Week Seven- Research and Theory

How do you approach research methodologies for academic journey?

Lecture and Reading

In this weeks lecture we looked at how me approach research methods.

There are so many different ways to approach research and for each thing you are trying to research I think it’s good to look at it in a range of different ways to get a fully rounded perspective.

I liked the idea of looking into etymology. Looking at the origin behind a word can be a way of creating some different ideas around the subject. The word research comes from the French to closely search and latin to wonder or circle. This highlights two main ways of research right away. You can either look closely at a specific area, or wander and circle around the subject getting inspirations from things a little but further away from it but still linked. (Hosken)

The philosophy behind knowledge also offers some interesting ideas. The empiricists believed you had to look at something with all your senses as a starting point. I like this idea, that when faced with a problem you need to think about it with all of yourself to start with before exploring other avenues. (Hosken)

Looking at methodologies it gave me some good ideas on how to investigate in different ways. To look at the wider implications, case studies as examples and general analysis. (Hosken)

I liked the idea of approaching research from either a qualitative or quantitive approach. They are such different ways of looking at the world and at research. Do you consider the cold, hard facts and measurable data or look at human behaviour and how people feel about the product? (Hosken)

I am immediately drawn to qualitative research as something that I relate to. Christopher Ireland talks about this, and how he and others have pushed the boundaries of this kind of research by becoming more involved with focus groups and looking deeper into the people they are talking to. (Ireland 2013)

This brings about the idea of Ethnography, where researchers take on an in-depth observation of peoples behaviour by observing them in their own environment. Tim Plowman talks about this as well, and introduces the idea of actually living within the community you want to know more about. (Plowman 2013)

“branch of anthropology that involves trying to understand how people live their lives.”
(Flex MR 2018)

Looking further into Ethnography, I came across this example of using social media as ethnographic research. (Flex MR 2018)

Social media posts are unprompted — there is no direction from a researcher the content of what someone posts. People simply post organically on topics which are important to them at that moment in time. This is interesting but also brings up complicated questions around the consent of data. Questions that have been circulated quite a lot in recent times about the ethics of using this massive collection of data, for example in the Netflix documentary ‘The Social Dilemma’.

“If you’re not paying for the product, then you are the product.”
Netflix

It’s only when people are truly at ease in their natural environment that you can truly understand them. All products are created for people, so these people and what makes them happy should be taken into the utmost consideration. (Plowman 2013)

I also found the idea of using play as research very interesting. I think for something as creative and flexible as graphic design, it’s good to try out equally playful and creative ways of performing research. Leaving room for play in your design opens you up to new possibilities that you’d maybe not of thought about on your own. (Zimmerman 2013)

I also like how the cyclic process of iterative design draws back to the ‘circle’ definition of the etymology of the word design.

Workshop Challenge

I struggled to find any objects of meaning in my home that is on the surface so full of objects. It made me think that maybe in our consumerist society where we own so many objects and nothing is unique anymore objects have lost their value to us more. Even photos now are all digital and no longer objects.

I therefore decided to look at an object that is used all the time but never really thought about – an object that needs a story.

MUG

Does a drink taste different in a different mug?

Where did the word mug come from?

What is the history of the mug?

How does the mug fit into different cultures?

How does it affect our day to day life?

This simple object is one of the first things we reach for in the morning and, in my case anyway, one of the last things I touch before going to sleep. It cheers us up when we’ve had a bad day, when given to you its a sign of care and affection, it is there with us when we connect with friends and it has different but often important cultural significance in places all around the world.

The beauty of a mug, whatever is inside it is always warm, comforting

The use of a mug is so different with each culture, what is put in it, how its shaped, when its used.

Qualitative Research

I looked at what kind of mug I picked for different drinks, at what times of the day and how different mugs made me feel.

I also used the idea of Ethnography to watch others in my house and the mugs they chose.

What I learnt from this is all three of us had a selection or 3 or 4 mugs we each liked to use. The mugs chosen to be used for an evening herbal tea were different to those used for a morning coffee, and a hot chocolate is drunk from a different one again. Some of these mugs overlapped but other mugs were used only by one person. A lot of this distinction came around who had purchased the mug. This made me think, was it the fact that they felt like they had greater ownership of that mug than the rest of us? Or was it that they chose to buy a mug that they knew would bring them joy to use?

There were also a selection of unwanted mugs, that sat at the back of the cupboard, many quite stained, and were only used as back up when every other mug was dirty.

Over the week, I tried using a variety of different mugs, thinking about how they were to hold, what they looked like, how quickly my drink cooled in them, and in general how happy using them made me.

My favourite mug is from Anthropologie and made from hand painted stoneware. Its got a little crack in the handle but I use it anyway because I think my morning coffee tastes best in it regardless.

Etymology

The origins of the word “mug” come from the Swedish mugg “earthen cup, jug,” Norwegian mugge “pitcher, open can for warm drinks”), https://www.etymonline.com/word/mug

Historical Research

The first mugs on earth were made of bone in the Neolithic Age in China and Japan. During the Neolithic period people used wooden or metal mugs or even animal skulls to drink out of. Before they evolved to make mugs out of clay.

As the world advanced, drinkware became available in different materials. Upgrading from the animal bones of the Neolithic Age, mugs were made from gold, silver, bronze, and lead. These cups were almost impossible to drink from because the exterior would get extremely hot when the coffee was poured. (Mugs.Coffee)

Clay has been used for thousands of years. Its the cheapest and most basic material on earth, and is literally made from the earth.

Pottery is almost as old as we are, primitive women would make pots by coiling clay around and shaping into a pot.

Even in very early pots however, the desire to make these things beautiful as well as useful can be seen. (Vincent 2011) Maybe this explains our modern love for beautiful ceramic objects and the importance of mugs in our lives still today.

The invention of stoneware made ceramics stronger and longer lasting.

Surviving documents can establish coffee drinking or the knowledge of coffee in the middle of the 15th century in the Sufi monasteries of Yemen.

But there are ideas that coffee beans were first eaten or drunk in Ethiopia – credited by one legend to Khadi an Ethiopian goat herder in the 6th or 7th century and possibly as early as the 11th century Arabs began to make coffee into a hot drink.

Coffee was introduced to Europe in the seventeenth century, which is around the same time as dutch traders bought tea home from china. The first coffee house opened in England in 1650 in Oxford. (Weinberg 2002) Europe now has a need for the mug, and from this time onwards our love for the and coffee has only grown.

Cultural Research

Tea is so integral to many cultures around the world. Arriving in Japan in 600 AD tea became the centre of an elaborate ritual and of great importance to Japanese culture that continues into the current day.

“Through the ceremony the superficialities and illusions of everyday life and practical pursuits were to be broken down and transcended”
pg 134 (Weinburg 2002)

The importance of tea to cut through the ‘superficialities and illusions of everyday life’ is something that I think we also do here in the UK, but in a smaller way. The importance of tea and coffee in our day to day lives is often overlooked.

“Few situations aren’t vastly improved by putting the kettle on. The phrase alone is almost as soothing as the resulting drink: an invitation to sit down, talk and put off whatever trials lie ahead.”
(Fleming 2014)

A mug of tea or coffee can be so many different things. Its friendship, comfort, care and support. It warms you up when you’re cold and cools you down when you are hot (apparently).

A mug of tea or coffee softens the pace of life. You can’t guzzle a hot drink, it has to be taken slowly. (Fleming 2014) This slowing down is so important in our hectic and busy lives. It gives us a chance to chat to friends, reflect on our day, or simply take a deep breath and regain a little control of our lives again.

The mental health link in a cup of tea is also used frequently. The mindful break in your day is beneficial for your mental wellbeing, while a cuppa and a chat is the starting point of getting people to open up about how they are really feeling and show you are there for them.

“One clear signifier of humankind’s emotional dependence on hot drinks is the ubiquity of the special mug.”
(Fleming 2014)

Does a drink taste different in a different mug? I would say yes. When you drink a tea or coffee out of your favourite mug the experience is even better.

This feeling of care and connection that is so linked with a mug was looked at during an experiment conducted at the University of Colorado Boulder. Apparently even holding a hot drink can even make you friendlier.

“In study 1, participants who briefly held a cup of hot (versus iced) coffee judged a target person as having a “warmer” personality (generous, caring); in study 2, participants holding a hot (versus cold) therapeutic pad were more likely to choose a gift for a friend instead of for themselves.”
(Williams and Bargh 2008)

The conclusion of this experiment was that experiences of physical warmth would increase feelings of interpersonal warmth.

The cup of tea is used to build friendships and deal with difficult situations. Often even the words ‘put the kettle on’ create instant feelings of comfort and help you to destress.

“‘would you like a cup of tea?’ you’re showing them you care and it’s also an opportunity to interact with one another. And how flattered are you when they remember if you like it”
(Lombardi ca 2017)

According to the Tea Council, 80% of office workers say they find out more about what’s going on at work over a cup of tea than any other way.

Focus Group – Instagram poll

Inspired by the idea of using social media to collect data and research I decided to ask some questions on Instagram without any context as a way of find out people opinions. I ran an Instagram poll to find out how people feel about their mugs. Its a great way to easily collect data from a range of people when running a focus group is difficult or too time consuming. The questions I asked were:

Does a drink taste different in a different mug? YES – 82%. No – 18% (101 answers)

Do you have a favourite mug? YES – 85%. NO- 15% (104 answers)

Would you rather give up tea/coffee or alcohol? TEA/COFFEE – 36%. ALCOHOL – 64% (95 answers)

Does the colour inside a mug affect the taste? YES- 62%. NO- 38% (99 answers)

Conclusion

The mug represents routine, tradition and culture. Most of us reach for our favourite mug each morning when we wake, click the kettle on as soon as we receive bad news and offer a hot drink to a friend as soon as they walk through the door. Despite this however, the mug itself is often overlooked. This simple and inconspicuous object has such power over our lives and our connection with others but its rare to even think about it.

98% of people take their tea with milk, but only 30% take sugar in tea.
https://www.tea.co.uk/tea-facts

The Mysteries of the Mug (first draft)

“I’ll put the kettle on”

Its one of the first things I reach for in the morning and often one of the last things I touch before getting into bed at night. It cheers me up when I’ve had a bad day, I feel cared for when someone offers me one and it helps me open up and connect with friends or colleagues.(Lombardi ca 2017) It slows down my pace of life, allowing time for me to take a breath, slowing sipping and being in the moment. (Fleming 2014) It even makes me friendlier person! (Williams and Bargh 2008) My cupboard is rammed full of them, but I will always accept one more, even though I am not alone in thinking my drinks tastes better out of my favourite one (Fleming 2014).

From its humble beginnings crafted out of bone (Mugs.Coffee), the innocuous mug is so integral to our daily lives. This simple little object is made out of clay, the oldest and cheapest material on earth but has been decorated with such importance for thousands of years. (Vincent 2011)

The mug and the drinks it holds are culturally important across the world. In Japan for example the act of having a cup of tea has even more importance. “Through the ceremony the superficialities and illusions of everyday life and practical pursuits were to be broken down and transcended” (Weinburg 2002)

Reflection

I didn’t really like the content of this story so decided to use the research I had found to re-write this bit of text but in the form of a love letter to a mug.

Just a Note to say…

You’re one of the first things I reach for in the morning and often one of the last things I touch before getting into bed at night. You cheer me up when I’ve had a bad day, I feel cared for when someone gives you to me and you help me to open up and connect with friends and colleagues.(Lombardi ca 2017) You slow down my pace of life, allowing time for me to take a breath and reminding me to be in the moment. (Fleming 2014) You even make me friendlier and warmer person! (Williams and Bargh 2008) You are not the only one for me, but I prefer spending time my time with you in the morning because wake me up that bit better than the rest of them. (Fleming 2014).

You’ve always been there for me when things go wrong and I need a cry, you support me through long nights when I have deadlines to meet and you quietly offer your help when I’m feeling hungover. I even let my best friends borrow your comforting embrace when they need it.

You’re simple, humble and as old as the earth, but I think you’re beautiful. (Vincent 2011) You feel nice to hold and touch, you’re warm, smooth and just the right weight. When its cold outside you offer your warmth to me. When I look right at you, you bring warmth to my cheeks and even steam up my glasses. When I’m hot you even claim you can help me cool down (even though I’ve never been sure I believe you…)

Thank you for making my mornings bearable and always being there for me. You may be ‘just a mug’ and often ignored, but you mean the world to me and I think it’s time you knew just how appreciated you really are.

Workshop Challenge

I started by photographing my favourite mug. I wanted to take its photo in a dramatic way so as to elevate this everyday object into something beautiful and dramatic. I chose a cold morning when the sun was low and bright to create some deep shadows in my image. I also liked the smooth curved shape of the mug next to the sharp straight lines of the window. I also think the condensation on the window adds to the emotion and atmosphere of the photo as it conjures up feelings of the warm mug on a cold winter morning.

I wrote my story as a love letter to my mug. An ode to the unappreciated and overlooked.

I wanted the text alongside the mug to be simple to not draw attention away from the photograph.

I shared two layout options on the ideas wall and Kevin and Lorri offered some great insight into how I could adapt my design a little.

I chose a legible and reasonably simple font for the body copy and went a bit more illustrative with the heading font, drawing out a bit of colour from the mug for the headings.

In light of feedback from the ideas wall, I decided to continue with the idea of making the background of the whole editorial piece one of the photos I took of my mug.

Reflection

This week introduced me to some really interesting and new ways of thinking about design research. The ways that captured my attention the most were etymology, ethnology and the use of qualitative data from focus groups. I like the idea that the origins of words can draw your research into new directions and bring a new level of meaning. I also like the idea of looking deeply at the people you are designing for. They will be the people using your product in the end, so the more understanding you have of them, the way they live their lives and what brings them happiness, the more informed your design can then be. I think this draws nicely into the use of empathy in design thinking that I researched in Week Five.

Approaching the research of an everyday and often overlooked object like the mug from a variety of different angles gave me a range of different perspectives to think about. Combing my new understand of its material, history and cultural significance with its impact on my life and the life of others around me, made me think about the innocuous mug in a very different light. This simple object now became such a brilliant and important one in my eyes and made me questions the importance of all the ignored and everyday objects that surrounded me. I wrote my piece as a love letter to explore this new idea of appreciating the everyday and photographed it as if it was something powerful and beautiful to further cement this idea.

Had I been able to explore this further I would have liked to run experiments to see how people interacted with mugs by creating situations where they had to choose mugs for different situations and compile data on this to see if the choice and use of a mug is subjective to the individual or common over society.

References

LAUREL, B. (Ed) (2003) Design Research: Methods and Perspectives. Massachusetts: MIT Press.

COLLINS, H. (2010) Creative Research; The Theory & Practice of Research for the Creative Industries. Lausanne: AVA Publishing.

BESTLEY, R. Noble, I. (2016) Visual Research: An Introduction to Research Methods in Graphic Design. London: Bloomsbury.

FLEX MR. 2018. ‘6 Creative Examples of Ethnographic Research in Action’. Medium [online]. Available at: https://medium.com/@FlexMR/6-creative-examples-of-ethnographic-research-in-action-f5a2de7d18b4 [Accessed on: 7 November 2020]

MUGS.COFFEE. ‘The Oldest Coffee Mugs in the World – The History of Coffee Mugs’. Mugs.Coffee [online]. Available at: http://www.mugs.coffee/coffee-mug-knowledge/oldest-coffee-mugs/ [accessed 6 November 2020].

VINCENT, David. 2011. Ceramics: a Fragile History / Part I / The Story of Clay BBC production for BBC4.

WEINBERG, Bennett Alan. 2002. The World of Caffeine: The Science and Culture of the World’s Most Popular Drug. Routledge: New York.

FLEMING, Amy. 2014. ‘A little warmth goes a long way – the science of hot drinks’. The Guardian [online]. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2014/oct/28/hot-drinks-science-tasting-notes [accessed 6 November 2020].

WILLIAMS, Lawrence E, and John A BARGH. “Experiencing physical warmth promotes interpersonal warmth.” Science (New York, N.Y.) vol. 322,5901 (2008): 606-7. doi:10.1126/science.1162548

LOMBARDI, Emanuela. ca. 2017. ‘The importance of tea in the British culture’. Breaking Blue Resarch [online]. Available at: https://breakingblueresearch.com/ourthinking/its-a-bri-tea-sh-thing/[accessed 6 November 2020].

Lizzie Wa Design