Sketching II

In order to keep the decorative aspect, which was appreciated by the people who tested the tools I tried a few more sketches:

Another idea which I thought could be very handy was a to do list, attached to the laptop.

Sketching

After having received all the feedback forms from the tool-testing, the next step was to sketch new tools involving the feedback.

Using refreshments as a tangible to do list:

The orange colour indicates a tape which is wrapped around the bottle. You can peel off a "post-it" and stick it wherever it is best visible for you...even on the bottle itself. I didn't take this project further, as writing on a round piece of tape is not that comfortable. Also I think that not everyone one will get the point of this tool.

The following tool is a clock made out of paper. It doesn't show the 24 hours a day, but the working day from 9am to 5pm. The clock indicates slots of 25 minutes, which is focused working time, and slots of 5 minutes in between, which are ment to be for breaks. On the paper you can write your to do list and stay realistic on how much you will be able to manage today.

I didn't take this project further as it is too strict. It doesn't leave any room for flexibility.

This lamp has paper attached to it (looking like a flower). Each piece of paper can be used to write your to do list on it. The chance of losing it is very small, as the lamp is always present on your table.

Similarly here a little experiment:

Here you can see a to do list with the principle of an Abakus.
You can slide the "to-do" pieces from left to right, to keep an overview of what you still have to do, and what still has to be done.

Tool Testing

In order to figure out how to improve my tools, and on which ones to focus on I had them tested by 5 creatives (4 female, 1 male).

The results were as followed:

+ playful

+ decorative

+ prioritiesing

+ good to have an overview (constantly present)

- shape should suggest function

- make rewarding

- more leafs (writing more freely)

- make it valuable every day (add, change, move things)

- think about chronology

People really enjoyed interacting with the tangible to-do list. It is something new and playful. There were some really good suggestions for improvement on the feedback form which I haven't thought about. I am looking forward to improving this tool.

+ fun!

+ like analysing stain

- don‘t drink tea

- just works with black tea

- thicker paper (more absorbent)

- boxes constrain

I wasn't expecting that this tool had such a good impact. However, changes have to be made. Working with liquid on paper is quite a challenge, but I do have some thoughts in mind....

+ someone else deciding time

+ got in working mood quickly

+ suggesting small breaks

- feel stressed by time

- breaks are constraining

- divide time according to tasks

As a little surprise came that the dice was not as supportive as I thought it would be. I tested it mayself and I quite like the restricted amount of time and the compulsory breaks, although I must say, I do not always stick to it. But as long as it works:) However, I decided not to take this tool further.

+ funny

+ like concept of scribbling

- not useable - feel strange with it

- suggestion: drawing on different surfaces (tiles, pillows)

As already suspected, the notepad on a string was received as a funny tool, however, not very useable. Although I will not take this tool further, it was very important for me to help me get started. It has the playful character which I wanted to get across, and in this sense it succeeded.

Feedback Exhibition

Our work in progress show started on Tuesday, 7th February and ended on Friday, 10th. I was very happy about the high amount of feedback I got for my project. It was very useful to take my project further. This was my corner:

I wanted people to give feedback to whether they think this tool would support their creative process. I held it very simple by asking a yes/no question which could be answered with a green sticker for yes and  orange sticker for no. Similarly we (Arianna De Luca and I) did it with our collaborative project. Here the viewer could answer with stickers shaped with thumbs up and thumbs down and horizontal thumb for solala. 

The results were as followed, ranked according to best feedback:
- wheel of fortune (27 yes, 1 maybe, 0 no)
- to-do plant (17 yes, 2 no)
- tea-bag comic (17 yes, 2 no)
- time dice (14 yes, 4 no)
- tea-tray (9 yes, 4 maybe, 1 no)
- notepad on a string (9 yes, 6 no)

This feedback was very insightful, however, in order to get a more valid feedback, creatives would have to test these tools during their normal working day.

visualising data

here you can see a visualisation of the data collected.

the black bars show the design activities and the red bars show the non-design activities during a 3 hour creative process of 14 different creatives.

Interview

The key results of the interview undertaken with some of my course-mates was that planning your workload and taking breaks are essential parts of the creative process.

I therefore decided to create a to-do object (dealing with planning) and a tea-bag comic (to enhance creativity during breaks).

Here is the first example of a to-do list, which I presented at the work-in progress show and also had tested by my course-mates.

The feedback from the work in progress show was very positive, I therefore decided to take this tool forward. The results of the testing were very helpful and are as follows:

+ playful
+ decorative
+ prioritising
+ good to have an overview (constantly present)
- shape should suggest funciont
- make rewarding
- more leaves (writing more freely)
- make it valuable every day (add, change, move things)
- think about chronology


The tea-bag comic was also exhibited at the work in progress show and handed out for testing.

The feedback from the work in progress show was also very positive and the feedback from the testing also very helpful:

+ fun!
+ like analysing stain
- don't drink tea
- just works with black tea
- thicker paper (more absorbent)
- boxes constraining

I already have some ideas on how to improve it (blotting paper to absorb excess liquid, more inviting cover: comic style)

Idea Flow

My first idea was to do a tangible to-do list. I wanted to make visible how many tasks you have already accomplished and how much you still have to do. I thought about making a table, with many, many legs. the four legs on the corner would be stable all the time, but the rest could be pushed up and down. In the beginning of the working day, all the legs would be sticking up. Everytime you finished one task you "add" another leg to the table by pushing one of the legs down. 

I didn't take this project further as the adding of text (written activities) would be written verticall which makes it difficult to read. Also adding extra legs in case you have more tasks would become difficult. Furthermore it would take aways quite some space from the working surface.

After some other ideas like a pen you could record your things "to-do" verbally and a chair that would remind you everytime you get up and sit down again what the things are you still have to do (kind of stress full if you ask me) I came up with an idea to help you reflect on what you were doing.

Sometimes you need some time to step back from your work in order to see it more clearly. Many people  do this by going for a walk. I therefore created a "notepad on a string" leaning on a a product I know from my childhood. In order not to lose gloves a string was attached to them and put inside the sleeves of your jacket. The good thing about this is that you don't have to carry anything, you will not lose it and the best is that once you need them they are right by your hand.

Just what you need when an idea comes to your mind while going for a walk. Write it down quickly before you forget it.

Although people found this idea funny, they also would feel a bit weird "wearing" it. I am nevertheless incredibly happy I had this idea, as it helped me with my next tools. It was good to make a funny, playful tool, as this was one of the things I wanted to achieve...and it got perceived as such.

My next experiment should enhance creativity during a break (in a playful way of course). So many people (especially in England) drink tea during their working day. How about using this time to have some fun and get inspired?

Here is how it works: instead of throwing the used tea bag right into the bin, but it on a piece of paper beforehand. When it is try have a look at the stain and imagine (just like looking into the clouds) what it could be? What does it remind you of? Take a pen to finish the started picture.

What also supported my idea flow was the collaboration with Arianna De Luca. We decided to collaborate on a project, as her master project is related to mine. We also decided to focus on the tea-break. On the one hand we wanted to motivate creatives to use the time wisely while they are waiting for the kettle to boil and the tea to brew and on the other hand we wanted them to relax and not think about work.

We therefore made two different tea-projects:

tea tray project:

The tea has stickers in different shapes as labels. You can use the labels to write the thoughts that come to your mind while you are waiting down and stick them to the tea-tray. The labels have different shapes and colours, it can help you making a to do list more fun.

The second project was completely focusing on fun and relaxation, in other words, enjoying the break.

We therefore designed a wheel of fortune that would let destiny decide which one of the many different tea-bags you will get. One of them tells you to listen to a certain song, the other one tells you to get some fresh air, the other one suggests you to close your eyes,... and so on.

A by-product of this project was the "playful" bin. Once you're done with using the tea-bag you can throw it onto the target-lid. Maybe it will help you focus and hit the target in your work as well?

according to some interviews I did, people sometimes have difficulties staying focused during work, however, when they have a limited amount of time to finish a certain task they can concentrate much quicker and stay more focused in general. If they have too much time to their hands they get distracted by other things, some not work related.

I therefore decided to create a tool that should help support them stay focused, that suggests short slots of focused working time and breaks - that are necessary - in between, in form of a dice. Every side of the dice suggests a different amount of time you should stay focused.

How can a tool use the non-design activities during the creative process in a more structured or reflective way?

Since the last time I have posted something on this blog some time has passed.

My focus now lies on the creative process. My interest is therefore not the finished outcome but the unfinished/raw thing, that often is hard to explain and even more difficult to visualise.

My first aim was therefore to visualise the complexity and non-linearity of the creative process.

Together with Rita Branco we visualised the design process of engineers (during a workshop held by Janet McDonnell and Annegret Molhave).

The second part of this workshop was even more interesting, as we had to observe our own design process. The method of recording was our choice. Rita and I decided to film ourselves, as we could therefore concentrate completely on designing without having to write down all the steps involved.

After having had a look at those recordings we found some similarities in movement at certain stages of the design process. We therefore decided to colourcode those sequences and compare our two recordings.

visualising our design process (Rita Branco & Martha Riessland) 

Still wanting to simply visualise the design process I looked for ways of doing that. At the TypoLondon I attended the talk held by Eva Lotta Lamm. She was talking about sketchnotes and how you could visualise all sorts of information in a more understandable way. Sketchnotes are a combination of text and illustration and is organised not from left to right on a piece of paper, but rather it's relevance. In order to get a better understanding of those sketchnotes I decided to participate at a workshop held by Eva Lotta Lamm. The workshop was on Visual explanations and was therefore just what I needed.

I started thinking on how I could transfer this knowledge to my topic and started making sketches of the stages involved in the creative process.

After trying a few sketches I realised that I cannot work without any real data. I therefore decided to set up a questionnaire for my tutorial group. As they were busy with their master projects I decided not to give them a new brief but rather let them work on their own projects and after 3 hours of working they should reflect on their design process by answering some questions.

The results were fascinating. During 3 hours of working there are so many non-design activities involved that either help you get started or have a break. This aspect interested me so much, that I decided to focus my project on that. 

Still trying to visualise what is going on during the design process - but this time concentrating on the non-design activities - I decided to take pictures of those activities and turn them into sketchnotes.

Feeling frustrated and not knowing how to continue I talked to my tutor. Together we found out that I want to create something fun/playful and tangible. Over the christmas holidays my goal was therefore to experiment, take risks, and try out things. I was looking forward to that although I was not really sure how to start. I never did tools in my life before? I am not a product designer, I am a graphic designer. But who knows?

Many people make a plan of what they have to do. How can it be turned into a tangible, engaging and more playful tool? I had a look at the working environment whether I could take use of that, or if a new object should be created.

some of the objects found:

laptop, lamp, pen, phone, chair, bin, paper, table, cup,...

I decided to scribble all the ideas that come to my mind into my sketchbook. Whether they are insane ideas, that will never work and won't be able to produce (especially with my lack of knowledge in this area). It was fun!