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| dc.contributor.author | Reyes, Moises | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2024-04-30T19:09:58Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2024-04-30T19:09:58Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2024-04-30 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10429/2557 | |
| dc.description | Social interactions are not only desirable but crucial for fostering empathy and understanding. However, contemporary trends suggest a decline in spontaneous interactions, replaced by a culture of screen-mediated isolation. This thesis confronts the issue by examining the role of design in facilitating meaningful conversations. The origin of this thesis exploration can be traced back to a reflective moment in the aftermath of the summer of 2023, encapsulated in a poem titled Conversation That Could’ve Been written by me. This poetic piece was sparked by my experience during an 8-hour layover at an airport, where solitude mingled with the desire for meaningful connections. The musings prompted a pivotal question: Can design interventions alter users’ personal space to generate interactive conversations between strangers? This query, arising from a seemingly personal predicament, transitioned swiftly into a broader investigation, attributing the challenge not to individual disposition but to the design of airport waiting areas. As the poet behind the reflection, I initially ascribed my inability to engage in conversation to a personal shortcoming. However, the architect within me swiftly redirected this blame towards the design of the airport waiting areas. A critical analysis of seating arrangements within these spaces revealed a pattern that encapsulated the prevailing dilemma. The structured layout, often marked by an individual seated with an empty seat adjacent, followed by another person and another vacant seat, underscored a tacit norm in public spaces. The rare deviations from this pattern were typically attributable to familial or group dynamics, signifying pre-existing interpersonal relationships. A cursory examination of airport seating configurations reaffirms the presence of this pattern, exposing the unwritten code governing interpersonal proximity among strangers, particularly within the cultural context of the United States. This observed tendency of individuals to maintain physical distance from unfamiliar counterparts accentuates the challenge of initiating spontaneous conversations in public spaces. The presence of empty seats acting as implicit barriers further reinforces the perceived need for personal space among strangers, fostering a reluctance to engage in uninvited discourse. The observation that strangers are disinclined to sit close, at least within the U.S. context, introduces an intriguing cultural dimension to the exploration. Understanding the cultural nuances that shape individuals’ behaviors and expectations regarding personal space becomes integral to the subsequent chapters of this investigation. The interplay between design, cultural norms, and the dynamics of interpersonal connections will be examined in greater detail, seeking to unveil opportunities for interventions that transcend these spatial barriers and foster genuine connections in the site chosen of the campus of the University of Detroit Mercy. The origins of proxemics, the branch of knowledge that deals with the amount of space that people feel it necessary to set between themselves and others, trace back to the pioneering work of anthropologist Edward T. Hall. Hall is widely credited with introducing the concept of personal space and formalizing the study of proxemics. In his seminal work, “The Hidden Dimension,” Hall elucidates the science of proxemics, demonstrating its far-reaching implications on personal and business relations, cross-cultural interactions, architecture, city planning, and urban renewal. Through a comprehensive exploration, Hall highlights the profound influence of human use of space on various aspects of societal and environmental dynamics. Adding depth to the discourse, William H. Whyte’s “The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces” contributes significant insights into the dynamics of urban spaces and their profound impact on human behavior and social interactions. Whyte’s exploration extends beyond the individual scale, providing a broader understanding of how spatial configurations influence collective experiences within urban environments. A critical examination of proxemics reveals that the field has been subjected to innovative challenges and transformations in recent scholarly endeavors. Noteworthy contributions in the realm of “Augmented Urban Experiences” by Andreani and Sayegh exemplify a multisensory and multidisciplinary approach. Their work creatively fuses scientific purposes with design strategies, utilizing augmenting technologies to achieve a more human-centered understanding of the built environment. In the realm of public transportation, Pere and Vallina present a unique perspective in their thesis, “Proxemics: Augmenting our interactions on public transportation.” Here, redesigning the public bus interior serves as a transformative intervention aimed at enhancing interactive functions and reshaping the dynamics of public transit spaces. Furthermore, real-world examples such as Nana Coffee Roasters provide tangible instances of proxemics in practice. In this coffee shop, the deliberate layout with counters wrapping around the perimeter directs customers’ attention to the coffee, illustrating a strategic use of spatial design to influence social dynamics. This case study underscores the role of proxemics in guiding customer behavior and fostering specific interactions within commercial spaces. Wood Pavilion #1 stands as an architectural experiment, offering an opportunity to observe how users choose to interact with a given space. This case exemplifies a nuanced exploration of proxemics, shedding light on the intricate interplay between spatial design and user behavior within an experimental context. While investigating this thesis the following questions were asked: Can design interventions alter users’ personal space to generate interactive conversations between strangers? What design strategies can generate a shared experience between strangers to enable them to conversate? How can the design influence the frequency of new random conversations? Social interactions are desirable things to do, but lack of design imposes an obstacle for those who wish to interact. This thesis will find design strategies that help promote conversations. By diagramming patterns of interactive conversations, phrases, and words used in conversations, replicating encounters with stranger conditions through installations, observing what "become closer" can look like, and observing and noting instances where people tend to stop and have a conversation around the University of Detroit Mercy campus. These investigations will help understand the environments conversations are happening on the University’s Campus, what to achieve with strangers becoming closer, and the expected outcome of the design that will help sprout new conversations. My methods can be critiqued in many ways - the sample used, the many variables applicable to each individual, the setting, and the time/season the study was conducted. Some may say design cannot enable conversations but only house them or that where I am trying to situate the design is a one-off and is only applicable to the chosen site. The critiques do have a point, I was limited to my reach of individuals and did not get the opportunity to dissect the behavior of each observant on a daily and consecutive basis. The proposed design may not work given it is all theoretical and only if it were to be built will we know if my findings and inferences were right. The same can be said about the design being able to be transferable to different typologies and sites where demographics change as well as the density of individuals. I believe that social interactions are desirable things to do. Why should people interact? To understand someone else’s point of view. This can all be done through conversations enabled through design. What does that design look like? This thesis tackled that question and proposed a design strategy that enables conversations through thought-out design strategies with the University of Detroit Mercy as the test site. This is a valuable finding as design can influence personal behavior and help foster a more versed world through conversations. | en_US |
| dc.description.abstract | Social interactions are desirable and crucial for fostering empathy and understanding. However, contemporary trends suggest a decline in spontaneous interactions, replaced by a culture of screen-mediated isolation. Proxemics, the study of space and behavior, is the main driving force behind this thesis design, distinguishing four distinct spatial-behavioral zones - intimate, personal, social, and public, that define the varying degrees of physical distance and facilitate or constrain interpersonal engagement. The motive of this thesis investigation is to curate a design that enables interactions, using the University of Detroit Mercy as the site study, and ask: Can design interventions alter users’ personal space to generate interactions between strangers? What design strategies can generate a shared experience between strangers to enable them to interact? How can the design influence the frequency of new random interactions? Methods used include firsthand observations, literature reviews, precedent studies, and installations. These method studies led to the findings of variables that contribute to facilitating or constraining interpersonal engagement. Each plays a crucial role in the realm of interactions. Why should people interact? To understand someone else’s point of view. This can all be done through designed conversations. What does that design look like? The thesis tackles the question and proposes a design strategy that enables conversations through thought-out proposal strategies implemented in the University of Detroit Mercy campus. This is a valuable finding as interventions can influence personal behavior and foster a more understanding world through conversations. | en_US |
| dc.language.iso | en_US | en_US |
| dc.subject | Interactions | en_US |
| dc.subject | Conversation | en_US |
| dc.subject | Proxemics | en_US |
| dc.subject | Proximity | en_US |
| dc.subject | Relations | en_US |
| dc.title | Enabling Interactions | en_US |
| dc.title.alternative | Let's Have a Conversation | en_US |
| dc.type | Thesis | en_US |
