The Going Solo Movement - Process Book

The Going Solo Movement 路 Process Book 路

Lauren Henderson desn 420-s002 Spring 2015

Going Solo is a social movement that aims to eliminate the stigmatization of public solitude and replace negative connotations with positive experiences.

4

Overview & Project Space

10

First Semester

11

Project Research

30

Primary Concept Development

41

Second Semester

42

Review & Service Mapping

51

Further Concept Development

60

Identity Development

67

Visual Development

79

Touchpoints

84

Webtool

90

Display Design

95

Summary

98

Annotative Bibliography

Overview & Problem Space

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

· Overview & Problem Space ·

Overview: the problem Solitude has and hopefully will always be apart

In other words, to be alone means to hurt, pine and

of our lives although we are having, or rather

want something more. This association has at-

choosing, to deal with it less and less due to the

tached solitude to negative connotations. Solitude,

hyper-connectivity of our current society. This

to our society, means lacking a connection with

connectivity makes us hyper aware when we are

others, something our society is constantly saturat-

alone creating anxiety, awkwardness and feelings

ed by and therefore dependent on.

of loneliness. But why has solitude become such a negative space? In the past, many saw solitude as a gift of self-reflection, of individualism, creativity,

“It is good to be solitary, for solitude is difficult; that something is difficult must be one more reason for us to do it.”

and serenity in a bustling world of connectivity (Vizetelly). Writers, artists and everyday people alike took opportunities of solitude to truly express themselves often times creating their greatest work in solitude. Sadly nowadays, the connections have been amplified and we have lost our appreciation of solitary moments.

The word itself may not be the only reason for solitude’s stigmatization. Solitude as a state is misunderstood by many. From a young age, we are taught to be social, which is good; however, we are never taught how or the importance of being alone and many of us never learn (Popova). The development of solitary skill, the ability to cope and enjoy solitude, has become less and less developed in our generation (Manalastas). Reinforcing this, when we are young solitude is used as a punishment.

This may in part be due to the stigmatization of

For example, like when we are sent to the corner

solitude as a state and word. Today, people who

or our room to ‘think about what we have done’. It

spend time alone are looked upon with sadness,

promotes that thinking alone is a negative experi-

worry and as possessing anti-social behavior.

ence. It is not until later in life that we realize that

The Oxford English Dictionary defines solitude as: The state of being alone. This already puts a negative tone on the word as alone is associated with lonely which in turn can be defined as “a longing to correct a discrepancy between a person’s ideal and actual levels of social interaction” (Manalastas).

thinking about what we have done can be a useful and positive experience. Adding to our conditioning is the characters from movies, TV shows and books. How many can be thought of that expressed an enjoyment of alone time? We never witness moments of positive solitary reflection. When we ·5·

· Overview & Problem Space ·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

do, negative connotation is implied as historian

While traveling through Europe on exchange this

David Potter notes: “In our literature, any story of

past semester I noticed my own apprehension in

complete isolation, either physical or psycholog-

going places alone and feelings of anxiety when

ical, of a man from his fellowman […] is regarded

I did. But, by being forced into such a situation

as essentially a horror story” (Popova).

where I had to be alone in foreign cities, I learned

Because of this Stigmatization, public spaces where solitude is accepted seems harder to come by. Many people describe eating, sitting or even shopping alone in public as an awkward and unenjoyable experience. This may be because there is a lack of socially acceptable solitary spaces as most public spaces are built for socialization and

to deeply enjoy my solitude and adapted time for it in my life. Back in Vancouver now, I see a great opportunity to diminishes the negativity of solitude and present solitude as being a space of leisure, independence, freedom, creativity and intimacy. I hope to influence people to see it as a privilege and something that can be incorporated into a lifestyle.

connectedness. And it could be that this feeds the already apparent stigmas.

connective technological craze to our misunder-

Design Opportunity Why should design be involved?

standing of solitude and lack of solitary spaces, a

Designers have up to now been focused on keeping

true stigmatization is formed. The Internet and

people connected and a sense of community alive

cellphones act as a scapegoat. They give people

(Fullerton). We have created social media sites that

who are “desperate to avoid the perceived stigma

keep us in contact with old friends, that allow us to

When we add a generation of social media and

of solitude” an escape (Drown) creating an ‘avoid being alone principle’. For this reason our technological generation and ones to come are at the greatest risk of misunderstanding and misusing solitude.

share photographs, our lives’ events and opinions with everyone we care about. These designs have made it so that we never have to be alone when we feel lonely. It is now easier than ever to get a hold of a family member or friend when we are worried, sad, confused or just feeling lonely. In addition,

·6·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

· Overview & Problem Space ·

public spaces are focused on bringing people closer together and harvesting real life connections and interactions. This is a great movement however, again, solitude in public spaces has been forgotten.

Some designs have focused on getting people disconnect (see precedence) from their technology, whether it is to avoid procrastination, to foster real connections or to get kids outside and be active.

Where is this project situated in design?

But, there seems to be a gap in the industry to get

As communication designers, we are trained to

people away from technology simply to disconnect

promote and create communication amongst

from everything and spend time with themselves

people. This may seem like the opposite task of

Because of our focus on connection we as design-

this problem space, but really it is a golden oppor-

ers have forgot about what we’ve unintentionally created: a greater fear of solitude. With this, my grad project aims to focus our attention on a different area of social behavior.

tunity for our involvement. This project aims to get people talking about solitude in a positive manner.

It aims to get the word out there as a conversation and then also retract it inward for solitary reflection. This allows the project to find a balance between allowing people to connect while also experiencing solitude. Creating communication around the topic, will decrease stigmatization and

“I hold this to be the highest task for a bond between two people: that each protects the solitude of the other.”

- Rainer Maria Rilke

therefore promote enjoyment of aloneness.

In addition, it is important to note that when we are by ourselves we are still interacting with the world around us. We are not in exile. Solitude gives us time to gather our thoughts, and later read out to others by sharing our experience. This brings about the idea of being alone together (Turkle). ·7·

· Overview & Problem Space ·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

Audience Primary My audience is both male and female between the

Male & Female

ages of 18 - 30 who live in Greater Vancouver. They

18 - 30

would be somebody who lives either at home or with roommates, but not alone. My user has a busy

Lives in the city

lifestyle, either with school or work or both. They

Lives with roommates or partner

love being surrounded by people as often as they can and sharing cultural experiences. They are re-

On the go lifestyle

ally connected to what’s going on in Vancouver and

Extroverted

the new things that they could be apart of. They always carry a smart phone to stay “in-touch” and

Connected to city’s cultural scene

are posting Online about their day. They love coffee, food, nature and all things authentic.

Secondary My secondary audience includes the same age

Male & Female

group. Their living situation is the same but their

18 - 40

personality differs. They are more introverted. Although they have a deep love for their friends and

Live in the city or suburb

family they want their time in solitude but find

Lives with roommates or partner

it to be hard to come by. They would love to go on quiet nature hikes everyday but their schedules

On the go lifestyle

and personal safety concerns don’t allow for this.

Introverted

Often times they leave the house to seek solitude in a coffee shop, but feel awkward being alone in

Fear of being perceived as a ‘loner’

public. They don’t want to be an introverted ‘loner’. ·8·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

· Overview & Problem Space ·

Project Thesis:

Our generation has stigmatized solitude to be a frightful, antisocial and lonely space which in turn creates a generation of people who dislike and avoid it at the cost of lost self-reflection, individualism and creative growth. In response to this, The Urban Hermit is a character that created and embodies the Going Solo Movement. This social movement aims to eliminate the stigmatization of public solitude and replace negative connotations with positive experiences. By using branding and promotion the movement aims to build conversations and acceptance and provide a tool that cultivates a solo-friendly lifestyle.

·9·

first semester

The first Semester of the Grad Project was spent exploring my problem space and

finding where design could intercept to make a positive change. To understand this, I conducted extensive primary and secondary research into the subject matter and surrounding disciplines while also learning to understand my audience and existing precedence. From there, with systemic thinking, I explored the elements of design that could lead to a solution.

Project Research

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

· Project Research ·

Secondary Research Method I began my secondary research in broad terms and gradually narrowed the subjects into the more specific area I would be designing for. As Solitude covers a great array of subject area I needed to be specific in the areas of research as to not get carried away. My research included:

Historic movements There have been past social movements that have

history did we start embracing it as a form of study.

pushed for solitude in answer to mass urbaniza-

And, when again was this lost. I will look at how

tion. These movements took extreme approaches

various cultures, both past and presently, view

turning solitude into escapism and romantic ideals

solitude.

of it. These extremities almost promoted anti-social behavior such as “There is no company in a crowd”. These movements also sprung out of the promotion of individualism and how spending time with one’s self could create opinions that broke away from the masses. This context informed me on what has been done, what worked and what did not as to not repeat history.

Anthropology

Psychology My research will also fall deeply into the psychology of solitude. Countless studies have been developed in this specific area. Answering questions of solitude’s effect on our personal and social development. It will also answer where the balancing point is between healthy solitude and anti-social behavior. It will be important to know if biologically we are build for solitude and our reactions. In this

It will be important for me to understand our so-

area I will also look into child development and

cial nature and how throughout history, we have

how we are affected by solitude and socializing

sought out companionship for safety, productivity

from a young age. This includes studies in using

and cultural development. When and why in our

solitude as punishment for children. · 12 ·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

· Project Research ·

Secondary Research Review The following is a literary review in the order that I did my research showing the development of ideas.

“If we don’t teach our children how to be alone, they’re only going to be lonely” Sherry Turkle

Ben Fullerton - “Designing for Solitude”

effect. As a solution, Turkle urges us to think of soli-

The piece sparked my interest into the subject of

tude as a good thing and to make time and physical

solitude It is a talk by interaction designer, Ben

space for it in our lives and our children’s lives.

Fullerton. The talk spoke of how design has been so

Tanya Davis - “How To Be Alone”

focused on connecting people that it has forgotten the very important and productive benefits of solitude. He outlines great minds such as, J.D. Salinger, Michel de Montaigne, Jack Kerouac and many more that have used solitude to create genius and extremely creative work For my design, it showed me the strong role design does have in creating spaces of solitude.

Sherry Turkle - “Connected but alone” In this talk, psychologist Turkle begins to explain the social benefits of solitude saying “You end up isolated if you don’t cultivate the capacity for solitude, the ability to be separate, to gather yourself.” I was very intrigued by the paradox of the social benefits of solitude as it is an opposite account than what people tend to believe. We believe that connection makes us feel less alone, but this has the opposite

Poet Tanya Davis recites her poem “How to be alone” with illustrations by Andrea Dorfman. The poem recites the struggles of slowly coming to terms and learning to enjoy solitude and your own company even if our society rejects this.

Shannon Tien - “The End of Absence, Book Review” This article is a review of Michael Harris’ new book: “The End of Absence”. Harris is what Tien calls a digital immigrant; he is part of the generation that has lived with and without technology therefore able to imagine life with and without it. Refreshingly, he is not so extreme with his opinion and realizes that we can not disregard technology. Instead, he urges us to notice that it can alienate our lives and that its up to us to choose when and how often it does. This article acts as a regulator for how to avoid extreme and forced solitude behavior. · 13 ·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

Esther Drown - “Battling the Stigma of Solitude” This column article outlines the writer’s feelings

have the option to disconnect” Shannon Tien

Frank Vizetelly & Veenfliet “Suggestions of Solitude”

as she goes to the movie theatre alone. As a suffer-

This source, outlines the risk my project has of

er of anxiety disorder, she now finds comfort and

being seen as classical solitude of escapism. It is an

enjoyment in doing some tasks in solitude. She

outline of ‘what not to do’ for my design. This arti-

writes on how the Internet is a big part of people’s

cle from 1895, shows the extreme view and frus-

anxiety as it has turned every experience into a

tration of disregarding society and sociability and

collective one.

escaping alone. This is a romanticism of solitude

Maria Popova -

“It’s a privilege to

· Project Research ·

and escapism and is not a realistic solution.

“Going Solo: A Brief History of Living Alone”

Philip Daoust - “The Joys of Solitude”

This article is about the “extraordinary rise and

This article recounts the enjoyment ‘hermits’ get

surprising appeal of living alone”. Klinenberg

from solitude and how they manage to enjoy their

believes the rise in living alone is due to econom-

utter isolation as a time of reflection, relaxation,

ical growth, the communication revolution, mass

harmony with nature and self-reliance. This re-

urbanization, our increased longevity and woman’s

counts the far extreme of solitude and how it’s

rights. This explains why the most developed coun-

been romanticized in the past and even today for

tries have the highest rates of solo living. Klinen-

some.

berg specifies that even though there is a rise in going solo there is still a stigmatization in our pop culture that surrounds it.

Eventhough my target audience does not live alone, this article shows me how to present solitude as a privilege. Scandinavian countries are used as a model showing how we can look after each other’s solitude believing that solitude is a privilege of those who can afford it.

Susan Cain - “The power of Introverts” Susan Cain’s Ted Talk speaks more about those who have the nature towards solitude, as in my secondary audience. She doesn’t speak of getting social people to partake in solitude, but rather to let people be in the state that makes them happiest. She speaks of how introversion has been stigmatized and forced out of classrooms and work

· 14 ·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

· Project Research ·

spaces for favor of extroverted working. She informs that most of this is due to the fact that we have “always favored a man of action over a man of contemplation because as agriculture shifted towards big business, people moved to the cities and had to prove themselves in groups.

Carey Dunne - “How Reading Slowly (Real Books, Not Twitter) Cuts Stress” This article outlines the benefits of slow reading and how our technological generation is obsessed with fast on screen reading. However, there has been a back-lash to this phenomenon with “Silent Reading Parties” that adds the social element we crave to a healthy reading behavior. This can be linked to the idea of “social solitude”.

Paul Kennedy - “Moses Znaimer’s ideacity” In this lecture journalist Pico Iyer speaks of ‘unplugging’. And how more and more people are recognizing the conditions and even disorders that stem from technology. He sees technology as “freedom with no limits” and this is something that humans can not handle. He speaks of his experience of disconnecting in a hermitage for 3 days and how it refreshed his mind. This shows that the ability to unplug is very much related to the ability to be alone. · 15 ·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

Christopher Long, Thomas More, & James Averill -

“Solitude is a personal rather than a place based concept” Christopher Long

· Project Research ·

Leo Coleman - “Being Alone Together: From Solidarity

“The Subjective Experience of Solitude”

to Solitude in Urban Anthropology”

This research paper recounts an experiment con-

This is an anthropological essay on the emergence

ducted about positive and negative experiences of

of a homosexual community in Delhi. Activists are

solitude as a mental state rather than a physical

pushing for a collective identity when there is al-

condition and its relation to public spaces. The

ready spaces for individual gay identity. The Volga

paper sets apart the difference between “classical

restaurant is the setting where people come to in

solitude” and today’s “social solitude”. It outlines

collective solitude but all for the purpose of being

that “if solitude is [...] a mental state or attitude,

alone together. The men here, sit alone, watch each

then it should be possible to attain that state in a

other occasionally but rarely interact. The space

range of environments, from public parks to side-

itself did not welcome any intimate encounters. In

walks and even retail stores [...] solitude is a per-

relation to my project the space of the Volga acts as

sonal rather than a place based concept”. This idea

a model of what kind of space naturally allows for

was a shifting point and a key component of my

solitude.

project. For this, I decided not so much to create physical sacred spaces, but rather, spaces that allow for internal solitude and building that skill to achieve this.

Finally this article, much like Manalastas, agrees that positive solitary experiences are far more likely to occur outdoors and in “comfortable, relaxing spaces, free of responsibility”.

Eric Julian Manalastas “An Exercise to Teach the Psychological Benefits of Solitude: The Date with the Self” This paper outlines an experimental evaluation meant to teach the psychological benefits of solitude to 54 undergraduate students. This paper has become very important to my research and my design solution as it outlines how they experienced solitude, their enjoyment and what other preceding elements might have lead to their positive or negative experience.

· 16 ·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

· Project Research ·

In the experiment the students purposefully planned “A date with the self” in a preferred leisure activity. They were told not to think of going on the date alone but with a “very special” person, themselves. Because of this the regular date rules applied: avoid using the phone, reading and texting.

The results demonstrated an increase in appreciation of solitude.

76% of students had a negative experience with solitude if they stayed home.

Interesting and relevant results included that 76% of students had a negative experience if they stayed at home for their “date” and those students that did go out had a much more positive experience. The experiment also showed that those who went into the experience actively seeking solitude had 64% better time. And even those who went into the experience busy with no time to themselves had a better experience.

For these reasons, I limited my design to focusing on public solitude, and have eliminated the “gifting” aspect of solitude to influence people to rather “actively seek solitude” for themselves. In addition,

Table 1: The results of experiences in varied settings Table 2: Activities that preceded solitary experience and resulting episodes

I gained the idea of “The Date with the Self” as a planned event. · 17 ·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

The Behavior Change Model

· Project Research ·

As my project’s goal is to eliminate stigma then it will involve behavior change of the user and general public.

BJ Fogg - “A behavior Model for Persuasive Design” In order for behavior change to occur you must have

I have used the three models of Motivation, Ability and Trigger to structure my design.

a motivation, An ability ( time, physical effort, brain cycles, social deviance, non-routine) and a trigger (spark, facilitator, signal) Motivation can be in the form of: •

Pleasure: as an immediate motivator

•

Hope: as the anticipation of an outcome

•

Social Acceptance: People will praise you for it

Ability can be in the form of: •

Time

•

Physical Effort

•

Brain Cycles

•

Social Deviance

•

Non-Routine

Trigger can be in the form of: •

Spark: i.e. text that highlights a motivation

•

Facilitator: That shows easy ability

•

Signal: A reminder when behavior is appropriate

· 18 ·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

· Project Research ·

Research Methods: Primary

Secondary research demonstrated the facts on solitude, but in order for my project to succeed I needed to know how everyday people interact with solitude, where they currently find it in their life and how they react to it. Some basic questions I needed answered were: •

How often people find themselves in solitude?

•

How they feel when they are in solitude?

•

Where are they most often in solitude?

•

If they are alone, what do they do? On their phone?

Reading? Writing?

•

Is there a different feeling between being solitary in public spaces vs private spaces?

•

Do people feel like they gain or loose something from being in Solitude?

These questions could not be answered by secondary research as they were about individual opinions and human qualities. By creating a survey I was more able to reach my target audience and understand their method of dealing with ‘alone-time’.

The following pages share some of the results. · 19 ·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

· Project Research ·

Primary Research

This example is particularly interesting as it shows a strange disconnect between how much time people spend alone and how much time they think they have. This information led me to be more conscious of Peoples’ awareness of time in my final design.

· 20 ·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

· Project Research ·

Primary Research

In this question I asked people to rate what motivates them on a scale of 1-5 from the following options. This helped me gage what motivating factors are most important to the user and therefore what the campaign should be highlighting as a reason to spend alone-time as part of the behavior change model.

· 21 ·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

· Project Research ·

Primary Research

These results show that the user needed something in their hands to distract them or bring with them in order to feel comfortable in a public setting alone.

When they have nothing to look down at, they feel awkward again. This response made me think to have the web informer to suggest something people could bring with them to keep them busy.

· 22 ·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

· Project Research ·

Precedence One of the main reasons for creating my project around solitude was the true lack of precedence that already exist in this subject. There are only three examples I could find dealing with solitude in public spaces.

Een Maal Restaurant in Amsterdam

Quiet Cars on Amtrak Cascade and other train lines

This restaurant cafe in Amsterdam only serves

In the quiet cars you are not aloud to talk to oth-

people who come to eat alone. There is no Wifi and

ers or be on the phone. You may however be on

all the tables are for one. People are however not

the Internet or be texting. This is a good example

in privacy but out in the open which indicates a

of a simple solution that makes space for solitude

culture of being alone together. This is a great con-

in every day life. People however must make the

cept for creating places where it is acceptable to be

choice themselves to be in that space.

alone, but my project on the other hand focuses on making it socially acceptable to be alone in everyday social spaces. · 23 ·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

· Project Research ·

Precedence

This is a communication design project in the

to read about being alone and to openly draw, write

Philippines. It is a documentation of solitude as an

and be creative. Another component of the proj-

exploration of creativity and solitude rather than

ect was, giving people a camera and having them

a means to eliminate stigma. The designer created

document their solitary moments and then publish

small spaces for solitude and gave people booklets

a book on the experience. · 24 ·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

· Project Research ·

Precedence - Designing for Disconnection Because of the lack of precedence about public solitude, I also looked at solitude that involved disconnection from technology as this is also a component of my project.

Black Hole Resorts

Samsung Serenata

This is a new trend in luxury vacationing. Upon

This phone only does two things: Play music and

arrival to the resort your cellphone, laptop and any

receive messages and calls. When the speaker is

other social devices are taken from you and locked

up or the headphones are plugged in and music is

in a safe. You will only regain access to them when

playing you will not receive any messages or calls.

you leave. This forces people to disconnect and

It’s only later, when you’ve stop the music, you will

enjoy the present moment of where they are. This

see what you’ve missed. This is a great example of

shows that people do want to be disconnected.

a product involved in creating solitary spaces. · 25 ·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

· Project Research ·

Precedence - Designing for Disconnection

Kill Your Phone This is a concept developed by artist Aram Bartholl.

He has created a workshop model that can be set up in any city, in which materials are provided to together create a signal blocking pouch for your phone. While in the pouch the phone can not receive or send messages or calls. I like that this is a global initiative and that people are socially coming together to disconnect from one another.

Also that they are choosing to make the pouch and choosing when to use it.

· 26 ·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

· Project Research ·

Precedence - Designing for Disconnection

Self-Control

Freedom

This is another productivity app that allows you to

Freedom is a writing productivity app that blocks

block certain sites for a period of time.

your Internet for a chosen period of time. I like how they’ve named it freedom as if being forced to be offline will give you more freedom. This frames it to be a positive experience.

Omm Writer Is a writing application that doesn’t block you from anything but instead, fills your desktop with the writing, so you don’t get sidetracked. I like that it’s not forcing you away from something but just pulling your attention elsewhere. Its simple design also promotes a calmness.

· 27 ·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

· Project Research ·

Precedence - Designing for Relaxation Because my project to involve solitude as stress relief I also looked at the world of meditation apps and how they motivate and simplify the behavior they want from the user.

Headspace This is a meditation app that asks its user to spend 10 minutes a day in meditation. It takes you through techniques, tracks and features an “emergency meditation” for when you really need it. I like that it doesn’t ask much of its user and that its graphics are friendly, inviting and convey leisure.

Take a Break This is another meditation app that is perhaps less visually appealing and interactive, but does the same thing. I like the chosen name “Take a Break” as it promotes doing something for yourself rather that for others.

· 28 ·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

· Project Research ·

Research Takeaway

From my research detailed previously I narrowed my scope to be about creating physical and mental spaces for solitude that portray: •

Solitude as leisure

•

Solitude as a privilege

•

Solitude as a moment to be self

· 29 ·

Primary Concept Development

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

· Primary Concept Development ·

Concept Ideation

Promote

•

a toolkit for communities families and room-

solitude as a space

mates to create solitary spaces. Together you make the kit then use it on your own.

•

Guide to create a “sanctuary” in your home/ office/ school, while you do that you get a mental

of leisure,

guide too.

independence,

•

freedom,

•

creativity,

•

Campaign that promotes places that accept solitude

•

Re-define coffee breaks: time to sit alone

•

Bathroom. A socially acceptable place to be alone?

•

Movement of setting up single chairs in public spaces. With books around?

•

Take care of each other. We do in other ways so we should in this way. Friends: I invite you to be alone tonight (If you accept they can block your social media for you and they receive

Map out places to be alone in Vancouver and

phone calls on behalf of you.) Friend as a secre-

highlights activities to do alone

tary for a day.

Social Network for when you are alone. You can talk to others who are alone and they guide you

privilege and intimacy.

Set up and run workshops where you create

through •

Send a loved one or stranger on a solitary retreat/ date. Loved one plans a date for you, but doesn’t show up

•

Little cards you can give (anonymously) someone who looks busy frazzled and on their phone.

That are “a day/ night of solitude” where you take care of their errands. As soon as you give a card you get put on the list of able to receive one.

· 31 ·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

· Primary Concept Development ·

First Chosen Direction

“44% of survey respondents said their reason for not spending time alone was because they had no time”

The previous pages shows and highlights key directions I thought to take my project; however after comparing those solutions to my primary and secondary research I found that certain solutions would not be ideal.

For example the idea of “sending a loved one on a date” proved not to work as research showed that people will respond more negatively to solitude if they feel forced into it (Manalastas). I also, do not want to make people feel that they have to reciprocate and give another solitude.

Another example in creating public events around solitude would not work. As I found in my Primary research that most people don’t really want a social aspect to solitude. Also finding that their biggest concern is time, a workshop would be timely and I’m sure now that many people would not wish to attend.

I learned from looking at behavior change models that a promotional campaign would not be enough to motivate people into solitary moments (Fogg).

But, paired with something else, it could work. And so, I began exploring a tool it could be paired with.

· 32 ·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

Service Map Version 1

Service Map

The first service map,

Website

based on the sketches on the previous page

· Primary Concept Development ·

GOALS

demonstrates the four affected platforms

PUBLIC: learn about solitude, see people are partaking in it, use tools to try it, find events to connect about it

Print Campaign

Community Projects

PUBLIC: Promote solitude movement, get viewer to the website.

PUBLIC: Start a dialogue, show it’s not for ‘loners’, Awareness

PUBLIC: Show there are ‘safe’ solitude spaces, motivators

Posters (transit, bathroom, street) Business Stickers Coupons Gorilla Advertising

Organized events Community involvement Group projects

Stickers Promotion ideas Sponsorship Coupon distributution

BUSINESS: promote business, get involved in the movement

and the goals of each.

A website, Print Cam-

Business Interventions

BUSINESS: Support a movement, gain business from single customers

paign, Community Projects and Business Interventions.

SERVICE

Learn about the campaign Plan a date with yourself Deals for hermits Business sponsors Installation events Contact Social media??

· 33 ·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

Service Map Version 2

Service Map:

USER

Top: Print Service Bottom: Web-based service

TOUCHPOINTS

· Primary Concept Development ·

Print Design

General Public

Business’

Transit posters

Business Cards

Window stickers

Street Posters

Coupons

Wall vinyl

Solo Chairs

Bathroom Posters

Menu dividers

Promote solo movement

Trigger action & comfort

Promote business

Get viewer to website

Intercept loneliness

Gain business

This version eliminates the Community Projects aspect of the project. It became difficult to understand what these “projects” would involve. It also

GOALS

Motivate viewer

Demonstrate sponsorship

Start Dialogue

Service Map:

Web Design

USER

General Public

Business’

About “Going Solo”

About “Going Solo”

Business Sponsors

Current Sponsors

What you’ll gain

What your Business will gain

Plan ‘a date with self’

Get Involved today!

involved a time consuming factor for my audience which primary research showed, would not work.

TOUCHPOINTS

• How much time?

• Where to go?

• What to bring • Coupon promotions

GOALS

• Steps to be solo friendly • Order promotion material • Coupon ideas

Motivate with benefits

Motivate with benefits

Show the ability

Make it easy to get involved

Get people involved

Excite

Excite

· 34 ·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

Journey Map Version 1

· Primary Concept Development ·

Journey Map: Public User

The journey map was very important to understand my final design.

And I was thorough in making multiple maps for various users and situa-

On your busy commute you see a “going solo” poster are intrigued by this new idea of solitude.

You’re bored of being alone and so you decide to go onto the website to check it out.

On your commute you read online about the movement and it intrigues you, you share it on Facebook. You want to try it out to get some stress free time.

After your friends agree that it’s interesting you all agree to try it out.

You plan a date night with yourself to go out for dinner.

You go and bring the business revenue. You enjoy your time and plan to return next week.

tions.

· 35 ·

Goin

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

Web Map - Version 1

Site Map:

· Primary Concept Development ·

The first version of the webtool was split into two

participating restaurants and their promotional of-

sections, one for the general public and one for

fers surrounding the solo movement. For business

business owners. It included the idea of a date

owners, the idea was to offer them a way to plan

planner for the public, where they could access

their service in a “solo-friendly” way.

GOING SOLO - HOME GENERAL PUBLIC

ABOUT ABOUT

BENEFITS FOR YOU

GO SOLO!

What is going solo?

List of sponsors

Why solitude?

How do I get involved?

OUR SPONSORS

BUSINESS OWNERS ABOUT What is going solo?

Creativity

GO SOLO!

OUR SPONSORS List of sponsors

Why solitude?

How do I get involved?

Stress relief

BENEFITS FOR YOU

Increase new customors Increase customer return

Cognition

How much time do you have?

Increase Profit

Social benefit

Location?

Increase word-of-mouth

Budget?

support a social movement

Steps to improve Solitude in your business

Select activities you enjoy?

Order Going Solo Material • stickers • wall vinyl • menu inserts

Suggested places to go

Promotional Coupon ideas

Suggested items to bring

Floorplan Suggestions

Discount offers (print) Reservation? · 36 ·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

Moodboard 1

· Primary Concept Development ·

This project went through multiple moodboards as I explore how solitude could be presented. This mood choice is meant to show the fun side of solitude. By using bright colours and hand lettering I could show the opposite of what solitude is normally shown as.

playful colo u rfu l · 37 ·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

Moodboard 2

· Primary Concept Development ·

This mood choice is an opposite of the first although still playful in a warm, sarcastic tone to almost make fun of classical solitude. I revisited this original moodboard in my final design when I decided to make the Hermit as my main concept.

· 38 ·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

· Primary Concept Development ·

Print Precedence To gain ideas for possible poster design, I looked at social campaigns that aimed to de-stigmatize a minority or a behavior. I noticed that the successful ones are either bold or play with humor to gain the viewer’s attention.

They also use simple everyday and approachable language and graphics.

· 39 ·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

· Primary Concept Development ·

Explorations First Posters With the previous precedence in mind, I explored the use of common typographic phrases for the promotional posters.

on All for 1 my & 1 for all.All for 1 own on You my & 1 for own all. Complete LEAVE ME You Me A LLEAVE O NE!ME Complete Me

In Good A LONE! COMPANY In Good

2for1 2for1

COMPANY · 40 ·

second semester After the first semester ended, the final

process presentation and new feedback, it

was really important in my process to take a step back and re-evaluate everything with fresh eyes. Instead of being glued to ideas from the first semester, I remained open to exploring new avenues found in my research and new opinions from teachers and peers who had not yet heard or seen my project. It was wonderful to gain new perspective myself from a break as well as new perspective from potential users.

Review & Service Mapping

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

Service Mapping

· Review & Service Mapping ·

In January, I started by looking at the service “Going Solo” was offering. At this point, it was

promotional campaign. And so I eliminated their involvement on the web and focused on the public

about noticing what was most important to get

planning ‘a date with the self’. Business' could be

the message across. That was the General Public.

involved in their own way out side of the campaign

They had to accept and promote the idea before

on Social Media sites.

business' would even begin to take part in the

Service Map:

USER & LOCATIONS

TOUCHPOINTS

Print Design

General Public

Business

Transit posters

Business Cards

Window stickers

Street Posters

Coupons

Wall vinyl

Solo Chairs

GOALS

Menu dividers

Promote solo movement

Motivates

Intercept loneliness

Get viewer to website

Promotes business

Promote business

Motivate viewer

Triggers action

Demonstrate sponsorship

Start Dialogue

· 43 ·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

· Review & Service Mapping ·

Journey Map: Public User

Journey Mapping

Journey Map:

Always looking for new clients

That’s LAME

I’m busy!

Let’s go!

I guess, I wont go...

EVENT IN TOWN

Business Owners SMALL RESTAURANT OWNER

I created a variety of

I want to try again!

Lame friends won’t stop me!

scenarios in which

TRIGGER Hears about Solo

users would find the

What’s that?

Going Solo

GOAL

click!

EVENT WEBSITE

campaign and follow through to the website.

I used my knowledge

I’ll go anyways!

TRIGGER

MOTIVATOR

IT’S OK TRIGGERS

WORD OF MOUTH

of behavior change research to find what

MOTIVATOR

Journey Map: Public User

the motivators and

EVENT DAY

triggers would be.

GOING SOLO cool!

Excitement & Nerves

COUPON

GOING SOLO

MOTIVATOR

VISITS WEBSITE

Commuting Tired Stressed

Promise of positive experience

Curiosity + boredom

IT’S EASY! eye catching

info & interests POSTER

GENERAL PUBLIC

WEB

MOTIVATOR #1

Buy 1 meal get 2nd 50% off!

CREATES COUPON

COUPON

MOTIVATOR #2

I HAD A GREAT TIME!!!!

HOOKED Another coupon offer TRIGGER

2ND DATE W/ SELF

RECEIVES PROMO MATERIAL

GOES SOLO!!!!

Notification

MOTIVATOR #4

PLAN A DATE W/ SELF

MOTIVATOR #3

· 44 ·

Going Solo 路 Process Book 路 Lauren Henderson

路 45 路

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

· Review & Service Mapping ·

Launch Timeline The project shift By creating a timeline of how a campaign such as this would actually be launched, demonstrated on the previous page, I gained project changing insight into the most important form the information could be translated and the audience I should first be targeting. I noticed that first and foremost a social movement starts with awareness where a small group of sub-culture followers is formed.

The concept surrounding this project has to be ‘cool’ and original enough for this to happen. From here, people will begin using the provided ‘tool’ and followers will turn into leaders that will create a shared belief, utilizing social media and word of mouth. This will finally, after a long time, progress to the mainstream public and be adopted by businesses as a promotional tool.

With this, I noticed that I was focusing my attention too far down the launch timeline. I was focusing on the end result, where businesses and the mainstream begin interacting with the movement.

I should have rather be centered on the beginning, catching the attention of those first users.

· 46 ·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

· Review & Service Mapping ·

Web Development By defining the project’s place on the timeline I could then go ahead and further define the movement’s web tool that could then be promoted.

· 47 ·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

· Review & Service Mapping ·

Web Development Firstly, I edited and explored the function and what the user could and would want to interact with.

I planned for a tool that would show and suggest places the user could go solo, a place for information about the benefits and history of solitude and a place to interact and spread the word about the going solo movement.

· 48 ·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

· Review & Service Mapping ·

Web Development Rough Wireframing

Firstly, I edited and explored the function and what the user could and would want to interact with.

I planned for a tool that would show and suggest places the user could go solo, a place for information about the benefits and history of solitude and a place to interact and spread the word about the going solo movement.

· 49 ·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

· Review & Service Mapping ·

Continued Web Development and Wireframing

· 50 ·

Further Concept Development

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

· Further Concept Development ·

Brand Development - Personality of Solitude Having the basic framework of the web function, I moved on to explore concept. First, I explored the personality of solitude and quickly wrote out words that could describe how I want the audience to perceive it. Was it going to be friendly, playful, natural, cutting edge, accessible or upscale?

· 52 ·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

· Further Concept Development ·

Second Round of Moodboards

Based on these personality traits I created two moodboards one that reflected a more serene and natural approach that was closer to how solitude is normally perceived (left). The second, took an approach that was playful and quirky (right). This showed solitude in a way that it isn’t normally seen.

Moodboard focusing on the softer side of Solitude

Second Moodboard focusing on playful and colourful solitude

· 53 ·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

· Further Concept Development ·

Brand Personality

For both moods, I altered the personality scale. The first one being more fun and the second more playful.

PERSONABLE & FRIENDLY SPONTANEOUS & HIGH ENERGY MODERN OR HIGH TECH CUTTING EDGE

CORPORATE & PROFESSIONAL CAREFUL THINKING & PLANNING CLASSIC & TRADITIONAL ESTABLISHED

FUN

SERIOUS

ACCESSIBLE TO ALL

UPSCALE

PERSONABLE & FRIENDLY SPONTANEOUS & HIGH ENERGY MODERN OR HIGH TECH CUTTING EDGE

CORPORATE & PROFESSIONAL CAREFUL THINKING & PLANNING CLASSIC & TRADITIONAL ESTABLISHED

FUN

SERIOUS

ACCESSIBLE TO ALL

UPSCALE · 54 ·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

· Further Concept Development ·

IN

Re-evaluating

good

company

After class pinups and feedback, I realized that although I had a web tool and mood ideas. I was lacking

YOU

Complete ME

in concept. The current visual ideas were flat and quite boring

www.goingsolo.com

1

Going Solo Movement

Going Solo

The Movement

Date with the Self

Alone Together

a social movement to celebrate solitude

(shown here) and I

join the conversation on

would need something much more creative

1

to appeal to my target audience.

Benefits to You

#

IN

www.goingsolo.com

good

Going Solo

company The Movement

Going

Going Solo Movement

Date with the Self

Alone Together

Benefits to You

Solo

Solo

LEAVE YOU ME Complete ALONE ME

a social movement to celebrate solitude

join the conversation

· 55 ·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

Back to the Drawing board

· Further Concept Development ·

At this time, I began more sketching and ideating, conjuring up many ideas no matter how ridiculous some of them seemed. I also flipped through my old sketchbook from the past semester to see if any old ideas could be recycled and transformed. From this, I came up with two potential concepts.

· 56 ·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

· Further Concept Development ·

Concept 1 Date with the Self The first concept emphasized the idea of the date with yourself.

It used normal ‘date situations’ to show someone going solo instead. The idea of using common phrases associated with dating and turning them around to be all about you! User testers liked this idea and thought that it really emphasized solitude as self love and care, but were worried that it could be taken as being about singles instead of solitude.

· 57 ·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

· Further Concept Development ·

Concept 2 The Urban Hermit The second concept used the idea of a wise old hermit to be the symbol of the movement. This concept aimed to present the extreme version of solitude and turn it around to be cool and urban and hip. The historical roots of hermits is rich in symbolism and meaning and the concept aimed to play on these notions of wisdom and the all knowing while displaying it in a modern way.

· 58 ·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

User Testing Chosen Concept

· Further Concept Development ·

After a great response to the Urban Hermit concept, I decided that this was a stronger of the two for the Going Solo Movement because it spoke to a direct audience, remained playful and offered a concept that would start conversations. People perhaps wouldn’t talk directly about solitude, but they would talk about the Urban Hermit and hopefully would want to be a part of it.

There were certain risks assessed by user testers that I needed to keep in mind while designing to keep the concept successful. This was:

“Don’t make it dark

•

Keeping it Modern: Don’t make i feel historical

•

Keeping it light-hearted: “Don’t make it dark and creepy” - User tester

•

& creepy”

Don’t call people Hermits: Keep the Hermit as a symbol and not something people will become if they

- user tester

are in solitude

Typical Depiction and symbols of The Hermit

· 59 ·

Identity Development

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

Who is the Urban Hermit? Brainstorming his Character Traits

· Identity Development ·

I began developing the Hermit’s identity by writing a lot first. I practiced free word association to understand the character and then went back and highlighted the bits that really described him.

· 61 ·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

· Identity Development ·

Character Traits

From those pages of associations I pulled the following words and placed them under six categories that would be my guiding star while designing the remainder of the project.

Throughout the project I referred to this list to be assured that my design was on brand.

· 62 ·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

· Identity Development ·

Who would he look like?

To go along with character traits, I found images of people that I think could visually represent the brand and be the ‘life version’ of the Urban Hermit.

The old illustrations of historic hermits would no longer work as a reference point, I needed modern people that have a recognizable urban style.

· 63 ·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

· Identity Development ·

Illustration Inspiration

· 64 ·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

· Identity Development ·

Typographic Inspiration

After looking at illustration inspiration I decided that my project would benefit from having hand lettering paired with it. And so, I began looking at script fonts that hand lettering could be modeled after.

· 65 ·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

· Identity Development ·

Deciding on a name

Although I had been moving along using the Urban Hermit as a name, before moving further with this I wanted to make sure there was not a better option.

Sociable Hermit was a possibility and was interesting because it paired two opposites, but led people to be confused by it and wonder if it was a social network for solitary people.

The Hectic or Hurried Hermit was another option as it was to show that everyone no matter how busy can make time for solitude. This didn’t work because Going is not only about solitude for busy people.

Urban Hermit stayed because it encompasses a larger variety of people and types of solitude. The campaign is for the urban dweller and the words together have a nice rhythm.

· 66 ·

Visual Development

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

· Visual Development ·

Character Illustrations Once I had an idea of what the brand personality should be it was time to finally start making. I began with the character that would become the face of the campaign. Doing many iterations by hand and in Photoshop to get the personality right.

· 68 ·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

Character Illustrations

· Visual Development ·

I explored line quality and ender up simplifying it down to reduce busyness of the illustration if reproduced on a smaller scale.

· 69 ·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

· Visual Development ·

Additional Symbols

A beautiful symbol of the traditional Hermit is his lantern that represents wisdom and knowledge found from solitude. I want to include this and ‘urbanized it by including it with a flashy Edison Bulb. · 70 ·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

Colour Palette

· Visual Development ·

The colour palette for the entire campaign would be based on the colours of the character with his long beard being a primary colour.

I wanted the palette to reflect that rustic and confident quality of the character.

· 71 ·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

· Visual Development ·

Typography Beard Lettering

As mentioned earlier, hand lettering would really augment the brand and I thought that the Hermit’s most prominent feature, his long flowing beard, could be emphasized with the use of ‘hairy typography’.

· 72 ·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

· Visual Development ·

Typography Beard Lettering

· 73 ·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

· Visual Development ·

Typography Word Mark Exploration Thinking that the beard lettering would not be reproducible on many mediums, I decided it would be beneficial to have a word mark.

· 74 ·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

· Visual Development ·

Typography Word Mark Exploration I was inspired by Celtic calligraphy because there are many folklores about the origins of Hermits from the Celts. I wanted to use these qualities of the lettering but again bring it into a modern form.

· 75 ·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

Typography Work Mark Exploration

· Visual Development ·

Font Pairing

· 76 ·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

· Visual Development ·

Typography Word Mark Exploration

· 77 ·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

· Visual Development ·

Logo Ideation Pairing Type & Image After choosing a couple wordmarks I began pairing them with the evolving character.

In the end, I found that this campaign didn’t really need a logo/wordmark after all as the imagery on its own proved to be most effective. The lack of a constant logo solidifies the mystery around the Urban Hermit. And so I adopted to use a signature when needed and the illustrative beard type for the bigger pieces.

· 78 ·

Touchpoints

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

· Touchpoints ·

Touchpoint Ideation

As the identity of the Urban Hermit developed I started imagining on what it could live and how it could be communicated on print promotions.

· 80 ·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

· Touchpoints ·

Poster Ideation

I placed the illustrations on posters to see how colour and form would react. In the end, to keep an air of mystery, I decided that the Hermit would never be seen in full, but only pieces of him at a time, and so the colours had to be recognizable. For this reason, the chosen beard colour was picked for its vibrant quality and recognizability.

goingsolomovement.ca

· 81 ·

· Touchpoints ·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

Advice Card Iterations Various iterations of The Urban Hermit’s business/ advise cards

For the touchpoints I wanted to create something that the Hermit would ‘leave’ places for people to find. Within, books, at cafes, restaurants etc. I came up with the idea of wisdom cards that were both playful and a reminder to enjoy solitude. These act as a trigger in the behavior change model. At this stage, I decided that a logo mark wasn’t needed, but a signature or nothing, visually and conceptually worked better.

· 82 ·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

· Touchpoints ·

Polaroid Ideation

The campaign website’s main focus is about showing all the great things you can do and enjoy alone in Vancouver and so it was important to give clues to this in print. Print Polaroids would fit the ‘hip’ concept and adding in illustrations would fit the aesthetic. These first versions with the logo mark were too heavy and no longer felt like Polaroids and so again it was another place where the logo wasn’t needed. The images also needed to be better curated to places that an Urban Hermit would go.

· 83 ·

Web Tool Development

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

Revising the Web Once I finished the visual and conceptual identity of the Urban Hermit, it was time to revise the web tool where I left off before choosing this direction.

The site now needed to be a destination for the solo culture to live and a source of information whilst keeping the playfulness of the print campaign. It was transforming into something the ‘Hermit’ was writing himself and a spot where the user finally ‘finds him’ and all of his wisdom as in the places and things he likes to do solo.

· 85 ·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

· Web Tool Development ·

Revising the Web I revised my previous wireframes to include the new brand and started to explore the content that could appear on the site.

· 86 ·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

· Web Tool Development ·

First Prototype In this prototype I worked mainly on

Filter System: Filter your search by money, time and solo bravery level.

the function and navigation of the site and what sort of content the user could find. However, with all this function, the brand didn’t come through and I received the feedback that it looked more like Vancouver is Awesome and it didn’t have any of the character that the print campaign did.

And so, I was challenged to pair it down to its basic function and find the one thing that it should do and focus on that function. The functions should be apart of the brand.

Homepage Featuring: Search bar with tag feature, Top 5 solo places, a featured article, and Social Media

Sample Article Featuring: A map, what’s nearby and other suggestions.

Tagging System: add one or more tags to create parings. ie Coffee and a walk · 87 ·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

· Web Tool Development ·

Second Prototype Connecting the Identity To connect the print to the digital I decided to utilize the Polaroid images to show off the places the Hermit has been.

This created something more visual and aligned to the brand. I created a series of homepage screens using the Polaroids and colour palettes. Many are visually overwhelming but definitely align closer to the identity.

· 88 ·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

· Web Tool Development ·

Third Prototype

In this version, I cleaned up the visuals, removed the Polaroid white frame and brought in brand language. I still maintained the tag search function and filter system from prototype one but created categories of activities.

This version's function is a lot simpler but carries through the brand.

From this, introduction pages were added to explain the origins of the Hermit and the movement.

· 89 ·

Display Design

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

Designing for Space

· Display Design ·

This was my first time designing physical

all of it with it looking overcrowded. I also planned

space and for large scale and the process

for a space where the viewer can experience public

was very enjoyable. It have many print

solitude and so I brainstormed with rough ma-

items and it was difficult to find space for

quettes how to separate the space.

· 91 ·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

· Display Design ·

Style & Layout Creating a Solitary Space I sketched out how the brand could translate to 3d objects and what sort of partition I could build to separate out the space.

· 92 ·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

· Display Design ·

Adapting to the Space

By using a corner space and creating a partition I was able to divide the space in two, the outside for information and the inside for a solitary experience. It was a learning experience to move around and curate all the student’s maquettes and plans to make everyone content and create flow in the show.

· 93 ·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

· Display Design ·

Testing Full Scale

Once the maquette was approved I printed and tiled everything to get a true sense of the scale and how the space was used.

· 94 ·

Summary

· Summary ·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

Learning Outcome This year long project has given me a great oppor-

longer and required more investigation before

tunity to learn about myself as a designer and to

starting. Now, I understand the process more and

explore and broaden my knowledge about the far

look forward to working on these types of projects.

corners of design. Looking back, I am very happy with my outcome after the many iterations this project went through to come up with a proper solution. In the end, it was most important to show off the skills that I have gained here at Emily Carr these last four years and celebrate all I have learned in this final project.

The greatest gain in this project was the opportunity to go each week and get incredibly productive feedback from my instructors and peers and take those opinions and translate them into my vision for the project. It was a learning experience to be able to take feedback, step back and re-evaluate.

Without this, my project would have remained flat and without risk. The process of pining up work each week, pushed me to go further and was a great way of getting into the mode of creating after the first semester of heavy research.

This project contained many ‘design firsts’ for me.

Which was a great way to gain new skills in the

In addition, the planning, construction and production of the exhibit was a new territory for me as well. This is something that I find myself really interested in and I hope to be involved in future projects that involve this three dimensional thinking and planning. I find it interesting how it merges many areas of design for Communication to Interior to Industrial.

Not only has this grad project been successful in teaching me new design and technical skills, but also in the very important area of time management. Beginning this year, it was easy to think that a year is a very long time and that so much could be accomplished. In reality, design always seems to take longer than you expect, especially as a student. I learned to calculate for this leaving time for many iterations and mistakes. I’ve learned that when time managing on a tight schedule its important to prioritize your work and always ask: “What do I need to show to prove my concept.” This

field. I had never done much branding or promo-

became a very useful phrase to keep in mind for

tional campaigns before this and so each step took

editing and keeping my project on task. · 96 ·

· Summary ·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

After graduation, I hope to keep working on the

The process of creating the Urban Hermit was a

idea of going solo for a while and again look at the

long and often arduous one, but the end results

project with a new perspective. I’m glad that my

have been worth it. More importantly, I’ve gained

project turned out to be something that I could

valuable insight about myself, my process and my

make real and I would love for people to catch on

work that will drive me post graduation.

to the movement on social media sites. It would be really fulfilling to use my created touchpoints in public spaces and see how far the movement could spread. This would be both a social and design experiment.

Overall, from this project I have learned a lot about my personal process and how I like to work. This knowledge will help me to find the right design path. I notice that I like to weigh all options before making a decision, and I’m not afraid of having to go backwards and change everything if it will benefit the end result of a design. But, the most impactful thing I learned about myself as a designer is that if I’m enjoying a project and I’m excited about the results I work much better and become motivated about creating. There were points in the project, of course, where I was not happy with what I was making. It was here that I must learn to start over and make something I love doing.

· 97 ·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

· Annotative Bibliography ·

Annotative Bibliography Ben, Fullerton. “Ben Fullerton - Designing for Solitude.” Inter-

Dunne, Carey. “How Reading Slowly (Real Books, Not Twitter)

action Design Association. 28 Feb. 2010. Web video. 2014.

Cuts Stress.” Co.Design. 17 Sept. 2014. Web. 25 Sept. 2014.

This talk speaks of how designers need to begin thinking

This article outlines the benefits of slow reading and how

of designs for solitude rather than interaction.

our technological generation is obsessed with fast on

Cain, Susan. “The Power of Introverts.” TED. TED Conferences, 1 Feb. 2012. Web. 9 Oct. 2014.

This talk outlines how introverts have been forced to

screen reading.

Fogg, BJ. “A Behavior Model for Persuasive Design.” Stanford University.

adapt to an extroverted society in order to avoid stigmati-

A paper outlining how to treat motivation, ability and trig-

zation.

gers in favor of behavior change solutions.

Daoust, Philip. “The Joys of Solitude.” Health & Wellbeing. The Guardian, 2 Feb. 2010. Web. 18 Sept. 2014.

This article recounts the enjoyment ‘hermits’ get from

How To Be Alone. Perf. Tanya Davis. BravoFACT, 2010. Web. Poet Tanya Davis recites a poem that recites the struggles of enjoying solitude and your own company.

solitude and how they manage to enjoy their utter isolation as a time of reflection, relaxation, harmony with

Kennedy, Paul. “Moses Znaimer’s ideacity - Part 4CBC Radio.

nature and self-reliance.

28 Sept. 2012. Radio.

Drown, Esther. “Battling the Stigma of Solitude | ASU News | The State Press | Arizona State University.” Battling the Stigma

In this lecture journalist Pico Iyer speaks of ‘unplugging’ from technology.

of Solitude. The State Pess, 13 Feb. 2013. Web. 20 Sept. 2014.

Leo Coleman. “Being Alone Together: From Solidarity to Soli-

This column article outlines the writer’s feelings as she

tude in Urban Anthropology.” Anthropological Quarterly 82.3

goes to the movie theatre alone as a suffered of anxiety

(2009): 755-777. The Volga restaurant is the setting where

disorder.

people come to in collective solitude but all for the purpose of being alone together. · 98 ·

Going Solo · Process Book · Lauren Henderson

· Annotative Bibliography ·

Long, Christopher, Thomas A. More, and James R. Averill. “The

Popova, Maria. “How To Be Alone.” Brain Pickings RSS. Web. 10

Subjective Experience of Solitude.” Northeastern Recreation

Sept. 2014. <http://www.brainpickings.org/2010/08/16/how-to-

Research Symposium (2006): 67-76. Northern Research Sta-

be-alone/>.

tion. Web.

This article is a general overview of society’s current view

This research paper recounts an experiment conducted

on solitude, where the roots of the problem are and how

about positive and negative experiences of solitude as a

past societies viewed solitude.

mental state rather than a physical condition.

Tien, Shannon. “The End of Absence, by Michael Harris: Re-

Manalastas, Eric Julian. “An Exercise to Teach the Psycholog-

view.” National Post 15 Aug. 2014, Arts sec. Postmedia Net-

ical Benefits of Solitude: The Date with the Self.” Philippine

work Inc. Web. 21 Sept. 2014.

Journal of Psychology 44.1 (2011): 95-106. Psychological Association of the Philippines. Web. This paper outlines an experimental evaluation meant to teach the psychological benefits of solitude by going on “a date with the self”.

Popova, Maria. “Going Solo: A Brief History of Living Alone and the Enduring Social Stigma Around Singletons.” Brain Pickings RSS. Web. 10 Sept. 2014.

This article is about the “extraordinary rise and surprising appeal of living alone”, and how being alone has become a privileged for the upper class.

This article is a review of Michael Harris’ new book: “The End of Absence”.

Turkle, Sherry. “Connected but Alone.” TED. TED Conferences, 1 Feb. 2012. Web. 9 Oct. 2014.

This talk outlines that when we are alone we constantly turn to technology to save us from our anxiousness and feelings of loneliness.

Vizetelly, Frank, and R. Veenfliet. “Suggestions of Solitude.”

The Monthly Illustrator 4.12 (1895): 59-64. Web. This article from 1895, shows the extreme view and frustration of disregarding society and sociability and escaping alone.

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