RESEARCH METHODS - RESEARCH PLAN
Alex Han
Over-arching Research Question
How can playful narrative design in large open plan office environment impacts on the everyday trace of employees as well as the productivity of the space?
Sub-question
How the playful narrative office design modifies and constructs the storytelling of employees everyday traces.
AIM 1 - Refine the values of the office design.
AIM 2 - Explore different qualities of office design and different pathway to create productivity development.
AIM 3 - Investigate the process of how 'playful narrative design' impacts to employees everyday trace.
In this research practice, I will be exploring the world of playful narrative in the field of office environment through the employees. This question has been supported and explored through the numbers of methods and methodologies. Also, the listed aims above acted as the thresholds to the achievements of the design solutions.
Research Methods.
3D Visualization, Model Making
To create the prototype and explore the conceptual idea further. Through 3D visualization and modelling, I will be able to apply my design aesthetics such as themes, forms and colors.
Drawing/ Sketching, Planning
To document all the movement, sound, layouts and create the bridge to understanding my practice. Drawing and sketching is a tool to trace all the stories of any actions. I will be using this method to trace and document the different narratives of the employees.
Case Studies
To test my practice, locate my research to real life and explore the possibilities. I will be exploring different themes of the spaces and the playful narratives to the certain zones of the office environment. Different cases with different design aims will locate me in the most successful solution.
Photographic documentation
Photographic documentation
To collect the traces and data from the field research. This method will support all the other methods by gathering all the existing successful or unsuccessful cases. Also, it will allow me to set the suitable starting point of my research practice.
Field Research
To understand and observe the existing large open plan office environment. Interact with space and find the issues of the space. Interview the employees to find what personal narrative experiences do they create through their traces.
Research Methodologies
User-centred Design Research
As my research question involves with human activities and experiences, it will be critical to collect the data from the user’s perspective and exploring different aspects of user’s narratives to find what is the most effective solution is.
Narratology
To refine the personal narrative of the action, story analysis and tell-ability, it is critical to understand how these aspects are arranged in actual narratives. I will look at narratology in regards to structures and themes of storytelling.
Storytelling
I intend to use storytelling to explore the narrative design which is shared as a means of entertainment, education, cultural preservation or installing moral values to the different zones in my practice. Designers are learning and interact through the storytelling, it provides the context and purpose. Being a good storyteller is critical to making innovation a reality.
PLAYFUL NARRATIVE
What is playful narrative in office environment?
Some think play in office as a distraction, or worse, a waste of time. Play in the office is often refined as a break from ‘official work’. I was questioning what if the opposite of play is not work, and it is just boredom? What if work could actually benefit from play?
Installing playful narrative in office environment could representing the installation of playful culture, not only in mindset, but also in our daily traces and experiences. Play allows us to experiment, empathize and take creative risks. The engagement of play in office culture will make the employees incredibly satisfying with the work place.
The article written by Brendan Boyle, partner of IDEO. He is exploring the numbers of ways to integrate play into the workplace.
Cooperative play
Risk-Taking Play
Constructive Play
Storytelling and Narrative Play
Engaging these different plays to the different zones of office environment will bring different health competitions with inspirations as well. We are always learning and interact through different storytelling with some kind of plays. It gives us the context and purpose. My playful narrative in office environment is constructive play and storytelling / narrative play. I love building and designing as I go, creating prototype are the way we answer design questions. It is called ‘thinking with our hands. With storytelling / narrative play it allows me to tell stories that put people at the center of the novel design which let the audience to be at better understanding of embracing the solutions.
FIELD RESEARCH
RECORD THROUGH SKETCHING
INTERVIEW 1
INTERVIEW 2
INTERVIEW 3
The bridge between playful narrative and trace have supported by the methods and methodologies. The understanding the aspect of the trace was built through the field research. I was able to record some of the existing narratives from the employees who are working in large open plan office. The recording was done by a tool of sketching/drawing, I was able to explore different personal narratives which are based on different atmosphere, personality and relationship with the environment such as invisible boundaries, hierarchy or interaction with people and traces. The investigation of finding different narrative aesthetics from different zones allowed me to understand the hierarchy of the different traces. Each zones are designed to suit the actions and movement of the humans to create effective everyday traces and narratives. When the playful narrative engaged with the environment the main impact will be on the employee’s interaction qualities. Interaction quality will be encouraged to learn from each other in both the formal and informal ways. The case study of NADRA “Impact of office design over the employees’ productivity” refines the several factors that show an impact on employees’ productivity. “sense of satisfaction and joy are generally more productive. This case thus, hypothesizes that layout of an office plays a key role in the productivity of employees specifically.”
VISUAL BRAINSTORM
FEEDBACK
The main feedback was to rise up the priority of my research questions between playful narrative and productivity. Therefore, I am locating the ‘productivity’ as an outcome of my research and I will make the ‘playful narrative’ as most priority to my practice. Another feedback was ‘How could I create playful narratives in a space and what if those plays are created through our own narratives’. I believe I will be need to think oppositely with impact of environment and think about the impact to the environment with the playful narratives.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Highmore, Ben. Ordinary lives: Studies in the everyday. Routledge, 2010
Kim, Seok Eun, and Wesley R. Young. "Office Characteristics and perceived behavioral outcomes in a public agency: An Empirical study." Public Performance & Management Review38, no. 1 (2014): 76-99.
Hadjiphilippou, P. “The Contribution of Five Human Senses Towards the Perception of Space”. University of Nicosia, n.d.
Jaffri, Syeda Lubna Batool. "Impact of Office Design over the Employees Productivity (A Case Study of NADRA)." South Asian Journal of Management 9, no. 2 (2015): 43-48.
Alexandersson, Anna, and Viktorija Kalonaityte. "Playing to dissent: The aesthetics and politics of playful office design." Organization Studies 39, no. 2-3 (2018): 297-317.
Boyle, Brendan. "6 Ways to Integrate Play Into the Workplace." Inc.com. July 16, 2015. Accessed April 12, 2019. https://www.inc.com/brendan-boyle/play-has-a-pr-problem.html.