Spatial Design II

 Ding Jiaqi/0379388

Games Studies 2/ Bachelor of interactive spatial design

Week 1

1. Learning Model
   Experiential Learning: Emphasizes a project-based approach focused on continuous improvement and feedback to produce quality designs. It values practical experience and considers real-world factors.

2. Curriculum
   First Year: Core courses for all students include:

   • Spatial Design I (Course objective: Integration of real and virtual digital elements with user experience)

   • Environmental Design

   • Applied Design I

   • 3D Modeling

   • Spatial Design II

   • Programming (Course objective: Enabling interaction between flat visuals and people)

   • Applied Design II

   • Game Studies (Course objective: Exploring how games can be integrated into physical spaces and learning how to incorporate game design into one's own projects)

   Second Year: Students can choose between two majors:

   • Smart Environments – emphasizes creativity

   • Smart Homes – leans more towards science and focuses on programming and logical precision

   Third Year (Traditional Track):

   • First semester: Internship training

   • Second semester: Final graduation project

3. Academic Policy

• Late Submission Penalty: Submitting assignments on time is mandatory. Late submissions will incur a deduction of 5% to 20% per day, for up to 5 days. Assignments more than 5 days late will receive a score of zero.

• Academic Misconduct: Plagiarism and presenting others' work as your own are strictly prohibited. Students must thoroughly document their design process.

Week 2

This course focused on the application of narrative environments in spatial design, introducing relevant concepts, design methods, and practical cases. 

The summary after the class is as follows: 

1. Concept of Narrative Environment: In spatial design, the narrative environment combines architecture, technology, and performance art, breaking the boundaries of traditional design fields. It draws ideas from interaction design, focusing on the user's perspective to promote dialogue and participation. This makes the space not only functional but also full of interactivity and appeal.

 2. Related Design Fields: There are a wide range of design fields related to narrative environments, including urban design, architecture design, service design, UX design, etc. Different fields play their respective roles in the design of narrative environments. 

3. Design Methods：

Environmental Storytelling: Integrate the physical environment into the narrative, making the space a key element of the story. Set up hidden clues to guide the audience's actions, and these clues can be subtly incorporated into architecture, artworks, or furniture. 

Reactive Environments: Create environments that can respond to the audience's actions, such as changing lighting, sound effects, or the spatial form according to the audience's interaction. 

Collaborative Construction and Interactive Zones: Provide materials for the audience to build or modify structures in the performance space, enhancing their sense of ownership and creativity. Designate interactive zones where the audience can use tools or materials to change the environment. 

4. Design Goals:

The aim is to transform the audience from passive observers into active participants, enhance the audience's engagement, create a shared spatial experience, and thus create more meaningful and memorable performance.

Week 3

At the beginning of today's class, the teacher held a brief orientation session to explain the upcoming major selection for our second year. The school offers two specializations: Smart Home Technology and Environmental Design.  

The teacher elaborated on the key features of each track: Smart Home Technology focuses more on electronic systems and technical interaction, involving programming and IoT applications, while Environmental Design emphasizes spatial aesthetics and creative expression, allowing greater artistic freedom but requiring stronger visual communication skills. Personally, I find Environmental Design appealing, though it poses a significant challenge as it will test my artistic abilities.  

Additionally, the teacher introduced the internship arrangements for the first semester of our third year. There are three options:  

1.  Self-sourced internship – Offers the most flexibility, allowing students to find companies aligned with their interests.  

2.  On-campus project internship – Suitable for those who prefer academic research or collaborative projects within the university.  

3.  School-recommended company internship – Students must pass the company's selection process to secure a position at one of the eight partner firms.  

Week 4

This lesson focused on how storytelling techniques can enhance emotional impact in interactive spatial design. It explored emotional design, spatial storytelling, user autonomy, and narrative structure. Below is a summary of the key points:

1. The Importance of Emotional Design in User Experience

Emotional design goes beyond functionality and aesthetics by focusing on how users feel. Creating emotional resonance increases user engagement and brand loyalty. For instance, a space-themed exhibition can evoke curiosity and wonder through projections, interactive displays, and simulated environments like a rocket interior.

2. Three Storytelling Techniques

Thematic Spatial Design
Organize space around a central theme or narrative to guide users through a story-like experience.
For example, divide the exhibition into zones like “Entrance,” “Rocketry,” and “Exploration,” simulating a full space journey.
User Autonomy
Offer multiple entry points, open-ended tasks, and flexible paths that let users explore based on their preferences.
Incorporate intuitive navigation and clear feedback (e.g., visual cues, sounds, or vibrations) to make users feel in control and confident.
The Hero’s Journey Narrative Structure
Apply the classic 12-stage “Hero’s Journey” framework to build a compelling, emotionally resonant user journey.
This structure, common in films and literature, helps shape a full character arc and engaging storyline in spatial experiences.

3. Supporting Methods and Tools

User Personas, Empathy Maps, and Journey Maps:  Analyze user motivations, frustrations, and expectations to design emotionally relevant experiences.

Service Blueprints and Experience Maps:  Offer a macro-level view to align every stage of the user’s journey for a seamless experience.

4. Design Implementation Tips

Use asymmetrical layouts or guided pathways to shape the user’s narrative experience.
Incorporate multisensory feedback (visual, auditory, haptic) to deepen immersion and enhance memory.
Continuously refine designs based on user interaction and feedback.

Reflection:

Storytelling is not just a form of artistic expression — it’s a strategic tool in experience design. Merging narrative techniques with spatial design helps create immersive, memorable, and emotionally engaging environments. Future projects should emphasize emotional cues, narrative flow, and user agency to design truly meaningful spaces.

Week 5

In this class, our task was to give a presentation based on the PPT we had prepared over the past three weeks. Unfortunately, I was seriously ill at the time, suffering from a high fever and a severe cough, which made it impossible for me to attend the class and participate in the presentation. I deeply regret not being able to take part in this important session.

To make up for my absence and complete the assignment as best as I could, I recorded a video of my presentation once my condition slightly improved and sent it to the teacher in a timely manner. I hope this shows my commitment to the task and my willingness to contribute, despite the circumstances. I also sincerely hope for your understanding regarding my inability to be present in class.

Week 6

After completing our first presentation, we moved on to the second assignment. This task was closely connected to the first one: a further spatial redesign based on the brand space we had previously analyzed.

In the first project, I chose two libraries as my analysis subjects. For this second task, I decided to focus solely on Tsutaya, mainly because the bookstore is close to where I live, making it easier and more convenient for me to gather accurate, first-hand information.

To gain deeper insight into users’ expectations for the Tsutaya bookstore, I designed a questionnaire. The main goal was to collect impressions of the current store layout and gather suggestions for potential features or improvements in the future. I hoped that through this feedback, I could create a space that better meets user needs—while also incorporating an interactive installation to attract more visitors.

During class, our instructor went through each student’s questionnaire and offered detailed feedback. For mine, I was advised to include more professionally framed spatial questions, which would allow for a more focused and in-depth analysis of the spatial.

Week 7

In this session, the lecturer systematically explained how to guide spatial design practices based on user insights, emphasizing a “user-centered” approach. For Task 2, we are required to select a specific brand store and redesign its space. I chose Tsutaya Books, a brand well-known for its “cultural enclave” concept, as the subject of my study. Last weekend, I conducted a user experience survey on this bookstore and successfully collected 30 valid responses, covering a range of age groups, reading habits, and consumption preferences. Through in-depth analysis and categorization of the survey results, I constructed two representative user personas, outlining their typical behavioral patterns within the Tsutaya space. These two personas represent, respectively, an “immersive reader-type visitor” and a “short-stay inspiration seeker.” Moving forward, I will further develop the profiles of each persona, focusing on their motivations, psychological expectations, emotional touchpoints, and spatial preferences, and extend this into complete user journey maps. This process not only helps clarify the logic of user experiences across different stages within the space, but also provides a data-driven foundation for path planning, emotional engagement design, and functional zoning. The ultimate goal is to create a truly user-centric spatial solution that retains the brand’s unique tone and cultural atmosphere.

Week 8

This week, my lecturer pointed out a very important problem: the user journey map I created before had a serious mistake in direction. Because I was too influenced by the example shown in class, I focused too much on a very basic shopping process — for example, the user enters the bookstore, looks around, buys a book, and then leaves. The lecturer said this kind of story is too simple and anyone can write it. It doesn’t show the special parts of my bookstore design, and it also misses the user’s emotional changes or interactions inside the space.

So now, I must completely rethink my user journey map. I need to focus more on how the user feels, and clearly show how elements in my design — like interactive displays, visual guides, and atmosphere — affect the user during each stage of their journey.

At the same time, this week is very busy. Zeon thoughtfully helped us list out the things we need to complete.❤ We still need to study the survey results more deeply, to find out what users really need and how they behave. Besides the user journey map, we also need to finish other design tasks, like emotional keywords and moodboards. The lecturer gave many examples in class to help us, but doing it for our own project still takes a lot of thinking and time. Now I understand what I need to change, but I know this week will be a big challenge with a heavy workload. 

Week 9

It was time to review the results. The teacher began checking each student’s work one by one. When it was my turn, the teacher raised a question about my user journey map — it needed to include immersive interaction. I was asked to add an interactive area that I could design and define myself as part of the journey.

Week 11

As the final task approached, this week we entered the final design phase. The teacher asked us to think about the "spaces" that the store could include and to name these spaces, while also drawing a simple sketch to roughly plan the layout of each area in the store. Based on the solid foundation laid by previous tasks, I did not spend much time on this step but quickly identified nine main areas: the artist studio, art area, product display area, quiet reading area, cashier area, children's area, coffee and public rest area, and cultural and creative stationery sales area. The teacher had previously emphasized that the design should have a "narrative," meaning the relationships between spaces should be cohesive and should engage users, immersing them in the overall narrative of the design. 

When I presented my initial design to the teacher, the feedback was as follows:

 1  It is reasonable to place the artist studio and art display area together, as this layout aligns with the integration of space functions and the overall design concept.  

2  However, placing the children's area and the quiet reading area together clearly doesn't work well, as the needs and atmospheres of these two areas are very different. The teacher suggested I reconsider the spatial layout of these two areas. 

  Although some areas of the design still need adjustment, the "stamp collection" interactive idea I proposed was well received by the teacher. This creative idea can stimulate customer participation and immersion, making it a highlight of my design. Based on the teacher's feedback, I realized that the design details could be further optimized. Moving forward, my work will focus on improving the separation between spaces and the circulation plan to ensure each area’s functionality and comfort while enhancing customer interaction. I will continue to refine the design to ensure that the final plan is both practical and provides a positive user experience.

Week 12   

This week, I presented my store concept to the instructor. Initially, I created a rough 3D model in Blender, but it didn't match my vision. So, I made a floor plan as an alternative. However, the teacher still preferred the first version. Additionally, they helped me troubleshoot some modeling issues I encountered. Now, my project is progressing smoothly. 

Week 13

As we approached the final submission deadline this week, the teacher canceled regular classes to conduct one-on-one progress reviews, making sure all students remained on schedule.