data visualisations. For this project I am excited to try a new tool that I have not had the chance to test before, it’s called Flourish, and looks like it has the potential to save me a lot of time and create beautifully clear visualisations in a variety of different styles. If for some reason this does not work as planned, I will work in Adobe Illustrator as I am accustomed to.
Armed with these data visualisations, I will again explore emerging themes around students work practices and preferences, and cross-reference these with those gathered across my other research methods.
Observations
Observation and/or immersion is a research method that I teach and discuss with my UX students, so I am excited to undertake and analyse my own body of observation based research for the first time in a while. We regularly teach using the IDEO Field Guide to Human Centred Design, and they offer a good reminder that:
It’s crucial to record exactly what you see and hear. It’s easy to interpret what’s in front of you before you’ve fully understood it, so be sure you’re taking down concrete details and quotes alongside your impressions. (P52)
The Field Guide to Human-Centered Design by IDEO.org (2015). San Francisco, Calif.: IDEO.org / Design Kit.
During all observations I will make extensive notes of all I see and hear, and will analyse these afterwards using the same coding process described in my interview analysis methodologies above.
Overarching analysis
Referring again to the Ideo Field Guide to Human Centered Design, a number of methods are proposed for grappling with a large body of data like that which will have been gathered using the methods above. Many of these methodologies rely on discussion with a team, and I hope to take advantage of the good will of one or two close colleagues to talk through my findings. The work that I will have done ‘coding’ my research into themes and sub-themes will set me in good stead for this.
In the UX/User research field, two commonly used methodologies which follow from this type of thematic identification work are insight statements and ‘how might we’s’.
Insight statements take the form of “succinct sentences that will point the way forward” (Ideo), and you typically aim to get 3 – 5 of these. (One potential example might be ‘Students find the noise levels in our studio space overwhelming and stressful’)
Following this, ‘How might we’s’ (or in this case ‘How might I’s!) are created. (There is much literature on the use of ‘How might we’s’, one example which I referred to as a refresher was: Rosala, M. (2021) Using “How Might We” Questions to Ideate on the Right Problems, Nielsen Norman Group. Available at: https://www.nngroup.com/articles/how-might-we-questions/ (Accessed: 22 November 2024).
One example following on from the insight statement above might be ‘How might we reduce the noise levels in our studio space’, OR ‘How might we offer students greater control over the noise level in our studio space’. It is important that ‘How might we’ questions do not suggest a solution (yet). (Rosala, 2021)
This process may seem cumbersome or repetitive, but it offers a vital path to ensuring that the design challenge is being framed correctly.
Design processes are consciously designed to make sure you identify the right problem first before wasting time and money on solving the problem right. This sounds almost trivial, but it is indeed fundamental and does not always come naturally. (p86)
Stinkdorn, M. et al. (2016) This is Service Design Doing: Applying Service Design Thinking in the Real World. 1st edition. Sebastopol, CA: O′Reilly.
Armed with these ‘How might we’s’, it’s time to ideate! Continuing to hold in mind all the ideas raised in the research, I will use my ‘How Might We’s’ as a starting point, and begin to note down as many intervention concepts as possible, possibly utilising a methodology like Crazy 8s. (A fast paced drawing activity which aims to avoid overthinking in the initial ideation phase)
Much like I encourage of my students in the workshop, at this stage, nothing is too impossible or speculative. The initial ideas can be as ‘crazy’ as the name of the process suggests, with realism being injected further down the line. This ensures that creative thinking isn’t crushed too early, and that bold ideas can be considered and then refined into potential interventions.
Following this, I take all of my individual ideas and place them on a value matrix:
If I am lucky, there will be one or more ideas in the top left (high value, low effort) quadrant, which I can refine further and implement for my intervention.
In my next post I will share various documentation associated with my research, including information sheets, consent forms, and preparatory email drafts.
There’s a lot to get done and not much time! The main pressure point is the Christmas Break, as I would like to implement my intervention at least two weeks before that, so that I have sufficient time to gather feedback from staff and students. That means I do need to get the ball rolling with my research ASAP!
Ethical Action Plan sign off — COMPLETE (w/c Oct 14th)
Research prep and admin — ONGOING
Staff interview 1 — COMPLETE (w/c Oct 28th)
Staff interview 2 — COMPLETE (w/c Oct 28th)
Staff interview 3 — COMPLETE (w/c Nov 11th)
Student interview (group) — COMPLETE (w/c Nov 11th)
Student workshop — COMPLETE (w/c Nov 4th)
Observation 1 (our studio) — Cancelled/changed*
Observation 2 (our studio) — Cancelled/changed*
Survey — PUBLISHED (w/c Nov 4th) ANALYSIS COMPLETE (w/c Nov 18th)
Research analysis — ANALYSIS COMPLETE (w/c Nov 25th)
Intervention concepts — COMPLETE (w/c Nov 25th)
Intervention implementation — COMPLETE (w/c Dec 2nd)
Gathering data — COMPLETE (w/c Dec 2nd)
Analysing data — COMPLETE (w/c Dec 16th)
Work on presentation — Christmas break (Planned)
Final presentation — January 17th
* I had originally planned to undertake observations. However I struggled to find appropriate times to do this work, and the general consensus was that I am already doing more than enough research for a project of this scale, so I decided to abandon that aspect!
Below I share my Ethical Action Plan, and have added some additional blocks containing feedback from my tutor (JOR).
What is your project focus
Low student uptake of BA UXD’s open-access workshop and technical space. What intervention/s could be introduced that might increase non-timetabled increase usage of our space?
What are you going to read about
Reading about the topic
The importance of ‘the studio’ in design education, other inspiring studio and/or education spaces (considering education at all ages), attendance issues for students, accessibility considerations in spaces, sensory experiences of study and work spaces (and more TBC).
Reading about research methods
Good interview protocol, trauma informed interviewing (in case discussion of working spaces triggers any specific concerns or negative associations for students, for example around their home life), the role of conversation in action research projects, refresher on qualitative research, workshop facilitation, advice on writing good surveys, good ethnographic/observation practice.
'Trauma-informed interviewing' — this is great. Really thoughtful and insightful example. It is easy (at least for me) to sometimes forget the scope of what effects students — JOR
What action are you going to take in your teaching practice
I won’t know the action until I have done the research! The research will consist of:
Student interviews
Interviews with BA UXD students, asking the following questions:
Where do you spend most of your time working on university or other creative work?
Why do you work here?
What things do you like about your main workspace?
What things do you wish were better about your main workspace?
What puts you off working in the BA UXD studio?
Do you have any other thoughts about our studio space?
Staff interviews
The technician who works in our space every afternoon
Another course leader who has a long history of establishing good studio community on his course
Disability Support Advisor who works with ISA students, asking what complaints she hears about workspaces from an accessibility perspective
Questions for these interviews will be bespoke for each member of staff, and the interviews will more than likely take more of a freeform conversation than a very guided set of questions. They will be recorded using my phone, transcribed using otter.ai, and coded/analysed in notion. All raw interview files will be deleted on all platforms at the end of the project, and any remaining content anonymised. If needed, I may instead ask these questions by email.
Student workshop
After being introduced to my research by email ahead of time, first year students will complete paper consent forms, and then be invited to draw and annotate their dream workspace. This will be framed as a form of speculative design — by imagining a perhaps impossible or imagined ideal space, potential recurring themes and ideas of areas for improvement of our real space may arise. This kind of speculative, wide ranging thinking will also serve to introduce this practice to first year students who may not have encountered this way of thinking/working before. The workshop would run during afternoon studio time with Y1 BA UXD students whose participation would be optional. During the activity, general conversation about what makes a workspace good may occur. This would not be recorded, but anonymised notes taken, with consent.
This looks great. I love the use of dream here. Is this literally dream, would it be useful to do some speculative design (then analyse and see what it reveals) alongside more literal wishes? The drawing and annotation is so great here, it opens up the practices of 'representation' for students. — JOR
Student survey
All BA UX students across 3 years (subject to my course leader giving me permission!) would be emailed asking them to complete a very short survey. The context of the survey would be made very clear, and also that the data is only used for my academic research, not as a marker of their performance (with regards using or not using the studio space).
So good in its awareness of how participation or response might be perceived — JOR
The survey would ask the following questions:
Not including taught sessions, fill in percentage estimates of how much of your creative (university or other design) work time you spend working in the following places (your total should make up 100%): Your bedroom / Another room in your own accommodation / A friend’s accommodation / Our studio / The LCC library / Another library (specify) / Somewhere else in the LCC building (specify) / Coffee shops or cafes / Public transport / Other
Questions about each sense (hearing, sight, touch, smell, taste) — prompting students to consider their preferences while working (for example how they like to sit, whether they like to eat and drink, whether they like accompanying sound/music or not)
What one change would you make to our workspace in T405 to improve it
These questions may be changed or added to once I have done more reading about high quality surveying processes, but I will be running them past my course leader before sending out, so they will be approved by someone knowledgeable about ethics and qual/quant research.
Love this too. The tube. The train? The Gym? This also about bodies as much as spaces? — JOR
Observation
Observation of two workspaces:
Our workspace, the subject of my study
Another course’s studio which has much better uptake
I will situate myself in each workspace for around 2 hours and observe students use of the space. I would not be observing the specific work they are doing, just how long students are in the space, how they use it (group work, silent solo work, using the machinery/technician etc). I would put a poster on the door explaining what I am doing during the times I am there. Once this research is complete, I will develop an intervention, which will consist of one (probably relatively small, simple) change to the studio setting.
Who will be involved and how
Students and staff, as described in detail above.
What are health and safety concerns and how will you prepare for them
As far as I can think, the only health and safety concerns will be those associated with regular studio use, all of which are covered by our usual health and safety policies. Additional staff presence will always be maintained, because of the way both spaces I wish to conduct my research in are run. In T405 Nathan the technician will be present, and in T409 Joel Karamath (IDA course lead) will be present in the office next door with glass window for line of sight. For solo interviews these may take place in person or online, but I cannot forsee any health and safety concerns.
How will you protect the data of those involved
Interview data will be anonymised. Stored on Onedrive and Notion and original interview transcripts deleted after set period of time (by Feb next year). Special additional consent will be sought for use of any identifiable data (if applicable). Survey data will be anonymised and visualised collectively. Students illustrations in the workshop may be compiled and presented as part of my overall project, but students will be made aware of this and their participation is optional.
How will you work with your participants in an ethical way
I will seek informed consent for all direct conversations (interviews and workshop) via both verbal consent and signed forms which include an information sheet and information on how to withdraw at a later date if desired. In the case of interviews, surveys and workshops, these forms, and other details about my research will be supplied to participants ahead of time, so that they are able to read in their own time and provide truly informed consent. Interviewees will be briefed on trauma informed approach to interviewing (on info sheet and verbally) and I will be prepared to signpost to additional support if needed.
All participation in my research will be optional, and while there will be no monetary reimbursement for participation, interviewees will be offered a hot drink and a snack from the typo cafe, and students participating in the workshop will be provided with snacks.
Additionally, given our educational context as a User Experience Design course, user-centred research is a core part of our curriculum, so involvement in this research will directly tie in with the learning outcomes of the course. This will hopefully mean that involement in this research will be a rewarding experience for students, who will get to see their subject interest in action.
This is excellent. FWIW all the steps you are taking feel like 'teachable moments' for students who do their own enquiry. — JOR
For my observation based research, signage will be added to the doors of the rooms I am observing informing any entering students of my research purposes and assuring them that all gathered data will be anonymised and not connected to their studies, attendance or visa status.
All participants will be invited to view my final project to see the outcomes of my research.
In general:
Your thoughts on 'Home' reminded me that when I worked on MA Innovation Management we used to do a 'discourse analysis' of trends/buzzwords/concepts, across different sectors. Also mapping, what is included in the binary structure of culture, the 'anti-home' ('away'!). 'Home' on the surface is ...homely, but of course it includes, always included, all sorts of other significations, for Freud the 'unheimlich' the 'uncanny', is literally translated as the 'unhomely'. But just to say, appreciate your radar/skillfulness around cultural blind-spots such as 'home', which as you suggest can bring many different significances to the table beyond the 'norm'. — JOR
My next blog posts will explore how I plan to analyse my gathered research, and my project schedule.
In this post I will share my planned research methodologies for my Action Research Project enquiry into improving students use and experience of our open-access studio space.
Interviews
Who?
I plan to interview selected students and staff.
The students I interview will be selected from the current second year group — the reason for this is that a) these students have already had a year to learn about their own working practices and preferences as university students, and b) these students have experience of the period of time when our studio was offered on more of an open access basis.
For the staff interviews, I will interview three members of staff. The first of these being our studio technician, who has spent more time in the studio during unprogrammed periods than any other member of staff. The second will be our course’s disability support advisor, with whom I will discuss the typical issues raised by students around successfully accessing and working in our studio space and others like it. The third will be with another course leader who has a long history of successfully fostering an open, collaborative, welcoming studio culture — what are his secrets? (Conveniently, his studio is almost identical in size and position in the building as ours, so he is working with the same basic infrastructure).
How?
I have extensive experience of conducting research interviews thanks to a previous professional role in a tech and research studio, where I led a number of in-depth research projects.
Nonetheless, I still wanted to brush up on my interviewing process with some preparatory reading.
I decided to undertake Catalyst’s ‘Learn User Research’ course for a short refresher on user research interviews, and found lesson 2 on writing research questions particularly helpful. It was a good reminder that:
“[Your interview questions] define a scope for your research and act as its guiding star. They have a domino effect on everything you do.”
I found this helpful as a reminder of how much thought I should put into writing my research questions, and that I should return to them frequently to consider whether they do what I need them to, before I actually deliver them.
I also appreciated the insights gained from Feldman in ‘The role of conversation in collaborative action research’, particularly with regards the interview conversations that I plan to have with my colleagues — the fact that these interviews can and should be thought of as collaborations, as myself and my colleagues attempt to problem solve and iterate through discussion. Feldman states that:
“…oral inquiry processes are not just ‘teacher talk;’ that for these exchanges to be research, they ‘follow specific theoretically grounded procedures and … require careful preparation and collection of data, and rely on careful documentation. As a result, they are self-conscious, and can be selfcritical, attempts by teachers to improve and understand their practice.” (P127)
Feldman, A. (1999) ‘The role of conversation in collaborative action research’, Educational Action Research, 7(1), pp. 125–147. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/09650799900200076.
While conducting interviews (particularly with students), I am mindful of the potential these conversations may have to raise challenging issues. In discussing studio space, we naturally stray into talking about other places which students’ work, like accommodation and the home, and students’ history of work-spaces and their comfort undertaking their practice in various settings. Being aware that in some cases this might raise past trauma is vital — being mindful of this I must be ready to support and signpost as needed.
“Trauma refers to the sustained effects of harmful events or experiences widely recognized to include extraordinary events such as disasters, violence and accidents, as well as less ‘extraordinary’ processes of lives and relationships, including abuse, neglect, betrayal and relational dynamics (SAMSHA 2014). The effects of exposure to such events are varied and personal but commonly include alterations to perceptions of safety, self and worldview” (P2)
“…it is likely that many research participants will have experienced trauma in their lives and that while this may not be the focus of the research, sensitivity and awareness are required” (P1)
Isobel, S. (2021) ‘Trauma‐informed qualitative research: Some methodological and practical considerations’, International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 30(S1), pp. 1456–1469. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/inm.12914.
Workshop
Who?
I plan to conduct a one-off workshop with my BA UXD first year students during one of their afternoon mandatory studio sessions, during which we as tutors typically set fairly expansive, free-form activities, as well as allowing them to pursue their own study interests. Participation in my workshop will be optional, but students will be informed of it ahead of time, and offered information and a consent form to participate.
How
The workshop will consist of a brief presentation, followed by one main activity, which is asking the students to create and annotate a drawing of their dream workspace (i.e. if they could have everything exactly as they please, what would it be like?). While this activity is taking place, free form conversation will take place about the students ideas.
As well as providing me with research material for my project, this will also serve pedagogically to introduce these students to the notion of speculative design and research, and of the power of drawing as a qualitative research tool.
Of course, many of their ideas will most likely be wildly speculative and perhaps impossible to realise, but through the (hopefully enjoyable process) of visualising these fantasy settings, we will again hope to see emerging themes.
During an earlier PG Cert unit I enjoyed reading Salamon’s reflections on the use of drawing as a research tool, which partially inspired my own workshop concept:
“The project informally piloted a co-curricular space where drawing extends beyond traditional expectations and is used as a research tool”
Salamon, M. (2018) ‘Drawing laboratory: Research workshops and outcomes‘, Spark: UAL Creative Teaching and Learning Journal, Vol 3, Issue 2
I also have a long history of using drawing as a tool for research and reflection, and truly believe in its power to unlock insights beyond those which other research methods can.
As Pauwels (2019) notes,
More importantly, the visual stimuli may also trigger the interviewees to speak about their deeper feelings or past experiences and reveal their positionality toward the subject under study. Visual materials with the right “projective” potential (open-ended, not too specific or detailed, yet relating broadly to the issue at hand) in combination with a competent interviewer and engaged interviewees may generate unique forms of verbal feedback or data that need to be carefully analyzed as multilayered expressions
I am a big fan of the use of drawing exercises as a mode of research, study and reflection. Hurdley (2019) states that:
“…drawing is largely viewed as an activity for children, artistic geniuses, or creative professionals”
But as he goes on to clarify, this need not be the case, and:
“…even the simplest drawing is a political, cultural product.”
Crucially, I want participation in my research to also feel valuable and engaging for the students who are involved, and as Hurdley says, drawing is a good way to foster greater engagement:
Spending time on a drawing can engage participants, so they are more invested and interested in a research project. Making drawing a group activity, either by working on individual images or collaboratively, can also encourage reflective conversations.
I plan to conduct a survey which will be sent to all current BA UXD students, years 1, 2 and 3, to gain some more quantitative data around students use of our studio and general reflections on their working practices.
How?
As a UX lecturer, I am very well aware of the potential pros and cons of survey based research, and regularly see students mis-using the format to ask qualitative questions. I have been careful to plan my survey questions such that they do not fall into these traps.
As O’Leary rightly notes:
“While surveys can offer much to the production of knowledge, their reputation for being a relatively simple, straightforward and inexpensive approach is not really deserved — they can be a thorny and exasperating process, particularly if you want to do it right” (P239)
O’Leary, Z. (2021) The Essential Guide to Doing Your Research Project. Fourth edition. Los Angeles London New Delhi Singapore Washington DC Melbourne: SAGE Publications Ltd.
Converse and Presser (1986) additionally state that when writing a survey:
“A designer must cut and try, see how it looks and sounds, see how people react to it, and then cut again, and try again. Handcrafting a questionnaire involves successive trials” (p48)
Sadly given the scope and timeframe of this project, I do not have the ability to conduct this type of iterative survey writing and development approach, but I appreciate the craft of it, and in future, larger scale projects which involve surveys, certainly would aim to work in this way!
I will use Microsoft forms to create my survey. My favourite tool is typeform, which I have used in the past — it creates a beautiful and enjoyable experience for the person filling in the survey and offers great tools for viewing the data gathered, but sadly the free plan does not offer enough responses for my requirements. My preferred free tool is Google forms, but given the need to follow stringent data protection guidelines as stipulated in my ethics form, using Microsoft Forms connected to my UAL account offers the best tie in with OneDrive and other UAL encrypted services. I have not used Microsoft Forms before, but trust that it will be similarly user-friendly.
My view is that the data I gather in this survey will serve as quantitative evidence to reinforce my qualitative findings, and in partnerhsip with my other forms of research, is valid. It also ensures I get viewpoints from the entire BA UX cohort, not just first and second years.
Observations/Immersion
Who?
I plan to conduct two observations, each of around 2 hours. The first will be within our own studio space, during one of our first years’ afternoon sessions, to see how they use the space. The second will be on another course, whose aforementioned course leader I plan to interview about the success of his studio culture.
How?
I am a particular fan of observation and immersion as research methodologies, and am interested in the subtle differences between the two. As Thomas notes while discussing immersion:
“Accompanying your user through an experience can help provide insight into struggles and delights that might not naturally come up in an interview setting.” (p99)
Thomas, S.E. (2020) The Practical Guide to Experience Design: A Guidebook for Passionate, Curious, and Intentional People Who Enjoy Designing for Humans. Artificial Publishing.
It is worth considering the difference between observation and immersion, as in the example given above, it is suggested that the researcher may want to proactively discuss things with the research subject while they undertake the given experience, whereas an obervation would serve only to observe, not to interact.
As IDEO suggest in their ‘Field Guide to Human Centered Design’ it may be best to make a judgement call based on what seems right as the research progresses:
“Once you’re in-context, there are lots of ways to observe the people you’re designing for. Spend a day shadowing them, have them walk you through how they make decisions, play fly on the wall and observe them as they cook, socialize, visit the doctor—whatever is relevant to your challenge”
The Field Guide to Human-Centered Design by IDEO.org (2015). San Francisco, Calif.: IDEO.org / Design Kit.
Indeed, this is my plan. Students will be informed of my presence with a sign and information on the door. If the studio is very busy, I will simply play ‘fly on the wall’ and note-take around students use of the space. If the studio is quieter, I may initiate informal conversations with students to discuss their use of the space.
While this approach is assumed to predominantly gather qualitative data, there is the possibility of also gathering quantitiative data:
Besides obvious qualitative research, such as observing body language, gestures, flow, usage of space or artifacts, interactions, and the like, researchers can also do some quantitative research, such as counting (a) how many customers within the hour pass by a shop, (b) how many of these come into the shop, and (c) how many of these start interacting with employees. (P43)
Stinkdorn, M. et al. (2018) This is Service Design Doing Methods: A Companion to This Is Service Design Doing. 1st edition. Sebastopol, CA: O′Reilly.
Either approach should lead to rich insights about how the studio space actually functions day to day, though it is worth acknowledging that the students present in an optional timetabled session will be those who have chosen to be there, not those who I am particularly interested in — those who choose to work elsewhere. Nonetheless I believe that there are still insights to be gained from this process, in partnership with all the other research described above.
In the next post I will share my Ethical Action Plan and accompanying insights from my tutor.
In summary, I am concerned and curious about low student uptake of my course’s* open-access workshop and technical space, and asking what intervention/s could be introduced that might increase non-timetabled usage of our space. (*BA User Experience Design at LCC).
It is worth noting that since I wrote my original intervention proposal, our timetabling has been adjusted in a way which effectively forces students to use the studio (by inserting more unstructured sessions into their formal timetabling), and thus removing all ‘non-timetabled’ availability of the space.
That said, I do believe that my research is still relevant, as what I aim to learn is the historic reasons behind students reluctance to use the space other than when mandated. I hope that by gaining these insights and enacting interventions accordingly, I may be able to improve overall student satisfaction, comfort and success during their time spent in our studio.
Why does it matter?
I previously explored these ideas in more depth in my IP Intervention Proposal, but as a refresher:
Orr and Shreeve (2017) note that the studio is a signature pedagogy of art and design.
“A space may not seem like pedagogy, but in its widest sense the studio helps structure what can and does take place when students learn, and it has been a central part of organised learning in visual arts for more than a century. This space also echoes those found in professional working environments… There is usually no central focus for the lecturer to hold forth, but rather students create a social learning environment discussing amongst peers and enabling the tutor to explore progress and work and to hold group or individual tutorials.” (p88 – 90)
Orr, S. and Shreeve, A. (2017) Art and Design Pedagogy in Higher Education: Knowledge, Values and Ambiguity in the Creative Curriculum. 1st edition. London ; New York: Routledge.
Students’ participation and engagement with the physical space of the studio is a vital part of both their own growth as practitioners and creatives, and their preparation for professional life (for many of them, this will involve work in a studio setting). Additionally, by fully engaging with the active social and study life of the studio, students will build connections with their peers and tutors, which can transcend learning outcomes, and build true bonds of support and solidarity which will guide them through their (often early adulthood) university years. I have previously explored Ray Oldenburg’s ideas about ‘third places’, where he describes how:
“…regulars “do for one another,” as they would for blood relatives and old friends. They give things they no longer need; they loan items they still want; they do what they can to relieve hardship when it befalls “one of the gang.” When someone doesn’t “show” for a couple of days, somebody goes around to check on them.” (p20)
Oldenburg, R. (1999) The Great Good Place: Cafes, Coffee Shops, Bookstores, Bars, Hair Salons, and Other Hangouts at the Heart of a Community. 3rd edition. New York : Berkeley, Calif.: Da Capo Press.
This type of mutual support and connection is, in my view, a vital part of university life which should be fostered and encouraged at all opportunities.
As well as this, given UAL’s incredibly diverse cohort, the studio, as an unprogrammed, open-access space, can and should be a place for mutual understanding and connection to grow, both amongst and across different groups of students.
“Identities such as race, class, gender, ethnicity, religion, and disability are important social aspects of learning, and play an important role as students begin to explore and understand their own positionality and how that positionality intersects with systems of oppression in academic spaces.” (p4)
S0 with all these reasons why the studio is important, I feel it is vital to reflect on why it is not always students’ preferred place for working, and why many miss out on its associated benefits.
There are a wide variety of reasons why this might be the case — I am particularly interested in the socio-economic and accessibility issues which might cause students to choose to work elsewhere. As noted in my IP intervention proposal, while some of these may be outside of my control, it still feels important to understand and consider them.
I have discussed these issues in more depth here, (with accompanying reading) but am keen to approach my research here afresh, as I unpack the actual stories which students and staff bring to me during the course of my research.
In my next blog post, I will share my planned research methodologies, and the background behind these.
When it came to considering the theme for my ARP, I had a number of different ideas, which it seems worth mentioning below — though these have been pursued no further than vague initial thoughts, they all present areas for potential future research or ideation into my teaching practice.
Pronoun practice
Having had a number of both students and university colleagues whose pronouns may fall outside of what is typically expected (as well as my long-term partner being they/them), I have thought a great deal about how pronouns can be introduced in the context of the university classroom (and/or staff room) in a clear, compassionate, respectful way. This may be of particular relevance to those for whom English may be a second language, and/or to those for whom unconventional pronouns may be a new thing.
Pastoral pondering
I am particularly passionate about the pastoral side of student interactions, and the role that academic staff can play in both supporting and signposting students appropriately. In my free time I volunteer with the anti-suicide charity Samaritans as a ‘listener’, which has further enhanced both my skills and curiosity around the power of ‘listening’ and creating safe spaces for students. I had considered the ideas of creating some structure for tutorials which prepares students for the pastoral aspect that may come into play. i.e. ‘When I say ‘how are you’? what do I mean?’ — the fact that ‘how are you’ transends the typical ‘fine thanks!’ default response that is often expected, and that tutorials are a safe space to open up. “When I say ‘how are you?’ I mean — how is your accommodation, how are your friendships and relationships, do you feel safe, how are you doing financially, how is your mood, and more.” There might also potentially be some power in introducing the Samaritans ‘listening wheel’ to both tutors and other students, to help expand on our ability to meaningfully listen, and hear.
Sustainability in UX workshops
I have often pondered the challenge of moving past paper workshopping activities in UX. How can we do post-its and/or brainstorming sheets differently? While there are online solutions (miro, figjam etc) they often lessen engagement and animation amonst students. But sometimes I feel like some workshopping activities take an entire tree’s worth of paper to do well. Exploring experimental approaches to reducing paper while maintaining physical tangibility in a workshop context felt like it might have some potential.
Decolonising project concepts
Considering how to celebrate and recognise (and encourage) when students are bringing aspects of their own culture into projects (specifically with relation to UX) — asking how to better support students undertaking work which may be about unfamiliar things to us. For e.g. I had a student last year who was determined to research enneagram tests — it turns out these have substantially more cultural significance in China, which I was not aware of until finding out by chance after her project ws complete. We have also had lots of students wanting to do projects about ghosts/dreams, which have seemed to have sepecifc cultural relevance that I have not been aware of. Also more generally, we regularly get students wanting to undertake projects about services or experiences in other countries, like a fascinating project about undertakers in China (which it turns out is a very stigmatised profession there), and another great project about midwifery services in India. Asking: how to bring a non-western sensibility to supporting students, while also acknowledging that we cannot possible know everything about every context. Potentially developing tools or workshops that faciliate students to better articulate the cultural context of their ideas in a way which ‘helps us to help them’?
Workspace toolkit
This sits adjacent to my final project concept and may yet connect further.
As part of another role, I played a part in compliling a publication which we called a ‘Guide to inclusive events‘. The publication was aimed at those who were already dedicated to putting on trans-led or trans friendly events, and supported them to understand more intersectional access needs, particularly for the trans disabled and/or neurodiverse community. It included a simple questionnaire to help events organisers reflect on what they were alredy doing, and what they could do better. In reference to this, I wanted to consider putting together some kind of similar tool kit to help students better understand where and how they work best, why, and how to find/build their ideal work space. It might describe many possible work spaces, so that students can reflect on them (our studio, small work rooms, library, coffee shop, your house etc).
My next blog post will discuss in more depth my actual ARP concept!
I am year 1 lead on BA UXD at LCC. We are lucky to have a dedicated studio, which also contains a selection of technical equipment with supporting technician. We call our space ‘the Atelier’, and share similar aspirations for it as Fattizzo and Vania (2021) (1):
“The objective was to “reinstate the importance of workshop teaching, as a meeting point between knowledge and know-how” and to transform workshops into “places of innovation and creativity.” … “a place of research, invention, and empathy expressed through 100 languages,” becomes “a meeting point for manual skills, crafts, creativity and technology”
Our course emphasises the importance of hands-on research and prototyping, which is fostered within a creative, collaborative space like our Atelier.
Hari (L) and Nathan (R), technicians, in the workshop corner of the Atelier
This space is available to all BAUXD students for self-directed learning during afternoons, yet very few students make use of it. Why is that? This is what I aim to research, and will consider what small interventions can be made that will increase student uptake of the space.
As an undergraduate back in 2007 – 2010, I was faced with a similar situation. We had a large, dedicated studio space, which I stubbornly refused to use until my third year, when sure enough, I finally attended, built creative community with my peers, and my work flourished as a result.
My own undergraduate studio space c 2009, where a great sense of creative community was fosteredRegular attendance by many students, even outside of session times, enriched all of our creative practice through discussion and collaboration.
How much better my academic progress might have been if I had taken advantage of this space earlier. Informed by this personal undergraduate journey, I want to try and give my students a better experience than my own.
Intervention Plan
Firstly, I will undertake qualitative research workshops. I will speak to second years (who have already had a year’s access to the atelier), and incoming first years (to discover their initial perceptions of the space and its usability).
I will utilise methodologies which tie into our UX curriculum, so these workshops will both inform my own research, and show students our user research practice in action.
We will use tools like mind maps, post-its, surveys and open discussions to tease out students’ personal feelings about the Atelier, and what changes might make it a more accessible, hospitable, usable space.
We will also undertake some wider reflective exercises on students’ personal definitions of what constitutes a good workspace, and how they might apply their own individual interventions within both the Atelier and their home workspaces.
After the workshop, I will offer students the opportunity to communicate with me directly if they wish, in case there were any aspects of their experience that they did not feel comfortable disclosing previously. I am mindful of not forcing students to share any aspect of their identity or experience which they do not want to, particularly in a group context.
I will then analyse the findings from this research to draw up a list of actions we might take to increase the Atelier’s usage. I will situate these on a value/effort quadrant chart, and immediately pursue those which are easy and high value. I will put in place plans to enact at a later date those which are hard but high value, and those which are easy but low value will be enacted on a case by case basis, as and when appropriate.
Why does it matter that students use the Atelier?
Pedagogy
Orr and Shreeve (2017) (2) reflect on the studio as a signature pedagogy of art and design courses.
“A space may not seem like pedagogy, but in its widest sense the studio helps structure what can and does take place when students learn, and it has been a central part of organised learning in visual arts for more than a century. This space also echoes those found in professional working environments… There is usually no central focus for the lecturer to hold forth, but rather students create a social learning environment discussing amongst peers and enabling the tutor to explore progress and work and to hold group or individual tutorials.
They note that:
“Ideally the studio is an active, busy and social place where learning is visible and open to discussion through active participation” (2)
It is precisely this ‘busyness’ which I seek to foster, for both the pedagogical and social benefits it imbues.
Social benefits/care
During my MA I explored the importance of the ‘third places’ — a concept introduced by sociologist Ray Oldenburg in his book ‘The Great Good Place’. (A person’s ‘first place’ is their home. ‘Second places’ are workplaces or educational settings. ‘Third Places’ are public spaces where members of the community come together and connect — for example, libraries, hairdressers, pubs, community centres and so on.)
While our Atelier is a ‘second place’, I want to see whether the power of community culture fostered within third places is possible to organically build in our context.
“In the convivial atmosphere of third places, people get to know one another and to like one another and then to care for one another. When people care for one another, they take an interest in their welfare; and this is a vastly superior form of welfare than that obtained by governmental programs. It is based on mutual consent, genuine empathy, and real understanding of peoples’ situations. Nobody is a “case.” Third place regulars “do for one another,” as they would for blood relatives and old friends. They give things they no longer need; they loan items they still want; they do what they can to relieve hardship when it befalls “one of the gang.” When someone doesn’t “show” for a couple of days, somebody goes around to check on them.” (P20)
Empowerment
The potential this kind of atmosphere has for empowerment, particularly amongst marginalised groups, is huge. I would like students to feel more able to use the Atelier as a safe space for community and connection. Sibrian et al (2023) (4) discuss the potential power of spaces to facilitate liberation for students of colour:
“Spaces for collective racial healing within predominantly white institutions are meant to support the path to collective liberation for Black students, Indigenous students, and students of color. It is imperative that we intentionally create racial healing spaces that support the identities and experiences of students of color on a predominantly white institution.” (p1)
I want the Atelier to be a place where connections between students are allowed to grow and flourish, in a way which provides a powerful support network during their years of study.
“Identities such as race, class, gender, ethnicity, religion, and disability are important social aspects of learning, and play an important role as students begin to explore and understand their own positionality and how that positionality intersects with systems of oppression in academic spaces.” (p4)
Given the importance of the studio space for academic outcomes, social and identity growth, and general university quality of life, we need to work to make this space as accessible and welcoming as possible to all students.
What barriers might currently exist to access
Disability
I have been particularly concerned that there may be ways our studio space is inaccessible or unwelcoming to those disabilities. The UAL data dashboards show that 17% of enrolled students have one or more declared disabilities (and there may be more who do not declare), meaning in a class of 40, it’s likely that at least 6 or 7 students meet this criteria. This certainly fits with my knowledge of my own student group this last year.
Physical disability
In ‘What Can a Body Do’, Sara Hendren explores ‘the things we use and the spaces we inhabit’ through the lens of physical disability, reflecting on how our world might be better designed to accommodate these. She discusses the potential of co-design to solve problems:
“The process through which it was created is an instance of what’s called ‘co-design’: the ideas belong to the group, and the end product is the result of an interactive social process” (p.89)
Co-design is a common methodology within UX (alongside human centred design), and by bringing that thought process into this research process, I will be drawing on the communal expertise of our students and their own lived experiences.
Neurodiversity
There are many bodies of research exploring how to improve accessibility from a sensory perspective, I have found the CIPD’s Neurodiversity at Work Guide (6), and the BBC’s UX&D ‘Neurodiversity and buildings checklist’ (7) particularly insightful.
“Many aspects of the typical working environment can act as barriers that prevent neurodivergent employees – particularly those with acute sensory sensitivity – from performing at their best at work.” (CIPD p 35)
“In the same way that environments such as workspaces and public buildings are usually audited to consider physical accessibility, if sensory responses and preferences of Neurodiverse communities are better understood it will be possible to create shared environments that more closely meet everyone’s needs. (BBC UX&D)
The Podcast 99% invisible also explores neurodiversity and spaces from a variety of perspectives in their ‘Autism Pleasantville’ episode (8):
“Magda noticed how ingenious the students were, curating spaces to take care of themselves. She used these findings to inform her design decisions.”
Many neurodiverse students are already very aware of their own needs, and have developed personal methodologies to ‘curate’ spaces for themselves. I am keen to learn from all of our students to see whether any of their personal interventions may scale up. Because it is well worth noting that:
“…taking steps to be inclusive of neurodivergent people will often result in ‘universal accommodations’ – adjustments that benefit all employees, job-seekers, or customers.” (CIPD p8)
I saw this in practice earlier this year, when one student requested that the fluorescent lighting in our space be made less intense, and several other students later offered thanks for the change.
Socio-economic
For students on our course from underprivileged socio-economic backgrounds, the potential of a welcoming studio space is huge. The challenges faced by many in heating homes during the winter are well documented (Save the Student) (9), with many students living in substandard accommodation (Gov.uk) (10). Here, we can provide not just community and desk space, but also a place to exist in comfort which may not be affordable or otherwise possible at home.
Caitlin Shepherd explores this in her PhD research (11), which promises to support:
“scholars and artists examining how theories and practices of listening and care can facilitate candid conversations and action on pervasive intersectional class inequality. A structural problem endemic to the arts, and society at large” (p7)
She reflects on how:
“the conditions of labour within the creative and cultural industries have been exposed to be precarious, coming with significant hidden costs and validation gaps. Because of these barriers, the creative and cultural industries remain inaccessible to people without a surplus of creative, social, and economic capital.”
It is vitally important that we do our utmost to overcome these potential barriers to success in the creative industries, which can already be manifest within the creative university setting.
I am keen to discover any barriers to accessing the studio space which students might experience from a socioeconomic perspective, and though I recognise that many of these may be beyond the scope of this intervention to pursue immediately, I hope that my research can better inform aspects of course budgeting going forwards.
Feedback from peers and colleagues
In the early stages of planning my intervention, I shared my ideas with Georgina Voss (former UAL course leader) and Deb Chachra, (Professor of Engineering at Olin College, Massachussets) — we discussed ways in which they had attempted to make their own teaching spaces more accessible. Deb reflected on how fortunate she felt to work at Olin, where the campus (designed by Perry Dean Architects in 2002) was built as much as possible with environmental and accessibility considerations at its heart from the outset. I am indebted to Georgina for pointing me in the direction of Caitlin Shepherd’s fascinating work, and to both Deb and Georgina for reminding me about Sara Hendren’s excellent ‘What can a body do’.
I shared my intervention idea with colleagues on BA UXD, specifically our acting course leader Keir Williams, and my fellow lecturers Patrick Bull and Antonella Nonnis. We have shared in disappointment that the studio space is not more used, and have reflected on potential solutions. The research that I conduct with students will help directly inform whether our own ideas for interventions are valid, and whether there are other potential actions which had not occurred to us. Keir and Antonella have a history of research around autistic children, pedagogy and play, and I valued the thread of research which Keir sent me down around Montessori Schools and their different ways of thinking about teaching spaces.
Finally, discussion with my PGCert blog group peers has been particularly fruitful in terms of specifically planning the intervention. Both George and Becky reflected on the valuable pedagogical potential of bringing UX methodologies into this research, and how my workshops can serve the dual purpose of furthering my own research, and showing first and second year UX students what this kind of research looks like in practice. It also serves to expand our students understanding of UX beyond merely the digital, and into more spatial and service design domains, which truly view the notion of ‘experience’ in a holistic manner.
I am excited to undertake this research and resulting interventions at the beginning of the new academic year in September/October 2024, and hopefully support our Atelier to become a thriving creative and social space for more of our students, particularly for those with specific identities or intersecting identities which might currently affect their access.
Bibliography
Fattizzo, T. and Vania, P. (2021) ‘Montessori Creativity Space: Making a Space for Creativity’, in D. Scaradozzi et al. (eds) Makers at School, Educational Robotics and Innovative Learning Environments. Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 113–117. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-77040-2_15.
Orr, S. and Shreeve, A. (2017) Art and Design Pedagogy in Higher Education: Knowledge, Values and Ambiguity in the Creative Curriculum. 1st edition. London ; New York: Routledge. (P.88 – 90)
Oldenburg, R. (1999) The Great Good Place: Cafes, Coffee Shops, Bookstores, Bars, Hair Salons, and Other Hangouts at the Heart of a Community. 3rd edition. New York : Berkeley, Calif.: Da Capo Press.
Contractor, R., Janus, A. and Patel, Y. (2018) ‘Beyond design, detail, print: The Tech Futures Lab design-build studio’, Spark: UAL Creative Teaching and Learning Journal, 3(2), pp. 161–171.
Matos, A. (ed.) (2022) Who can afford to be critical?: An Inquiry Into What We Can’t Do Alone, as Designers, and Into What We Might Be Able to Do Together, as People. 1st edition. Eindhoven: Set Margins’ publications.
‘Queer Spaces: Behind The Scene’ (no date). Available at: https://www.queerspaces.uk (Accessed: 29 June 2024).
Salama, A. (2006) ‘Editorial: Committed Educators are Reshaping Studio Pedagogy’, Open House International, 31(3), pp. 4–9. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1108/OHI-03-2006-B0001.
1559 words not including titles, quotes, captions or bibliography.
Becky’s post on disability and intersectionality is here.
I said:
I applaud you for managing to offer reflections on all three videos — very succinct and useful summaries, a challenge within the word count! I really like the tool you’ve created for yourself — what a smart way of keeping these things easily at the front of your mind. You’ve chosen really evocative words in the mnemonic that I think will really help with not just your own work, but also, if you consider ways of sharing this, other people’s. (Feels like a poster might be in order?! 😉
I also hugely appreciate you noting the government’s oncoming changes to the welfare system. I am in total agreement with you about the devastating effect this is going to have on countless thousands of people across the country. And of course, as we have been reflecting on over these last couple of weeks, those most at risk from these brutal cuts will be those who are disadvantaged by multiple intersecting elements of their identity. I share your concerns about how this will affect not just students, but also our fellow staff, and I thank you for highlighting it.
Becky responded:
I think the contemporary political agenda is something that is at the forefront of a lot of our minds at UAL and the impact that certain decisions have had on both our staff and students is a serious cause for concern. Talking to others who have lived, worked or studied abroad and hearing how their Governments’ support health care, housing, education in more people centred ways (Germany, Norway, The Netherlands for a start) proves how better examples exist and do work to enable people to function at their best. Sadly I see so both students and staff struggling with basic needs such as their living situation and health, that impacts greatly on their current experience and abilities. I hope changes are to come in the next year that will see our students, staff and more widely our population being able to feel like they can grow in a supportive environment, rather than the unstable situation we find ourselves in. Hopefully the vote today can be a step towards that change!
George’s blog post on disability and intersectionality is here.
I said:
I really love the framing you’ve chosen for this blog, around where eco-activism and disability intersect. I’ve read a bit about this previously, and it has opened my mind to reflect more on how our climate mitigation efforts must always be inclusive and reflective — and crucially, must listen when people tell us perceived solutions are not as simple or clear cut as they seem.
I appreciate how you have gone on to write about how this is situated within your educational practice — like you, I am constantly pushing my UXD students to reflect on who they are designing for. Just this week we were talking about ‘extremes and mainstreams’ — the mainstream users of a product or service may well be who students have in mind, but how do we define ‘extremes’? Those outliers who nonetheless have equal rights to access and usability, and who mustn’t be overlooked in attempts to streamline or simplify an offering. (This might span disability, but also a myriad of other unexpected use cases. A slight aside, but I have enjoyed learning more about ‘situational disability’ and how this can help expand our understanding as able bodied and/or neurotypical people — a brief summary of situational disability here: https://userway.org/blog/how-situational-disabilities-impact-us-all/)
Your reflections on persona pedagogy are extremely valuable, and a good thinking point for me as well. UXD as a discipline often makes use of tools like ‘personas’ and ‘user stories’, which are effectively variations of persona pedagogy. There are strengths and weaknesses to their use, and one often highlighted weakness is the danger of simplification, and as you state, “further problematising or re-performing stigmatisation”.
I believe these blogs are meant to be 500 words, and yours is around double this — just noting it here as I am not sure whether there are penalties for this — I for one certainly appreciated you taking the expanded space to go into more depth on this topic and share more thoughts and resources, as I do think it’s a struggle to do it justice in just 500 words! Thank you for all you have shared.
Becky’s blog post on Faith and Intersectionality is here.
I said:
Though I have had some faith related discussions with students, I do think it’s an aspect of people’s identities which is discussed by students much less often than some others, like gender, race, sexuality and class. I do wonder why this is, and whether the university setting has too much of a tendency to frame itself as a secular space. At some point in my teaching I disclosed casually that I am a Quaker, and this enabled one of my Muslim students to come and have an in-depth discussion with me about her faith and how it related to her project at the time. She said that she appreciated knowing that I also believed in a God. While not every tutor should be obligated to either disclose, or indeed have any kind of faith, I do wonder whether, for those of us that do, finding ways of being open about it in a relaxed way can widen that discussion and space for thought. I had also been reflecting on that quote by Jeet Singh about how we have a tendency to think about given communities with broad brushstrokes, and this was something I also reflected on in my blog — the importance of fostering a culture where we really do see each student as an individual, rather than just typecasting them based on faith or any other aspect of their identity. I liked hearing about your work at the secondary school — during the next academic year I am really keen to try and find a way of acknowledging and/or celebrating festivals and holidays from all different faith groups and nationalities, without feeling tokenistic, and I still haven’t quite figured out how I am going to do this!
Becky responded:
I think faith has a much bigger impact on the student experience and their connection with their work than is perhaps recognised by UAL – I know from experience that it is rarely mentioned in our department and this is something that I feel is important to address with my colleagues moving forward. I like your musing on ‘ways of being open about it in a relaxed way can widen that discussion and space for thought’ between staff and students that feel happy to share, and I also think that those who do not belong to a faith might value and be valued within these discussions. One of the things I have noticed in my current year 3 work is the inclusion of religious iconography (with no indication of faith being related to this) which can be problematic – most likely this is not intended by the individual but I wonder if opening up these spaces you mention could be a way of bringing more attention to the importance of understanding and respecting those who have different beliefs for everyone. It is admirable that you are finding ways to be more inclusive of religious celebrations next year and I agree that often it can feel tokenistic. As discussed in workshops 3 & 4 with the group, perhaps using subtlety with this such as providing the space around teaching (adjusting workshop timings, tutorial days etc) so that students are available to celebrate or practice their religion without having to ask for time off or missing out on learning could be a way to start.
George’s blog post on Faith and Intersectionality is here:
I said:
What a brilliant blog — so connected to your own specialist areas of research. You’ve managed to cover a lot of ground in the limited word count, and I feel I learned a lot! Your initial reflections on the fact that most faith groups connect with ecological precepts is a good reminder, and of the potential power that such groups carry to push for change. (I am a Quaker, and our ‘advices and queries’ state “We do not own the world, and its riches are not ours to dispose of at will.” — I reflect on this often!)
However, as you note, things do not always play out this way, for complex reasons (which it can take a whole documentary to even chip away at understanding). I’d be really interested to hear if there are any other examples like this amongst other faith groups (I am sure there are!), as the stories we more often tend to here are those of faith or race based solidarity when it comes to environmental fights, like those of the Dakota Access Pipeline, or this example of Quakers protesting a fossil fuel company in memory of one of the founding Quakers, John Woolman (https://bristolquakers.org.uk/quakers-from-bristol-protest-against-major-asset-company-investing-in-fossil-fuels/).
Some good reflections here — well done for bringing yourself to read the comments on these videos, I can never bear to! But I think in this context it is interesting to see what other external parties are saying. As you say, there are global as well as national tides of opinion on these subjects which shape the discourse, and sadly negative voices often speak the loudest. As you say, it is deeply upsetting to see the lack of knowledge, understanding and empathy.
I didn’t have space to discuss everything I wanted to in my blog, so I am glad to see you addressing the topic of staff retention and satisfaction when it comes to minority groups. It would be good to see stats on that side of things as well as merely recruitment, as anecdotally I have heard of a variety of different experiences (positive and negative) — it would be good to see these more clearly quantified.
Your reflections on the visibility of racialised minority staff members are also interesting to read — the pressure said academics experience in their roles has been widely spoken about, the challenge now is reflecting on how it might be possible to change this.
There have been a few times where I have been confronted by students work which I am fully aware I do not fully understand for cultural reasons. My general response to this is to try and allow them to be my teacher — firstly by showing a genuine interest in their subject (which invariably IS interesting!) and then, while acknowledging my own lack of knowledge, making it very clear that I want to understand — both that I welcome further context from them, and that I will do my own research. By being proactive about getting informed I am better placed to judge their projects on their own merits, rather than on their chosen subject which I might or might not be culturally familiar with.
I really like the framing of this blog George, because I do think the notion of comfort (or lack of) is hugely relevant. We all dislike feeling uncomfortable, so questions must be asked about when discomfort is a relevant tool for transformative experiences vs when it is discomfort for discomfort’s sake, and may even serve to shut people down and make them avoid future discussions about a difficult subject. Arao’s writing on safe spaces vs brave spaces was hugely exciting to me (you will also have seen this of course), as I found the framing of bravery very useful and positive when confronting discomfort. Asking participants to be brave is more positive than telling them they might be uncomfortable. In your field especially, I find the potential of decolonisation hugely exciting, as it opens doors to a whole world of media and thought that had previously been under-appreciated or even unseen by our western eyes. Particularly when it comes to eco-critical cinema, it is vital that we spread our gaze widely, as climate change is a global issue, and deserves to be confronted from a global perspective.
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.’
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!
EDI (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion) training has become, as Asif Sadiq notes in his 2023 TEDx talk (1), a multi billion dollar industry. At this stage, there is sufficient research and discourse on the topic to reflect on whether EDI training is effective at true change-making within Higher Education, and whether there are other approaches which can offer real impact alongside/instead of it.
While there are rightly many critics like Sadiq who suggest that EDI training is ineffective at accomplishing its stated goals, it is vital to debunk those who might argue that EDI goals in and of themselves are not worthy. In a 2022 video for the Telegraph (2), Professor James Orr painstakingly shoves a microphone in front of as many non-white students and staff members at the University of Cambridge he can find who will back up his assertion that (to paraphrase) free speech is under threat from ‘woke’ charity Advance HE. He argues that institutions, in striving to gain prestigious awards from Advance HE, put traditional values of academia — like enquiry and debate — under threat, and create an “oppressive environment”.
It is my view that the standard he in fact wishes to maintain is an outdated tradition of exclusivity which empowers academics and guest speakers to espouse what would, in many other contemporary spaces, be considered hate speech against marginalised groups. His slick, well produced video has the veneer of reasonable debate, but the brief cameo from notorious far-right icon Jordan Peterson should tell us all we need to know about his stance.
Returning to Sadiq’s TEDx talk from 2023 offers such much more valuable perspectives on EDI training. Sadiq notes that
“[EDI training] is not driving the change that we want to see. We’re not achieving the success that people want to feel in the workplace”. (1)
He argues that most of this kind of training is biased — built on assumptions about certain groups of people, and in fact, does the opposite of inclusion. He reflects that truly valuable EDI training would, in fact, be more localised, collective, and collaborative — changes which I believe would truly push the sector out of its comfort zone, and might actually start to build meaningful change and learning that is context specific.
Where I somewhat disagree with Sadiq is his assertion that EDI training should draw on the stories of its participants. In 2020, Channel 4 aired a documentary ‘The school that tried to end racism’, in which a group of young teenage students participate in the classic ‘One Step Forward’ exercise (3). Arao & Clemens (2021) (4) note that:
“…We no longer use the One Step Forward activity as part of our facilitation practice, primarily because we are troubled by its potential to re-victimise target group members”
It is my view that exercises like One Step Forward, and any group setting which forces participants to self-disclose personal anecdotes based on their lived experience of race (or any other marginalisation) only serve to further oppression. There are alternative methodologies that Sadiq might consider, which bring lived experiences into play, but do not make participants vulnerable, like Persona Pedagogies (Thomas, 2022) (5)
“It is proposed that using a persona pedagogy, there is less risk of exposure or identity threat, and greater participant engagement. Persona pedagogy involves developing personas with a range of intersecting identities and applying them to oneself with a range of scenarios to make a positive difference to inclusion practices within organisations. Persona pedagogy can be used for protecting one’s identity by minimizing revelation of their personal identity and thus minimizing identity threat.”
To conclude, I do believe that EDI training is important, but requires a radical transformation to be truly effective. Sadiq also rightly reflects that everyone has a different learning style, and that a half day intensive session (which is so often how this training is delivered) will not necessarily be effective for many. For true change to happen, an individual commitment to lifelong EDI learning is necessary. Likewise, Gurnam Singh (2023) states:
“…following the public execution of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement and the explosion of an EDI industry, I do wonder if by focussing on definitions and models, we are simply feeding what I call ‘performative anti-racism’. I now believe that theorising racism, though important, is nowhere near enough; the only genuine way to grasp racism is to develop a realisation of it, which goes far beyond intellectual understanding.”
How this realisation is to take place — this lifelong journey of individual learning — is the duty of institutions to seed and inspire, and individuals to continually foster, and we will only get there by creating, what Arao and Clemens (4) describe as ‘brave spaces’ for this learning to occur.
Arao, B., Clemens, K., ‘From Safe Spaces to Brave Spaces’ (2013) in The Art of Effective Facilitation: Reflections From Social Justice Educators. 1st edition. Sterling, Virginia : Washington, DC: Routledge. (P138)
Thomas, C. 2022. ‘Overcoming Identity Threat: Using Persona Pedagogy in Intersectionality and Inclusion Training’. Social Sciences 11: 249. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci11060249
