how fresh was your week?

maximilianspencerwilliamseabrooke

contents1) research

2) freshers night no.5 (on the boat)

3) freshers night no.5 (transport)

4) initial ideas

5) focus on blind & partially sighted

6) grip-tape path

7) initial CAD drawings

8) adhesive tape

9) manufacture and cost

10) finaldesign

11) conclusion

researchWhen my group and me first heard the brief, we struggled to understand where to start. However, shortly after discussing certain approaches, we decided that the most appropriate route would be to take full advantage of the fact that we had varying cultures in our group. The cultures included Belgium, Norwegian, Chinese and English.

We started research by setting each person in the group a specific task. My task was to prepare some questions that I would later ask in an interview with my parents, which both are of English background.One question included, “What’s the first thing that comes to your head when you think about Freshers week?”My mother answered,

“A week long of solid drinking” Both of my parents specially mentioned a lot how they worry that their child may over-do it with alcohol drinks. They also mentioned how they hope people do engage with new people from different cultures and with groups/societies.

I later prepared a new set of questions towards the organisers of the SU (Student Union) team, which focused on Freshers week in the United Kingdom. I was able to record the interview with Hatice Ozbayir and Sammy Duckett, this meant I could listen over what was said later and not miss any details.

I started off by asking, “Set aside socialising, what other reasons are there for people to attend Freshers week?” They replied with,

“Important for international students and people outside London to get talking and share experiences”I also questioned, “Do you feel that you organise a large range of different activities throughout the week and what is the purpose of this?”Again they confidently answered,

“We try to put on a range of different events that everyone likes and enjoys”

From these interviews and the rest of my group’s initial research, I realised a few points that Fresher’s week raises. First being the importance of socialising. It is no doubt the most rewarding part towards the students, especially when international students share their experiences. Second of all, the point that Freshers week does not always accommodate for everyone and sometimes people will be let down either because of personal interests or personal boundaries.

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freshers night no.5 (on the boat)

I decided to continue my research by documenting the last night of Ravensbourne College’s Freshers week (5/11/10) on a boat party with the use of photography. I aimed to photograph everything that I thought was interesting and influential to our research.

On this page, I have narrowed down to four images that best symbolise relationships, disabilities and security for the night on the boat. Images 2 & 3 fit most with our Culture pathway, as the two male figures didn’t take long to acquire some company, either being a new international friend or known English friend. Even though there were many international students on the boat that night, they didn’t just shy away but instead quickly socialised with the English students. Images 1 & 4 don’t really follow with our brief but I still felt it was important to photograph these subjects. Image 4 best describes the authority in this environment. The bouncers overall gave a strong sense of security and authority in the compact environment, which therefore made the whole night very controlled and nothing went out of hand.Image 1 helped emphasise the designer’s effort to include a feature that its main purpose would be to aid people with disabilities. However, this was the only element of its kind. Realising how little bars/clubs are designed to accommodate people with disabilities, this highlighted the large amount of possibility for designing to accommodate the disabled in nightlife.

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freshers night no.5(transport)

Transport was another factor I picked up on throughout the end of the night. The images either show organised or unorganised means of transport for the end of the night. Images 5 & 8 display the different types of organised transport, in 5, the group of girls simply chose to use the late night bus service from the North Greenwich station. In 8, a group of students were able to be literally picked up right next to the jetty entrance by a friend in a small Mini Cooper.

However, in the other two images, the subjects weren’t as organised and had to improvise getting home. Many others also had this problem and were constantly on the phone trying to persuade friends or family to pick them up at 2am. Image 7 best describes how people get talking to strangers also stuck in the same situation.

Even though this experience showed my group and me possibility to develop problems with transport late at night, we decided it would be most appropriate to start looking into how people with disabilities interact within the bar/nightclub scene.

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initial ideasTo begin designing for people with disabilities, we noted down some common and uncommon disabilities, including deaf, dumb, blind, dyslexia, language boundaries and wheelchair users. I then noted some stereotypical problems or obstacles that may arise in a bar/nightclub scene and for areas revolving around transport.

With this basic starting point, I began looking on the Internet for any inspiration and information on the disabilities. This helped me to get into a certain frame of mind and I started thinking up some initial ideas that I felt would be extremely helpful and simple to produce.

My initial ideas consist of either new products that could be manufactured or ideas that could be implemented into existing products or furnishings. The ideas that caught my eye the most were to do with helping people that were blind or partially sighted. Especially the grip-tape path because it revolves around the basis it aids navigation. The rest of the group also had ideas that were based on helping the blind so we all agreed it was the best pathway to take.

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focus on blind & partially sightedAfter agreeing to focus on developing ideas for the blind, I came up with another idea that involved navigation. I thought if there was cuts/grooves in the surface of a table or bar counter, then maybe a blind person could use this to help direct their hand to their drink or food.

One of the group ideas we thought up was to have a rubber band with braille on it that fitted around the bar’s or club’s drinks glasses. This would help the blind or partially sighted to understand which drinks glass was theirs on the table. This idea also integrates with the idea for cuts/grooves in the surface of furnishings.

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grip-tape pathThis was the second idea I thought of, it includes a rough surface pathway that helps direct the blind or partially sighted around the bar/club to major points such as; the entrance/exit, the bar counter, the toilets and various seating areas.

The grip-tape path would be manufactured very similarly to sandpaper/glasspaper where one side would be a coarse surface and the other being a layer of adhesive. The visible side could be pigmented to suit the type of flooring, plus the thickness of the grip-tape would only be a few millimetres thick. Therefore, making the overall product distinctive enough for the blind to feel underneath their feet or on the end of the walking cane whilst being very unobtrusive for others.

This would also be a very inexpensive product to manufacture and install into existing or newly built bars or nightclubs.

This image highlights the pathway I stitched to a photo I captured in the American Bar & Grill that situates in the O2 arena. It shows how grip-tape would lead from the entrance to the bar and also to the toilet.

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initial CAD drawings

Because I was only predicting how a blind or partially sighted person would interact with the grooves/cuts idea, I didn’t know whether this idea would be helpful enough towards people with disabilities. Therefore, Gar-Hey and me thought it would be best to visit the RNIB (Royal National Institute for the Blind) to get some feedback of this idea and some of the others. Whilst there, we also had a look round at some of the products specially designed for the blind or partially sighted as part of research.

Gar-Hey and me were able to talk to two partially sighted and a fully sighted volunteer about the ideas we had. First we showed them the grip-tape pathway, which we then received not to many positive responses. We then moved onto explaining carefully the cuts/grooves idea. They quickly responded to this idea positively. One of the partially sighted volunteers, Courtney, said

“It’s really embarrassing when you knock over everybody’s drinkstryingtofindyourown.”The fully sighted volunteer also added that it may be more of a problem implementing this design into already existing bars but would be more inviting to new bars and clubs opening.

With this feedback, I thought it would be most appropriate to focuses on researching alternative methods for the cuts/grooves idea and begin development whilst remembering to take into account manufacturing possibilities and costs.

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adhesive tapeOne alternative method to having cut/grooves in the surface of a table or bar counter would be to have a removable adhesive tape with raised grooves on the top surface of the tape. It could also be easily bought from a DIY store by the bar or nightclub owner and simply applied to any surface. The tape would also be quite inexpensive as a product and inexpensive to implement to an already existing bar or club.

The tape would be manufactured out of cellophane film that would run through a heated die with a specific form, which would give the raised form of the grooves in the centre of the tape. On the non-raised side of the tape, a layer of rubber resin would be applied to act as the adhesive.

This would be a good product in the sense that it would be very inexpensive to implement to existing bars/nightclubs and easier to clean. However, it’s not as good in the sense of a long-term product plus it maybe obtrusive as you are adding extra height to the surface of the bar counter or table, which may cause spills or breakages.

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manufacture and costIf the idea of having cut/grooves in the surfaces of furnishings were to be taken forward and manufactured, the best method would be to use a Mortise Router Drill. With this Drill, a joiner or carpenter could be hired for a relatively small cost to implement the design onto surfaces that the owner could specify in their bar or club. This design could be made as a BSI (British Standards Institute) standard with specific dimensions of cuts and if so, a special jig with the dimensions could also be made available for joiners and carpenters to buy. This would give a cut with the same widths, depths and lengths and a overall consistent uniform spread of grooves/cuts at certain points along the bar counter or table surface.

To finish off on a wooden surface, the joiner or carpenter would then apply the coats of sealer and varnish to match the colour of the wood. On other surfaces such as marble, the surface could then be polished to finish.

However, these methods may not need implementing just to existing bars/clubs but to the materials whilst still in the factory or whilst a new bar is still undergoing construction. Either way, it wouldn’t cost too much to produce this design, especially with a ready-made jig to achieve a uniform cut.

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finaldesignThese rendered CAD drawings I did visually explain how the final design would be applied to different surfaces in a bar/club environment.

In context, the blind or partially sighted person would first order the drink and whilst waiting, they will be able to reach and feel for a set of cuts/grooves along the edge of the bar or table. When the drink has been poured and placed on the bar, the staff would notify the person and place the drink within the area of the cuts/grooves. Then the customer will be able to use the bottom of their palm against the grooved surface to direct him or herself to the drink without knocking others over and causing embarrassment.

In these images I have exaggerated the cuts/grooves to help show the design but realistically the dimensions would be quite different. For example the depth of the cut would only be around 2mm-5mm, which allows any excess liquids from the drinks glasses to drain away whilst leaving little build-up of dirt in the grooves so hygiene issues shouldn’t be a problem.

This design idea would especially be productive if it were to be applied as a BSI standard throughout the UK as it helps bar/nightclub owners and employees to acknowledge a better understanding of not only the blind or partially sighted but other disabilities so that an improved service will be achieved.

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conclusionFrom the brief “How fresh was your week?” I have taken a pathway that has totally diverged away from our original research area of comparing different culture’s Freshers weeks. It has made me realise how you can end up producing a design idea that is so diverse to your original intentions and be aware of changes and small parts in research that may not seem significant as they may lead to a more interesting route.

This design idea is really in a way a tool for people that are blind or partially sighted that can also be easily and inexpensively implemented into a bar/club. As a result of this brief, the design has ended up with multiple purposes even though it may seem to be only aimed at one market. One, it aims to aid the blind or partially sighted to find their drinks in a bar/nightclub on Freshers week. Two, it has an educational value. I say this because it not only educates the bar’s/club’s owner and employees but the general public to take into account how people with disabilities interact in that environment.

As I have mentioned before, the best outcome for this design idea would be if it were made as a standard for all bars and clubs in the UK. Therefore, making people with this specific disability always feel secure that they can walk into a bar or club and know they will be able to find their drinks or food without the cause of embarrassment.

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