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Jiwon Kang portfolio
UX UI Case studies
Make it!
2023 Research & Studies
11, 2023 / PRATT Institute / Technology A
0. Brief
I discovered how directions are embodied in objects. Every object has invisible directions that can influence or modify people's behavior through its shape, material, and purpose. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to find and discover the answers to the question: "How do people's behaviors vary depending on the objects?"
1. Question : How people's behaviors vary depending on the object?
To discover how people’s behaviors vary depending on the object, I conducted a series of simple experiments. The directions I used for these experiments were "drop the bottle from a distance of 3.3 feet" and "stand the bottle from a distance of 3.3 feet". I employed three different objects for the experiments, each made of different materials. These materials included paper (flexible but able to be fixed), fabric (flexible but unable to be fixed), and pen (fixed and hard).
2. Insight
As a result of the experiment, I discovered that three elements influenced my behavior: Shape, Material, and Purpose. I regarded these three as elements that compose an object.
For the next step, to answer the question of how people's behaviors vary depending on the object, I conducted three experiments focusing on shape, material, and purpose. For each experiment, I created prototypes to use. The experiment for shape involved prototypes with the same material but different shapes. The experiment for the material involved prototypes with the same shape but different materials. Lastly, the experiment's purpose involved prototypes with the same material and shape but different purposes.
3. Shape : Make a circle!
I created 7 different shapes of prototypes using the same material, which was paper. Then, I attempted to make each of the paper pieces into a circle. The purpose of the experiment was to observe how people's behaviors vary depending on the shape of an object. All ‘circles’ came out in different shapes depending on the shape of the prototypes, even if they had the same direction.
4. Material : Make a square!
I created 7 prototypes with different materials, all of which had the same rectangular shape. Then, I attempted to make each of the prototype pieces into a square. The purpose of the experiment was to observe how people's behaviors vary depending on the material of an object. All ‘squares’ came out in different shapes depending on the material of the prototypes, even if they had the same direction.
5. Purpose : Think a purpose!
I created a prototype for the experiment. I showed the prototype to my friends and asked them how to use the prototype if it was for ‘to measure objects’ and ‘to tie objects.’ The purpose of the experiment was to observe how people's behaviors vary depending on the purpose of an object. As a result, everyone thought about different ways, even though they had the same purpose and prototype.
6. Final : Make a triangle!
By combining the experiences I gained from the previous experiments, I conducted the final experiment. I created 6 prototypes that had different shapes and materials. Then, I attempted to transform each of the prototype pieces into a triangle shape. The purpose of the experiment was to observe how people's behaviors vary depending on the shape, material, and purpose of the object. Depending on the materials and shapes of the prototypes, all outcomes turned out differently.
A low prototype device was used in this experiment. I placed 9 wooden sticks on a square foam board, creating a grid structure.
7. Insight
Even though people followed the same direction, different outcomes were achieved depending on the shape, material, and purpose.
8. Additional work
For the last, I created a new tool based on the insights I’ve gathered. The Habit Tracker will help people realize what they have been lacking and needing throughout the day. With the collected data, people could observe patterns and changes in their habits.
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