Focus Group

In week 3, I will present my prototype to a group of 4 people. During the focus group session, I will need to present my idea and how I created the prototype. After that, I will receive feedback through comments and questions I ask to get suggestions from everyone. I have created two prototypes to clearly present my idea. I created a prototype of the Green Door Cafe's spatial layout and a prototype of its interior design. I will be answering some questions, given to me by my tutorthrough the learning zone. 

• Does it work? 

I think I did well with the second prototype because I clearly described the furniture and the changes I wanted to make to the space. With the first prototype, I felt it wasn't as good because I didn't clearly show the furniture I wanted to redesign. However, I did manage to show the spatial layout and the traffic reduction I made to the Curve Theatre.

• Does it look as you hoped?

For the first prototype, it wasn't quite what I expected. Because I made a small model, but in reality, the space I was working on had a lot of furniture and small details, so I didn't accurately represent the interior details. I only made symbolic representations to show traffic flow and the placement of the furniture I wanted in the space. For the second prototype, I'm quite happy with its look, although a few details weren't quite right. However, I did a pretty good job with the second prototype, almost completely reproducing the details.

• Is the design working as a whole?

Overall, I think it was effective because I did both the spatial layout and the interior design of that area.

• What was the process of making the design?

I had some difficulties in the process, but everything went well. First, I cut the cardboard into two large rectangular pieces for the windows, then cut smaller rectangular pieces for the tables, chairs, and coffee counter. Next, for the interior model, I did the same thing, cutting rectangular pieces of cardboard for the tables and chairs. For the chairs, I also used long skewers to make the legs by cutting them into smaller pieces and then attaching them with a glue gun. One special thing is that I have the curved chair for my idea, I found it quite hard to make the curved shape from cardboard, so I decided to cut many curved piece of cardboard and glued them by PVA. 

• How long did it take? (This should give you an indication of how long your final design will take and a better idea of what you can achieve in the timescale)

It took me about 3 days because I had to redo the second prototype. I wanted to find better materials for my prototype. Previously, I used Coca-Cola bottle caps, which were difficult to stick because they were very thin and couldn't stand upright. From that experience, I realized that I needed to prepare and plan from the beginning to save time and achieve better results.

• What materials/equipment will you need? 

I need to use a variety of materials like moodboard and cardboard to make the interior, and skewers for the chair legs. Additionally, I will use acetate for the window panes to make them look more realistic. 

• Have you sourced this?

I did not use any sources to create the prototype.

• What will it cost?

I think I will buy some moodboard and acetate to do my physical model, so it would be about 3-5 pounds. 

• Which design do you like best?

I quite liked the second prototype because I made it more meticulously and carefully than the first one. It also showed the details of my ideas and was almost identical to what I had sketched on paper.

• What would improve it?

If I had a chance to improve them, I would make a larger prototype to showcase both the spatial layout and the interior design. I will use the moodboard or the high quality cardboard to make my model look more detailed and outstanding.

There are 5 questions I would like to ask my group to give my some advices. I can get a lot of suggestions from the group members, which will help me improve my ideas and make the models more professional.

- do you like the style of this design? 

- what would you change about my design? 

- what materials can I create the curved glass window?

- what materials can I use for interior models? 

- How can I change the layout to make the traffic flow better?