Spatial Design Il(Weekly Learning)

Spatial Design II

Week 1/ Introduction to spatial design class
Week 2/ Design as storytelling
Week 3/ Highlighted key design thinking methods
Week 4/ Emotional scoreWeek 
Week 5/ Design as storytelling
Week 6/ User Persona 1
Week 7/ Journey Map
Week 8/ Physical installations and moodboard
Week 9/ Sensory alchemy and draw sketches
Week 10/ Outlined the final project
Week 11/ Detailed the final project
Week 12/ True spatial poetry
Week 13/ refining our final projects
Week 14/ Improve final project

Week 1:

Today, Mr. Zeon first asked us to follow the Instagram account @tu_bisd and enthusiastically recommended an exhibition taking place on May 4th. He emphasized that the knowledge taught in this course is highly practical, benefiting us whether we become employees or entrepreneurs in the future. By completing this course, we will develop the following four core competencies:  

1. Design Knowledge & Technical Application

2. Leadership & Communication 

3. Digital & Analytical Competency 

4. Lifelong Learning & Entrepreneurship

Additionally, Mr. Zeon introduced two specialization options for our second year: Smart Home Specialization and Smart Environment Specialization*. He mentioned that while the design school does not have traditional exams, the workload of assignments is substantial.I am fully prepared to tackle every challenge with enthusiasm and determination!

Week 2:

This week’s lecture deepened my view of design as storytelling. The instructor showed how space, function, and emotion intertwine—like a film guiding its audience. Key takeaways:  

•Narrative spaces  shape user experiences beyond aesthetics.  

•Cross-disciplinary thinking (e.g. AR in physical stores) unlocks innovation.  

•User research must capture emotional journeys, not just needs.  

The phased assignment (online analysis + field study) pushes us to apply these insights practically. Excited to rethink design as an immersive "story."  

Week 3:

This week redefined "space as a living script" – where users become both actors and co-writers through their interactions. Key revelations:  

•Precedent studies are time machines – analyzing past projects lets us test future design solutions without physical prototypes  

•The best precedents "talk back" – we prioritized projects with clear conflict/resolution patterns in their user experience  

•Retail spaces as theater – the instructor showed how fitting room mirrors can become "plot twists" when integrated with AR feedback loops  

Week 4:

This lesson redefined space as an emotional score – every material, light, and sound becomes a note in a user’s sensory symphony. Core insights:  

•"Hero’s Journey" is outdated – modern users crave fragmented narratives where they curate personal story arcs through choice-driven interactions  

•Environmental causality works best through micro-interventions: a floor’s texture subconsciously alters walking rhythm, indirectly shaping behavior  

•Sensory feedback loops must leave "ghost imprints" – like lingering scent trails that trigger post-experience brand recall  

The Nakajima exhibition case revealed a hidden rule: design for abandonment. Spaces should feel incomplete, inviting users to mentally reconstruct missing fragments – this "unfinishedness" sustains emotional resonance.  

Week 5:

PRE

Week 6:

This week was all about getting our heads around User Personas, which feels like the bedrock for the upcoming project. The teacher started by laying down the law on deadlines: Project 2 is absolutely due by Week 10. Right now, the top priority is nailing the research phase, which means:

1.Finalize the questions: Lock down the interview and online survey questions we'll ask users.

2.Get out there and research:Find the right participants and actually conduct those interviews and send out the questionnaires.

3.Build the Personas: Based on the real data we collect (big emphasis on no guessing!), we need to create at least 3 User Personas. The teacher really stressed that these personas need to feel like "real people" representing our target users, not something we just made up.

We learned that these personas are crucial for the next steps (like making User Journey Maps) and for the final design/model (including thinking about the brand style, like that "creative + friendly" vibe for the pet cafe). The teacher quoted Ash Oliver saying collaborating on personas is way better – people with different backgrounds see the data differently, leading to richer, less biased personas ("Working in pairs or collaboratively helps bring more diversity to personas").

So, the mission this week is clear: Get out there, do the research, and use the real stuff to mold at least three living, breathing user personas to pave the way for Project 2. And constantly ask: "If this persona (let's call her Janny) used this, what would she think? Would she get it? Would it work for her?" – those details are what make personas actually useful for design.

And this the User Perona I made

Week 7:

This week’s mission was crystal clear: Get the User Journey Map done.Major takeaway: Don’t make this stuff up! Just like with the User Personas, the journey map MUST be grounded in real research data (from interviews, surveys). Those core principles from the PPT“USE REAL DATA,” “FOCUS ON THE PRESENT,” “CONTEXT-SPECIFIC,” “AVOID BIASES” – apply here too. The journey map is basically taking that persona (like Janny) and walking them through a real scenario. Constantly ask: “What would Janny think/feel/do here? What’s tripping her up? What’s working?”

Learning about User Journey Maps feels like getting a “map” of the user’s experience. The process of building it forces you to truly step into the user’s shoes and “walk” through their process, feeling their hopes, confusion, and frustrations (the pain points). This isn’t just about making a smoother product or service flow (fixing Keelyn’s info overload or Emily’s bored dogs). The deeper value is in aligning the whole team on the user’s reality. Everyone looking at the same map, discussing the same “Janny’s” experience, breaks down silos and leads to sharper design decisions. This structured way of thinking feels like a fundamental skill for any future user-centered project.

And this the Journey Map I made.

Week 8:

This class was all about injecting a brand's true "essence" into design, especially physical installations. The Nike example hit home – design isn't just looks; it's about making people feel the brand through consistent visuals, unique personality, and those tangible touchpoints. You gotta deeply understand the brand first.

The big takeaway was translating fuzzy brand feelings like "energy" or "nature" into real design language. Start by pinning down three core emotional keywords, then brainstorm ways to express them beyond just color – maybe dynamic lines for "energy," reclaimed wood with knots for "nature's" roughness, or how lighting sets the mood. The teacher pushed us hard: ditch the clichés, find something fresh.When designing an installation, nail down its core purpose first – is it for rest, or sparking chats? Build at least three functional zones around that purpose, like an interactive message wall, a rainwater planter, or a motion-sensor light path. These functions gotta match the brand vibe and real user needs. A cool tip was adding a "sensory layer" – wind chimes triggered by movement, or a moss-textured wall panel – to create memorable moments.

This week's tasks are clear: Lock in the brand emotion keywords and their design clues; Start wrestling with mood boards (aim for at least two, e.g., one focused on details, one on light/material); And crucially, keep the user front and center throughout ("Would Emily's dogs play here? Would Keelyn snap a pic?"), so the whole design flows logically.

Week 9:

This week felt like performing surgery on a brand's soul! The teacher cut straight to the core: Brand environments aren't stage sets—they must breathe the brand's DNA. Spaces that instantly "tell" who the brand is (like Nike stores making your feet itch to run, or Apple's minimalist voids) grow from its mission/vision.

We played with sensory alchemy:  

• Sight's just the door; smell, touch, sound are the real hooks. That garlic-clove installation (PPT: Follow the Scents) blew minds—carbon fiber tents leaking spice trails from farms to community centers, turning public space into "scent memory."  
• Interactive installs hit harder: SeeAsaw's ghost-net seesaws from PPT turned play into activism—swinging triggers wave motions that whisper about ocean pollution. Smarter than any poster.  

Great designs grow legs!Urban Bloom's parking-lot-turned-jungle used tire planters and concrete-crack vines—trash became the ultimate eco-statement. This week we tackle steps 1-2; 3D modeling waits for next phase.I used to pile pretty garbage on mood boards... Now I get it. Be like that garlic install—use one scent-thread to pull people into the brand's story.

These are some sketches that I drew：

Week 10:

This session outlined the final project: designing a hybrid retail space and creative installation lab. Key requirements: 

 

1. Spatial Parameters

   - Dimensions: 8m (W) × 23m (D) with 3-5m ceiling height (combined units)  

   - Mandatory zones: Main entrance, fire exit, reception; minimize physical partitions  

2. Core Design Elements  

   - Three Immersive Zones: Fully integrated into layout (e.g., ocean-themed room, brand narrative capsule)  

   - Artist Interaction Lab: Must enable creation, display, and user participation (e.g., Nike shoe-customization studio), linking to immersive zones 

Under Mr. Zeon's careful guidance, my sketches gradually took shape, and I was especially happy to see my design gradually improved, full of sense of accomplishment.Below are the three versions of my sketches that were gradually improved into the final version.

Week 11:

This session detailed the final project: an integrated retail space and creative installation lab. The site combines two units (8×23m, 3-5m ceiling height), requiring fire exits and minimal solid partitions for fluid circulation. Key mandates include embedding three immersive zones (e.g., an ocean-themed room) from user journeys; adding an artist lab (inspired by Nike’s live customization studios) physically/visually connected to these zones; and using bubble diagrams to map 10+ functional areas refined to 7 core zones, with pre-planned technical specs (e.g., projection scale, load capacity). Design must progress phase-first: floor plans precede detailed 3D modeling.  

The Dutch Innovation Dock case—embedding modern volumes within industrial ruins—resonated deeply. It revealed how technical rigor (fire codes, structural loads) and narrative creativity can coalesce: much like our artist lab’s linkage to immersive zones, using architectural gestures (e.g., reclaimed steel echoing sustainability) to weave brand ethos into spatial poetry.  

I also began to create my 3D model based on my sketches and combined with the content taught by the teacher in class：

Week 12:

This session revealed spatial design as an intricate dialogue between physical structure and human psychology. Beyond mere zoning, functional definition employs subtle interventions—split-level platforms, staggered walls—to demarcate public/private realms while preserving visual continuity. These "invisible boundaries" harmonize operational efficiency with experiential fluidity. 

 I once conflated "clear zoning" with compartmentalization. Now I perceive transcendent spaces as symphonies—public zones as allegro movements, intimate niches as adagios, with light and texture as unifying motifs. Designers are composers of experience; every detail holds emotional subtext. Consider the installation woven from discarded fishing nets: materiality voices sustainability, while its arcing form choreographs a narrative journey. True spatial poetry lies in veiling rational frameworks beneath sensory resonance. 

I have also gradually completed the modeling of my device. Of course, this was also made possible with the careful guidance of my teacher. Now, I am ready to start designing the model of my store.

This is two different store layouts that I designed using bubble diagrams.

Week 13:

This week focused on refining our final projects. I completed bubble diagrams, selecting the first layout for its immersive quality. Determining installation dimensions in floor plans was challenging but resolved with the teacher's guidance.  

Key suggestions included:  

1. Designing circulation to naturally guide users  

2. Using materials to imply functional zones  

3. Employing lighting for emotional transitions  

I found that dimensions are more than numbers - they shape experience. The 3.8m projection wall resulted from balancing visibility and immersion. Good design requires both precision and creativity.

This is my final bubble chart and the corresponding plan view.

Week 14:

In the final session, the instructor reviewed our store models, suggesting two critical additions: windows to enhance spatial lightness and storage cabinets for functionality. But the true revelation came when viewing exemplary past projects—their masterful UX diagrams, textured renders, and narrative-driven layouts drew collective gasps. I realized design transcends problem-solving; it’s about weaving brand stories through visual language.  

Now, the poster brief (A2 sheets demanding concept summaries, technical drawings, 3D visuals, etc.) transforms from a checklist to a personal manifesto. I’m committed to pouring more effort into this work, elevating the teacher’s advice on "adding windows" into a design ethos: crafting every detail as an invitation for users to converse with space.  

He also showed us the assignments of some of the best students and good seniors as a model, they really did a great job each of us was in awe when we saw it and I felt that I also had to give 200% effort to complete my assignments to get good grades.