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02. Gathered Learnings
where I’ve been…
I 💖 a good process
Miro boards, sticky notes, and emojis are my natural habitat.
I 💖 Weaving
I am continuously drawn to playing with fibers and appreciate weaving especially for being a craft that holds culture, tradition, legacy, knowledge, soul.
Functional textiles are particularly captivating; the tangible nature allows for dimensional connection (between beings, nature, history -- like a portal).
Practicing with Saori looms reminds me to 'make' without expectations and allow the materials to intuitively come together.
As an organized, thoughtful optimizer, this is a welcome nudge to let go and not center myself as the maker or person driving a vision. Instead, it can be a collaboration where the materials have space to speak; like how sculptors reveal the soul trapped within stone.
*What is Saori?
I 💖 Speculative Research
I thrive in ambiguity and imaginative spaces. Collecting qualitative research centered on people's experiences inspires creativity and informs potential realities.
This speculative research project;
The Future of Running Footwear allowed for investigation & imagination of future running footwear possibilities that meet needs of runners that are currently overlooked.
The Future of Running Footwear
Process Overview
Immersive Prototypes
Building on the learnings from the diary study, the focus groups invited runners to step into an imaginative space that activated their senses & introduced future running footwear experiences.
With closed eyes a descriptive script was read to them, painting an experience to consider while standing on different materials.
Following this, they were asked to redline and document their reaction on a mood board (including moving images) that visualized the described experience. This created clarity around their interpretation of the concepts and desirability.
Concept A:
Imagine you are deep into your run, you are breathing heavy and distracting thoughts start popping into your head, testing your motivation.
Now look down at your feet, your shoes are slowly pulsing, signaling to you the optimal breathing pattern for your stride. You mimic the pattern and feel that your breath is synchronized with your feet.
I 💖 Evolving Methodologies
As a values-driven researcher, it’s imperative to critically examine methodologies and their historical context.
To align and orient the team, we completed a Social Identity Map.
Understanding the layers of our identities allows us to acknowledge the power and privilege we bring to the research. Many factors influence the way we interpret information.
As an exercise to check our bias, the team reflected on these categories and how power could be present in each.
Full group reflection