Site Study – Spring 2021
Spring 2021 kicked off the Evanisko Project with the Site Studies project, intended to introduce students to the basics of user research and project preparation. Research results were be documented in a format designed on principles of visual communications to convey content with clarity and impact. Students will have conceptualized user experience scenarios and made recommendations for how to best communicate Penn State student research and creative work using the digital displays found in the Collaboration Commons.
The Research Process
Each student was tasked with researching and understanding the use of the Collaboration Commons space and conducted their own research at the beginning of the project. All GD 102 students took time to sit in the Collaboration Commons and talk to real student stakeholders about their experiences in the Library and how they feel about the use of the space, recording their conversations with said students in order to collect the data used in each presentation.
In total, the students of GD 102 conducted over 40 interviews with students, asking participants about their demographics, personalities, experiences, as well as various other details about their experiences using the Collaboration Commons study space. These interviews then went toward the creation of user personas and user journey maps.
Student Pictured: Sophia Kontos
Visual Resource Collection
Visual Resource Collection was another integral part of the project. On top of user research, students were instructed to observe the design elements of the space itself in order to create a body of visual work that matched the aesthetics of the space. Students observed elements such as shape, color, patterns, and textures, then used these elements to create color pallets and shapes to be used in a visual piece.
Each student created two compositions that they felt echoed the design of the Collaboration Commons, which were then used as images and backgrounds in their textual layouts.
Image Credit – Sara Meola
Student Work
Each presentation may be viewed in its entirety below:
Peyton Harris
Sara Meola
Megan Dale
John Marenic
Megan J. Marflak
Sophia Alexander
Paige Bish
Carson Schultz
Joshua Guinn
Site Study Objectives:
Analyze everyday activities for social, historical/cultural, and environmental implications.
Demonstrate research techniques centered on people, activities, and settings.
Implement a multi-stage plan using the design process to construct narratives and scenarios for describing user experiences.
Analyze and visually illustrate user journeys, identifying leverage points where a small change could make a difference in outcomes.
Demonstrate increased fluency in the use of the formal vocabulary and concepts of design.
Apply critical judgment about the student’s own design and the design of others regarding usefulness, usability, desirability, technological feasibility, economic viability, and sustainability in terms of long-term consequences.
Penn State University Libraries
The Evanisko Project