Summary of Wayfinding Project

When beginning our wayfinding project we wanted to choose a situation that needed improvement. We realized that there are many different groups of people driving through campus trying to find the Kansas Union; whether they are incoming freshman, visiting parents, transfer students, etc. We decided to find the most direct driving route from 15th & Iowa to the Kansas Union. Originally we navigated all the way through the inside of the Union to the main floor, however that created too many extra nodes and problems. Thus, we simplified our situation to go straight from 15th & Iowa to the Union parking lot. In order to test our experiment we had classmates fill out which route they would take on a map. After finding the most common route, we needed to begin creating signs to guide the individuals along the way. We took elements like stronger chroma, color, visibility, and size into account when perfecting our signs. Once our final prototypes were finished we placed them at distinct locations along the route. Kansas University puts up temporary signs over the summer to help students coming for orientation; however we decided these signs would benefit society best if they were permanently installed.

Summary of “Design Moves” by Sharon Poggenpohl

In “Design Moves,” Sharon Poggenpohl and Chan Screven taught a workshop for communication design at the Field museum of Natural History in Chicago. They critiqued existing exhibits by watching visitors interact with them in order to design interventions to improve the overall attraction. I learned a number of great design advice from reading this article. Sharon talked about how breaking through designer’s straightjacket of technique and aesthetics by working with users can generate vital, innovative work. Also that design engages the future by supporting human agency or decision-making. Making abstract ideas tangible is the mission of design. I learned that in order for designers to progress in technology, they first need to experience and understand the situation. Observing patterns and relationships between real users interacting in the world can be the most beneficial.

Summary of Tim Brown's Video

Tim Brown talks about how designers like Isambard Kingdom Brunel used to think big. Brunel designed the Great Western Railway and the Clifton Suspension Bridge. Brunel said he wanted his passengers to experience floating across the land. He imagined an integrated transportation system to connect the world. Brown suggests that Brunel used design thinking by integrating what humans need, with modern economics, and technological aspects. Tim Brown feels that the modern idea of design has been twisted from great thinkers with remarkable innovations; into designer glasses and sleek blenders. However he goes on to discuss how design is on to bigger, more important issues like global warming, health care, security, and what humans actually need. He concludes by explaining how design thinking urges us to focus on change.

Wayfinding Project

Our Situation: Finding the most direct route to drive from 15th & Iowa to the Kansas Union.