Pressure Project 1
Posted: September 9, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a comment »Pressure Project 1:
I want to start off by saying that this project had a few more complications than I was intending to run into. The biggest being the idea of spending an hour in a public place (and then sketching what was happening around me – especially when it involved people). I guess I didn’t really realize how few spaces actually exist in public where it isn’t weird or frowned upon to stand/sit there staring at people.
For example, I thought about looking at checkout lines at the grocery store, but couldn’t find a feasible way to explain why I was sitting there watching people pay for things without seeming sketchy. Then I thought about going to the library and looking at the book checkout system there, but thought I might get security called on me for being creepy for not reading or anything that I should have been doing in a library. It was too hot outside to feasibly sit outside and do this assignment, so I wanted to find a place indoors where it wouldn’t seem weird to spend long periods of time watching things and people.
That being said, for this pressure project, I chose to look at the laundry room and machines in the basement of my apartment building. These machines, while intended to be helpful, probably contain more flaws than working parts.
Each washer and dryer are different brands or models, which means that there are four different machine systems at any given time. Each washer and dryer has a handful of different options that you can choose from when wanting to clean your clothes. After washing my laundry myself and watching others in my building do so, I determined that the settings don’t really mean anything.
For example,
- Setting the dryer to low/medium heat, really means that there will be no heat applied at all and they will just tumble around in the dryer.
- Setting the timer option of the dryer also doesn’t work and actually calculates any time you set it at as three times longer than intended.
- The washing machines attempt to weigh the clothes and will run the cycle of cleaning them based on that weight. This, however, is a problem because none of the machines have time remaining on them. So it’s really a mystery when clothes will be finished.
I have watched half a dozen people come into the laundry room expecting their clothes to be finished only for the cycle to still be happening. Or the cycle will be complete but their clothes won’t be clean or will still be sopping wet. Or in retaliation against the machines taking an unknown amount of time, will leave their clothes in for hours after they are finished.
I watched people throw clothes onto the ground and place them in different places around the dark dingy basement. I also noted that there were clothes in a washer already finished being clean when I arrived. No one came to pick them up in the hour that I sat in the basement. The clothes were also still there in the machine when I came down later in the evening to get reference photos for my diagrams. I haven’t been back down there since this experience, so it is entirely possible that the clothes remain there to this day.
When doing my own laundry, I’d also like to note that the knob on the dryer I was using was possibly broken. It was connected to the machine, but it sort of seemed like the wrong knob was added onto the machine because it didn’t fit or turn right. After using another machine that required you to pull out the knob and press it in to start it, I repeated those steps on this machine and accidentally took off the knob. I don’t think it was supposed to do that. I put it back on but it didn’t really align right. I take no responsibility for what has happened here.
It should also be noted that I have only drawn the inhabited side of this creepy unfinished basement. The other half of the room doesn’t get any light to it and looks like something straight out of a horror film.
To me, the solutions to these problems seem easy. There are clear things that could be addressed to making the clothes cleaning process easier. But to be honest, addressing these things doesn’t sound fun in the slightest. I’m choosing to assume that since the landlords haven’t fixed these things, that there is a reason. I’m not a professional laundry room manager afterall; there must be a reason things are designed this way. So… in the name of understanding and empathy toward my landlords, I have chosen chaos.
- The first thing that obviously has to happen is some sort of pay system. Right now, it is free to use the machines. Clearly, that was an oversight on their part and needs to be remedied immediately.
- But why stop there? MICROTRANSACTION GAMIFICATION of the washing machines! It could be a pay to win system with loot boxes where you have to pay in order to spin a wheel, and whatever you land on gives you things like:
- Wash time?
- Water temperature?
- How many clothes are you allowed to put in?
- How clean are the clothes going to come out?
- Obviously, you have to keep spinning in order to get the options that you want and clearly, each spin will cost you additional money.
- But why stop there? MICROTRANSACTION GAMIFICATION of the washing machines! It could be a pay to win system with loot boxes where you have to pay in order to spin a wheel, and whatever you land on gives you things like:
- In order to counteract all of the broken knobs and buttons on the machines, I propose that we make the system fully digital in the basement with no wifi or reception.
Pressure Project 1
Posted: September 9, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a comment »Annelise Duque
For Pressure Project 1 I thought about ways to disrupt the “score” people follow to enter Sherman Studios on West Campus. As a 3rd year MFA student in the Art Department, I’ve been given 24/7 access to a studio in the building to do my work. However, I’ve identified a key issue that inhibits my productivity, which is there are too many other people that come into the building who become for me, as a chatty person, appealing objects of distraction that keep me away from my work. I know from decades of being myself that it’s impossible to change my distractible personality, so instead I have to change the easy access to the building.
Here is the score that visitors desiring to enter Sherman tend to follow.
- They are dropped off by a CABS bus at a bus stop that is in easy walking distance from the building.
- Some people also cross from the parking lot located beside the bus stop.
- They cross the helpful cross-walk that leads onto the sidewalk that then leads into the building.
- They maneuver through the main door, which is behind a swipe lock.
- Anyone with a valid BuckID is able to swipe in
- The door is easily propped open and often is during typical school hours.
I noticed that there are not only sensors they interact with in order to enter the building through the swipe lock, but that there are also a number a physical infrastructures that contribute to the ease of accessing the building. As it is a school building, this is understandable, but for my purposes completely unacceptable.
I devised the following diagram that I think would really help limit the amount of students coming to the building.
- Short of destroying the CABS system altogether, I think a key issue is the crosswalk, which provides a helpful direction to follow. I would first add in a crosswalk that goes a different way (towards a large dangerous looking electrical structure).
- The structure is currently behind tall fences, so I would need to add doors that are directly across from the new crosswalk.
- Remove the existing crosswalk with blacktop, or powerwash the paint away.
- Plant a thick privacy wall consisting of dense trees and bushes.
- Re-program the swipe access to only allow me swipe entrance.
- Add a door sensor that sends an alarm code if the door is propped open.
After talking to the class about my plot, I realize that I made a lot of really physical changes to the area. I think as a visual artist, a lot of the aspects like swipes and door sensors are mysterious to me, so it was easier for me to understand how to design more physical challenges to accessing the building. It was also pointed out to me that I didn’t address the parking lot, or really show how it would be possible for me to make it through the shrubbery. These are good points. I think ultimately it would be necessary to remove this bus stop, and frankly also the parking lot. The prices of West Campus parking passes could also be increased, as they are temptingly low cost compared to other passes. I also think I could do some easy sabotage by simply changing the building name on the front sign! It’s already almost impossible to find the building when doing a googlemaps search, so if it was physically mislabelled that would further confuse. Especially because I’m not sure how to make the trees move for me alone. Maybe I could install a fence with vines that completely obstruct the view of the building that has a hinged door. I could also install a camera at the door and do some data collecting, and only come to my studio during off-peak hours of activity in the building.
Also, as I actually want this building to be easily accessible because I unfortunately do want students to be able to make art in the building, there are the things I would do to make it easier to enter and use the building.
- Add more sidewalks. The front of the building only has a sidewalk leading into it from North, and none from the South. Students that park further away, or who walk from that direction, have to walk in the street which is dangerous and unpleasant during the winter.
- There should be a swipe access door on all sides of the building, rather than just that main entrance. This would make it easier for everyone to head straight to their destination rather than having to walk through the whole building.
- The main swipe door also isn’t ADA approved, as the only swipe is directly in front of the door at a high height, and the door opens out rather than in. There isn’t enough room for a person using a wheelchair to swipe and move away from the door so the button can swing the door open.
- There should be a hands free way to open the door. This could be a tap lock rather than a card swipe.
- The building currently doesn’t have air conditioning, and since it is a building with a hot-shop in the glass studio and a forge in the metal-working area, the building gets much too hot for safe use.
- The building needs a water-bottle refilling station rather than just drinking fountains. Because of the stuffy interior and physical nature of the work students make, they get really dehydrated.
I enjoyed this project. It made me appreciate the ways it is easy to work in my building, and also notice the ways it’s difficult for me and others. I appreciate there are certain ways to fix the user experience of the building that are out of budget, and that propping the door open at all times allows for those with mobility impairments to enter the building without needing to swipe in. However, propping the door open is not a viable solution during the cold wet winter. I haven’t used this space in the winter yet, so I’m interested to see how the people that use this building adapt during seasonal changes.
Pressure Project 1
Posted: September 8, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a comment »Naiya Dawson
For my project I chose the idea of the parcel pending lockers in the lobby of my apartment building. I have been working there for a little over a year, and I thought this would be a perfect example for this project because I see people interacting with them everyday. Right now my apartment building only has two sets of these lockers and I think we have around 400 bedrooms so most of the time the front office staff (me) has to log and store the packages because there is to many.
To start my project I observed the human interaction with these package lockers for over an hour. Since I work there it was easy for me to observe this multiple different times throughout the week. I then drew out a small basic diagram of the packages lockers and also created a canva collage of what the lockers look like in real life. After this I then wrote down how the lockers work, and problems with them, ways to improve them, and what heroic invention/ improvements would be.
The improvements I would add to the packages lockers would be to create a smart package room. This would be placed some where so that delivers can access it from out side the building and they wouldn’t have to worry about the apartment doors being locked and the residents can access it inside. So like a door that goes outside and a door from the inside. In this package room there would be robots, one that organizes that packages on to shelf’s and puts then outside the door when residents are ready to get them and the there would be a couple delivery robots that can take packages to people’s rooms. This would help make computerized package storing more accessible, easier for everyone, and help packages not get lost or stolen.
After we presented our projects I did some final touch ups to everything. I drew a better diagram of both how my idea was normally and then after with the heroic changes. I did this while observing the lockers again trying to find small details I didn’t catch better. After I created my new diagrams I thought about the conversations we had in class and anything that I wanted to add from that. Then I finished by reflecting on everything and creating this post.
Pressure Project 1
Posted: September 5, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a comment »Observation
System Components:
- Physical machine with storage compartments for items.
- Electronic interface for user interaction (selection buttons, digital screens).
- Payment mechanisms (coin and bill acceptors, card readers, mobile payment options).
- Sensors to detect and confirm product dispensing.
- Backend system for inventory management and sales tracking.
Physical World Setup:
- Placed in high-traffic areas for easy access.
- Configured with lighting and visual displays to attract customers.
Human Interaction:
- Users browse selections through the transparent window or digital menu.
- Payment is made via cash, card, or digital wallet.
- Selection is made through a keypad or touchscreen.
- Product is dispensed into an accessible area at the bottom.
- In cases of malfunction or failure to dispense, users might interact with customer service via a help button or contact number.
Diagram of the Current System
The diagram include:
- Vending Machine: Internal compartments.
- User Interaction: User selecting products and making a payment.
- Product Dispense Area: The dispensing mechanism.
- Digital Interface: The interaction points for selections and payments.
Heroic Intervention: Enhanced Accessibility and Customization
Goal: Improve the user experience by making vending machines more accessible and custom-made to individual preferences.
Intervention Details:
- Accessibility Improvements: Improve machines with voice recognition technology to assist visually impaired users.
- Personalized User Experience: Implement a system where users can log in via a mobile app to access personalized product suggestions based on previous purchases. Offer promotions and discounts tailored to the user’s buying habits.
- Enhanced Payment Options: Expand payment methods to include apply pay.