Ar | Lib
When I was pursuing undergrad in architecture, I came across challenges that pulled me back from creating designs to my abilities.
Over the years, I wondered about the processes I adapted as a student and I was always keen on researching for alternatives that might assist students in delivering qualitative design solutions.
This special project serves as a framework for those creative minds who face minor setbacks in the process of designing extraordinarily!
Project type: Graduate thesis
Project focus: Creating an intuitive mobile platform
Project year: May 2019
Project duration: 9 months
Image source - undraw.co
Abstract
Ar | Lib is a mobile app crafted for undergrad architecture students which will provide assistance in researching credible information easily. More than often, it's a complex process of finding the right information on various platforms and/or resources which eventually results in investing more than required time on it.
This platform will aid students with providing information relevant to their semester's project objective, reducing overall time spent on research which can be invested in other phases of the project.
Research Goals
1. Emphasis on the experiences, challenges and goals of the student.
2. Emphasis on the timeline on how deliverable is accomplished by the student.
3. Concentrate on recording the details of "why", "what" and "how" the resources available to students contribute to the process.
Research Insights
1. The most used platforms for research: Google, Google Scholar and school library databases.
2. Almost 75% of students felt they had insufficient time for the research and design process.
3. Distributing time evenly into phases is a challenge for students.
4. Many agree that finding focused research information is a challenge.
5. Many were unsatisfied with their final designs.
Student's Process Cycle
The Hiccup
The insights highlighted a pattern in a student's working process, where the majority of them struggled between Phase I and Phase II, consuming more time. And, though the research weighted 25% for the entire design, it had a huge impact on the final outcome.
The purpose of this mobile application is to leverage the student's needs and provide a platform that delivers qualitative as well as quantitative information, eliminating any extra steps and utilizing time efficiently for other phases of the design process.
An Alternate Perspective
1. Based on the user interviews, faculties agree to the scope of this project - not having a custom database platform.
2. "It has never been a consideration point of developing a database serving a similar purpose."
3. It's a belief that student should undergo the same process of "failing to succeed".
