Environments and Responsiveness

This weekend has been tremendously productive for this project. I've done two questions in two separate locations as well as an observation and every spot was an entirely different experience. YpsiGlow is essentially a community block party in Ypsilanti that includes decorations, live music, costumes, live artists, a giant unicorn, and plenty of opportunities for people of all ages to get involved and have a good time. YpsiGlow was a perfect spot for socialization, exploration, and family friendly fun. There, I asked the question, "When was the last time you stopped to smell the roses?" Perhaps because of the social atmosphere, I got a board full of fun responses from a myriad of different people. Observations were fun, active, and participatory. People wanted to talk and learn about what I was doing or tell me their stories. I even met the woman that would later be in the aforementioned unicorn costume.

The next day, I set up at the Botanical Gardens in the conservatory. I was hopeful for plentiful responses when I walked in and heard the children and families, but quickly came to realize that what appeared to be a good spot for a thought provoking introspective question was more of a discouragement. The environment appears to be meant for relaxation, curiosity, and exploration but I quickly found that was not often the case. Photographers and families that were there appeared only to be there to use the scenery as a backdrop rather than something to interact with. The squeals of children went from those of glee and adventure to frustration as they grew tired of being posed for pictures. When the kids were allowed to interact and explore the area they were curious to interact with the board but at least four times I witnessed parents pulling them away to go do the next thing instead. This didn't sit well with me, not because of the lack of interaction, but because of how quickly the natural curiosity of these kids was shut down by obligations they did not create for themselves.

These two very different experiences taught me to see environments in a different light. I think because we live in such a fast paced society, it is easy for people to get carried away by obligations and responsibilities instead of taking time to notice the things around them. This is even confirmed by several responses to my first display question, people admitted that the first time they really stopped to enjoy what was around them was in that moment when curiosity led them to read the display. I think as I continue this project, I will continue to find more and more examples of how environments either contribute to or discourage people's curiosity and social engagement. I also recognize that time of day, display questions, and people in attendance will contribute to this so to isolate this one aspect of the environment in its correlation to responsiveness would be illogical.

That being said, next time you go into a space, take a second to really watch the people around you. Look at how the space is designed. How does the staff interact? Are people stopping or continuously moving? Are other patrons happy? What are they there to do? Who are they there with? How does that location make you feel? Are there visual cues you notice that make you feel that way? Emotions and reactions are a funny thing and as human beings, we are easily manipulated to think, feel, or behave a certain way because of the environments we are in.