Tuesday, January 9, 2007
History & Theory Week 2
"The Science of Shopping" - I have begun reading this week's assignment and it has really been an eye opener so far. I am struck by the multitude and layers of experience that one navigates when shopping, starting with the drive into the parking lot and ending when you leave the lot. I have never realized the complexity involved and the number of opportunities designers have at their disposal to help promote the retail program.
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3 comments:
I just wish environments other than retail got the same degree of attention. I once worked with a guy who did facilities management in shopping malls, and he said that every single design change they did was measured in one variable: dollars per square foot. Put the kiosks in the center of the walkway: does the $/sf go up or down? Change vendors in the food court: does the $/sf go up or down? We can do the same kinds of analyses in offices and housing and any other setting, but the variables are far more complex. How will we know when we're successful?
Herb,
I think we'll know we are successful when we can't keep people away and there is just not enough room and we have to be hired to design phase II; whether it is a church, office building, hospital, or airport. It seems to all boil down to attracing people and keeping them there.
To do that you have to have a program with universal appeal. Underhill's scientific approach seems to facilitate that and promote new direction of thought
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