Assignment 5

For this assignment i am taking my service design from semester one and looking at the ways in which i can broaden my research in order to establish a more successful design.
To enable myself to do this i will have to consider the different techniques we have acquired throughout this semester, and hence allowing me to build a strong ground of research. By referencing previous assignments and referring back to some of the ideas Rholand Barthes adresses in his essay "The Rhetoric of the Image" i feel i'd be able to achieve this.
in semester one i was looking to create a service design which would reduce the amount of crimes associated with binge drinking. In this project I familiarised myself with the subject by looking at different books, journals and newspapers. This made me aware of the extent of the problem and who it had the greatest effect on. These sources were useful to me in that it enabled me to expand my knowledge of the dangers implicated within binge drinking and the amounts of crime directly linked to this. It also informed me of the main age groups usually effected by the problem and the areas in which drink related crimes would be most prevalent. However to establish a strong ground of research i would have to do more than just study the facts surrounding binge drinking. To create a successful service design i would have to gage to responses of the public, in particular the group of people thie issue would have the strongest effect on. From learning these techniques throughout semester two i feel there is a lot of changes i could make to my initial service design.
My design would predominantly target students and young people between the ages of 16-25. I feel to aquire a better understanding of he task i'd set myself I would have to observe people in the environments in which binge drinking would take place. This however would create severe health and safety implications as my design would be targeting binge drinking and crimes.
I could perhaps carry out questionnaires and surveys for bar managers and bouncers of clubs to establish an understanding of how the behaviour of people change throughout the evening. Is drink the main catalyst for crime of have other factors to be taken into account?
I would then refer back to Roland Barthes "Rhetoric of the Image" considering a lot of the ideas discussed within the essay. He suggests rah importance of images and the way that we can manipulate people into interpreting them in a certain way. Images teamed with linguistics can be used in a way that can create a powerful advertisement, and idea which should be prevalent in my design service as my ideas initially considered images as a way of diverting alcohol related crimes. The suggestion of people interpreting images in differet ways is well considered in Barthes essay. This idea is exemplified when he goes onto speak about how peoples backgrounds, upbringings and age are important in determining their characteristics, hence manipulating the ways in which they interpret an image of phrase. Because my advert would be directed at people of a similar age i would have successful established a common ground, thus allowing me to continue my research. To further my research i would hand out a series of different images to a verity of people from different age groups, background and cultures to see how they interpret the images which could be used in my potential design. By teaming these images with maybe a phrase or quote i would be able to retain feedback on how people related to the advert and i would therefore be able to create a design which suited a greater span of people. To better understand my subject i would like to observe people in an environment in which alcohol related crimes may happen. I would observe peoples behaviour and see how their repines to situations and attitudes change throughout the duration of the night. I feel by getting an aqurate result it would be important for me to observe a wide variety of people and in different areas. Is there areas of the country in which violence is more prevalent? is the crime percentage higher in big cities than it is in small towns?
I could also observe and research in countries which approach alcohol in a different way, for example in france where the drinking age is younger. Parhaps if alcohol wasn't so frowned upon we may carry a different attitude towards the subject.
In order to determine what the viewers would deem a successful design I could gather images of existing adverts relating to my subject. By showing these images to a wide selection of people from all ages, cultural backgrounds and lifestyles, I could begin to understand what method of advertisement is most likely to effect a society as a whole. This would also revert back to Barthes concept of linguistics in advertisement and question whether it is indeed an intrinsical part of an influential campaign.
To further my research of alcohol related crimes it would be important for me to gather statistics in order to determine the severity of the problem. I could interview specialists, doctors and people who work with young people. By gathering their knowledge of the subject and perhaps take their personal opinions into account i would gain an understanding of the issue on a wider scale; how it effects not just the people involved in the crimes but society as a whole, and the repacusions it carries.
By carrying out these various research techniques I would be able to establish the fundamentals of a strong service design. I feel what we have learned in semester two is important in allowing us to carry out a well balanced collection of research for our designs. To be able to create a successful design we must first research our subject and the people our designs will be aimed at. We should hence understand that social events, cultural backgrounds, upbringings and ages are all contributing factors in shaping a person and manipulating them into who they become. This therefore will alter the ways in which they interpret images and adverts. What might be successful in one persons eyes may not be in anthers. This is why it is important to develop an extensive amount of research so we can create an understanding of what would best address the majority of society.