Installing the courthouse intervention did not go as
planned. At all.
The final design was to place signage around each space in
the atrium, calling out the important rooms of housing court and allowing for
the user to understand where they need to go next. By looking out into the
atrium, the user could easily see where their progression would take them.
When we arrived at the courthouse and began to install, we
realized that it was physically impossible to reach and place banners along the
atrium space without any ladder or machine. Even if we had a ladder, the
courthouse restricted use to only the facilities workers, who had already
finished their day’s work.
As we discovered this roadblock, we quickly had to come up
with a solution – an alternative – which was to hang the banners on the
railings along the atrium, with extended paper wrapping around the columns.
We quickly tested our alternative and analyzed its success
by looking at it from different floors and spaces along the atrium to determine
whether or not it was visible. The solution worked well for both the “Housing
Court Courtrooms” and the “Housing Court Clerk’s Office.” However, due to the
lack of railing in other spaces, we had to work with the court to come up with
a solution, or alternative, to placing the “Court Service Center” and “Housing
Court Information” signs.
These unforeseen circumstances were surprising and
unexpected, but forced us to come up with quick solutions and alternatives. If
the restrictions and limitations were known during the design process, I wonder
how the final design would’ve changed.
Once the intervention was placed, it was time to observe.
The biggest surprise in observing the use of the courthouse
was how few people entered the atrium. As a central space that draws the
visitor directly from the entrance, it was astounding that most of the people
who entered this space were workers or visitors who knew exactly where they
were going – or just moved on to the elevators.
When people actually used the atrium space, it was clear to
see the success of the banners. Once the visitor had the name of the room they
needed to visit, we observed that they pointed to where they needed to go and
found either the elevators or stairs as a means to get there. The physical pointing
and looking around the atrium confirmed that the intervention had worked, at
least to some degree.
The most unsuccessful part of the intervention was the
clock. As a means of assisting the user and making the courthouse an easier
place to navigate, the clock was placed in a central location for visibility
from every floor. In theory, the clock was successful because it didn’t harm
anyone, but met design expectations. However, measuring the users of the clock
proved to be nearly impossible. Unlike the signage, no observed visitor pointed
directly to the clock or referenced it.
Overall, it was rewarding to see people using the signage,
but difficult to understand just how helpful it was. I think in the future, should
this project progress, a more definitive criteria needs to be established, but,
also, more in-depth analysis of the existing conditions and the user would push
the project to be more successful and relevant.