Posts filed under 'Interactions'
If you ever walked along a historic railroad and looked around, you might notice artifacts from an earlier time: abandoned telegraph poles, mechanical signals, and perhaps a watering station if you were lucky. Looking out further you see clusters of settlements, industries, and businesses that located next to the strategic iron highway. A walk along the railroad is an opportunity to perceive and understand our economic and social history through the built form. Some artifacts speak to our current setting: abandoned siding tracks, litter, and backwater houses.
Naomi Adiv, a doctoral student from U.C. Davis, is comprehensively documenting elements and their perceived meanings along the 170 mile Capitol Corridor from San Jose to Oakland, Sacramento, and Auburn, California for her dissertation. Reading just a little bit of her blog has resonated with my fascination of the railroad and formation on the landscape.
photo by compujeramey
March 6th, 2008
Steve Portigal posted some pictures of the Embarcadero’s creative “anti-skateboard” devices. The principle is similar to those functional yet visually attractive pigeon deterrents posted about earlier. Says Steve…
It’s still ugly, but there’s an emotional component (”cute” - “fun” - “neat”) created by the whimsical shapes that counteracts that reaction quite strongly. I’m sure the original planners and architects are horrified, but it kinda mostly works.
Additionally, it feels less unwelcoming than spikes or other anti-sit devices in the same way those pigeon deterrents feel less intimidating — so maybe it also counteracts the negative feelings you might have about not being allowed so lie or skate there!
LINK: Anti-skateboard Devices on the Embarcadero
LINK: Another post about anti-skate devices and user experience
March 2nd, 2007
Designing places that will work for ALL people…
“Universal design is a relatively new concept that seeks to go beyond those codes to make the built environment usable by all people without the need for adaptation. This might include kitchen islands with adjustable-height countertops, front-loading washers and dryers, roll-in showers, and no-step entrances, eliminating the need for ramps.
But the important point, according to universal design advocates, is that it looks and feels like a normal apartment building. Rather than relying on designs that can segregate people according to their disability (impaired vision versus low mobility, for example), the intent of universal design is to create products and environments usable by as many people as possible, including people with no disabilities at all.”
LINK: From the New York Times (read it before it’s archived!)
January 12th, 2007
This might be old news for some of you in planning… but it’s interesting to think about it from a people-centered place design perspective. Several European cities are trying a new experiment…
Getting rid of all traffic signs results in… safer streets?
The premise is that by accommodating people’s natural interactions with each other and inherent behaviors (e.g. people’s tendency to be more cautious and courteous when they aren’t being forced to) instead of forcing them into an artificial construct of control, people will behave better naturally.
An interesting example of designing places around people’s natural behaviors, supporting and capitalizing on these behaviors rather than coercing them! And the more interesting part? It seems to work — resulting in less accidents.
“The many rules strip us of the most important thing: the ability to be considerate. We’re losing our capacity for socially responsible behavior,” says Dutch traffic guru Hans Monderman, one of the project’s co-founders. “The greater the number of prescriptions, the more people’s sense of personal responsibility dwindles.”
LINK: http://www.spiegel.de/international/spiegel/0,1518,448747,00.html
[via http://archinect.com/]
November 30th, 2006
“Humans tend to avert eye gaze if they feel someone is standing too close. They retreat to corners, put distance between themselves and strangers, and sit or stand equidistant from one another like birds on a wire.”
According to new research highlighted in the New York times, the rules of “proxemics” are so strong that people even carry them into virtual words with their avatars in games such as Second Life.
This article discusses the study of these human interactions and highlights their relevance and importance to urban design and space design.
So bus manufacturers and landscape architects beware: don’t force others to violate my space!
LINK: In Certain Circles, Two is a Crowd
November 16th, 2006
The AIGA (professional organization for graphic arts/design) started a project encouraging people to “document democracy” and particularly the “interiors, exteriors and other views that are part of your voting experience.”
The goal of the project is to document the good and bad aspects of the voting experience, to celebrate it and to consider how it could be improved.
I should have posted sooner when you could have submitted something, but here’s a link to check out the submissions. And you’re always welcome to post your thoughts here.
LINK: http://www.pollingplacephotoproject.org/
Food for Thought: What aspects of your voting environment affected your experience? Your sense of privacy? Your confidence that your vote went through?
November 7th, 2006
Is it a coincidence that millions more Americans travel by car and plane than bus or train? “The very word ‘lost’ in our language means much more than simple geographic uncertainty,” wrote Kevin Lynch, who cleared a path for the modern art and science of wayfinding in his landmark work, The Image of the City. “[I]t carries overtones of utter disaster.” Getting lost on public transportation may not be disastrous for passengers, but when tourists are turned off by the experience, it’s a disaster for cities; when new users aren’t turned into repeat customers, it’s a disaster for transit agencies and for society; and even regular riders sometimes require reinforcement.
We all know that being lost is a bad experience. Wayfinding design, for those unfamiliar with it, is about creating creating comforting experiences through designing understandable spaces that make people feel in control of their surroundings and choices.
For many, unfortunately, public transportation represents the opposite of a comforting experience.
Thus, I’m excited about San Francisco’s Wayfinding Project and the steps they’re taking towards enhancing the wayfinding experience of transportation users. Their recommendations are simple but practical, and include….
Recommendations for Busses and Streetcars:
• Include Transfer Information on Signs
• Add Signs Featuring Destination Information
• Improve Shelters and Provide Basic Information at All Stops
• Simplify Destination Descriptions
Recommendations for Subways and Commuter Rails:
• Color-Code BART Lines
• Remove Outdated, Damaged and Non-Standard Maps and Signs
• Clearly Differentiate BART and Muni Entrances
• Streamline and Enhance Station- and Platform-Identification Signs
• Add and Upgrade Directional Signage
• List and Give Directions to Destinations Near BART
• Add Signs Along Pedestrian Pathways to BART
• Clearly Designate Pathways to Connecting Transit
Food for thought… What have your public transportation experiences been like? Do you have any suggestions for ways that your local transportation system’s wayfinding experience could be improved?
LINK: The San Francisco Wayfinding Project [via Adventures in Urban Living]
RELATED: Rethinking the Library Experience
September 9th, 2006
Spend a hot afternoon in Old Sacramento and you quickly understand why early settlers went through the trouble to build fancy porches over the sidewalk: Protection from the brutal sun.
As hot as it is in Sac, it really doesn’t seem so bad when you’re under some shade.
But the unintended benefit of these roofs is that they draw the indoor activity out into the public realm of the sidewalk: Colorful signs and merchandise displays seem to belong among the pedestrians. Walking along the street is just like window shopping, only in 3 dimensions. These porticos also add additional real estate to the second story of the building.
This sort of feature would be perfect for east coast and midwest cities where there are different sorts of elements to battle in different seasons. It might be an effective strategy to enliven a downtown commercial district.
August 14th, 2006
Granted it was designed before laptops were so prevalent, the Chicago O’Hare airport’s lack of outlets in seating areas forces people to make awkward adaptations.
At least the airport staff all know where the outlets are and can quickly point you to the nearest hallway. But in case they can’t, there’s always the Airport Power Wiki:
Link: Where to Find Airport Outlets
August 8th, 2006