We spent time as a group and individually coming up with solutions to our problem. This is a link to all of our collected ideas: Brainstorming Ideas.
Reflection
- What went well? What went less well?
During this activity, many things went well for our group. Firstly, we were able to collaboratively work together and think of ways that we can create a solution that will cover all of the constraints we determined in previous activities. We worked on ways to tackle each constraint individually; whether that was creating distinction between home-life and work-life, eliminating distractions from people entering the space or providing ample lighting to the workspace. This was extremely effective for us because although the solutions were different we were able to pull the concepts that we thought tackled the constraints and integrate them into new solutions. This activity also helped with guiding our group forward. Many times in this process we have been unsure of the path we were going as we progressed through assignments but this activity seemed to help us understand the road moving forward. One challenge that we faced when working through this activity was how we could create a solution that will effectively meet all the criteria created by the constraints. Throughout the activity we ran into problems with making sure all of the constraints were touched. With as many constraints as we have, it can be hard to meet adequately address all of them so, moving forward, we may need to look and reprioritize our constraints to find the best possible solution.
- What seems promising about your project direction at this point? What seems… less promising?
As we move forward, we have nearly 100 different designs to compare and discuss, which is obviously promising because we have many different ideas to work with. We also seem to have a good understanding of exactly what the constraints of our design are, so as we begin evaluating our ideas we already know some of the most important aspects to include in the final design. On the other hand, there are some aspects of the project that seem slightly less promising moving forward. For example, at first glance, it seems that many of our preliminary design ideas involve soundproofing which is not something that any particular member of the group has a good understanding of. As we begin the process of evaluating our ideas and narrowing down possible designs, further problems may arise; however, at the moment, we feel like we are in a good spot with the overall project and we are excited to progress.
- What (if anything) might you need to research in order to improve your ideas for your next iteration of brainstorming?
There are several things that our team must research before performing our next iteration of the brainstorming phase. The first thing we must look into is soundproof/noise-insulating materials. Many of our design concepts involved the use of a “soundproof” material to isolate the user in the workspace from surrounding noise. In order to learn how to implement this material into designs, we need to look into what different material options are available and the corresponding processes that exist to shape the material in the desired way. This will help constrain our designs and allow the team to evaluate which design concepts will actually be feasible to create as a final product. Additionally, it would be beneficial to more fully understand the frequencies and type of noises that can be mitigated through soundproofing. This would allow us to better understand the range of noises our solution can handle. Another aspect that we must research is lighting. Many people surveyed mentioned the need to have ample lighting available in their workspace, preferably light that was similar to natural light. We will need to look into what options are available to simulate “natural” lighting in the workspace, and how these options can be implemented. With this, we can then look for ways to implement one or more of these options into some of the concepts.