Project Two (Step One): Identification of Users

An effective method utilised by Industrial designers when wanting to attain a deeper understanding of who one is designing for is through the creation of thorough and in-depth User and Mood Boards. This method can easily be transferred to the architectural design realm, and is one I have utilised to better understand the Users of my site, and will in turn be used to inform the next phase of the project: Space Panning.

The User Board is used to show the demographic/s of who one is possibly designing for. The User Board below is based on the demographics inherent to Paddington and surrounding suburbs, and are of particular interest with regard to my intent to design a cross-generational learning centre.

 The Mood Board aims to show how this User/s conducts their daily life/lives. One aims to answer questions such as:

• What do they like?
• What do they like to do?
• What and how do they eat?
• How do they learn?
• How do they exercise?
• What and how do they work?

These exercises have been a highly beneficial starting point for the subsequent stages of the design process. These boards will be used for brainstorming on the life, growth and development issues relevant to each age group, which will then be used for Space Planning purposes.