Luz Quintana-Abraham

by Julia, Luz & Amelie

Last Feedback: GO GO GO!

our translation…

We Set on A Title:

“Tête-à-Tête”

… literally translates to “head-to-head” & refers to an intimate, private conversation between two people, which happens while sitting face-to-face. 

We Finished Up last Measurement Adjustments:

… purchased the material & started building:

& purchased Fabric for the Cushioning Process:

(bottom & top joining explanation:)

What’s Next:

Finish Welding, Sanding & Polishing!

Create Cushions

Decide on Adding Fringes

Chat with Hackenschmidt

Screw it together!

Luz, Julia & Amelie

… filing down final shapes

by trying out & anaylising sittable PT3

What seating shape works best for the choreography?

What designed condition could contribute to the shared experience?

What do we want people to feel when they first look at it & once sat?

Asking users for feedback…

• proximity&hight are right
• backlean was not asked for
• a bit scary when entering/ exiting
• does not immediately invite to sit
• intimidating once sat

… rethinking/-considering frame & bottom plate shapes

• curved, bended, kinked pipes

• circular, oval plates /frame plates (rocker/skid for smoother entry/exit?)

conclusion: simplicity of the straight pipes is important to underline the seating surface design.

We found that other shapes would be too much & wouldn’t contribute to the concept.

Bottom Plate should be oval, but will stay a plate. Without a rocked element, we purposefully create a communication piece that relies on cooperation & commitment.

… deciding between final 2 upper seating options

!staying with circular shape, no backlean (try out feedback)!

1.velvet pillow cushions

• soft pillows invite to sit, they break the harshness of the metal down.
• they spark interest (velvet fabric)

2.leather pillows with fringes

… the curtain returns, full circle moment

• leather creates softness (inviting, sofa/homy ambience)
• fringes function as sensual experience that can contribute to shared experience & attentiveness yet staying sophisticated visually

Feedback TakeAway

• stop trying to design for everyone
• what provides the conditions for conversations?
• a seating that invites to make time

Concept Deepening

Sand Equals Time

Actions we took:

• Long talk about realization with Matthias
• Meeting with Metal Workshop
• Talk with Florian Medicus (ID)
• Sketching, Planning, Calculating & Experiments (with wood)

Next steps:

• Final decisions on materials and mechanism
• Some more calculating
• Ordering material
• Start working with Metal Department

Marshall Rosenberg

NONVIOLENT COMMUNICATION

This is important to us: prioritising difficult conversations by creating space where they can happen.Too often, these conversations are avoided instead of being prioritised.

How can we Create a Physical Space for Difficult Conversations ?

APPLYING RESEARCH ON DESIGN

EXPERIMENTS:

We gave up on the idea of the Veil between the users talking

“I want to stay, to listen to you”.

WHAT WE WANT

• enclosed seating space for two acquainted people
• a neutral “space within a space” that removes hierarchy and ownership, creating shared ground
• setting that helps create comfortable, easy intimacy
• invites open conversation and preventative confrontation
• no set hierarchy between users
• adjustable seating to support individual preferences (height, position, direction)

FURTHER SKETCHES:

TESTING SHAPES & SEATING:

What Shaped Space is suitable?

Weighing the Importance of Proximity

Playing with Adjustability

WHAT WE ARE STILL FIGURING OUT

• How can we best translate our communication research into practical applications within our project?
• Finding the sweet spot between universal and personal approaches to meaningful conversations – balancing diverse user needs while designing an experience that naturally invites deep, one-on-one exchanges

QUESTIONS

• How can we embed guidelines for productive conversations into the design without overwhelming users with instructions?
• How can we embed a sensory feature into the object that supports users during difficult conversations—providing a calming effect while remaining cohesive and purposeful within the overall design?

Julia, Luz & Amelie