wespy semester 1 final process

WESPYJENN MARTINS

ThESIS 1, FAll 2012

PARSoNS ThE NEW School FoR dESIgN

PRoFESSoR: JANE PIRoNE

2

TAblE oF coNTENTSTopic Exploration: 3

Research: 7

Experiments: 12

1st Prototype + Features: 25

Design Brief: 30

Next steps + Timeline: 31

Resources: 32

Feedback: 33

References: 34

Blog Link: 35

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Topic Exploration | Research | Experiments | 1st Prototype | Design Brief | Next Steps | Resources | Feedback | References | Blog Link

IdEA ExPloRATIoN: PEchAkuchASThe first assignments we had were to create PechaKuchas (20 slides x 20 seconds each) about (1) ourselves, (2) creative processes, and (3) 20 possible thesis topics after this self exploration.

Jenn Martins

designer

music/concert

lover

“artist”

organizer/victim

of OCD

Paula Scher / Me / Compare & Contrast!

Jenn Martins

TRAVELcollective design

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20 ThESIS IdEAS

TRAVELsocial media platform

TRAVELhelp resource

TRAVELtrack yourself + friends

TRAVELcollective design

TRAVELbackpacker forum

MUSICtour + release date program

TECHkids html program

TECHparsons coding tutoring

TECHstudent-to-student skills program

TECHobserve interaction with tech

TECHno social media

CREATIVEobserve creative processes

CREATIVEwork spaces

CULTUREcultural difference discussions

DESIGNdaily education

DESIGNmap of paths

CITYold + new

CITYlanguage differences in areas

POLITICSeasy-to-understand graphics

DESIRES“bucket-list” network

These are the ideas I thought I might want to develop for thesis. I came to these ideas using the observations I made about myself after the other two PechaKuchas and a self-reflection probe. The main areas were travel, music, technology, creative processes, culture, design, city, politics, and desires.

5


3 ThESIS IdEASI then narrowed my list of 20 thesis ideas to 3 categories and made a mind map for each. The 3 categories were travel, technology, and maps.

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3 ThESIS IdEASAfter the first set of mind maps and an individual meeting with Jane, I narrowed my topics and made more specific, detailed mind maps.

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1ST RESEARch STATEMENT“I’m researching cultural and economic divisions in New York and analyzing why and how these divisions came to be to better understand how they interact with each other.”

I used this to begin my research and brainstorm ideas of maps that could be created illustrating the divisions in Manhattan.

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2Nd RESEARch STATEMENTAfter doing some research, I rephrased and refocused my research statement.

“Using Manhattan as a case study, I’m researching how cities are divided, how these divisions came to be, and how the different pieces interact with each other. I’ll be looking mainly into cultural, ethnic and economic aspects.”

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RESEARchA lot of the research I did involved maps. The image on the left is a map from the 1980’s illustrating how NYC is ethnically divided. The map on the right is from the NYC government site and shows how they currently divide the city into districts.

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RESEARchThis is a map done by the New York Times which also separates NYC ethnically.

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RESEARchThe Welikia/Mannahatta Project uses science to create images of how NYC appeared befored Hudson discovered it.

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5x5 ExPERIMENT #1: dRAWN MAPSFor my first thesis-related experiment, I asked my thesis class to draw Manhattan and how they would divide it.

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These are the different ways people mapped Manhattan:•neighborhoods and notable places (this was the only map to not include a

geographic map of the city—it was simply naming these different areas)•neighborhoods (both vertical and horizontal)•pointing out places that are significant (where they used to live, where friends live,

where they do and do not go, where they enjoy nature)•divisions by highways and roads•pointing out only locations (where celebrities live, where shows are filmed, where

certain schools or stores are)

Some interesting things I found:•geographical inaccuracies•generalizing entire neighborhoods (Inwood represented as being expensive and

distant, Wall Street is men in suits, cobblestoned streets, dollar signs)• realization that they don’t know certain areas of the city (question marks, saying

that they want to do something here but haven’t)

5x5 ExPERIMENT #1: dRAWN MAPS

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5x5 ExPERIMENT #2: NEIghboRhood MAP

INWOOD

FORT GEORGE

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS

HAMILTONHEIGHTS

HARLEM

MORNINGSIDEHEIGHTS

EASTHARLEM

UPPER WEST SIDE

LINCOLN SQUARE

CENTRALPARK

YORKVILLE

UPPER EAST SIDE

LENOXHILL

CLINTON

HELL’SKITCHEN

MIDTOWN

THEATERDISTRICT

GARMENTDISTRICT

MIDTOWNSOUTHCHELSEA

TURTLEBAY

MURRAY HILL

KIPS BAY

GRAM-ERCY PARK

SUTTON

BEEK-MAN

STUY TOWN

NO

HO

BO

WER

YM

EDIC

ALCI

TYTU

DO

R

ABC CITY

EAST VILLAGE

GREENWICH VILLAGE

WEST VILLAGE

SOHO LOWER EASTSIDETRIBECA

LITT

LE

ITALY

CIVIC CENTER

WHITE HALL

CHINATOWN

TWO BRIDGES

WALL STREET

BATTERY PARK CITY

MEATPACKINGDISTRICT

MANHATTANNEIGHBORHOODS

JENN MARTINS

45 Neighborhoods• Inwood• Fort George• Washington Heights• Hamilton Heights• Harlem• Morningside Heights• UWS• Lincoln Square• East Harlem• Yorkville• UES• Lenox Hill• Clinton• Hell’s Kitchen• Chelsea• Midtown• Midtown South• Theater District• Garment District• Turtle Bay• Murray Hill• Kips Bay

• Gramercy Park• Sutton• Beekman• Tudor• Medical City• Stuyvesant• Meatpacking District• West Village• Greenwich Village• NoHo• East Village• Alphabet City• SoHo• TriBeCa• Little Italy• Chinatown• Civic Center• Bowery• Lower East Side• Two Bridges• Battery Park City• Wall Street/Financial District• White Hall

For this experiment, I made myself a map of the neighborhoods I would be using throughout my thesis, as there are many different versions and variations.

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INWOOD

FORT GEORGE

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS

HAMILTONHEIGHTS

HARLEM

MORNINGSIDEHEIGHTS

EASTHARLEM

UPPER WEST SIDE

LINCOLN SQUARE

CENTRALPARK

YORKVILLE

UPPER EAST SIDE

LENOXHILL

CLINTON

HELL’SKITCHEN

MIDTOWN

THEATERDISTRICT

GARMENTDISTRICT

MIDTOWNSOUTHCHELSEA

TURTLEBAY

MURRAY HILL

KIPS BAY

GRAM-ERCY PARK

SUTTON

BEEK-MAN

STUY TOWN

NO

HO

BO

WER

YM

EDIC

ALCI

TYTU

DO

R

ABC CITY

EAST VILLAGE

GREENWICH VILLAGE

WEST VILLAGE


LITT

LE

ITALY

CIVIC CENTER

WHITE HALL

CHINATOWN

TWO BRIDGES

WALL STREET

BATTERY PARK CITY

MEATPACKINGDISTRICT


JENN MARTINS

INWOOD

FORT GEORGE

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS

HAMILTONHEIGHTS

HARLEM

MORNINGSIDEHEIGHTS

EASTHARLEM

UPPER WEST SIDE

LINCOLN SQUARE

CENTRALPARK

YORKVILLE

UPPER EAST SIDE

LENOXHILL

CLINTON

HELL’SKITCHEN

MIDTOWN

THEATERDISTRICT

GARMENTDISTRICT

MIDTOWNSOUTHCHELSEA

TURTLEBAY

MURRAY HILL

KIPS BAY

GRAM-ERCY PARK

SUTTON

BEEK-MAN

STUY TOWN

NO

HO

BO

WER

YM

EDIC

ALCI

TYTU

DO

R

ABC CITY

EAST VILLAGE

GREENWICH VILLAGE

WEST VILLAGE


LITT

LE

ITALY

CIVIC CENTER

WHITE HALL

CHINATOWN

TWO BRIDGES

WALL STREET

BATTERY PARK CITY

MEATPACKINGDISTRICT


JENN MARTINS

5x5 ExPERIMENT #2: NEIghboRhood MAP

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5x5 ExPERIMENT #3: coMMuTE MAP

INWOOD

FORT GEORGE

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS

HAMILTONHEIGHTS

HARLEM

MORNINGSIDEHEIGHTS

EASTHARLEM

UPPER WEST SIDE

LINCOLN SQUARE

CENTRALPARK

YORKVILLE

UPPER EAST SIDE

LENOXHILL

CLINTON

HELL’SKITCHEN

MIDTOWN

THEATERDISTRICT

GARMENTDISTRICT

MIDTOWNSOUTHCHELSEA

TURTLEBAY

MURRAY HILL

KIPS BAY

GRAM-ERCY PARK

SUTTON

BEEK-MAN

STUY TOWN

NO

HO

BO

WER

YM

EDIC

ALCI

TYTU

DO

R

ABC CITY

EAST VILLAGE

GREENWICH VILLAGE

WEST VILLAGE


LITT

LE

ITALY

CIVIC CENTER

WHITE HALL

CHINATOWN

TWO BRIDGES

WALL STREET

BATTERY PARK CITY

MEATPACKINGDISTRICT

GREENWICH, CT

SUNSET, BK

TOTOWA, NJ

PROSPECT HEIGHTS, BK

RAVENSWOOD, QN

WEST HARRISON, NY

CLINTON HILL, BKBUSHWICK, BK

DUMBO, BK

DOBBS FERRY, NY

ASTORIA, QN

UNION SQ

TNS

TAXI

SUBWAY

TRAIN

BUS

BIKE

WALK

30 COMMUTERPATHS TO THENEW SCHOOLJENN MARTINS

I was interested in how people got to one place in their commutes, so I asked 30 people from Parsons (both professors and students) how they got to school. Very few paths overlapped.

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Topic Exploration | Research | Experiments | 1st Prototype | Design Brief | Next Steps | Resources | Feedback | References | Blog LinkINWOOD

FORT GEORGE

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS

HAMILTONHEIGHTS

HARLEM

MORNINGSIDEHEIGHTS

EASTHARLEM

UPPER WEST SIDE

LINCOLN SQUARE

CENTRALPARK

YORKVILLE

UPPER EAST SIDE

LENOXHILL

CLINTON

HELL’SKITCHEN

MIDTOWN

THEATERDISTRICT

GARMENTDISTRICT

MIDTOWNSOUTHCHELSEA

TURTLEBAY

MURRAY HILL

KIPS BAY

GRAM-ERCY PARK

SUTTON

BEEK-MAN

STUY TOWN

NO

HO

BO

WER

YM

EDIC

ALCI

TYTU

DO

RABC CITY

EAST VILLAGE

GREENWICH VILLAGE

WEST VILLAGE


LITT

LE

ITALY

CIVIC CENTER

WHITE HALL

CHINATOWN

TWO BRIDGES

WALL STREET

BATTERY PARK CITY

MEATPACKINGDISTRICT

GREENWICH, CT

SUNSET, BK

TOTOWA, NJ

PROSPECT HEIGHTS, BK

RAVENSWOOD, QN

WEST HARRISON, NY

CLINTON HILL, BKBUSHWICK, BK

DUMBO, BK

DOBBS FERRY, NY

ASTORIA, QN

UNION SQ

TNS

TAXI

SUBWAY

TRAIN

BUS

BIKE

WALK

30 COMMUTERPATHS TO THENEW SCHOOLJENN MARTINS

5x5 ExPERIMENT #3: coMMuTE MAP

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5x5 ExPERIMENT #4: 14Th ST cRoSS-SEcTIoNMy fifth experiment was to examine a cross-section of Manhattan, independent of traditional divisions (grid/streets/neighborhoods). I chose 14th Street because it’s a street I am on often and am familiar with, and also because it is very populated and busy.

What I kid was walk from one end of the street to the other (East to West) and try to take in my surroundings. I usually walk around NY while listening to music on my iPod, but I made sure not to do that, so I could hear the sounds. What I found was that 14th Street is louder in the middle of the island near Union Square and quieter on the ends near the rivers. The street is primarily retail and then food/drink-related businesses. There are very few residential buildings and there is, of course, Union Square Park.

I didn’t take any photos while walking down 14 Street but when I got home, I created a rough panoramic image of the South side of the street.

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5x5 ExPERIMENT #5: NEIghboRhood WAlkSFor this experiment, I visited every Manhattan neighborhood in over a period of 3 Sundays. I felt that if I was researching NYC, I should experience it first-hand.

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As I walked through Manhattan, I took photos and recorded observations in my sketchbook.

5x5 ExPERIMENT #5: NEIghboRhood WAlkS

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As I walked through these neighborhoods, I also filled in a chart. The chart was used to document which neighborhoods were primarily residential, retail, offices, etc. as well as my mood while in the neighborhood. I used the data to create maps of Manhattan, dividing it into the areas I observed. The larger map shows my mood.

5x5 ExPERIMENT #5: NEIghboRhood WAlkS

INWOOD

FORT GEORGE

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS

HAMILTONHEIGHTS

HARLEM

MORNINGSIDEHEIGHTS

EASTHARLEM

UPPER WEST SIDE

LINCOLN SQUARE

CENTRALPARK

YORKVILLE

UPPER EAST SIDE

LENOXHILL

CLINTON

HELL’SKITCHEN

MIDTOWN

THEATERDISTRICT

GARMENTDISTRICT

MIDTOWNSOUTHCHELSEA

TURTLEBAY

MURRAY HILL

KIPS BAY

GRAM-ERCY PARK

SUTTON

BEEK-MAN

STUY TOWN

NO

HO

BO

WER

YM

EDIC

ALCI

TYTU

DO

R

ABC CITY

EAST VILLAGE

GREENWICH VILLAGE

WEST VILLAGE


LITT

LE

ITALY

CIVIC CENTER

WHITE HALL

CHINATOWN

TWO BRIDGES

WALL STREET

BATTERY PARK CITY

MEATPACKINGDISTRICT

PARKS

INWOOD

FORT GEORGE

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS

HAMILTONHEIGHTS

HARLEM

MORNINGSIDEHEIGHTS

EASTHARLEM

UPPER WEST SIDE

LINCOLN SQUARE

CENTRALPARK

YORKVILLE

UPPER EAST SIDE

LENOXHILL

CLINTON

HELL’SKITCHEN

MIDTOWN

THEATERDISTRICT

GARMENTDISTRICT

MIDTOWNSOUTHCHELSEA

TURTLEBAY

MURRAY HILL

KIPS BAY

GRAM-ERCY PARK

SUTTON

BEEK-MAN

STUY TOWN

NO

HO

BO

WER

YM

EDIC

ALCI

TYTU

DO

R

ABC CITY

EAST VILLAGE

GREENWICH VILLAGE

WEST VILLAGE


LITT

LE

ITALY

CIVIC CENTER

WHITE HALL

CHINATOWN

TWO BRIDGES

WALL STREET

BATTERY PARK CITY

MEATPACKINGDISTRICT

RESIDENTIAL

INWOOD

FORT GEORGE

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS

HAMILTONHEIGHTS

HARLEM

MORNINGSIDEHEIGHTS

EASTHARLEM

UPPER WEST SIDE

LINCOLN SQUARE

CENTRALPARK

YORKVILLE

UPPER EAST SIDE

LENOXHILL

CLINTON

HELL’SKITCHEN

MIDTOWN

THEATERDISTRICT

GARMENTDISTRICT

MIDTOWNSOUTHCHELSEA

TURTLEBAY

MURRAY HILL

KIPS BAY

GRAM-ERCY PARK

SUTTON

BEEK-MAN

STUY TOWN

NO

HO

BO

WER

YM

EDIC

ALCI

TYTU

DO

R

ABC CITY

EAST VILLAGE

GREENWICH VILLAGE

WEST VILLAGE


LITT

LE

ITALY

CIVIC CENTER

WHITE HALL

CHINATOWN

TWO BRIDGES

WALL STREET

BATTERY PARK CITY

MEATPACKINGDISTRICT

RETAIL

INWOOD

FORT GEORGE

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS

HAMILTONHEIGHTS

HARLEM

MORNINGSIDEHEIGHTS

EASTHARLEM

UPPER WEST SIDE

LINCOLN SQUARE

CENTRALPARK

YORKVILLE

UPPER EAST SIDE

LENOXHILL

CLINTON

HELL’SKITCHEN

MIDTOWN

THEATERDISTRICT

GARMENTDISTRICT

MIDTOWNSOUTHCHELSEA

TURTLEBAY

MURRAY HILL

KIPS BAY

GRAM-ERCY PARK

SUTTON

BEEK-MAN

STUY TOWN

NO

HO

BO

WER

YM

EDIC

ALCI

TYTU

DO

R

ABC CITY

EAST VILLAGE

GREENWICH VILLAGE

WEST VILLAGE


LITT

LE

ITALY

CIVIC CENTER

WHITE HALL

CHINATOWN

TWO BRIDGES

WALL STREET

BATTERY PARK CITY

MEATPACKINGDISTRICT

INDUSTRIAL

INWOOD

FORT GEORGE

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS

HAMILTONHEIGHTS

HARLEM

MORNINGSIDEHEIGHTS

EASTHARLEM

UPPER WEST SIDE

LINCOLN SQUARE

CENTRALPARK

YORKVILLE

UPPER EAST SIDE

LENOXHILL

CLINTON

HELL’SKITCHEN

MIDTOWN

THEATERDISTRICT

GARMENTDISTRICT

MIDTOWNSOUTHCHELSEA

TURTLEBAY

MURRAY HILL

KIPS BAY

GRAM-ERCY PARK

SUTTON

BEEK-MAN

STUY TOWN

NO

HO

BO

WER

YM

EDIC

ALCI

TYTU

DO

R

ABC CITY

EAST VILLAGE

GREENWICH VILLAGE

WEST VILLAGE


LITT

LE

ITALY

CIVIC CENTER

WHITE HALL

CHINATOWN

TWO BRIDGES

WALL STREET

BATTERY PARK CITY

MEATPACKINGDISTRICT

RESTAURANTS

INWOOD

FORT GEORGE

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS

HAMILTONHEIGHTS

HARLEM

MORNINGSIDEHEIGHTS

EASTHARLEM

UPPER WEST SIDE

LINCOLN SQUARE

CENTRALPARK

YORKVILLE

UPPER EAST SIDE

LENOXHILL

CLINTON

HELL’SKITCHEN

MIDTOWN

THEATERDISTRICT

GARMENTDISTRICT

MIDTOWNSOUTHCHELSEA

TURTLEBAY

MURRAY HILL

KIPS BAY

GRAM-ERCY PARK

SUTTON

BEEK-MAN

STUY TOWN

NO

HO

BO

WER

YM

EDIC

ALCI

TYTU

DO

R

ABC CITY

EAST VILLAGE

GREENWICH VILLAGE

WEST VILLAGE


LITT

LE

ITALY

CIVIC CENTER

WHITE HALL

CHINATOWN

TWO BRIDGES

WALL STREET

BATTERY PARK CITY

MEATPACKINGDISTRICT

SCHOOLS

INWOOD

FORT GEORGE

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS

HAMILTONHEIGHTS

HARLEM

MORNINGSIDEHEIGHTS

EASTHARLEM

UPPER WEST SIDE

LINCOLN SQUARE

CENTRALPARK

YORKVILLE

UPPER EAST SIDE

LENOXHILL

CLINTON

HELL’SKITCHEN

MIDTOWN

THEATERDISTRICT

GARMENTDISTRICT

MIDTOWNSOUTHCHELSEA

TURTLEBAY

MURRAY HILL

KIPS BAY

GRAM-ERCY PARK

SUTTON

BEEK-MAN

STUY TOWN

NO

HO

BO

WER

YM

EDIC

ALCI

TYTU

DO

R

ABC CITY

EAST VILLAGE

GREENWICH VILLAGE

WEST VILLAGE


LITT

LE

ITALY

CIVIC CENTER

WHITE HALL

CHINATOWN

TWO BRIDGES

WALL STREET

BATTERY PARK CITY

MEATPACKINGDISTRICT

MUSEUMS

INWOOD

FORT GEORGE

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS

HAMILTONHEIGHTS

HARLEM

MORNINGSIDEHEIGHTS

EASTHARLEM

UPPER WEST SIDE

LINCOLN SQUARE

CENTRALPARK

YORKVILLE

UPPER EAST SIDE

LENOXHILL

CLINTON

HELL’SKITCHEN

MIDTOWN

THEATERDISTRICT

GARMENTDISTRICT

MIDTOWNSOUTHCHELSEA

TURTLEBAY

MURRAY HILL

KIPS BAY

GRAM-ERCY PARK

SUTTON

BEEK-MAN

STUY TOWN

NO

HO

BO

WER

YM

EDIC

ALCI

TYTU

DO

R

ABC CITY

EAST VILLAGE

GREENWICH VILLAGE

WEST VILLAGE


LITT

LE

ITALY

CIVIC CENTER

WHITE HALL

CHINATOWN

TWO BRIDGES

WALL STREET

BATTERY PARK CITY

MEATPACKINGDISTRICT

BARS/PUBS

INWOOD

FORT GEORGE

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS

HAMILTONHEIGHTS

HARLEM

MORNINGSIDEHEIGHTS

EASTHARLEM

UPPER WEST SIDE

LINCOLN SQUARE

CENTRALPARK

YORKVILLE

UPPER EAST SIDE

LENOXHILL

CLINTON

HELL’SKITCHEN

MIDTOWN

THEATERDISTRICT

GARMENTDISTRICT

MIDTOWNSOUTHCHELSEA

TURTLEBAY

MURRAY HILL

KIPS BAY

GRAM-ERCY PARK

SUTTON

BEEK-MAN

STUY TOWN

NO

HO

BO

WER

YM

EDIC

ALCI

TYTU

DO

R

ABC CITY

EAST VILLAGE

GREENWICH VILLAGE

WEST VILLAGE


LITT

LE

ITALY

CIVIC CENTER

WHITE HALL

CHINATOWN

TWO BRIDGES

WALL STREET

BATTERY PARK CITY

MEATPACKINGDISTRICT

OFFICES

INWOOD

FORT GEORGE

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS

HAMILTONHEIGHTS

HARLEM

MORNINGSIDEHEIGHTS

EASTHARLEM

UPPER WEST SIDE

LINCOLN SQUARE

CENTRALPARK

YORKVILLE

UPPER EAST SIDE

LENOXHILL

CLINTON

HELL’SKITCHEN

MIDTOWN

THEATERDISTRICT

GARMENTDISTRICT

MIDTOWNSOUTHCHELSEA

TURTLEBAY

MURRAY HILL

KIPS BAY

GRAM-ERCY PARK

SUTTON

BEEK-MAN

STUY TOWN

NO

HO

BO

WER

YM

EDIC

ALCI

TYTU

DO

R

ABC CITY

EAST VILLAGE

GREENWICH VILLAGE

WEST VILLAGE


LITT

LE

ITALY

CIVIC CENTER

WHITE HALL

CHINATOWN

TWO BRIDGES

WALL STREET

BATTERY PARK CITY

MEATPACKINGDISTRICT

MOOD

5

4

3

2

1

0

-1

-2

-3

-4

-5

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3Rd RESEARch STATEMENTAfter continuing to work on my thesis, I added a purpose to my project statement.

“Using Manhattan as a case study, I’m researching how cities are divided, how these divisions came to be, and how the different pieces interact with each other. I plan on using this research to understand how people interact with neighborhoods other than their own. The goal is to get New Yorkers to explore more areas of the city, rather than remaining in a ‘bubble’ within their own neighborhood.”

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5x5 ExPERIMENT #6: SuRvEYSBecause I shifted the focus of my thesis a bit, I wanted to do more research. I created two surveys to try to find out more information about this topic. I didn’t want to limit the responses to only Parsons students, so I used Amazon Mechanical Turk to complete my surveys.

Survey #1: how far will people travel to get things? Most of the people surveyed lived in urban areas and were in their 20’s. For most, cars were their main source of transportation, followed by buses, walking, and then biking. Most commutes to school/work were between 1.25 and 12.5 miles, which is not very far. Based on their answers, people would travel more for social activities like going out to a theater or bar, rather than for more solitary activities (like groceries to going to the park).

Survey #2: how much do people think they travel in an average day? As with the first survey, many of the responses came from 20 year olds living in cities. Most said they left their neighborhoods daily or several times a week (most of the reasons being work, shopping, or to meet with friends/family). While many of them said they knew their city, most of them said they wished they knew more. What I gathered from this survey is that people generally think they know a lot about their cities, and think it’s important to know about the area you live in. My final question asked what would encourage them to visit new areas. Here’s what they said:•apps/websites with information (web-based maps)• information from neighbors, clients, and friends•social media•newspaper/TV ads• festivals/events

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5x5 ExPERIMENT #7: MuSEuMSIn another attempt to learn more about Manhattan, I spent a day visiting museums. I visited the Museum of the City of New York, the New York Historical Society, and the New York Transit Museum.

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1ST PRoToTYPE oF MobIlE APPI decided to achieve my goal through a mobile app.

“Cities (especially Manhattan) are divided in countless ways--grids, neighborhoods, history, socioeconomics, where you have and haven’t been, etc. People have a tendency to stay within their comfort zones. The goal of this app is to encourage people to venture into new areas and see new things. This is done via community input and the sharing of local information. Who would know more about an area or neighborhood than the locals?”

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MobIlE APP FEATuRESMaps This will show several maps of the city. You have control over what criteria is shown (parks, food, bars, libraries, etc.) By seeing all these divisions at once, you can use this info to decide what neighborhood to visit.

•different maps of the city (zoning, population, shopping areas, parks, languages spoken, etc.)

• interactive, user controls visible content

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MobIlE APP FEATuRESlocal Users recommend great spots in their neighborhoods. Locals know where to go for the best coffee or burger and this takes advantage of that. Users can see others’ recommendations and add their own.

•users can recommend certain activities and locations

• tied to users’ social media (Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare) so they may see where their friends have been

•not to be used primarily for reviews/ratings

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MobIlE APP FEATuRESRandom Bored and want to get out but have no idea what to do? This will randomly select a location to visit that has been recommended by another user.

• randomly selects a location to go to (park, bowling, restaurant, museum, etc.) from the existing data

•users may continue to hit ‘random’ until they find an option they are happy with

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MobIlE APP FEATuRESMy Map Once you visit a new place, you can mark that off on your personal map. Keep track of where you’ve been, where you haven’t been, and where you want to go.

• the goal is to check off as many areas as possible

•perhaps there is a rewards-based system for visiting many places (coupons for local businesses, badges)

• favorites

•save locations you want to visit in the future

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dESIgN bRIEFProject Statement Using Manhattan as a case study, I’m researching how cities are divided, how these divisions came to be, and how the different pieces interact with each other. I plan on using this research to understand how people interact with neighborhoods other than their own. The goal is to get New Yorkers to explore more areas of the city, rather than remaining in a “bubble” within their own neighborhood.

user/Audience The audience for my project is urban residents who don’t explore their city on a regular basis and are interested in seeing more areas. The audience would ideally be in their 20s–40s to target those who are old enough to want to explore and young enough to be able to do so easily.

Major Project Elements The major element of this project is a mobile app. The goal of this app is to encourage people to venture into new areas and see new things. This is done via community input and the sharing of local information. Who would know more about an area or neighborhood than the locals?

Name The verb espy means “to catch sight of or perceive (something distant or previously unnoticed)” or “detect”. (dictionary.com) This app is based on community input, so I’ve created the name “wespy” (pronounced we spy).

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NExT STEPSThe next steps are to continue my research (focusing more specifically on apps and usability) and wire frame the app design. Usability testing will occur after each significant stage of the design process.

Timeline

By week 1 (Jan 28)(winter break)

• Usability research• Research on creating apps• Survey about what features people may find helpful

By week 2 (Feb 4) • Pencil wire frames and sketches (paper prototype)By week 3 (Feb 11) • Usability testing on paper prototypeBy week 5 (Feb 25) • Digital renderings of app reflecting changes from usability testingBy week 6 (Mar 4) • Interactive PDF prototypeBy week 7 (Mar 11) • Revised digital renderings of app reflecting changes from usability testingBy week 10 (Apr 8) • Coded app (probably advanced HTML prototype)

• Usability testing on coded appBy week 11 (Apr 15) • Final version of coded app reflecting changes from usability testing

documenting the design Process In order to document the process of creating this app, including all the testing and revisions, I will continue to maintain the blog as I have been doing in the first semester. This means posting any significant development, each design reiteration, feedback from user testing, and anything else that seems significant throughout the process. This also means continuing to scan and post my sketchbook.

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RESouRcESThe resources I need to complete this app are mostly research-based. I will use the library resources available to me as well as the usability readings supplied by Jane to research usability and functionality.

To complete the survey of what users may find helpful in such an app, I will use Amazon Mechanical Turk, which I used on two previous surveys for my thesis project.

I will use online resources to research the process of creating an app (including Lynda.com, which I have available to me through my job). Next semester, I’ll be taking “Designing for Touch” which is a class focused on designing for touch-screen devices. I may also be taking “Web: Content Management” which will help me get a sense of how to better lay out the functionality of the app.

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FEEdbAckI’ve taken account a lot of the feedback I’ve received throughout the process.

Some people wanted to know how this will be different from Yelp or FourSquare and wanted to know if they could trust these reviews (as many Yelp reviews are paid). After a discussion with Juliette, I decided to incorporate social media into the app. If you can’t trust your friends’ opinions, who can you trust?

Another person recommended the idea of points or prizes for visiting new areas of the city to motivate users to actually explore (maybe a coupon to a local business in the area?). The same person responded well to the “My Map” function because “people love to check shit off” and also suggested that crime rates be somehow incorporated. This has been incorporated as well.

Feedback from my thesis section and final review will push me to make the design unique, especially with more stylized maps that will set my app apart from other websites and tools

Overall, most of the feedback given was great and constructive. They’ll make my life a lot more difficult, but will ultimately improve my app and thesis.

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REFERENcES (more info available on blog)

Beall, Jo. A City for All: Valuing Difference and Working with Diversity. London: Zed Books, 1997. Print.

Berger, Joseph. The World in a City: Traveling the Globe Through the Neighborhoods of the new New York. New York: Ballantine Books, 2007. Print.

“City of Neighborhoods.” New York City Department of Planning. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Sept. 2012. <www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/neighbor/neigh.shtml)>.

Clark, William A. V., and Valerie Ledwith. “How Much Does Income Matter in Neighborhood Choice?.” Population Research and Policy Review 26.2 (2007): 145-161. JSTOR. Web. 1 Nov. 2012.

Domosh, Mona. “Shaping the Commercial City: Retail Districts in Nineteenth-Century New York and Boston.” Annals of the Association of American Geographers 80.2 (1990): 268-284. JSTOR. Web. 10 Sept. 2012.

Fainstein, Susan S., and Scott Campbell. Readings in Urban Theory. 3rd ed. Chicester, West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell, 2011. Print.

Fessenden, Ford, and Sam Roberts. “Map of New York City’s Ethnic Neighborhoods.” The New York Times. N.p., 22 Jan. 2011. Web. 10 Sept. 2012. <http://nyti.ms/hMOWyv>.

Fiske, Edward B.. “Minorities a Majority in New York.” The New York Times 22 Mar. 1991: n. pag. The New York Times. Web. 10 Sept. 2012.

Ford, Larry. Cities and Buildings: Skyscrapers, Skid Rows, and Suburbs. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1994. Print.

Gehl, Jan. Cities for People. Washington, DC: Island Press, 2010. Print.

Godfrey, Brian T.. “Restructuring and Decentralization in a World City.” Geographical Review 85.4 (1995): 436-457. JSTOR. Web. 10 Sept. 2012.

Goldberger, Paul. The City Observed, New York: A Guide to the Architecture of Manhattan. New York: Vintage, 1979. Print.

Grosvenor, Gilbert M.. The Reaches of New York. 1939. Map. Brooklyn Historical Society, New York, NY.

Haimoff, Michelle. Secret New York: Exploring the City’s Hidden Neighborhoods. Northampton, Mass.: Interlink Books, 2008. Print.

Hamilton, Jon. “How Your Brain Is Like Manhattan.” NPR: National Public Radio. N.p., 29 Mar. 2012. Web. 10 Sept. 2012. <http://n.pr/H0WqM5>.

Haney, Wava G., and Eric S. Knowles. “Perception of Neighborhoods by City and Suburban Residents.” Human Ecology 6.2 (1978): 201-214. JSTOR. Web. 10 Sept. 2012.

Keogan, Kevin. “A Sense of Place: The Politics of Immigration and the Symbolic Construction of Identity in Southern California and the New York Metropolitan

Area.” Sociological Forum 17.2 (2002): 223-253. JSTOR. Web. 10 Sept. 2012.

Kling, Jeffrey R., Jeffrey B. Liebman, and Lawrence F. Katz. “Experimental Analysis of Neighborhood Effects.” Econometrica 75.1 (22): 83-119. JSTOR. Web. 10 Sept. 2012.

Laguerre, Michel S.. Urban Multiculturalism and Globalization in New York City: An Analysis of Diasporic Temporalities. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan, 2003. Print.

LeGates, Richard T., and Frederic Stout. The City Reader. 5th ed. London: Routledge, 2011. Print.

Lynch, Kevin. The Image of the City. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 1960. Print.

MacIsaac, Tara. “Keeping Diversity as NYC Develops.” The Epoch Times [New York] 8 May 2011: n. pag. The Epoch Times. Web. 10 Sept. 2012.

Millington, Gareth. ‘Race’, Culture and the Right to the City Centres, Peripheries, Margins. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2011. Print.

New York Metro Chapter American Planning Association. “Ethnic Diversity in the Planning Profession in the APA New York Metro Chaper Area: Findings and Recommendations.” December 2001. Print.

Perman, Cindy. “The Top 10 Most Diverse Cities in America.” CNBC. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Sept. 2012. <bit.ly/QxcPhF>.

PFSK. “The Future of Real-Time.” Version 2. October 2011. Print.

Rosenbaum, Emily. “The Making of a Ghetto: Spatially Concentrated Poverty in New York City in the 1980s.” Population Research and Policy Review 14.1 (1995): 1-27. JSTOR. Web. 1 Nov. 2012.

Schmid, Heiko, Wolf Sahr, and John Urry. Cities and Fascination: Beyond the Surplus of Meaning. Farnham: Ashgate, 2011. Print.

Shohamy, Elana Goldberg, Eliezer Rafael, and Monica Barni. Linguistic Landscape in the City. Bristol, UK: Multilingual Matters, 2010. Print.

Sholis, Brian. “Divided and conquered: Museum of the City of New York reveals how lines on paper created the Manhattan we inhabit.” Capital New York. N.p., 19 Dec. 2011. Web. 10 Sept. 2012. <bit.ly/uSU5Hc>.

Time Out New York. “NYC Neighborhood Guidesâ€”New York Neighborhoods.” Time Out New York. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Sept. 2012. <http://www.timeout.com/newyork/things-to-do/nyc-neighborhood-guides>.

Urbanized. Dir. Gary Hustwit. 2011. Film.

Vollath, Guenter. Who Lives Where. 1985. Map. Brooklyn Historical Society, New York, NY.

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ThESIS blog:JENNMARTINS.TuMblR.coM

http://jennmartins.tumblr.com

http://jennmartins.tumblr.com

wespy semester 1 final process

Documents

prototype design brief

self exploration

steps timeline

prototype features

possible thesis topics

economic divisions

brainstorm ideas of

set of mind maps