Fidelity and Context
18 OCT 2025
- Set two FMP axes: high-fidelity build and context expansion.
- Ran a “Manner Maker” workshop and sketched modular add-on concepts.
- Feedback: keep it focused, finish one high-fi prototype first.
Two Axes
The two key axes shaping the latter half of the FMP were how to develop the existing prototypes into high-fidelity versions and where to expand the series next.
Materials such as wire, fabric, plastic, paper, and wood were considered. At this stage, I decided to experiment with a wooden board for the frame and fabric for the add-on elements.
For series expansion, I explored additional public contexts similar to theatres and considered buses, the Tube, libraries, and classrooms. It soon became clear that spaces with strong social norms, like the theatre, are far less common than expected.
Manner Maker Workshop
Feeling the limitations of ideating alone, I conducted a small workshop. Participants were asked whether they had experienced bad manners in public spaces, and then invited to imagine how they might “discipline” someone through a device.
Interestingly, many participants shared frustrations specifically from public transport. Given its large presence in daily life, this outcome felt natural. These insights became the starting point for new prototype sketches.
New Prototypes
I began developing concepts using a shared frame with different add-ons, borrowing material or visual cues from each location.
Model Theatre
Based on the original theatre prototype, this version places a piece of red theatre fabric over the frame worn around the neck.
Model Bus
Designed to address long, loud phone calls on buses, this add-on imagines a portable phone-booth-like box attached to the frame.
Model Tube
Inspired by the frequent behaviour of people putting their feet on seats, this model considers a device that restricts foot movement.
An additional idea, the Station Guide, functions as an everyday directional sign—such as “Keep Left”—but becomes a ‘Get Off First’ cue to guide disembarking flow when passengers reach the platform.
Feedback & Reflection
The most memorable piece of feedback was the need to consider social coding more carefully. Unlike theatres, where social norms operate strongly, buses and the Tube have much looser norms, which may weaken the persuasiveness of the concepts. Connecting the designs to spaces with stronger social codes could strengthen the overall project.
Regarding the research approach, collecting a broad range of experiences was seen as valuable, but there was concern that the project might start to spread too widely, diluting the design message. However, the strategy of using each space’s characteristic materials in the objects received positive feedback.
I was also encouraged to finish a high-fidelity prototype quickly, as it would serve as a reference point for expanding the series and clarifying the project direction. Balancing these two axes will be crucial moving forward.
Reference
- Hall, E.T. 1966, The Hidden Dimension, Doubleday, Garden City, NY.
- Hall, E.T. 1976, Beyond Culture, Anchor Press/Doubleday, Garden City, NY.
- Kim, S.E.H. 2024, Being Korean, Master of Fine Arts thesis, Rochester Institute of Technology. Available at: https://repository.rit.edu/theses/11937/
- Monaghan, J. & Just, P. 2000, Social and Cultural Anthropology: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp. 34–52.
- Oldenburg, R. 1989, The Great Good Place: Cafés, Coffee Shops, Community Centers, Beauty Parlors, General Stores, Bars, Hangouts, and How They Get You Through the Day, Paragon House, New York.
- Thaler, R.H. & Sunstein, C.R. 2008, Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness, Yale University Press, New Haven, CT.
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