The GFRY Studio is a merit-based interdisciplinary, design and fabrication studio at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago which actively cooperates with industry to explore how new technologies, social forms, and materials can be integrated to produce innovative objects, media, environments, and experiences.*
The 2012 GFRY Studio: Designing the Next-Generation School Cafeteria, seeks to create a completely new mealtime experience, and was designed in cooperation with our partner school, the Academy for Global Citizenship.
Research
Job shadowing chef
Hooked up and ready to go!
Maximilliano's-eye-view of the cafeteria
Accidental-pre-lunch selfie
Our first step was to get a really clear picture of everything that happens in the cafeteria -- it's a lot! We went at it in a bunch of different ways: using time-lapse video to get a quick picture of the space over time; in-home interviews with families, some on-the-site job shadowing with cafeteria staff, and “kids-eye-view” headcams, which let us see what it’s really like to interact with the space from the kids’ perspective.
Synthesis
Groupin' stories to find insights
Talk about research made tangible!
Next, we grouped research into common themes to find some surprising insights, and then use those to develop some exciting design opportunities. From this step forward, I acted as team lead for a group of 5-7 students (we shifted around a little over the course of the project!). My team was especially drawn to how many uses the cafeteria has every day: it's a cafeteria, gym, auditorium -- among others! It takes a lot of steps and a lot of people to change the room from one use to another, and ended up causing a lot of problems.
Our key insight: The cafeteria is a multi-use space that's constantly in transition, and its inability to transform completely inhibits the functionality and identity of each use.
How might we create distinct identities in a multi-use space?
How might we make the transition between uses easier?
Brainstorming + Ideation
Leading a brainstorm session with AGC students and faculty
To turn these opportunities into concepts, we got input from each other, parents and teachers at the school, and even kids. We clustered concepts together, kept what worked, threw out what didn't, and eventually landed on these two:
• a system of adaptable tables that are easy to set up, easy to clean, and fold completely into the walls
• a suspended installation of ambient “cloud” light fixtures, which reduce noise and create specialized, adapt- able environments within the space.
Prototyping & User Testing
We created a full-size working prototype of each concept, and brought them down to the school to be tested them with the kids and cafeteria faculty.
We wanted to see what would happen: was it effective? How easy was it to use? Were there any unforeseen problems we didn't think of? (There were: kids are experts at hiding messes in tables, according to our janitorial friend, Mr. Danny)
So: after we revised our initial rough prototypes, we brought 'em back down and did it again.
Implementation
After the class finished in fall 2012, I worked with Greater Good Studio, our partner school, Academy for Global Citizenship, and our contractors to help begin implementation of our concepts. The clouds were installed in winter 2013, and further implementation is ongoing. (We also developed some awesome hallway graphics!)
Logo & Presentation Design
In addition to the research and design work we did on the cafeteria, I also designed the course logo and presentation templates.
This project was part of a larger work for the GFRY Studio in 2012 at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
To see what the other teams worked on, and how our work fit in, watch the video of our final presentation below (thanks David!)