What if ...Self evaluation

‘There is so much unused space in Leeds. What do the public want from it’ was the problem our group identified. This problem arose as a result of our research into unused spaces in Leeds. Prior to collecting our primary qualitative data, we used Google Maps to view these areas: 

We then carried out primary research to identify and document these areas primarily using photography. 

We used the internet to research into this empty space on the internet which resulted in some intriguing discoveries. 

These websites demonstrate how current our problem is and the extent to which the public are concerned with the issue in hand.   

We also took a trip down to the area we were focusing on and carried primary quantitative data, as we realised this is an area of research we were lacking. We spent 30 minutes recording various data, this is what we found in the the time that we were there.

We asked members of the public to fill in our interactive posters:

A table recording how many people passed by the area on a Tuesday lunch time,

Men		Women
18-29	51	18-29	30
30-50	28	30-50	21
50+	21	50+	12

3:2 Ratio of men to women walking past

Occupied buildings – 13

Unoccupied buildings – 9

41% Unoccupied

Between 12:40 and 12:50 – 48 cars drove past.

All available roadside parking was limited and expensive, one way street.

This is a table summarising the our data we collected:

Primary Research	Secondary Research
Qualitative	Qualitative
photos of empty buildings photos of people walking past empty buildings interactive poster with comments from public existing shops in surrounding area survey of cliental in area interviews of what people want in area/empty space Facebook page forum threads	Google Maps images of empty space Evening Post opinions websites for empty shop projects in Leeds  postmodernism renovated buildings images interactive poster designs ‘Paste’ video African symbol for change
Quantitative	Quantitative
head count amount of people in area in 30 min duration count amount of cars driving past in 30 min duration count occupied and unoccupied buildings in area	map of empty shops pinpointed 92 empty shops fact 54 vacant store Kirkgate market fact.

The map pinpointing the 92 empty shops in Leeds was useful as it gave us an area in Leeds to focus our research upon. I also found the photographs we took particularly useful, as they ensured our problem was current; allowing us to see the full extent to which our problem was existing. Our interactive posters and surveys were also very useful as this gave us knowledge that we had identified a live problem in the public domain and were able to gain true feedback from the people concerned.

Nevertheless, once we had begun to collect data for analysis we soon found that we were lacking primary quantitative data. Therefore, we took the time to collect this data by surveying various characteristics on our chosen street in Leeds; ‘The Calls.’ However, once we had collected this data we found that is was predominantly primary qualitative data so had to set about converting it into quantitative data. 

To improve our research we could have researched into what the building we were primarily focusing on was prior to its degeneration; we could have also attempted to discover who owned the building and why it closed down. Knowledge of this information could have resulted in us taking this project further in relation to a more directed final resolution. 

Over the last two weeks, I have learnt:

1. Not considering the end product at the beginning of a brief can sometimes result in innovative outcome.
2. Research is immensely important in the design process and should not be overlooked.
3. Research should be meaningful to the brief in hand.
4. It is best to have a variety of research; primary, secondary, quantitative and qualitative.
5. Keeping the design simple but having a strong concept can often produce effective results.

Next time I would:

1. Ensure I collect a range of data from a range of sources.
2. Collect a sufficient amount of quantitative data.
3. Put more of my ideas forward to the group.
4. Take more of an assertive role within the group.
5. Produce more designs for the groups consideration.