Last semester I completed a studio brief based on the idea of ‘Culture’, I decided to focus on wall art and graffiti. After exploring various methods of primary and secondary research throughout the first and second semester I have realised how important good research is, it is the basis for a successful project so within this research proposal I will look at how I could have applied the methods I have learned to my studio brief and with my broader range of knowledge, could have produced a better body of work.
My Cultures project focused mainly around wall art but also taking influences from graffiti which I see around me every day. Firstly I decided to look all the way back to cave painting and wall art from thousands of years ago. My main influences came from the aesthetics of cave paintings but I think one thing which I would have done differently If I was to begin this project again would have been to further investigate graffiti today and look further into cave paintings and wall art to try to get a proper understanding behind the paintings, emphasising that they are not just something pretty or interesting to look at, but that they have meaning, they tell a story.
Taking this as my main aim I think I would have chosen to research literature as a starting point to gather information about the importance of wall art, where and when the first wall art was created or discovered, was this the first attempt of humans passing information through time? Was it effective and did it carry out its original purpose? What about wall art which we see today, some people feel that graffiti is destroying the look of our cities but others class it as art, a skill even. Maybe the ‘artist’ is simply trying to get a their own point across or tell as story through their wall art just like they were doing through cave paintings all those years ago. I would attempt yet again to conquer ‘cross-search’ which I struggled with in the first semester, I am sure if I gave it another go I would come out with better results given time. I think this would definitely be a useful resource as well as using the internet to gather information. One downfall with using the internet though is that all websites cannot be trusted therefore I could not be sure that all information gathered would be valid. Otherwise I think this would be a really handy tool as it is easily accessible and is not particularly time consuming.
Another method which I think would also have been beneficial and interesting to use for this project would be the analysing of photographs, referring back to assignment 1 ‘The Consumption of Design‘. In the case of graffiti I could have studied images of wall art being carried out in public places and try to understand what the purpose of this happening was, what I could tell from the art itself and from the person carrying out the activity as well as studying the way people react seeing the wall art. Relating to the cave paintings I think it would be interesting to study images of various wall art and cave painting to try and understand for myself what the artist was trying to convey through the images they depicted, where were the images sited and to whom would they have been aimed at?
I think one method in particular which would give me the best results would be undertaking interviews with specialists in this field, whom I’m sure would be more than happy to assist me with my research, informing me on something which they are presumably passionate about. I think I would have gathered very useful information which would aid me in my research and it would be information that I can trust. Something else I would have done would be to attend a museum featuring wall art exhibits. I could have talked to members of the public within the gallery/museum, questioning them on how they feel about the exhibits as well as how they feel about graffiti which they see today, is it a good or bad thing? A gallery would be a peaceful environment which I’m sure the subject would find less intimidating, a museum is someplace in which you could almost lose yourself in, so to speak, so hopefully I would be able to get a decent amount of good information from them, given I asked the correct questions.
On the other hand, carrying out interviews with graffiti artists would also be a good route to go down, it would have allowed me to get a better understanding of ‘their’ side of things. Why they produce these pieces and what they aim to achieve doing so. Is it possible to change the way people think about graffiti? Instead of it being seen as something bad can it be used to build communities maybe? An example of making graffiti a more positive thing, would be a club in the town which I live in which holds ‘live art’ nights in which artists come along and create ‘pieces’, as suggested, live and whilst the music is playing and people are dancing along, the atmosphere buzzing.
In conclusion I feel the most beneficial method of research would be undertaking interviews with specialist within this field and also the public and how they feel about graffiti today. I think carrying out these methods would give me a deeper understanding behind the subject and therefore allow for a stronger body or research followed by strong development and outcome.
Thursday 1 April 2010
Assignment 5a - Research Proposal for 'Underage Drinking'
Within semester one of Design Studies I began exploring the problem of underage drinking using literature as the method of research trying to understand some of the causes and results. This assignment will explain how previous assignments I have completed could be beneficial to my research and in what way to aid further research, also why particular methods may not be so beneficial.
Firstly I would further my literature research as this would be the most effective way of finding out about technology and innovations which already exist helping to prevent or deal with this problem.
To allow me to begin understanding this problem and the extent of it I think that interviewing would be one of my preferred methods. This is because I feel it would give me a variation of perspectives and opinions by interviewing for example, the police whom have to deal with these underage drinkers, families of the drinkers, small shop owners whom seem to be one of the main sources for alcohol for kids that drink on the streets, also staff and bouncers of pubs.
I could also use this method within an Accident & Emergency department as they see the results of underage drinking first hand. Using the interview technique here would allow me to get to the truth about what happens within the department. With permission, speaking to patients, family members, staff and porters would allow me to gather data on the reasons why the drinkers ended up in hospital, the extent of possible injuries that can occur, what effect it has on everyone involved, if it is a usual occurrence etc. I think this would be a valuable area to look into.
Policing is another avenue that I can follow up on as they could tell me what problems they face day-to-day with the underage drinkers. This may be a problem as they may not be willing to allow me to assist them or I may be putting myself at risk. I could possibly assist a “special constable” instead or community warden which may be safer. They could give me information on campaigns i.e.” challenge 21”, “Alcohol Awareness Weeks” etc. as well as where local youths are known to congregate and consume alcohol and their powers to confiscate any alcohol found. Under-age drinkers are known to conceal alcohol in bottles labelled as soft drinks and now police officers are equipped with alcohol-testing strips, I would try to find out more about methods of prevention like this and how effective they are.
I could also interview the public in different bars, they maybe more willing to speak in a comfortable environment about how they feel regarding underage drinking and youngsters drinking in the pubs, also whether an “old man pub” or a “trendy pub” makes any difference to the outcome of the questions. Although they may be intoxicated therefore the answer may not be viable.
Interviewing teenagers in general could be an option as I would get their first hand experience and being young myself they may be more willing to speak to me. Although the information I gather there is likely to be exaggeration, boasting, gossip, and stories can get altered a bit. One on one would be more awkward for myself and the subject so it might be easier to interview in groups or a few people where they would probably be more willing to open up although stories more embellished and unreliable and so this may not be valid research.
Speaking to families of the underage children is a good idea, finding out whether parents were aware of the extent of the problem. If they know about the problem, do they do anything to stop it or do they feel that they cannot control it or the fact it is out of sight out of mind and they can’t keep kids locked up. This method may not work as it would only touch the surface, I am not trained in these particular situations or how to go about asking personal questions therefore asking questions in the wrong way may offend. The right person asking the right questions may be needed for this.
Pub staff and bouncers would also be worth interviewing as they have an idea of how many people they have to refuse or remove from the premises for being underage. I could find out whether pubs in different areas and which areas, have more trouble although they may not be willing to divulge this information in case they get into trouble. Maybe they would be more likely to speak in a more comfortable environment, another pub for example, then they would be more likely to chat and be open than they would at their work place.
I think that small corner shops for example may be willing to tell me the problems which they have with the kids hanging about out side of the shops, the damage they cause and the abuse they give other customers. It is likely they would not be willing to say if they sell drink to kids. It might be worthwhile asking in different areas as there might be a pattern developing of where the problem areas are.
Although this method can be really helpful in most cases there seems to be a limit to how far I could go with it. On the other hand, observation as a form of research I feel would be especially informative in finding the habits of the underage drinkers, how they get their drink, where they manage to buy it, and what type of person would buy for an underage person. This can produce a pattern maybe typical to one type of shop or to poor areas or even privileged areas in and around town. With this type of monitoring a pattern of time can be established whereby policing at and around the high points can maybe deter the underage drinkers from using this method which is usually approaching adults and asking them to purchase alcohol on their behalf. Although from my own experience of watching kid’s hanging about on the street, they do not seem to be intimidated by the police whatsoever, more that the kids are the intimidating ones.
All in all I would say that observation would be the best method of research allowing me to gather the most information and I could see for myself the truths regarding underage drinking and I could document my findings, taking notes for example then could use the method of interviewing to back up those findings.
Firstly I would further my literature research as this would be the most effective way of finding out about technology and innovations which already exist helping to prevent or deal with this problem.
To allow me to begin understanding this problem and the extent of it I think that interviewing would be one of my preferred methods. This is because I feel it would give me a variation of perspectives and opinions by interviewing for example, the police whom have to deal with these underage drinkers, families of the drinkers, small shop owners whom seem to be one of the main sources for alcohol for kids that drink on the streets, also staff and bouncers of pubs.
I could also use this method within an Accident & Emergency department as they see the results of underage drinking first hand. Using the interview technique here would allow me to get to the truth about what happens within the department. With permission, speaking to patients, family members, staff and porters would allow me to gather data on the reasons why the drinkers ended up in hospital, the extent of possible injuries that can occur, what effect it has on everyone involved, if it is a usual occurrence etc. I think this would be a valuable area to look into.
Policing is another avenue that I can follow up on as they could tell me what problems they face day-to-day with the underage drinkers. This may be a problem as they may not be willing to allow me to assist them or I may be putting myself at risk. I could possibly assist a “special constable” instead or community warden which may be safer. They could give me information on campaigns i.e.” challenge 21”, “Alcohol Awareness Weeks” etc. as well as where local youths are known to congregate and consume alcohol and their powers to confiscate any alcohol found. Under-age drinkers are known to conceal alcohol in bottles labelled as soft drinks and now police officers are equipped with alcohol-testing strips, I would try to find out more about methods of prevention like this and how effective they are.
I could also interview the public in different bars, they maybe more willing to speak in a comfortable environment about how they feel regarding underage drinking and youngsters drinking in the pubs, also whether an “old man pub” or a “trendy pub” makes any difference to the outcome of the questions. Although they may be intoxicated therefore the answer may not be viable.
Interviewing teenagers in general could be an option as I would get their first hand experience and being young myself they may be more willing to speak to me. Although the information I gather there is likely to be exaggeration, boasting, gossip, and stories can get altered a bit. One on one would be more awkward for myself and the subject so it might be easier to interview in groups or a few people where they would probably be more willing to open up although stories more embellished and unreliable and so this may not be valid research.
Speaking to families of the underage children is a good idea, finding out whether parents were aware of the extent of the problem. If they know about the problem, do they do anything to stop it or do they feel that they cannot control it or the fact it is out of sight out of mind and they can’t keep kids locked up. This method may not work as it would only touch the surface, I am not trained in these particular situations or how to go about asking personal questions therefore asking questions in the wrong way may offend. The right person asking the right questions may be needed for this.
Pub staff and bouncers would also be worth interviewing as they have an idea of how many people they have to refuse or remove from the premises for being underage. I could find out whether pubs in different areas and which areas, have more trouble although they may not be willing to divulge this information in case they get into trouble. Maybe they would be more likely to speak in a more comfortable environment, another pub for example, then they would be more likely to chat and be open than they would at their work place.
I think that small corner shops for example may be willing to tell me the problems which they have with the kids hanging about out side of the shops, the damage they cause and the abuse they give other customers. It is likely they would not be willing to say if they sell drink to kids. It might be worthwhile asking in different areas as there might be a pattern developing of where the problem areas are.
Although this method can be really helpful in most cases there seems to be a limit to how far I could go with it. On the other hand, observation as a form of research I feel would be especially informative in finding the habits of the underage drinkers, how they get their drink, where they manage to buy it, and what type of person would buy for an underage person. This can produce a pattern maybe typical to one type of shop or to poor areas or even privileged areas in and around town. With this type of monitoring a pattern of time can be established whereby policing at and around the high points can maybe deter the underage drinkers from using this method which is usually approaching adults and asking them to purchase alcohol on their behalf. Although from my own experience of watching kid’s hanging about on the street, they do not seem to be intimidated by the police whatsoever, more that the kids are the intimidating ones.
All in all I would say that observation would be the best method of research allowing me to gather the most information and I could see for myself the truths regarding underage drinking and I could document my findings, taking notes for example then could use the method of interviewing to back up those findings.
Wednesday 17 March 2010
Assignment 4b - Interviews
After brainstorming the topic I have come up with a few questions which will be the outline for my interviews. I plan to enquire further into my subject answers whilst carrying out the interviews, I feel it’s a better and more natural way of getting information out of someone making them feel more comfortable rather than having specific regimented questions. It allows for more thorough answers. These are the questions my interviews will be based around...
Is there anything which you have accumulated over time, whether it is consciously or subconsciously and why do you think this is?
What are your passions or hobbies?
What is your occupation and how big a part of your life is it?
Who or what are your biggest influences in life, be it the media, family or friends?
How would you feel if any of these items which you have accumulated were lost, damaged or stolen and why?
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My research is currently ongoing and I don’t feel I have enough information as yet to make any conclusions. I will post my findings up shortly.
Is there anything which you have accumulated over time, whether it is consciously or subconsciously and why do you think this is?
What are your passions or hobbies?
What is your occupation and how big a part of your life is it?
Who or what are your biggest influences in life, be it the media, family or friends?
How would you feel if any of these items which you have accumulated were lost, damaged or stolen and why?
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My research is currently ongoing and I don’t feel I have enough information as yet to make any conclusions. I will post my findings up shortly.
Assignment 4a - Brainstorming
For this assignment we were asked to choose a topic from a list of questions we were given which we were to base interviews on. The purpose of this assignment was to interact with people and use tactful questions to get the answers that I wanted out of the subjects so that I could come to a good conclusion on my chosen topic. The question I chose to base my interviews around was...
‘How do people accumulate “stuff”?
I brainstormed the subject to give myself ideas of what it was I was trying to find out from my subjects and what questions I would need to ask to get useful information from them. The image below is a record of my brainstorming. (Apologies for the image, would not let me turn it around but I will get it fixed shortly)
‘How do people accumulate “stuff”?
I brainstormed the subject to give myself ideas of what it was I was trying to find out from my subjects and what questions I would need to ask to get useful information from them. The image below is a record of my brainstorming. (Apologies for the image, would not let me turn it around but I will get it fixed shortly)
Wednesday 3 March 2010
Assignment 3 - Design Safari
People-watching. Oh yes! So this assignment was all about observing people in their surroundings (a public place of our choice in this case). Thinking about how they act, how they go about using services, taking notes about how they interact with people and things as well as observing their behaviour and why they do the things they do. I think this must be the most enjoyable & satisfying assignment yet! People-watching is a secret passion of many people, I’m sure, and for myself this time was no exception.
I decided a good place to do my observations was in my workplace as I could easily take notes in between serving customers and smiling until my face hurts! I work in a Dundee restaurant which is regularly very busy, which gave me the opportunity to observe a wide variety of different people and hopefully make it easy to see any trends occurring throughout using this service.
Something I had noticed in my own experience of visiting the restaurant prior to working there as well as observing customers for myself was that walking through the entrance of the building people immediately seemed alert and aware of their change in surroundings. The atmosphere throughout the restaurant was “buzzing” and very lively, not particularly warm, welcoming, nor was it very homely or enticing at first. I had noticed that when people entered the restaurant their first reaction was hesitation, unsure whether to approach the desk or wait for a member of staff to approach them.
There is no specific 'landing strip' as you enter the restaurant, meaning customers do not have much time to adjust to their new surroundings. They are immediately faced with their role of being the customer. There is a few metres from the entrance to the bar/till area but no signs to indicate if customers should wait to be ‘seen to’ or spoken to/greeted by a member of staff. This seemed to be an obvious design flaw and seemed to cause unease and slight hesitation, not helped by the fact that the environment they have just walked into was very busy and lively. The bar and banisters etc. Are particularly high which I would imagine gives the customer a feeling of being blocked off and creating, in theory, a wall between the customer and staff. The interior is random and cluttered with a mass of objects crammed into every nook & cranny which can be a bit intimidating to the majority of people when beginning their dinning experience although through their experience they seem to become accustomed to the theme and perceive it to be more homely as many of the objects found in the restaurant, on the walls and shelf’s, are things you may find at home. There are a lot of old fashioned items/artefacts around the restaurant which reminded me of things maybe my grandparents may have owned a long time ago. If I take this from the objects around the restaurant it’s highly possible others took the same from it, giving them a feeling of familiarity and homeliness.
Something which baffled me was the toilet situation. On entering the building ahead of you there is quite a large sign, lit up saying ‘TOILET’, above an open door. Now you could be forgiven for thinking that this is a perfectly clearly indication that to get to the toilet you would enter through this door, but I soon realised that this is an obvious design flaw. When entering a restaurant the first thing you are looking to do is to be greeted by a member of staff to ask if there is a table available, generally it is not to identify where the toilet is or for that matter go straight to the toilet, therefore, although there is a fairly large sign telling the customer where the toilet is it is being ignored as it is in the wrong place at the wrong time. This is the only sign throughout the restaurant indicating where the toilet is situated and I found myself many a time explaining to the customers where to go.
When confirming/asking the manager about seating customers for example, a customer was asked to wait for a minute or two whilst the waiter/waitress speaks to the manager and the customer seems happy to wait. I also noticed that when approaching a group of diners on their entrance into the premises, there tends to be a ‘leader’ of the pack whom will normally stand at the front of the group, as the organiser. For example when a group of two adults, a woman possibly in her late 30’s and a gentleman, dressed quite professionally, maybe in his mid 40’s accompanied by three children around 6-7 years old, entered the restaurant the waitress approached the male. I would understand this as the gentleman seems to be again the ‘leader’, the one in charge.
On a busy weekend night asking them to wait at the entrance can cause it to get cluttered with people making customers feel cramped and uncomfortable, people like their own personal space and when this is invaded they become uneasy and anxious. I noticed that when there are too many customers standing at the inside entrance, potential customers approach and then walk off thinking that it is far too busy to get a table. To help ease awkwardness of the personal space issue, customers are seated at bar tables while they wait on a table becoming available. Staff take their drinks order which makes the customer feel more at ease and feel like they are actually getting nearer to getting their table and that they are not just being ignored or neglected.
When being seated the waitress asked to take the customers jackets and hang them up, most customers said no politely and hang them on back of their chair (they seemed to get some sort of comfort from this, they don’t want to part with their possessions, maybe at t his point they are still unsure of their surroundings). The customer settles into their seat/table, they may look around a few times to check out who is in close proximity – if it’s a big loud group of people they seemed more uneasy with this than they would do with maybe one or two people at the tables around them. They want to know who are surrounding them, who are in their personal space, and whether they are likely to be a threat. ....
When they are seated comfortably and have decided on their order the usual diner adopts an unwritten rule which is “they have a little chat once they are ready to order”, “close the menu or stop paying attention to it”, “looking around” (maybe at staff to get eye contact and indicate that they are ready to order or checking out where the toilets are for future reference) or “deep in conversation with the person/people they are sitting with”. These are all well known rituals and are quite amusing to witness. Another quite amusing ritual is when the customer wants attention... they raise their neck and chin into the air and raise their eyebrows once eye contact has been made with the waitress. Another is “the discreet nod” this is to beckon the waitress and indicate that they want your service/attention and that they are ready for you now.
By this time the diner is quite happily tucking into their meal and is now in a more relaxed state, it is at this point they are more likely to attempt to have a conversation with the waiter/waitress and the response they get usually determines the size of the tip if any the diner will leave. Of course the size of monetary gratuity makes no difference to the dinning experience the diner is offered as they are all treated the same.
Big groups are slightly different; they become bolder and more rowdy in a pack. To begin with staff get ignored more and they show signs of ignorance but as the group become more accustomed to their surroundings and drink is flowing freely they can get more out-of-hand, especially groups of same sex diners tending to flirt with the waiter/waitress and can get a bit mischievous although the manager is usually at hand to put them in their place.
I also noticed that, when the manager talks to the customer, maybe about a problem with their meal for example, he will crouch down beside the customer, using his hand on the table to balance. It seems as if the manager is allowing the customer to believe they have control, that he is lowering himself to show the that he is listening to what the customer has to say. The customer is always right, as they say, where as if the manger was to stand, towering over the customer whilst speaking to them it may be intimidating for them. After all our job is to service the public and keep them happy.
“Paying of the bill” is another quite amusing ritual to witness whereby the following takes place. The diner has decided its time to pay, and here they use the “airborne cheque signing routine” this is signalling to the waiter/waitress by scribbling on their hand (which is usually raised in an uncomfortable manner) as if writing an imaginary cheque when actually they are commanding that they want their bill brought over to them. With cheque writing more or less obsolete I doubt diners would enact the “pretending to punch digits on a chip & pin machine” as this could easily be misrepresented as rude pointing. Waving politely and simultaneously mouthing “can I have the bill please” is another tactic adopted by diners. All are acceptable but amusing for any onlookers to witness.
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I have still to add to this post :) ...
I decided a good place to do my observations was in my workplace as I could easily take notes in between serving customers and smiling until my face hurts! I work in a Dundee restaurant which is regularly very busy, which gave me the opportunity to observe a wide variety of different people and hopefully make it easy to see any trends occurring throughout using this service.
Something I had noticed in my own experience of visiting the restaurant prior to working there as well as observing customers for myself was that walking through the entrance of the building people immediately seemed alert and aware of their change in surroundings. The atmosphere throughout the restaurant was “buzzing” and very lively, not particularly warm, welcoming, nor was it very homely or enticing at first. I had noticed that when people entered the restaurant their first reaction was hesitation, unsure whether to approach the desk or wait for a member of staff to approach them.
There is no specific 'landing strip' as you enter the restaurant, meaning customers do not have much time to adjust to their new surroundings. They are immediately faced with their role of being the customer. There is a few metres from the entrance to the bar/till area but no signs to indicate if customers should wait to be ‘seen to’ or spoken to/greeted by a member of staff. This seemed to be an obvious design flaw and seemed to cause unease and slight hesitation, not helped by the fact that the environment they have just walked into was very busy and lively. The bar and banisters etc. Are particularly high which I would imagine gives the customer a feeling of being blocked off and creating, in theory, a wall between the customer and staff. The interior is random and cluttered with a mass of objects crammed into every nook & cranny which can be a bit intimidating to the majority of people when beginning their dinning experience although through their experience they seem to become accustomed to the theme and perceive it to be more homely as many of the objects found in the restaurant, on the walls and shelf’s, are things you may find at home. There are a lot of old fashioned items/artefacts around the restaurant which reminded me of things maybe my grandparents may have owned a long time ago. If I take this from the objects around the restaurant it’s highly possible others took the same from it, giving them a feeling of familiarity and homeliness.
Something which baffled me was the toilet situation. On entering the building ahead of you there is quite a large sign, lit up saying ‘TOILET’, above an open door. Now you could be forgiven for thinking that this is a perfectly clearly indication that to get to the toilet you would enter through this door, but I soon realised that this is an obvious design flaw. When entering a restaurant the first thing you are looking to do is to be greeted by a member of staff to ask if there is a table available, generally it is not to identify where the toilet is or for that matter go straight to the toilet, therefore, although there is a fairly large sign telling the customer where the toilet is it is being ignored as it is in the wrong place at the wrong time. This is the only sign throughout the restaurant indicating where the toilet is situated and I found myself many a time explaining to the customers where to go.
When confirming/asking the manager about seating customers for example, a customer was asked to wait for a minute or two whilst the waiter/waitress speaks to the manager and the customer seems happy to wait. I also noticed that when approaching a group of diners on their entrance into the premises, there tends to be a ‘leader’ of the pack whom will normally stand at the front of the group, as the organiser. For example when a group of two adults, a woman possibly in her late 30’s and a gentleman, dressed quite professionally, maybe in his mid 40’s accompanied by three children around 6-7 years old, entered the restaurant the waitress approached the male. I would understand this as the gentleman seems to be again the ‘leader’, the one in charge.
On a busy weekend night asking them to wait at the entrance can cause it to get cluttered with people making customers feel cramped and uncomfortable, people like their own personal space and when this is invaded they become uneasy and anxious. I noticed that when there are too many customers standing at the inside entrance, potential customers approach and then walk off thinking that it is far too busy to get a table. To help ease awkwardness of the personal space issue, customers are seated at bar tables while they wait on a table becoming available. Staff take their drinks order which makes the customer feel more at ease and feel like they are actually getting nearer to getting their table and that they are not just being ignored or neglected.
When being seated the waitress asked to take the customers jackets and hang them up, most customers said no politely and hang them on back of their chair (they seemed to get some sort of comfort from this, they don’t want to part with their possessions, maybe at t his point they are still unsure of their surroundings). The customer settles into their seat/table, they may look around a few times to check out who is in close proximity – if it’s a big loud group of people they seemed more uneasy with this than they would do with maybe one or two people at the tables around them. They want to know who are surrounding them, who are in their personal space, and whether they are likely to be a threat. ....
When they are seated comfortably and have decided on their order the usual diner adopts an unwritten rule which is “they have a little chat once they are ready to order”, “close the menu or stop paying attention to it”, “looking around” (maybe at staff to get eye contact and indicate that they are ready to order or checking out where the toilets are for future reference) or “deep in conversation with the person/people they are sitting with”. These are all well known rituals and are quite amusing to witness. Another quite amusing ritual is when the customer wants attention... they raise their neck and chin into the air and raise their eyebrows once eye contact has been made with the waitress. Another is “the discreet nod” this is to beckon the waitress and indicate that they want your service/attention and that they are ready for you now.
By this time the diner is quite happily tucking into their meal and is now in a more relaxed state, it is at this point they are more likely to attempt to have a conversation with the waiter/waitress and the response they get usually determines the size of the tip if any the diner will leave. Of course the size of monetary gratuity makes no difference to the dinning experience the diner is offered as they are all treated the same.
Big groups are slightly different; they become bolder and more rowdy in a pack. To begin with staff get ignored more and they show signs of ignorance but as the group become more accustomed to their surroundings and drink is flowing freely they can get more out-of-hand, especially groups of same sex diners tending to flirt with the waiter/waitress and can get a bit mischievous although the manager is usually at hand to put them in their place.
I also noticed that, when the manager talks to the customer, maybe about a problem with their meal for example, he will crouch down beside the customer, using his hand on the table to balance. It seems as if the manager is allowing the customer to believe they have control, that he is lowering himself to show the that he is listening to what the customer has to say. The customer is always right, as they say, where as if the manger was to stand, towering over the customer whilst speaking to them it may be intimidating for them. After all our job is to service the public and keep them happy.
“Paying of the bill” is another quite amusing ritual to witness whereby the following takes place. The diner has decided its time to pay, and here they use the “airborne cheque signing routine” this is signalling to the waiter/waitress by scribbling on their hand (which is usually raised in an uncomfortable manner) as if writing an imaginary cheque when actually they are commanding that they want their bill brought over to them. With cheque writing more or less obsolete I doubt diners would enact the “pretending to punch digits on a chip & pin machine” as this could easily be misrepresented as rude pointing. Waving politely and simultaneously mouthing “can I have the bill please” is another tactic adopted by diners. All are acceptable but amusing for any onlookers to witness.
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I have still to add to this post :) ...
Assignement 2e - Adding Text
So after adding images four and five, which I though was quite successful.. I decided that I would add one word on each of the oringinal three photographs which i think may be a stronger influence on the subjects to all give the same story. These are the images with the words which I used...
The final stories I gathered for this last part of the experiment...
Male 19 Barman Glasgow
I was going up the stairs when I was distracted by a pigeon which was falling on top of a mouse.
Female 20 Waitress Fife
Leaving the underground station the woman paused at a pigeon sitting on the roof looking down on her, she light heartedly pondered what it was that the bird was planning or thinking. It wasn’t until she got back to her office computer that she received an email about diving pigeons attacking commuters. She smiled and considered herself lucky.Female 46 Clerical Dundee
As I was going up the escalator I was suddenly distracted by this silly pigeon walking about outside that I tripped and fell over the mouse that someone had dropped accidently
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Personally I think that having literature next to an image definitely influences the subject to tell a particular story. Although I have no particular evidence of this from my experiment I plan to ask about more and collect more stories based on this part of the experiment. For the part a, b and c of the assignment when asking subject to tell a story linking the photographs, quite a few didn't understand completely what they were being asked to do where as when adding text it puts words into their heads almost telling them to think a particular thing! I don’t feel my experiment was particularly successful I feel it would have been more so if I had collected more stories and more evidence, which I hope to do if I can find the time.
Assignment 2d - Adding Images
I didn't find that there was any particular re-occurring theme with the stories in part c, so I decided to randomly pick one of the stories which, by adding a fourth image of my choice, was hopefully going to get this same re-occurring story when asking different people. This is the story I chose ...
Person 4 - Male 57 Unemployed Dundee
Hurrying up the esculator not paying attention, I was looking at a strange pigeon in the corner and I trip over a computer mouse that someone had dropped.
The fourth image which I chose to add was of a man falling..
Male Sales assistant 19 Dundee
One day a pigeon came bursting into a subway, the security guard had to duck rather abruptly and eventually fell down the escalator. He finds himself consulting his lawyers and they told him about a claim for injuries that happen at the workplace (which is where the mouse comes in).
Male Student 20 Glasgow
One day you we on an escalator, a metaphor for your imagination and within your imagination you thought about your life ambitions, your love for birds, textiles, computers and design etc. Before you reached the top of the esculator (your imagination) you fell out of your day dream and fell off the escalator.
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Summerising these stories, I feel like adding this photograph was quite succesful in bringing the element of the person falling. This was a re-occuring theme although I feel like I need to add maybe a fifth image to bring in the other elements of the story. Here is the fifth image which I had added...
Female 17 Fast food restaurant Insture
One day I went travelling and I had to travel up the escalator. When I reached the top I saw a pigeon which made me shocked, I then fell all the way back down the escalator and got hit on the head by a mouse.
Female 21 PR Forres
On my shopping trip I was pretty tired and couldn’t be bothered taking the stairs so I took the escalator. When I got to the top I wasn’t looking and out the corner of my eye I thought I seen a pigeon. I was so shocked to see the pigeon that I didn’t even take my feet off the escalator so I feel over, it was then I realise the pigeon was in fact a mouse.
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I felt that adding these two images was quite successful and that it did make a difference, encouraging the 'subject' to tell the story that I wanted them to. I think that adding text would be more successful in this case as the story involves details which can be confused by the order of the photographs alone such as... "I tripped over a computer mouse that someone had dropped". The order of the photographs can vary, influencing different 'subjects' in different ways. Does the man trip over the mouse or does the mouse make the man trip over?
Person 4 - Male 57 Unemployed Dundee
Hurrying up the esculator not paying attention, I was looking at a strange pigeon in the corner and I trip over a computer mouse that someone had dropped.
The fourth image which I chose to add was of a man falling..
These are the stories which I gathered from the part of the experiment...
Male Waiter 19 Glasgow
I went for a stroll into town via the underground, when I got to the top of the escalators I saw a pigeon. I freaking loved that pigeon so I went to the nearest internet cafe and creped on the pigeons Facebook then fell in love with the pigeon.Male Sales assistant 19 Dundee
One day a pigeon came bursting into a subway, the security guard had to duck rather abruptly and eventually fell down the escalator. He finds himself consulting his lawyers and they told him about a claim for injuries that happen at the workplace (which is where the mouse comes in).
Male Student 20 Glasgow
One day you we on an escalator, a metaphor for your imagination and within your imagination you thought about your life ambitions, your love for birds, textiles, computers and design etc. Before you reached the top of the esculator (your imagination) you fell out of your day dream and fell off the escalator.
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Summerising these stories, I feel like adding this photograph was quite succesful in bringing the element of the person falling. This was a re-occuring theme although I feel like I need to add maybe a fifth image to bring in the other elements of the story. Here is the fifth image which I had added...
I rearranged the photographs a few times to prompt the story teller to give the correcct stories and see if a different combination worked better. The stories I collected after adding a fith image...
Female 20 Student Glasgow
I was walking to the tube and coming down the escalator when a pigeon flew at me from no where. I dropped my bag that had my laptop and mouse inside and when picking the mouse up I tripped and fell.
Female 17 Fast food restaurant Insture
One day I went travelling and I had to travel up the escalator. When I reached the top I saw a pigeon which made me shocked, I then fell all the way back down the escalator and got hit on the head by a mouse.
Female 21 PR Forres
On my shopping trip I was pretty tired and couldn’t be bothered taking the stairs so I took the escalator. When I got to the top I wasn’t looking and out the corner of my eye I thought I seen a pigeon. I was so shocked to see the pigeon that I didn’t even take my feet off the escalator so I feel over, it was then I realise the pigeon was in fact a mouse.
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I felt that adding these two images was quite successful and that it did make a difference, encouraging the 'subject' to tell the story that I wanted them to. I think that adding text would be more successful in this case as the story involves details which can be confused by the order of the photographs alone such as... "I tripped over a computer mouse that someone had dropped". The order of the photographs can vary, influencing different 'subjects' in different ways. Does the man trip over the mouse or does the mouse make the man trip over?
Wednesday 17 February 2010
Assignment 2c - The Stories
The pupose of the experiment was to understand the meaning and concept behind a visual language. I was asked to show a set of random people three pictures without words and to link them in some way by story.
Here are some of the responses I got...
Person 1 - Female 47 Medical Secretary Dundee
The pigeon had lost his way home and could not find his friends anywhere. He decided the only way he could find his way home was to use google maps on the computer. So he found the nearest internet cafe and started clicking away on the mouse. After a long time he eventually mapped out how to get home but by now he was very tired and decided to get a tube home instead of flying. When he got to the tube station it was very late and the esculators were empty but he got the tube on time and made it home safe.
Person 2 - Male 20 Student Dundee
I was slowly desending from the esculator when all of a sudden my mouse fell out of my laptop bag and a bird thought it was food and took off in the sky with it.
Person 3 - Male 20 Shop Assistant Dundee
You will never believe me but when I was walking down the elcalator there was a bird to my right and a mouse to my left and they were speaking to each other as if I wasn't in the middle of them.
Person 4 - Male 57 Unemployed Dundee
Hurrying up the esculator not paying attention, I was looking at a strange pigeon in the corner and I trip over a computer mouse that someone had dropped.
Person 5 - Female 37 Receptionist Dundee
While on my way to the esculator I happened to look out the window and saw a pigeon fly past with a mouse in his mouth. The funny thing was it was a computer mouse and not a real mouse.
Person 6 - Male 23 Joiner Dundee
When I was on holiday I had to go buy a new computer mouse at the shopping centre. When I got there I had to walk up the stairs as there was a dead pigeon on the esculator and it had to be stopped so they could get it off.
Person 7 - Male 19 Waitor Monifeith
One day a bird flew into our college class, picked up a mouse then flew away down the escalators with it.
Person 8 - Male 19 Consumer Provision Managment Training Coach Leader Dundee
A wee mouse said 'You ya' big bird, what you looking at?' ... The bird looked in fear and shot off down the escalator.
Here are some of the responses I got...
Person 1 - Female 47 Medical Secretary Dundee
The pigeon had lost his way home and could not find his friends anywhere. He decided the only way he could find his way home was to use google maps on the computer. So he found the nearest internet cafe and started clicking away on the mouse. After a long time he eventually mapped out how to get home but by now he was very tired and decided to get a tube home instead of flying. When he got to the tube station it was very late and the esculators were empty but he got the tube on time and made it home safe.
Person 2 - Male 20 Student Dundee
I was slowly desending from the esculator when all of a sudden my mouse fell out of my laptop bag and a bird thought it was food and took off in the sky with it.
Person 3 - Male 20 Shop Assistant Dundee
You will never believe me but when I was walking down the elcalator there was a bird to my right and a mouse to my left and they were speaking to each other as if I wasn't in the middle of them.
Person 4 - Male 57 Unemployed Dundee
Hurrying up the esculator not paying attention, I was looking at a strange pigeon in the corner and I trip over a computer mouse that someone had dropped.
Person 5 - Female 37 Receptionist Dundee
While on my way to the esculator I happened to look out the window and saw a pigeon fly past with a mouse in his mouth. The funny thing was it was a computer mouse and not a real mouse.
Person 6 - Male 23 Joiner Dundee
When I was on holiday I had to go buy a new computer mouse at the shopping centre. When I got there I had to walk up the stairs as there was a dead pigeon on the esculator and it had to be stopped so they could get it off.
Person 7 - Male 19 Waitor Monifeith
One day a bird flew into our college class, picked up a mouse then flew away down the escalators with it.
Person 8 - Male 19 Consumer Provision Managment Training Coach Leader Dundee
A wee mouse said 'You ya' big bird, what you looking at?' ... The bird looked in fear and shot off down the escalator.
Assignment 2b - The Experiment
Three Random Images -The theory being tested is a key aspect of semiotics, which was something that was mentioned in a lecture in Semester 1, "image means more than one thing (polysemy), but that text fixes meaning".
These are the three images selected at random which I used in the experiment.
These are the three images selected at random which I used in the experiment.
Assingment 2A - Roland Barthes “Rhetoric of the Image”
For this assignment we were asked to read Roland Barthes famous essay “Rhetoric of the Image” which I did and it was definitely NOT an easy read and I am still getting my head round it. Basically it is all about semiotic theory – the study of the relationship of language and other signs to their meanings. Barthes says in advertising "the significance of the image is intentional" and this is why advertisers choose their images wisely. Images are copies; they can never truly represent or fully reveal what is seen by the human eye. They may look like the real thing but they are representatives lacking smell & touch. Images/photographs can explain something without literature and it can change how we see things but is this a good thing? An image without words tells a story but does it tell them same story to everyone. Sometimes literature can be the missing link between the audience and an image, allowing them to see the image in a whole different light.
He mentions "How does meaning get into the image?", "Where does it end? And if it ends, what is there beyond?". This is all to do with advertisement and how to effectively sell a product with an image alone. The image (without any literature) must convey a message to the consumer and that message is to buy the product that is being advertised which is 'where the image ends', the advertiser has done what he set out to do.
Barthes talks about how an image needs no words, a picture by itself can be enough to get a point across and sure enough this can be true but if it were the chosen image would have to be strong and profound enough to capture the same thought by everyone but not everyone has a clear understanding just by looking at an image. If more than one view can be interpreted from an image then this can lead to confusion, as the audience it is aimed at would all interoperate the image in different ways. What we see is determine by who and what we are and not everyone sees the same thing from the same image.
Advertising is all about the importance of the image. Barthes mentions the "three messages" linguistic (what they are telling), a coded iconic (what you see), and a non coded iconic message (what is actually there). These are all used by advertising companies to capture the public’s eye at first glance and sell the product being advertised.
My conclusion is that in theory an image can be effective enough for advertisers to get there product across but as we all know these images are tried and tested and a great amount of money is used to get the right image for the targeted audience (the buyer). So using a random image without text to get a point across might not be as effective and certainly not productive for a big advertising company to try. We were asked to try out such a theory as an experiment and pick three random pictures and show them to random members of the public although in this case to save time we used family members, friends and fellow students. The outcome of this will be mentioned in assignment 2c when I gather the information.
He mentions "How does meaning get into the image?", "Where does it end? And if it ends, what is there beyond?". This is all to do with advertisement and how to effectively sell a product with an image alone. The image (without any literature) must convey a message to the consumer and that message is to buy the product that is being advertised which is 'where the image ends', the advertiser has done what he set out to do.
Barthes talks about how an image needs no words, a picture by itself can be enough to get a point across and sure enough this can be true but if it were the chosen image would have to be strong and profound enough to capture the same thought by everyone but not everyone has a clear understanding just by looking at an image. If more than one view can be interpreted from an image then this can lead to confusion, as the audience it is aimed at would all interoperate the image in different ways. What we see is determine by who and what we are and not everyone sees the same thing from the same image.
Advertising is all about the importance of the image. Barthes mentions the "three messages" linguistic (what they are telling), a coded iconic (what you see), and a non coded iconic message (what is actually there). These are all used by advertising companies to capture the public’s eye at first glance and sell the product being advertised.
My conclusion is that in theory an image can be effective enough for advertisers to get there product across but as we all know these images are tried and tested and a great amount of money is used to get the right image for the targeted audience (the buyer). So using a random image without text to get a point across might not be as effective and certainly not productive for a big advertising company to try. We were asked to try out such a theory as an experiment and pick three random pictures and show them to random members of the public although in this case to save time we used family members, friends and fellow students. The outcome of this will be mentioned in assignment 2c when I gather the information.
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