Desire Paths in Architecture
This week’s lectures remind me a lot of a TED Talk I watched years ago on the term ‘Desire Paths’ and the design of architecture. The TED Talk laid out examples of the intersection of the designer and user experience, where people have developed their own desire paths out of necessity. This idea of finding shortcuts in my opinion is the best way to learn how to design better for intended users. As designers, we need to take a step back from predicting and assuming how architecture will react, and instead, learn from the shortcuts users create on their own. That pause will allow us to create the best design because we have learned from the experts, the users. The best design is the most intentional one.
It is imperative that architects spend time in the spaces they are designing. It would be impossible to detect the social cues on how a space is used without observing the people that use it. The "pause" is critical to thoughtful design and teaches us how to design for people.
ReplyDeleteWe can apply this thinking in the way we develop floor plans too. For example, in a staff break room, one way to create efficiency and ease is to have the refrigerator next to the door. So, those coming in at the beginning of their shift can toss their lunch in the fridge without crossing path with those standing at the coffee machine.
ReplyDeleteI can agree that as architects, we need to take a step back and think about user experience. Even taking our own experience as a starting point and thinking.... how might I move about this space on a day-to-day basis. What might my path look like on a day when I am in a rush. Or how about a day when I can take it easy and enjoy my surroundings. Every scenario, whether we design for it or not, will occur and could be an opportunity for architects to anticipate and better design paths.
ReplyDeleteIt's always been interesting to me that the users of the building usually aren’t the ones that are in the room when design decisions are being made. Like with schools for instance, students and teachers are rarely asked their opinion on how it should be set up even though they are the ones having to use it daily. This goes further than architecture though. In almost all aspects of life, we have people designing products and machines that they never have to use. How could they possibly know what works best.
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