My Final Pitch (Link to Video)
Exercise 3.3- Speculations- Mia Itri
Project 3- Experiences Two Interventions
Exercise 3.2 Personas- Mia Itri
Intervention 1: QR Code “What’s the local story”
Persona 1: Conner D.
Conner is a born and raised Phoenix native who lives and works in the Arcadia area. Like the majority of the area, he is middle class and has a strong sense of pride in the local community. He works for a local non-profit organization that promotes local businesses and volunteers his time in the downtown Phoenix arts district at DIY gallery and music venue spaces. He is 25 years old and single.
Scenario: Conner is having lunch with a friend at the popular casual dining spot La Grande Orange located in the heart of the Arcadia neighborhood. The holidays are approaching and Conner is still in the market for a few small gift items for family. After he finishes eating, he walks around LGO to look at the various displays of accessories, goods, foods and items for sale in the market side of LGO. He comes across a wooden display rack of desert inspired jewelry. He picks up a necklace with a cactus charm and a small piece of quartz hanging from it. The sign displays the name of the vendor, but gives no other information. Conner wants to support local artists when he buys gifts since this is a cause near and dear to his heart. He scans the QR code on the necklace’s tag and a page pops up:
“Sonoran Silver is run by Arizona Native Sharon Sorensen. Growing up in the valley, she has a love for her surroundings. All materials are locally sourced from silver and gemstone mines in Arizona. Each piece is hand-made, one of a kind and made with local pride.”
Conner is thrilled to learn that the items are not only made by a local artist, but from locally sourced materials as well, further supporting local economies. He decides to buy the necklace confidently knowing he is supporting the local business he is in and a local artist as well.
Storyboard:
Intervention 2: Interactive Store Shelves
Persona 2: Heather M.
Heather was born and raised in a middle class family in the Arcadia neighborhood of Phoenix. For many years of her adult life she worked as a relator specializing in the signature 1950’s ranch homes in the area as part of a “Arcadia Specialists” real estate group. In her late-thirties now, she has a young child and is a stay-at-home mom. She still stays very active, running the canals in the area every day and actively working to maintain a healthy lifestyle for herself and her family. She is passionate about clean, organic living and is interested in the farm to table lifestyle trend that is currently popular in the area.
Scenario 2: Heather has had a busy day and is picking up some pre-made items for dinner from La Grande Orange and neighboring business Ingo’s Tasty Food. After she picks up her order from Ingo’s, she walks across the street to LGO for salads and drinks to go with dinner. She walks over to the refrigerated area and picks up a bottle of local lemonade. When she removes the bottle from the shelf, the integrated screen next to the shelf turns on. The display states that the lemonade is “organic and locally grown, picked, squeezed and bottled.” Under the text is a picture of the lemon tree the lemons grew on with a hand-written looking text overlay that says “it all started with me!” with the name of the local orchard underneath. Heather smiles as she chooses the lemonade, happy to give her family juice that is organic and local.
Storyboard:
Project 3- Experiences Placeholder
Idea 1: VR City Viewer- City viewers like those on observation decks. Instead of zooming in on landmarks, you focus on an area, choose a year based on a list of possible years/decades, and look through the lenses to see what that exact area looked like in the past as a virtual reality experience. It would be created through a mixture of historical photographs, information sourcing and historical maps.
Idea 2: QR codes around the city- QR codes would be placed around the city on light poles, in local businesses, etc. Scanning the code would produce a historical photo and history of the area. Local businesses could also sponsor posts.
Idea 3: QR codes on local items that would allow the person scanning them to know the local history of the item, for example, scanning local produce could show where the orchard is or scanning a piece of locally made jewelry could tell the person about the artist who made it or take them to their website.
Exercise 3.1- Mia Itri; “you don’t live here”
(audio recording of me reading the above poem; receipts date from 2002-2013)
Final Project 2, Mappings- Mia Itri
Final Map: 
After my critique, I chose to focus in on the concept of “localness” in the area–an exploration of what defines the Arcadia neighborhood; an area that prides itself in being all about “localness.” Arcadia is defined by its local businesses, proud to be local, the mature, green landscaping planted intentionally by area developers to juxtapose the natural, desert landscape native to Arizona, by the signature citrus fruit of the area–the orange, as the entire neighborhood was once acres of orange groves, by 1950’s ranch-style homes with sprawling lawns, and lastly, by bustling traffic congestion on busy intersections but smooth travels through the majority of the neighborhood.
Link to Previous Posts: 1, Forces & 2, Forces Mapped
Geographies- Mia Itri
The most striking observation from this experience for me was how obtrusive the apartment buildings began to feel. The buildings populate the complex so densely that often my path was determined more than anything by where I physically would be able to make a turn at all without hitting the broadside of a building. I used the reverse steps in my favor to permit a turn which led me to the doorstep corridor of another building to occur without trapping me in the space. Additionally, the lack of landscaped space became glaringly apparent as I looked for landmarks to identify on my map, but was faced only with more apartment buildings.
Project 2: Mappings- Mia Itri
Force 1: Landscaping, Planted Landscape Locations and Density
Force 2: Traffic, Intensity Color-Coded
Force 3: Businesses, location of each business indicated
Force 4: Local(ness), local businesses marked, emphasis by business on “being local” indicated by size of circle.
Force 5: Human Habitation, single-family residences shaded in blue, multi-family living shaded in pink
Exercise 2.2 Architectures- Mia Itri
****Please click each link for images, no space available on site****
Project 2, Informations- Mia Itri
Forces Present in the intersection of 40th Street & Campbell, Phoenix, AZ
Traffic– The traffic in this area generated by the homes, businesses and cut-through commuters is very hectic. The city has added turn signals to the stop lights and the businesses have added directional arrows to try to ease traffic flow and prevent car accidents. Below is a drawn diagram of the types of traffic flow at any given moment in the intersection.
Business Type– The types of businesses in the area pose a challenge for one another, primarily, due to inadequate parking. La Grande Orange Grocery, Ingo’s Tasty Food and Postino’s Wine Cafe all have a high volume of parking traffic in the area, but not enough parking to accommodate all of their customers. The limited parking is seen in the first two photos. In the first photo, the circled in blue area shows two businesses next to La Grande Orange. Despite having signs indicating reserved parking, people often ignore them, making it difficult for their customers to get to their store. The third image of the dermatologist office shows their reserved parking area for their clients only, which even has a chain on the yellow pole that can close off one entrance.
Human Habitation– Prior to the existence of the businesses in the area, the residential neighborhood was already there, so as businesses moved in, they had to take into account the preexisting neighborhood that they were moving into on multiple levels such as neighborhood structures, city zoning, homes and property lines and consideration as to what people inhabiting the given neighborhood would approve of moving in. Here are some examples of human habitation in the area:
Vegetation– Vegetation is significant because the area is naturally a desert; each plant has been deliberately placed and green areas are designed and meticulously landscaped to feel natural despite being very unnatural for the area. This part of the city especially, has a high demand for non-desert landscapes, so homes, condos, apartment complexes and business all plant grass, bushes, trees, flowers and other types of plants to accommodate the demand for green space by the locals in the area, so designs must accommodate for the inclusion of vegetation no matter what. Below is a collage of some intentionally planted vegetation.
Locals– This particular community is hyper-concerned with the “keep it local” concept; every single business that moves into the area must be a local business, and within that, retail businesses cater to the local appeal, frequently offering locally sourced and grown foods in restaurants and local logo merchandise. Below are two examples of the pro-local merchandise that the locals in the area have a high demand for, as well as the local theme in La Grande Orange Grocery; this part of town is known for its citrus trees as having once been a citrus grove.
Exercise 2.1 Informations- Mia Itri
Interactive Map of Arizona State University, Tempe Campus
1) Color– The map uses varying, true to life colors to make it visually easier to differentiate between different buildings and spaces on the map.
2) Picture Superiority Effect- The map uses renderings of the buildings that are accurate to how they look in real life which makes identifying places and navigating campus using the map easier.
3) Three-Dimensional Projection– The map shows structures as being three-dimensional using visual cues such as shading/shadowing, linear perspective and elevation.
4) Iconic Representation– The map uses recognizable icons to convey information and allows the user to select which type of icons they wish to see on the map.
5) Biophilia Effect– Areas of vegetation and green space are predominant throughout the map, giving the map viewer the impression of a pleasant environment ideal to improve concentration, reduce stress and promote a healing environment. [Having previously attended ASU, this map is deceptive; there is very little actual green space, grassy areas are often not watered so the grass is primarily brown and dead and the trees are very small and offer little foliage coverage.]
Mia_Sarah Final Product
The Chairs of Mia’s Life
The Driver Seat of My Car
I find myself driving for most of my day; the greater Phoenix area is very spread out and I often find myself commuting all across town. The seats of my car are supportive yet soft and are very comfortable. The lower portion of the seat has internal adjustable lumbar supports to ease lower back strain. The edges of the chair form a sort of cupped shape that provide stability and comfort while driving. The seat height, position, seat back and bottom part are fully power adjustable which is especially important for me because I’m short and need to be close to reach the pedals, but still want to feel comfortable. The faux-leather material is breathable which is key for the Arizona summer months, but the seats are also heated as an added feature for colder months or for easing back pain.
Our Kitchen/Dining Room Chairs
I chose these chairs because of the neutral design and ability to change the slip cover should I want to change styles. The seat back is at a nearly 90 degree angle and is fairly stiff, which makes it good to lean back against, though not especially comfortable. The seat of the chair is padded, but not enough, so sitting in it for a long period of time is uncomfortable. The chairs are lightweight which make them easy to move from room to room for extra seating. Overall, they were inexpensive chairs from Ikea, so I was not expecting superior comfort.
My Corner of the Section Sofa
As can be seen here, I share my preferred spot on the sofa with a minimum of one or more of my several small dogs. The material of the sofa is not particularly plush or comfortable, which mostly results in my dogs engaging in a “digging” behavior, trying to get comfortable, so the work around I have used is many small blankets to provide a comfortable space for them to rest. The back of the sofa is not particularly supportive and too rigid, so soft pillows have been added to improve comfort and back support. The section side eliminates the need for an ottoman to put up your feet and is nicely padded. The arm is flat and acts a nice place to put books, my laptop or the TV remote.
My Floor Pillows
I generally prefer to sit on the floor most often, especially when I am working on my laptop. I’ve always preferred to sit on the floor since I was a child. I have added a few soft pillows to support my back for the area I sit on in my office room. I chose the front pillow because I thought it was funny and I like cats, but the material is also very soft velour and the pillow filling is soft but firm enough for support. I am most comfortable sitting with my legs criss-crossed over each other so I find it easiest to sit this way on the floor.
An Object Mia Loves, An Object Mia Hates
An Object I love: My Vegetable Peeler from Daiso
As someone who does a lot of cooking, especially with fresh vegetables, having a good peeler is very important to me and saves me a lot of prep time. This peeler has the affordance of a slightly hollowed out body to make it clear which way it goes to be used and is shaped like a shaving razor which allows the user to know what way to move the peeler against the vegetable. The design makes use of contour bias having a rounded, friendly shape that visually looks like it will be comfortable to use in your hand. The use of color serves both as a pleasing aesthetic choice, and also makes the peeler easy to find/locate in the utensil drawer. The feature that makes this peeler unique is the horizontal placement of the blade rather than the vertical design of most peelers. This makes it easier to use and much faster as well. Additionally, he horizontal position of the blade allows for more open space under the blade so it does not clog with peels the way that vertical blades will. The hard plastic and sharp stainless steel blade make the peeler durable but the materials are relatively inexpensive making the cost low, fitting in with the pricing scheme at Daiso of $1.50.
An Object I Hate: Can Opener from Ikea
The Ikea can opener was a purchase made because of the low cost of the object, and because of the modern, sleek, aesthetic design. The all stainless-steel body made the opener more appealing than the plastic models, and gave the appearance of durability, something that this can opener actually lacks. As can be seen, the turn-handle part regularly falls off, making the opener very difficult to use. The functionality of the can opener is also flawed, it works as a can opener should, but poorly made gears and parts make it so the opener requires an excessive amount of strength or force and often use of physical leverage to operate it properly. The physical constraints of the serrated vs. non serrated gears help to prevent user error, but the can opener lacks natural design clues to tell the user which way to hold and operate the can opener. The hard metal handle hurts my hands, especially with the amount of force needed to turn the handle, so I typically must use a work-around of placing a kitchen towel or pot holder over the metal. If I am not home alone, though, most often I will just ask for help and avoid personally using the can opener all together.
Histories: Mia Itri
Untitled Illustration- Joana Concejo
Untitled Illustration by Joanna Concejo
Moreton Bay Fig Tree, Orange, California
A Brief History of the Tree, Planted in 1875
The Tree of Life, Cinematography
Strategy: Performance versus preference
Designs created for optimal performance that are often not chosen because of personal preference based on a number of different, individual factors such as familiarity of aesthetic preference over the desire for improved performance.
Example from Universal Principles of Design: QWERTY versus Dvorak Keyboard (pg. 181)
Example from an Online Source: Kyocera Keitai Smart Flip Phones in Japan 2017, flip phones are still preferred by many users in Japan, though they incorporate all the same aspects as a smart phone like an iphone or android phone in the U.S. This model of phone runs android software for smart phone capability in the body of the familiar and sometimes preferable aesthetic of a flip phone, but lack the performance convenience of a touch screen and require use of t9 for typing instead of having a full keyboard.
Example from Real Life: Portable Cassette Player and few tapes in my collection in 2017. Though it takes up much space, is not convenient and tape players break often and must be replaced frequently, I prefer the sound quality and warmth of the lofi medium over digital music.
Strategy: Desire Line
A path worn by the natural walking pattern preference of people in a certain area off of the designated path or sidewalk, most often in order to form a shortcut between one point to another.
Example from Universal Principles of Design: Worn Pathway off Sidewalk (pg. 77)
Example from an Online Source: Cycling Path Desire Line, a path worn down into the grass from cyclists and pedestrains cutting the corner and walking across the grassy area, wearing it away.
Example from Real Life: Golf Cart tracks through the grass rather than going the long way and staying on the designated path.
Strategy: Prospect-Refuge
An environmental preference that provides an open, visible environment with areas that provide a concealed space to retreat when wanted/needed, thought to be a preference based on evolutionary developments from preferred natural spaces to preferred human-created spaces.
Example from Universal Principles of Design: Cafe Layout Design (pg. 193)
Example from Online Source: Study Alcove, the space allows its occupant to look out into their environment freely, but has recessed areas for the occupant to retreat back into for privacy.
Example from Real Life: Cat Cubbies, Cat Cafe, the cubbies allows privacy and a refuge space for the cats to seek privacy, especially in the bottom shelf or underneath the structure, while still allowing them to look out into their environment open space freely.
Strategy: Mapping
The way that controls and their movements or effects (what they do) are related to one another; good mapping results in an easier use experience for the user whereas poor mapping results in poor ease of use.
Example from Universal Principles of Design: Stove tops and Stove Controls; Window Controls in the Car, Segways (pg. 153).
Example from an Online Source: Power seat controls in a vehicle designed to be in the shape of the seat for ease of use and understanding as to which button controls which part of the seat.
Example from Real Life: Poor Mapping Design in my Old Car; the location of the radio display high on the dashboard and the location of the radio controls located below the center console near the center armrest of the car behind the car’s gearshift knob and parking brake. There is no mapped relation between the radio display itself and the radio controls.
Strategy: Defensible Space
Defined space to convey ownership and sense of safety in order to deter crime in the form of territoriality, surveillance and symbolic barriers, for example, fences, walls, exterior lighting, lawn furniture or hedges.
Example from Universal Principles of Design: Homes & Defensible Space (pg. 71)
Example from an Online Source: A Fenced House wherein the fence is exhibiting territoriality and is also somewhat of a symbolic barrier since it is relatively small and unimposing.
Example from Real Life: Townhome with a security gate, small wall and landscaping to show ownership, inhabitance and sense of heightened security with locking gate.
Strategy: Color
The use of color to reinforce the impact of a design of the meaning with consideration to number of colors, color combinations, saturation and symbolism with careful consideration for cultural significance of a color being used.
Example from Universal Principles of Design: Complimentary Colors (pg. 49)
Example from an Online Source: The Firefox Logo, Complimentary Colors
Example from Real Life: Photograph of an Oil Pastel Drawing of an Ocotillo Skeleton, Complimentary Colors
[Self-Created Piece, circa 2006]
Strategy: Archetypes
An innate, subconscious bias that informs a person’s opinion or perception of something based on the accepted stereotype and elicits a specific, set emotional reaction.
Example, from Universal Principles of Design: Danger Warnings to future humans to warn them of radioactive waste (pg. 29)
Example from an Online Source: Explorer Archetype; Jeep Advertisement depicting the Jeep in an extreme adventure scenario.
Example from real life: Tesla Store in Scottsdale Fashion Square Mall; portraying the alternative tech meets luxury persona established by the brand with the vehicles displayed in a sleek, modern environment within a luxury shopping mall.
