E Studio Discussions

October 28

“What other types of environments are becoming hybrid? Give at least one specific example and note whether or not you think the hybridization of the environment improves the user experience.”

One example of a hybrid space that I’ve noticed a lot recently is airports. Places like bag check, security, gates, and baggage claim are all becoming hybrid or would benefit from becoming hybrid.

When you go to check your bags, you can do it almost entirely from their digital kiosks now, instead of having to wait in line to talk to an attendant. After clicking through the kiosk screens, it prints your bag tag for you and tells you how to stick it on—then all you have to do is hand it to the attendant, who checks to make sure it’s not too heavy and then sends it off to be loaded onto the plane. It’s super easy!

Security often also has options like CLEAR, which (I think) is a way that you can pre-register and then it scans your eyes (like a sci-fi spy movie) to verify that it’s you. Then your time through security is super fast.

While airport gates and baggage claim aren’t fully hybridized yet, I definitely think they could be! Some kind of way to digitally see which bags are coming out next might be super useful, or maybe some kind of hologram showing which groups are boarding…

I think hybridization in airports has definitely improved the user experience! So far (at least for me) it’s improved wait times and reduced the amount of interactions with others I need to have, which is nice in a pandemic. Although it does raise some concerns for me about workers being replaced by machines.

November 2

“How is the role of an architect and an environments designer different? Be specific when talking about projects, skillsets, tools, approaches, etc.”

Architects focus on structure and the general layout of the building, while environments designers are more concerned about what is inside the space itself. Environments designers’ work is more likely to change, while once an architect’s design is built, the building doesn’t often change very much. Environments designers also tend to work more with technology and bringing virtual spaces into physical ones, while architects’ work is more about drafting and planning the physical space, and focusing on the engineering aspect.

November 13

“What motivates you? What distracts you? What keeps you engaged?”

I’m definitely more motivated by projects about things I’m passionate about or interested in. I honestly wasn’t that excited about this project until I decided to focus on Artemisia Gentileschi — she’s been one of my favorite artists for YEARS, so being able to share my love for her and her work was exciting to me.

I’m generally pretty good at staying focused once I’ve figured out a clear idea/plan/vision, but I find that I’m more easily distracted in the ideation phase. At this point in my life it’s usually caused by one of the other many things I’m involved in or me simply zoning out/losing interest because of a lack of direction.

On the other end of that spectrum, I typically stay more engaged once I know what I want to do, because then I can just sit down and do it. I’ve also found that listening to music or a podcast helps me to focus. I tend to stay more engaged when it’s a type of work I love to do. I loved designing the walls or my exhibit (arranging the paintings and text), but I didn’t care for coding the TinkerCAD model as much, for example.

November 18

“As the prevalence of digital media in our physical environments increases daily, what is the role and/or responsibility of designers in shaping our environments?”

Designers are responsible for making our digital environments simple to use, nice to look at, and functional. I think another aspect that’s extremely important to consider is the safety/wellbeing side of things. As technology and digital spaces become increasingly prevalent, it’s easy for people (especially young people) to get sucked into technology with apps like Instagram and TikTok, which have had noted negative effects on mental health. It’s our job as designers to ensure that the projects/designs that we are creating facilitate getting out of those digital spaces and back into reality when things become too overwhelming. It’s also on us to create digital elements that encourage real human connection, rather than fostering arguments or creating like comparisons on social media that can be detrimental. Additionally, we need to consider accessibility. As more and more media becomes digital, we need to make sure that all of that media is accessible to blind and Deaf communities, as well as any other marginalized identities that may be disproportionately affected by the use of technology (for example, those living in poverty).

December 12

“How were the skills you developed in the first project similar and/or different from the second project? What is your understanding of the role of an Environments designer?”

The first project to me felt more physical and conceptual, while I think the second project was much more digital as well as practical. In the first project we had to think a lot about designing a space itself, and focused less on the specifics of how the interactions would work from the back-end side of things. In the second project, the space we were working in had already been designed, and instead our task was to augment it with digital elements. However, with the second project, it felt like we had more work to do on the reality of how it would work. The first project felt like working in 3D, and the second project felt like working in an in-between space between 2D and 3D.

An Environments designer is someone who designs spaces and interactions, usually (but not necessarily always) as a combination of physical and digital elements. An Environments designer is responsible for designing interactions and interfaces, but not necessarily the one responsible for programming them. On the physical side, they’d be responsible for choosing and arranging items like furniture, but not necessarily the one creating/designing that furniture.