This afternoon I did my first test planting the flowers on the street. I placed three below my fire escape so that I could observe how people interact with them without them knowing. I was a little nervous since it was really windy out today, but the flowers held up great. For the language aspect I chose to simply write in chalk "pluck my petals, see what's inside." I also decided to attach a bead to each note so that the user can feel that there's something inside these as they plucked them, further resolving any confusion.
As I was installing them two girls stopped me and asked me about them. They were both artists and very enthusiastic about the project. The notes they received read "spend an hour in a toy store" and "Draw a picture of yourself. Directly on top of this draw a picture of the nicest person you have ever met. Directly on top of this draw a picture of the meanest person you have ever met." One of the girls said this made her day.
I watched from the fire escape for forty-five minutes. I had installed two next to a tree and one in a crack on the street. The one planted in a crack was trampled by a jogger almost immediately, so I need to evaluate that placement. Most people walked by without noticing, a few looked but kept walking and six stopped and plucked a petal. Those who stopped took and continued walking so I couldn't gauge their reaction. One guy stopped to photograph them. While plucking one he spotted me on the fire escape. He too said he really enjoyed this experience, and even threw me a king size crunch bar to say thank you.
Ultimately I was very pleased with the response to these. The biggest issue is with the one placed in the crack being trampled. Since I feel this placement is the most attention grabbing I would really like to find a way to make it work successfully, however am currently at a loss as to how to do so.
11 comments:
It sounds like your experiment was pretty successfull - great job. What is so nice is that inadvertently you created chance meetings for yourself. I love that an artist got the "draw a picture" petal. And the Crunch bar - that's amazing!
As far as placement...I don't think its so important to have them right in the sidewalk. I'd be creative about it. Are you going to write chalk instructions for most of them? if so, putting some flowers in a crack in a wall might work better, and be very attention-grabbing.
I'm also so pleased to see some interaction with your project and passerbys in the village, I think your finally getting to where you need to be. In regards to michaels comment about placing- I personally really like the crack in the sidewalk idea, but did your experimentation with people watching tell you anything about the placement? were there people who noticed it but just walked by? maybe making it at eye level would be more appealing to go up to it, idk? I love the chalk instructions but they are so impermanent, which I kind of like alot, but then i feel like it could rain (or snow ah!) and the petals would remain with no instructions.
hey i agree with megan and michael that the interaction you observed is great! i agree with megan too in that you should observe what made people interact with the project and what made them trample over it and find a way so that the project can exist in any type of situation. Chalk might not be the best way considering the weather but you might be able to find something a little more substantial that is also wash proof.
I love how the experiments worked out for you! But it sucks that they got trampled over. Like Megan said, maybe it would be nice if they were somehow at eye level. But then again, I like that they're this chance thing. I like the idea that you only get to pluck one if you spot it, and I think you mentioned in the beginning that you want people to become more aware of their surroundings. Placing them to make them stand out might just ruin it. Plus, i think the chalk writing on the sidewalk is enough indication as to what to do with them. By the way, I like the chalk writing because it adds to the 'natural' element of your project.
Hey Anna, i appreciate how you showed us the steps when people were interacting with your project. It is very helpful for us to give you more feedback now. I defiantly agree with Ashley and Megan in that you should place it some where it is eye level. It might be more attracting that way when people are just sitting or hanging at the area. Other than that it looks very attracting and playful.
Great that you were able to test it and the idea of a "seed" inside is really nice. In fact, I'm starting to see this as "planting a seed"--giving people a new idea about how they could continue their day(s). I would still like to see another life for the petal in some way...
The wire stem looks a bit scraggly. Maybe something more substantial would look more purposeful and would be less likely to be stepped on. Cracks in the sidewalk could be interpreted metaphorically as well--I love the idea of these flowers growing out of the walls, like weeds. They'd be more visible, easier to access, more protected by building overhangs and the chalk could be more permanent on a vertical surface. You'd just need a different mechanism to secure them (now there's a design problem!!), possibly using ledges or wrapping wire around standpipes or something? Or you could use NYC street furniture--benches, lampposts, etc.
i really love denise's suggestion of the idea of "planting a seed", i think it lends itself to your concept as a whole and i think its what you're getting at....and i guess you should capitalize on it.
as to work around the issue of your flowers not being noticed, ignored or stepped on i think you should just make they brighter colors, i understand the soft colors are part of the statement but i think that if it was a bright and vibrant flower (especially in the middle of winter) passers-by would stop, notice and pluck the petals more often- althought this is just speculation but it is worth testing. i think the more beautiful and bright the flower is the more people will stop in wonder...just like the white chocolate (yuck!) crunch bar guy!
yay for your user testing! I agree with Jill's comment - maybe making the flowers with some trying brighter colors might help people notice them.
I really like how your resolved the signage idea with chalk. It reminds people to look down sometimes since I feel like alot of New Yorkers just look straight ahead...
I love that you were finally able to witness firsthand and interact with people! It's great how the interaction went beyond the flower and reached you as well, but even if it didnt, it still sounds wonderfully successful.
As far as them being more noticeable and accessible, I also like the idea of perhaps putting them on a wall or side of something...where it looks like it is growing out of place. Also, the flower looks very weak. Maybe try making it with thicker and sturdier wire? That way it is less likely to be trampled?
The experiment looks really good especially with your chalk idea that gives instruction but keeps to the nature of your project. I'm thinking maybe brighter fabric colors for your petals may help? Not obnoxiously bright but just enough so it doesn't blend with the pavement and the tree?
if they were placed outdoors, wouldn't they fly away and maybe come apart? would the materials of the petals be different for different scenarios?
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