Major Studio | INTERFACE : Final Project “Climate” brainstorming

One ingredient in this concept of interactivity is visualizing the “climate” created by the contributed commentary and users’ reactions expressed through voting.  I would ultimately like to present 3 different ideas for visually expressing this “climate”.

I would like for the visualizations to be:   A) visually stunning or at least interesting  B)representing a moment in time C) clearly expressing the dichotemy of positive and negative

Here are some brainstorming ideas:

• Thumbs Up vs. Thumbs Down
• Gray/Rainy vs. Sunshine
• Empty vs. Full
• Dark vs. Light
• Barbed Wire vs. Picket Fence
• Jail vs. Open Field
• “-” vs. “+”
• Death vs. Growth
• Mold vs. Clear
• Infestation vs. Vacant

I’m also very interested in the idea of the visualization manifesting itself within the design of the website, as well.  Perhaps this could be communicated through color shift, line thickness shift, image shift.  It is an opportunity to truly create a “climate”.

Major Studio | INTERFACE : Final Project, Further Research

http://kenyonreview.org/blog/?p=438

This blog brings up the interesting issue of the difficulty in writing well without an element of meanness.

“We all can sympathize with a sentimental (read: sincere) gesture—but such earnest gestures often account for terrible writing. It isn’t hard to imagine a writer’s attempts to get a particularly lovely sunset into line breaks; sunsets just aren’t easy to write about well. Such is the paradox of art. I cried when the dogs die at the end of Where The Red Fern Grows—but I recognize that move now as formulaic and grossly over-engineered, and that my emotions were more automatic than surprising.”

http://www.aprweb.org/issues/mar03/hoagland.html

This essay (referenced in the above article) goes even further to discuss the role of meanness in art, literature, and truth.  “Because the willingness to be offensive sets free the ruthless observer in all of us, the spiteful perceptive angel who sees and tells, unimpeded by nicety or second thoughts. There is truth-telling, and more, in meanness.”

Major Studio | INTERFACE : Final Project, Email Idea

Ok. After much thinking through the process of the Good Use of Negative Space, I began to simplify the idea and what resulted was a prepackaged email site. Users are invited to send emails with stock comments to friends/enemies of their choice. After sending their emails they will be “thanked” for using the site and informed of whether they sent positivity or negativity into the world.

Major Studio | INTERFACE : Final Project Info Arch & Brainstorm

Attached is a redevelopment of my Information Architecture for the new website.  Simplicity is key — not only in the face of strict deadlines, but also in an effort to keep the message easily communicated.

In addition, I spent some time of my own to brainstorm about language reflecting Negative and Positive.  Through this exercise I realized the importance of language to this project.  These words are now informing the visualization development.  More to come…

Major Studio | INTERFACE : Final Project Negativity Q&A

This site has a lot of great answers to the questions listed below referencing pessimism and negativity. I’m in the midst of developing what the visualization will be… emotional? metaphoric? organic? architectural?

Pessimism and Negativity http://www.coping.org/anger/pessimis.htm

Content:

How does pessimism and negativity affect my behavior?
How do I feel when I am pessimistic or negative?
What are the effects of my pessimism and negativity?
What irrational thinking leads me to be pessimistic or negative?
What causes my pessimism and negativity?
What can I do to overcome my pessimism and negativity?
Steps to overcoming pessimism and negativity

How does pessimism and negativity affect my behavior?
When I am negative or pessimistic I:

• look at the worst side of a situation.
• say what “I’m not” rather than what “I could be.”
• lack the belief that I could change.
• lose hope in the future.
• take the opposing view in any positive conversation.
• am unable to make upbeat or uplifting comments about myself or others.
• turn all conversations into griping, complaining, or bitching sessions.
• have nothing good to say about myself or others.
• complain about the inequities of life.
• try nothing new or challenging because I feel that I will fail.
• get bitter over how people treat me – now and in the past.
• put down new, creative and inventive ideas as impossible.
• limit my horizons which results in limiting my personal growth.
• take no risks.
• challenge those who are looking for the “up” side of a tragedy, failure, or disaster.
• ridicule those who believe in the power and mercy of their “Higher Power.”
• ridicule attempts to rectify a dysfunctional situation.
• resist altering my way of thinking, because I feel nothing will help or make a difference.

How do I feel when I am pessimistic or negative?
When I’m negative or pessimistic I feel:

• lonely, abandoned, and isolated.
• worthless, empty, and of no value.
• incompetent, ignorant, and useless.
• defeated, beaten down, and lost.
• betrayed, cheated, and unwanted.
• overwhelmed, overpowered, and defenseless.
• ignored, invisible, and avoided.
• like a wimp, a loser, an outcast.
• defiant, rebellious, and attacking.
• self-pitying, self-loathing, self-deprecating.

What are the effects of my pessimism and negativity?
As a result of my being pessimistic or negative I:

• find people avoid talking to me.
• don’t enjoy my life and I get depressed when I think about my future.
• find it difficult to be a healthy problem solver.
• don’t accept alternative solutions to problems.
• am told that I’m overly critical by my family, co-workers, and friends.
• am not a “fun” person to be around.
• term constructive criticism a “declaration of my worthlessness,” and I fail to see any value in the criticism.
• keep myself locked in a vicious cycle of “put downs,” and “rejection.”
• fulfill the prophecy that “I’ll never succeed in anything I try.”
• put a huge barrier between myself and others, one that is close to impossible to overcome.
• don’t open myself up to ideas about life that conflict with my negative beliefs.
• am disliked.
• enjoy a “yes, but” mentality.
• lose faith in a Power greater than I because of the futility, wretchedness, and misery I see in life.
• become rigid, one-sided, and stuck in my ways of interacting with others.
• become close-minded, single-minded and narrow in my focus.

What irrational thinking leads me to be pessimistic or negative?

• I will never be successful.
• I can’t do anything right.
• People will never change.
• No matter how much I change it doesn’t make any difference; others don’t recognize the changes.
• There is no reason to have hope for the future; my past negative experiences tell it all.
• If people can critique my changed behavior, then how can I ever be “good enough?”
• No matter how much I change it is never enough.
• Life should be simpler.
• Life should be fair.
• Life should be easy.
• There is so much wrong in life how can I ever expect anything good to come my way?
• There is too much to do to change my life for the better. It’s too hard.
• All of life is a “sham” and there is no such thing as happiness, love, or success.
• Why fight it? It’s always the same: the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.
• Nothing in life is certain except for death and taxes; why take a chance and change my life now?
• Why can’t others change? Why does it have to be me that changes first?
• Why can’t life be easier on me?
• My parents are the reason I am the way I am; nothing will ever change that.
• I’ll only lose if I take on the challenge to change my life.
• People are only nice to me to see what they can get from me.
• Trust no one; open up to no one; play if safe and keep to myself.
• Nothing in life makes sense except pain, suffering, and misery.
• My destiny is predetermined; I’ll never be able to change it.
• My genetic, hereditary, and environmental beginnings are totally responsible for what I do in life today.
• Once I am down, I will always be down.
• All people wear masks, and they are not to be trusted – even when they seem to be nice.
• What I see is never what it seems so I never get what I see.
• “There is a sucker born every minute” and I am the biggest sucker of them all for believing in the goodness of others and the possibility of change in life.
• I was put on earth to die so why try to make more of life than what it is.
• I’ve been treated badly in the past, so why should I expect anything different in the future?
• There is nothing new under the sun; why try to change things now?
• I will always be disappointed if I believe in the good will of others.
• If people loved and supported me, they wouldn’t criticize or correct me.
• It’s always the same: extend my hand in friendship and get it slapped in return.
• No matter how good a person I try to be, I always get screwed in the end.
• There are the “haves and the have nots.” I can’t change that.
• I am what I am and nothing will ever change.
• If God loves the human race why does He permit illness, disasters, tragedy, and calamities?

What causes my pessimism and negativity?
I have a tendency toward pessimism and negativity because I:

• experienced a major tragedy or loss in my past and I haven’t fully grieved and accepted the loss.
• have a permanent disability that prevents me from experiencing life to the fullest.
• have experienced a series of failures in school, work, family, life, or relationships that have convinced me that I am a failure.
• was ignored and still am ignored by my family of origin; I am convinced that I have to fight everyone to get my opinion heard.
• feel guilt over a past sin or mistake I made; this guilt blinds me from seeing hope, the promise of redemption, or forgiveness.
• would rather attend a `”self-pity party” than eat at life’s banquet.
• don’t want to change my thinking, feeling, and actions.
• am stubborn and don’t want to accept help when others point out optimistic or positive ways of looking at life.
• am lazy and realize that to change will take too much work, energy, and effort.
• like to be the center of attention. My current behavior draws a lot of attention to me, even if it is negative.
• refuse to consider that I might be wrong by taking on my “causes.”
• consider those I come in contact with as stupid, ignorant, or irrational and believe my way is the only way to be.
• have never experienced happiness, joy, or contentment; it’s impossible for me to attain.
• have never felt approval or recognition from the significant people in my life.
• am constantly reminded of my faults, shortcomings, failures, and lack of successes.
• give others power over me to keep me feeling badly about myself, my life, and the future.
• don’t take steps to improve my self-esteem and self-worth.
• constantly give myself negative self-talk and negative visual imagery.

What can I do to overcome my pessimism and negativity?
To overcome my pessimism and negativity I can:

• analyze my behavior with my family, coworkers, friends, and others; I can identify the negative and pessimistic behavior and their impact on me.
• admit that my pessimism and negativity is not a productive behavior.
• identify the feelings that precede my negative attitude; then those feelings I have after the negativity.
• recognize that my emotional life suffers by negative behavior.
• watch for the reactions my negativity and pessimism elicits from others.
• identify how this behavior blocks my healthy interaction with others.
• identify the irrational thinking behind my negativity and pessimism.
• develop rational alternatives to the negative thinking.
• recognize that unresolved anger that lies at the root of my negativity and begin anger work-out sessions to let go of that anger.
• identify the negative self-talk and visual imagery that keep me locked in my negativity.
• rewrite and re-script my self-talk and the imagery.
• pay attention to me and begin to give myself the approval, recognition, and acceptance I depend on from others.
• empower myself to be my own cheerleader.
• refuse to give others the power to bring me back to my depression and negativity.
• revitalize my spirituality and reconnect with my “Higher Power.”
• open myself to the possibility that maybe I was wrong; that life is worth living; that I can make a positive difference by taking control.
• make a commitment to reduce my stubbornness and laziness.
• begin the hard work of building my self-esteem.

Major Studio | INTERFACE : Final Project, A Good Use of Negative Space

Is Parsons a good use of negative space… or positive? In this project, I will provide an on-line collaborative environment to see what sort of virtual community Parsons students end up creating. The site will invite collaborators to contribute either positive or negative commentary. These contributions will result in changes in the “community visualization”.

My previous idea was made up of two separate experiences and became difficult and cumbersome in both their scope and their connections to each other. The original goal of the product was to A) provide a collaborative experience and B) provide a moment of reflection on the commentary that the user puts out into the world. Keeping the on-line collaborative portion of the previous idea was necessary to keep with my original goal, and I can only hope that a more simple and immediate visual as a result of one’s commentary will achieve the moment of reflection that I aimed to achieve.

Major Studio | INTERFACE : Final Project Prototypes, WireFrames, StyleFrames Round I

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE

• Actor sitting in hallway on 4th floor.
• Camera behind him to film the situation.
• As person walks by in a certain direction, Actor chooses somewhat vague Negative or Positive Comment from supplied list.
• Camera is hidden and capturing their reaction to the comment.
• As person walks towards signage they realize that it has directions for visiting the website that has the camera behind it. This could be an opportunity to say that they don’t want their image used and any other disclaimers.
• User would then be able to submit their email address to be updated on when website is active.

Major Studio | INTERFACE : Final Project Research

This article discusses the relationship between negative comments from parents and eating disorders in college-age women.

A similar study found that emotional reaction impacted evaluation rather than frequency of comment.

This study is an indepth look at bullying focused on children who stutter. Although this is not directly related to my project it offers great insight into the effect of bullying relative to the developmental stages of a child.

An interactive website to prevent teasing and bullying. This was created in reaction to Columbine.

Statistics from this website:

An estimated 160,000 US students miss school each day due to fear of attack or intimidation from peers. (National Education Association, 1995)

Stresses of “victimization,” can interfere with student’s engagement and learning in schools. (NEA Today,1999)

Sixty-six percent of youth are teased at least once a month, and nearly one-third of youth are bullied at least once a month. (2002 National Survey of Students Grades 5-12, Families and Work Institute)

Teenagers say revenge is the strongest motivation for school shootings.

87% said shootings are motivated by a desire to “get back at those who have hurt them.

86% said, “other kids picking on them, making fun of them,” causes teenagers to turn to lethal violence in the schools. (Alfred University Study)

A study specifically dealing with weight-teasing in adolescents.

I thought it was cute how this website says to not tease your scottie dog! Could be used as a “reaction” comment to someone who enters a negative comment.

“YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE QUALITY OF THIS DOG’S EXISTENCE.”
Is the maxim which should guide every dog owner. By providing your dog with the best of care, you spare yourself the worry and shame of knowing that you are failing to serve your dog’s best interests. A clean, well-fed, well exercised, and healthy dog is a happy one; a pleasant and rewarding companion in whom you may justly take pride.
Apart from the general points of pet care which apply to all dogs and are best covered in other works (see Recommended Reading), the one thing which is critical to a Scottie’s health and happiness is the emotional atmosphere of his home. Scotties are particularly sensitive to atmosphere, and if he is neglected or bullied, a Scottie will droop and become sad and withdrawn. Before bringing your puppy home, enlist the active commitment and participation of all the household in this new venture. Some dogs are naturally buoyant characters, and cheerfully withstand bad treatment or discord between their humans: not so the Scottie. <strong>He is especially vulnerable to meanness and teasing, and will be made very unhappy by these. </strong>And if there is unhappiness in the home, he will suffer greatly for you, and grieve that he cannot fix whatever is bothering you. A stout little dog, the Scottie has a peculiarly tender heart. Cherish and respect that heart.

Major Studio | INTERFACE : Final Project Prototyping Thoughts

A full scale working live webcam and website might be a little ambitious for the time frame of this project. A mock situation is the answer to this. I think that I will most likely film on one day and then organize and present on the website. When that is all together I will advertise the website and the ability to vote to try to get feedback. Then I will have another day that is dictated by the submissions. Those who leave their email addresses will be updated with the new footage perhaps — could be a reason for them to not be anonymous.

Need to do full rapid prototype of step-by-step, for sure.

Major Studio | INTERFACE : Final Project Anonymity

I was just thinking about the element of anonymity with this project. It would be interesting to offer a “signed” comment. It would be interesting to see the differences between the Naughty and Nice sides.  Perhaps an incentive would be to receive updates on the project for the next month… “See your comments in action” sort of thing.