A Rant about Parking Rage, Malls, and Cars.

Week 5: Function and Task Analysis

Image: Welcome to parking HELL (sources: panoramio.com)

By far, the worse parking lot I've driven in is Crystal Mall in Burnaby. Whoever decided a circular parking lot was suitable to house rectangular cars needs to be sued asap. There is no way the city approved the plans right? Maybe in an ideal world where all drivers are professionals and cars are no larger than a Corolla, a circular parking lot would be fine. But in Vancouver with the diverse culture, driving ability and types of vehicles, this parking lot just doesn't give anyone an easy time.

Image: Crystal Mall parking stalls (source: vancouverobserver.com)

Image: Is that a parking spot? (source: vancouverobserver.com)

As you can see from the pictures, the parking stalls are arranged in a radial manner. This would be an excellent idea if cars were wedge shapes. Clearly, someone didn't do a thorough enough research on the function and/task analysis or test fits when designing. There's not even a designated pedestrian walkway for patrons to safely get to their cars. Also, the cars are so tightly bud up against each other that it's almost impossible to open the trunk if you backed in (I guess the groceries will need to ride up front). Hopefully they've done a post occupancy evaluation on this and have learned from their terrible terrible mistake. As designers, one of our missions is to not design spaces that can/may cause harm and this is an example of failure, From the steep level changes, turning blind spots and tight circulation space, this parkade is a drivers worse nightmare. 

Image: Nice and cozy (source: youtube.com)

Image: I GOT THIS! I'M ALMOST IN! (Source: youtube.com)

So why bother going to Crystal Mall if their parking is so bad? Because it's a hub for predominantly immigrant Chinese people to gather. If you overlook it's greatest pitfall, it is quite a cozy place to hangout, grab an inexpensive (but possibly bacteria laced) bite to eat and peruse the many interesting gadgets and doodads. The shape of the mall promoted socio-petal activities as the main congregation happens at the grocery area or the food court. Other than that, the mall itself is an endless trap. It's circular shape just connects infinitely which makes getting out of the mall very difficult. Once you're in the mall, you have to make a conscious decision to find a way out. If not, you'll be just like a hamster, going around and around on a wheel. 

Image: Around and around we go (source: thecrystalmall.ca)

Thankfully, I've never been hit by a car but there's just too much risk in designing a circular parkade. Aberdeen Mall in Richmond is also another dangerous parking lot. It's super compact spaces and tight turns aren't forgiving which can cause long lineups trying to get in and out. The circulation is a lot wider which makes 2 way traffic less of a horrifying experience.

Image: Aberdeen Parking (source: vancouverobserver.com)

At least with Aberdeen, there's a lot of clear signage and designated crosswalks, 

Park Royal has a maze of overpasses to allow cars to drive from one parkade to the next. However, on a not so busy day, I've seen these overpasses be treated like one big race course. (source: westvanlibrary.ca)

It's a shame that all these malls are being hindered by their parking lots. Retail environments is a place where hostility can occur and it starts in the car, By minimizing parking accidents and hardships, maybe there will be a decline in aggressive customer behaviour? People tend to harbour a lot of free-floating anger from a variety of sources so parking lots aren't 100% to blame. What if we designed a car that prevents road rage or doesn't allow you to drive when you're emotionally distressed? With the creation of driverless cars, this can certainly be possible. 

Image: Google Self-Driving Car (source: thegaurdian.com)

But what's the real problem here? Isn't it cars and urban traffic? 

Driverless cars can definitely aid in the whole sustainable cause as it promotes increase foot-traffic, car sharing and decreased chances of accidents. If we were to combine that with fewer parking stalls, increased bike parking, more accessible transit, theoretically, there would be less car accidents.Maybe the safest future is a car-less one.  

Accident Prone

Week 4: Injury and Prevention

Yup. This is me. (Source: http://mrmen.com/)

I am by far the most clumsy, forgetful, accident prone person I know. I can't remember the amount of times I've fallen over because of my 2 left feet or dropped and broken things because "Whoops, I forgot I had this on my lap." I have broken (expensive) cameras, phones, and a whole set of dishware (in 1 go), I now have a Nokia phone because I kept breaking all my other phones. 

Others have also described me as clumsy. Maybe I just have poor judgement or future planning, but I just happen to get myself into these situations. I trip all the time. It's unnatural how much I tend to trip. The worse time I tripped was when I was running on a trail, I tripped over a tree root sticking out of the ground and I ended up scrapping my entire right side of my torso and both forearms (from elbow to wrist). I've dislocated my shoulder, bruised the nerve from the funny bone to my ring finger, endured a groin injury and bruised a pelvic bone from horseback riding. 

Image: That's more or less what the floor looked like (Source: http://lasvegan.files.wordpress.com/)

Not only that, the worse injuries were the ones I inflicted onto others. I always end up accidentally poking people in the eye (Hide your eyeballs). I've accidentally caused a full rack of dishware to fall on someone's head. I've indirectly inflicted a 6" cut into a co-worker's arm that required stitches. All because I didn't ask for help when I needed it. 

I've also had my fair share of working in warehouse room that was unsafe. I worked at a furniture store for a year or 2 and they always had us bring heavy items up and down a ladder. I've fallen from these ladders while carrying heavy ottomans and large lamps mostly. Thankfully none of these falls were serious.

Besides these examples of bad work safety, are some people more accident prone than others?

According to Sigmund Freud, there's no such thing as a true accident and that it all relies on our inability to be aware of our surroundings deeply rooted in child development. Some believe that the 4 pillars of accidents, hurry, worry, multitasking and stress are to blame. The British experimental psychologist Donald Broadbent, believes that mental cognitive failures contribute to accident proneness. To test mental accident proneness, Broadbent developed a Cognitive Failures Questionnaire. Let's see how I do:

Image: I knew it! My scumbag brain is at fault! (Source: weknowmemes.com)

1. Do you fail to notice signposts in the road? (No)

2. Do you bump into people? (Yes)

3. Do you fail to notice people's names when you are meeting them? (YES! ALL THE TIME! MY BRAIN PURPOSELY BLEEPS OUT PEOPLE'S NAME)

4. Do you forget where you put something like a newspaper or book? (Yes)

5. Do you find you forget appointments? (No)

6. Do you drop things? (Yes)

7. Do you fail to hear people speaking to you when you are doing something else? (Yes)

8. Do you say something and realize afterwards that it might be taken as insulting? (Yes)

I think I've solved it! This is why me and some other people are accident prone! 

But in reality, all of us can be accident prone due to circumstances we put ourselves in. Lack of sleep, distractions, and stress can all lead us to be unaware of our surroundings which could lead to a minor fall or a major accident. Alcohol, drugs and medication can also alter our mental and physical accuracy. The rise of smartphones also increase the rise of distractions and accidents. As interior designers, we can prepare for these hazards by putting more signage on the floor instead of up high. That way, even if the end user is moving through a corridor while staring at their phones, they can catch of glimpse of the floor change to signify a transition or exit. 

Image: Padded lamp post (Source: gadgetpics.com)

Image: The design solution that will change everything! (Source: news.cn)

Sources: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/fulfillment-any-age/201310/clumsy-put-away-the-band-aids-and-take-out-the-mind-aids

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/30710797/ns/health-behavior/t/walking-disaster-why-some-are-accident-prone/#.VDsapPldWSo

http://www.berkeleywellness.com/healthy-mind/mind-body/article/accident-prone-personality

Experience at Dark Table Restaurant

Week 3: Sensory, Perception, Cognition

Outside Dark Table Restaurant in Kitsilano, Vancouver (Image: theepochtimescom)

When this topic was first introduced, I immediately thought back to my dining experience at Dark Table Restaurant a few weeks ago. This was an experience I wanted to try for some time even though the review from friends have been luke warm. The main criticism I've heard was the mediocre quality of the food and how it doesn't "rival some of Vancouver's best restaurant" as claimed on their website. This begs the question; is taste affected by what we see (or don't see)?

Exterior Waiting/Ordering Area (Image: 604nomnom.com)

When my friends and I first arrived at the restaurant, we were seated outside in the dimly lit waiting area. The outside servers took our order from the picture-less set menu (deliberate move I believe). We then waited for a good ten minutes before our table server, Laticia, greeted us and lead us to the interior vestibule. The anticipation of waiting could be a move to increase the feeling of exclusivity to those passing by. The dimly lit atmosphere set the mood for the rest of the night as it help adjusted our eyes to the approaching experience. 

How we looked walking in and out of the restaurant. Please note, this was not a wedding.(Image: toxel.com)

Laticia got us to all form a line and put our hands on the person shoulder's in front of us. Inside the vestibule, it was completely pitch black. The only light was from the glowing exit sign and even then I couldn't see my own hands in front of me. Laticia explained to us the rules and premise of the restaurant and what was going to happen. I felt a sense of anticipation and excitement but also felt scared. When Laticia was guiding me to line up with the others, she felt my hands shaking. She reassured me that there's no need to be scared. I must admit that I'm a bit afraid of the dark. So voluntarily going into a dark room made me feel uneasy (Yay! Survival instincts!). 

The first sense I heavily relied on was touch. I was touching everything. I'm sure I accidentally felt up a friend or two. There was an urge to know my sense of place. My hands were infront trying to find our table. When I found my chair, I gripped onto it as it was going to be "my space" for the next couple of hours.

Image: What I imagined the place settings looked like but without the plates (Source: defogitall.com)

The table setting was differentiated by contrasting textures. The place mats were weaved and were against a glass table. That change in texture allowed me to assign where I ate and put my cutlery. The glass had to stay at the edge of the place mat to Laticia knew where to put my plate of food.

Image: What we looked like trying to feed each other (Source: diaryofanafrican.blogspot.ca)

We started off with bread and we even attempted to feed each other. It was an awkward and intimate experience. More butter ended up on faces then on the actual slice of bread. I was sitting beside one of my girlfriends and we developed a system where we would touch and hold the other person's face first before putting the bread in their mouths. It was an intimate gesture that I wouldn't have ever done if I could see. The boys across from us didn't develop any kind of system and just tried to match the food to the mouth. The bread didn't' taste any different even without a sense of sight.

The texture and taste of the food made it obvious to tell what I was eating. From the texture of the kale to the tartness of the pomegranate seeds, each dish had varying textures and tastes. Even the smell gave away what I was eating. I ordered a dish with shrimp in it and I could smell the butter garlic before it was served to me. These sensations were heightened by my lack of vision and was an interesting experience to have.

These heightened sensations might also be the downfall of Dark Table Restaurant. The food itself was tasty but was nothing spectacular. The appetizer salad was the most interesting in terms of taste because of the sweet and sour combination. It had the most difference in texture and taste. My main entree had textures and tastes that were too similar and lacked stimulation. I guess when it comes down to it, I have never broken down why certain foods are enjoyable. Just like visual stimulation, contrast is a big factor when providing excitement to our other senses. Since taste encompasses the other senses into the experience, I can't really tell whether or not sight has anything to do with it. I felt like even if I could see what I was eating, my opinion wouldn't have changed.

When it came time to pay, Laticia had to bring us to a closed offed curtained area with a dimly lit cash area (that was also closed off with a curtain). The waiting area for the cash helped us adapt to the light (even though it was still pitch black). The cash counter was blinding regardless of how much prep time we had. It was a shock to be able to see something. I thought they could have decorated the cash counter better since it was place the patrons would be able to remember. When we went out of the restaurant into the streets, it was another shocking experience. The streetlights were blinding. The visual stimulation was a lot to take in. Walking in the street felt like such a dynamic experience. The movement of my body and the surroundings felt unnatural to me.

BCIT vs. KPU Classroom Comparison

Entry 2: Introduction to Human Environmental Factors

As some of you may or may not know, I went to BCIT for Interior Design for about 3 years now before recently transferring to Kwantlen. There was the obvious changes of going from a technical institute to a university (ie. way too early morning classes, dedicated department areas, younger student demographic)and not so obvious ones that I now realize will affect my learning experience. First off let me say that after being in a technical school for 3 years, I have minimal patience for things that I deem "non essential" to whatever I'm majoring in (I'm looking at you English 1100). The technical school mentality is efficient, straight forward, and fast paced. There's no dilly dally when it comes to lectures. This reflects the ergonomics of the classrooms.

Image: BCIT drafting classroom

 The overall seating arrangements are all facing towards the front of the classroom. With personal belongings on the table, 2 people are still able to sit next to each other (although a tight fit if you're a larger person).

 Image: BCIT table and chair setup

If you're leaning on the desk for an extended period of time, the lack of tabletop bevel/profile can cause something I like to call "short of breath." "Short of breath" is when the sharp, 90 degree edge of the desk digs into your abdominal area which causes the feeling of difficulty breathing. The hard plastic chairs allow for increased focus (in the first hour) before the students start to fidget.

Image: Drafting chair and table

The tall, slit windows allow for minimal natural light (Hey, no glare though!).

Image: Typical BCIT classroom in NE-1

Now on to the interior design department, year 2 class at Kwantlen.

Image: RM 2050 Interior Design, year 2

Even if most of the desk are still facing the front, the U-shape formations promote interactions with other students. This is extremely useful when working in groups or just discussing common interests. The desk sizes are wide enough to put your supplies on and still have room to work. The bevel on the edge of the desk allows the students to lean on it for a long period of time without getting "short of breath" syndrome. The comfortable ergonomic chairs are capable of adjusting seating heights, arm rest heights and tilt which grants the students to comfortably move around when sitting for long times.

Image: RM 2050 Interior Design, year 2

Most of the classroom also have lots of natural light provided by windows. Roller shades can be accessed by the students/faculty to control the amount of light penetrating the space (not the mention the expansive view!). With bigger windows, there's an increase connection to nature which increases levels of happiness, productivity and accuracy.

Environmental Human Factors-Intro

Long time no talk to you who actually follow this (which I think is just me). I've decided to post school work on this blog. AND I GOT INTO KWANTLEN PEOPLE YAAY! 

If you're my Environmental Human Factors instructor, Dr. Dan, Welcome! 

Official Welcome + 10 Random Facts

Hey Ya'll!

Pardon my manners for that first post. This is the official "Welcome to my blog" post!

1.) I am super lazy.

I live by a work hard, play hard rule. And when I play hard, I mostly mean sleep until noon and spend the rest of the day on the sofa watching Netflix. I don't even shower sometimes because I just don't want to get up. If I could pee into a bottle, I would.

2.) I work well under pressure.

Karim Rashid: Networking



Photo from www.gorenjegroup.com

Hello All!

This article was written a while ago but it wasn't until now that I've discovered it. This article brings up a few interesting points I want to discuss. During the interview, Rashid states

"I don’t believe in networking. Talent and hard work is the way to succeed."

Photo from afflante.com

While I don't find this hard to believe (coming from an internationally known designer), I am not 100% convinced about this belief.

I would love to believe that in this world, hard work + talent = success. It's more like determination + talent + luck = success. In this day and age where everyone knows a "designer" and everyone is a "designer", it's even more competitive now in the world of design than it ever has been.

Photo from Sketch*Karim @Duuplex

As I learned from my Design History class, there are more famous designers now in the 21st century than before. The advancement in technology and variety in styles have opened many designers into international superstars. And television makes design so much more accessible to the everyday person.

We've built such a competitive society, that any edge over the competition could mean getting hired/choosing another applicant for the job.

Photo from Sketch*Karim @Duuplex

What is that special edge? Is a spectacular portfolio? A unique personality? A je ne sais quoi about your work that speaks to the human subconscious and can save the world? Nope. It's who you happen to be friends with. This applies especially to beginning designers who need a first or second project to launch their careers.

It sounds cynical I know. But I'm only a student and from listening to designers who have been in the field for some time, they've all advise me to network; Join design committees or volunteer. It seems mandatory if you want a head start in this field.

I hope I'm wrong.

Sources:

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