Lauren Rossi: Progress Reports

Part One of Four

Part Two of Four

Part Three of Four

Part Four of Four

Patricia Voto- Progress Report

Andrea Kim: Assignment 7 - Progress Report

Progress Report- Carl Frisk

Vanessa Leung's Hypothesis and Tools

Karen Tinney - Tests/Progress (10/26)

HYPOTHESIS: The lack of faith in and knowledge of American manufacturing has contributed to the decline of industry in America and the introduction of a post-industrial society. Through innovation, resourcefulness, and cooperation of factory workers, designers, and consumers, appropriate industries may be created that will accurately describe America's culture and contemporary stance in history.

MIND MAP/RESEARCH MAP:

EXPERIMENTS: This week I focused on testing consumer knowledge of manufacturing in America and their knowledge of the goods which they identify closely with themselves. 

IN PROGRESS: These two experiments are in progress. They will tell me more about consumer thoughts about materials and processes.

NEXT STEPS: 

Talk to more designers who are working with factories in the United States. 

Camilla Warren (the Mill expert) at the EPA is supposed to be contacting me this week about their Brownfield Mill Project - from her I'd like to gain an understanding of the post-industrial landscape and the steps that are being taken/need to be taken to deal with it. 

Make contact with factories/factory workers to gain perspective and knowledge of material processes.

Angela's Thesis progress 10.26.09

this is for those who are interested in eco-friendly issue for thesis

This is so crazy to me! (the vitamin cafe part)

Hypothesis form

Hello,
As I mentioned in class yesterday, this blog is growing so rapidly that there is some concern that it is going to be hard to get an overview of where students are in their processes. Therefore, we are implementing a new tool that should provide a better picture. Please fill out the form as best you can.

Thanks, steven

HS_hypothesis_10/19

Hypothesis:

1. Fun theory approach can attract more people to change the daily life style behavior which guides to the right direction to solve the serious environmental problem in public space.

2. One small fun act can help to evolve people’s daily behavior, which will make the synergy effect in the communities to lead toward many good answers for our serious environmental problem.

Key Words:
Evolving, improving, interactive, synergy effect, fun, share-ship, environment

Key Diagram:
Fun Theory – Environmental Problem
I
Product
I
Strategy:
-The healthy ‘Share-ship’ usage will stimulate the synergy effect
- The interactive reactions to the individuals will attract communities’ attention.
- The product will be sustainable.

What: Environmental problem
Where: Public space
Who: Everyone
How: Fun and interactively
Why: Because one tends to avoid the problems that are too big to handle with oneself
The individuals are not relatively linked with the environmental problems.
Environmental problems and individuals are dislinked.

Stakeholder and user
People in general
New York City sanitation department
World Environment Organization
United Nation environment progamme
Anthropologist

Research Plan:
Survey, interview, news on public share, public need, public environmental issues and problem, and public sanitation.

Research Tool:
Internet survey
Interview people at various organizations
Social human behavior research

Paola Research Strategies

Hypothesis:

Sharing networks will create sustainable models of living. Design can create the network, the platform and the community of sharing.

Assumptions:

Sharing economies will create sustainable models.

People are willing to share ownership and products.

Sharing economies will build communities.


Stakeholders:

Consumers: Interview people on how they share things, under what circumstances and for what reasons. Find out how much are they willing to share and why.

Companies that already implement a sharing system: Investigate what they are doing and what is making their model successful.

Cameron Tonkinwise: expertise on sharing economies

Psychologists: understand the psychological implementations of sharing and building relationships through sharing

Rachel Botsman: expertise in collaborative consumption

Javier Buj Garcia: expertise in indigenous communities in Mexico.

3 strategies:

Investigate existing models of sharing products and collaborative consumption.

Interview experts and get to know what opportunities they see for sharing systems.

Interview/survey the consumer who have used sharing systems and consumers that haven’t.

Evanee Wu- Thesis Hypothesis, Stakeholders, Research Plan

Based on an urban living setting, I have a great interest on food culture. I’ve been happy about how we have versatile dining experiences in New York City. I would like to take advantages of the city and embed values in our dining experiences: dining as a way to maintain biodiversity, a mean to understand world cultures, and a communication between people from different backgrounds.



Hypothesis:
1. Expanding the utilization of endangered food to encourage food purchase helps food preservation. Living in a market-driven society, it efficiently preserves those that had been threatened by market standardizing.
2. People can gain the fundamental knowledge of food culture through communal environments such as dormitories or workplaces.

Stakeholders and Research Targets:

From my research I found most of my stakeholders are my research targets as well. Ideally, this is a win-win situation which both of the stakeholder and the researcher (me) will find beneficial helping each other.

- Slow food USA: Seeks solutions on maintaining food diversity. Having developed programs preserving endangered food, it has informative documents on my interested topic.
- Individual participants on slow food movement: Concern the slow food movement and are eager to help. Most of them collect information in various areas of food culture, i.e. food education, quality food suppliers, local agriculture.
- Farmers: Find a solution to keep cultivating the endangered food. They are people who provide first-hand information, for example, the difficulties on cultivation and market size.
- Food Retailers: Expand product lines. They are models to study food business.
- Urban villagers: Discover a fresh, fun, and delicious dining experience. Observing their food consumption and eating patterns helps me to find a potential solution.
- Cultural anthropologists: Understand the dynamics of food cultures. Keeping in contact with knowledgeable experts is an effective way to study cultures.
- Students who live on campus: Enjoy cultural exchange experiences. From them I can get direct feedbacks on their views of different cultures.

Research Methods:

1. Observe the developing solutions through related organizations; be involved in the programs or attend several events that related to my topics. Identify the successfulness and the shortcomings of the programs.
2. Contact individual participants on slow food movement and know different perspectives from their thoughts.
3. Be connected with the agricultural experts. Find the fundamental facts on endangered food: Why is it endangered? Why are they valuable to be preserved? Who are the customers?
4. Understand the users: create questionnaires and life events to find out their concerns on food. What’s their motivation in terms of food consumption? What triggers their interests on food culture? What are the emotions they have on dining?
5. Getting into business: interview people from food business. What are the considerations for them to decide if the food is markedly valuable? How well and what do they know about customers psychology? What are the difficulties to provide quality food service?

Childhood Obesity Epidemic

 

Monica Bhatia : Fear, stakeholders, hypothesis

Hypothesis = We are healthier, stronger, safer, and more educated, than in previous generations, but are more afraid of things that in general are not so threatening. Has it come down to what we are really afraid of; other people!? I think the products and systems created do not necessarily warn or protect people as much as they make them paranoid and think irrationally. How can design, perhaps critical design be used to inform people of this universal fear, or actually understand that its not as dangerous (or is it?) out there as we think? Goal = world peace.

Terrorism = outsiders using force to control another party. Extreme actions used, threats, violence, surprising actions, language, etc. An act of terror or an act of war? Is there a difference?

Stakeholders:

Americans: who read the newspaper, take certain precautions when it comes to trusting people, their beliefs, imparting knowledge on their children, and protecting their families

Physiologists: that study fear, treat patients for fears and phobias, and can give insight as to WHY people are conditioned to think there is someone they don't understand that wants to cause harm

News reporters: deal with the information that is fit to print and share, why are warnings made clear in the headlines? Why is every single headline on the front page a warning?

Politicians: understand why terrorism may happen and have ideas of how to react

I'm interested in the topic of fear, especially in regards to terrorism. Humans make great advances of technology and create vaccines to save us from illness, but still have time to worry about things, like what if some people from other parts of the world are developing nuclear weapons to hurt us with? What if they plan on sending them in the mail? Or abducting our children, hijacking cars or airplanes? Despite statistics, many of the articles in the New York times give warning to someone else out there that may be planning to hurt us. I can even think of some evidence that the fear of terrorism has changed the design of our environment since 2001:
-Mail security, inspection, not putting postboxes in transportation terminals
-Strict airline travel, minimal liquids allowed, shoe removal
-Fear of unattended packages, could be a bomb, or chemicals
-Terror (amber) alerts

One theory is that fear is understood by our Head: our brain, “gets it” translates facts, while the Gut: “doesn't understand statistics” is our impulse, our physicality and how we ACTUALLY react to fear. My theory is that it has a lot to do with a loss of control, which may be hardwired into the brain to think: DEATH the ultimate loss of control. And if we ourselves are doing everything right to keep safe it can only be others that are out to do us harm, right? I understand that fear is important and is inherently used to protect us, but it is possible that media hypes up warning to absurdity. I'm interested in media hype, political control, and marketing fear to sell products, such as security systems and hand sanitizers. For my research I think it is important to begin with talking to physiologists and neuroscience focusing on the studies of fear. Talk to politicians and political scientists who are supposed to be protecting against “attacks”, reporters whose job it is to inform the public about national news.
Tools: The game of RISK adapted for current threats. Military pieces replaced with terrorist related threats of hijacking, nuclear weapons, and bio-terrorism.

Rhee Ju

Hypothesis

The New York City is one of the place it has high floating population and the transportation is important for people to flow from point A to point B, which means also apply to other countries. It may depends on the Cultural background but there are difference between people’s behavior how they use public transportations.

Although MTA NYC Transit does put up a lots of informing about how people should be behave in subways, it mostly seems scatter in subways, and it doesn’t give direct influence to the subway riders that’s why we always bump into people or squeeze through by people when we get on/off the train.

Stakeholders

Users

-Newyorkers

People will appreciate more each other by waiting one second for others.

-Tourists/Visitors

They will have better impression about NYC and willing to use it again.

MTA

They can vision…

1. Neater environments.
2. Decrease of people gets injuries/incidents.
3. Be helpful for the NY to make stronger reputation of tourism.

Plans

- Case studies(how, why, when, who, where, how people behave)

- Interviews

- Contact with Advertisement Council

- Contact with MTA

Chika Nakayama Hypothesis

My interests are the nomadic people in Mongolia and raw material, cashmere, which help them to thrive. Nomadic culture is a precious group that is still remaining in this age of globalization. For three thousand of years, these people traveled grassland to raise their animals, preserving their way of life. The extreme climate and geographical condition influence their living. Year by year, because of climate change and globalization, human impact has been affecting their culture and health of the land. It became cycle of overgrazing which leads to soil erosion, causing desertification. The new way of use of land, oil drilling and mining, has caused pollution. The degradation of grassland is extending, and it threats the Mongolian cashmere economy.

-Hypothesis
Cashmere is valuable to the Mongolian culture and I would like to sustain this resource.



-Stakeholder
Mongolian Nomads are struggling to sustain their culture and land because of desertification and the market for cashmere.

Mongolian government wants to sustain their land, cashmere economy, and their nomadic culture.

Cashmere manufactures in Mongolia are having a difficult time staying open for production because of market system with other countries.

Foreign traders take advantage of the Mongolia cashmere industry by outbidding the Mongolian manufactures and illegally smuggle the raw cashmere out of the country, putting more pressure on nomads.

Consumers are buying cashmere, unaware of where it is coming from.

Retailer are increasing their fashion cycle and style changes to increase sales and demand for cashmere without necessarily knowing where the material is coming from and extension of desertification.

-Plan
The information I need to solve problem is a deep understanding of Mongolian geography and where they travel, getting a sense of their culture. The Mongolian manufacturing companies are important group to study to understand because of production and economy of cashmere. The foreign traders influence on the business of nomads and manufacture is another area to focus on understanding cashmere economy. The effect of desertification of the land is another topic that I need to understand too. I think it may be helpful to know about the indigenous plants that might grow on the land.
I started to gather the information by contacting the Mongolian Eco Forum organization In Japan. They gave me information about the nomad’s way of life, how they trade their cashmere and which place has been expanding desertification. They gave me information who I can contact in NY. I plan to contact cashmere traders and retailers to find out where they buy their material. I want to conduct a survey with consumer to know awareness of cashmere, for example, where it is from.

HYPOTHESIS: Yoomi Choi

HYPOTHESIS:

The term “goose fathers” derives from the Korean view of the goose as a traditional symbol of family loyalty. These goose fathers send their wives and young children overseas for the purpose of acquiring a better education, while the fathers remain in Korea.
The negative situations that the goose fathers are introduced with are loneliness, unable to provide themselves with nutritious meals, and the fear of coming home every night and day in an empty house. This is why many fathers often have meetings with other fathers with similar situations in order to relieve stress, and their loneliness. These meetings usually consist of drinking and smoking because it is the easy way out. These habits create an increase in health problems among goose fathers. In extreme cases, many commit suicide after severe depression and stress.
These problems not only affect the fathers, but also mothers too. Mothers, who have followed to take care of their children, also go through difficulties. They are obligated to learn a new language and to adapt to a whole new environment, and attend to children’s puberty without a father figure. Mothers also deal with stress from the obligation of disciplining their children, and loneliness from being away from their husbands. Mothers are also under a lot of pressure to lead the children the right way, if the children fail academically or even emotionally, the fathers will blame the mothers for everything.
Children are also prone to a lot of stress. They are forced to get used to a new culture and environment and to exceed academically more than the typical children. They are not familiar with the new language and have no friends. They are also under pressure to do better so that the parents can be proud and feel like they have made the right decision to come overseas. Since studying overseas is high in demand, the number of students flying to different countries increased tremendously, which means there are more Korean students in each school, which would lead these students to create a clique. This clique will have no obligation to learn the new language, or even to apply themselves with other foreigners.
Due to the long distance relationship between the father and the children, they tend to grow apart from each other and feel uncomfortable and awkward toward each other. This is a negative issue towards a family and leads to divorce. If there was a system or product that can help these family understand what each of them are going through, and to be able to build a healthy family from long distance, it will improve the quality of family relationship, and prevent family disasters in the future.


WHAT INFORMATION WOULD SUPPORT OR REFUTE YOUR ARGUMENT:

-Statistics
-Experiences of these groups of people
-Media


WHO HAS THIS INFORMATION:
-Korean overseas students
-Parents
-Schools
-Media


HOW MIGHT YOU EXTRACT THE INFORMATION:

-Interview
-Questionnaire
-Observation


HOW CAN THESE GROUPS BE REACHED:

-I would find online forums that these groups of people created and ask questions, and email for more details



STAKEHOLDERS:

Fathers:
-Working in Korea to support the family who is in overseas
-Hurting because of bad economy, dollar currency is peaking
-Feeling left out and distant from mothers and children (lack of communication)

Mothers:
-Under pressure to take care of children to be successful
-Going through different culture, language, environment, and children’s puberty
-Constant worrying of husbands’ emotional and physical well being

Children:
-Under pressure of getting the best grade they can
-Stress coming from different culture, language, environment, and puberty
-Slow education process due to increased Korean overseas students
-Feeling awkward when they meet with their fathers due to long time spent apart

Teachers:
-Assume that the whole family is together
-Expect the same as non-international students
-Will have better understanding of these situations so that they can form some kind of support group for these children, so that they can have mother/father figure

Korean board of education:
-They can help with their own education system
-Find a way to improve their education system


RESEARCH PLAN:

Interviews and Questionnaires

To students:
-The reasons why you are studying overseas? Their decision or parents decision?
-When did you move to different country?
-How did you feel when you first went studying abroad?
-Do you go back to Korea for vacations?
-What frustrates you the most?
-Do you contact your family often? Using phone? Email? If not, why not?
-Do you talk about what is going on in your life with your parents?
-How do you feel when you meet your father, does it feel like old times or do you feel awkward?
-What problems did/do you have with your parents? Why is that?
-How would you like to improve your relationship with your parents?

To mothers:
-Why did/didn’t you go with your children?
-Did you think about sending your children alone?
-Did you choose to go or not go with your children?
-Do you communicate with your husband often?
-How is your relationship with your children? Husband?
-What frustrates you the most?
-Do you talk about what’s going on with children’s life?
-What problems did/do you have with your children? Husband?
-How would you like to improve your relationship with your children?

To fathers:
-How has your daily routines changed?
-Did you perspective of studying abroad change?
-Do you communicate with your children and wife often? How do you communicate? Phone? Email?
-What frustrates you the most?
-What do you talk about when you are on the phone with your children?
-Do you visit your children during the vacations?
-How do you feel when you meet your children? Is it like old times or is it awkward?
-What problems do you have with your children? Wife?
-How would you like to improve you relationship with your children?

To teachers:
-Do you notice the different mannerism and etiquette between the typical students and international students? If there are, what are they?
-In school, do international students form cliques?
-How do they perform academically? Do they participate or stay quiet?
-Do they participate in extra curricular activities?