An Approach: Part II
Author
Adrienne Allaert & Jesse Graden
“The idea is the whole thing. If you stay true to the idea, it tells you everything you need to know, really. You just keep working to make it look like that idea looked, feel like it felt, sound like it sounded, and be the way it was. And it’s weird, because when you veer off, you sort of know it. You know when you’re doing something that is not correct, because it feels incorrect. It says, ‘No, no; this isn’t like the idea said it was.’ And when you’re getting into it the correct way, it feels correct. It’s an intuition: You feel-think your way through. You start one place, and as you go, it is more and more finely tuned. But all along it’s the idea talking. At some point, it feels correct to you. And you hope that it feels somewhat correct to others.” - David Lynch
But how do you come to the idea in the first place? We try to use a sequence of steps—what we sometimes call “Discovery”—to help us get at the idea. To be clear, the idea is not “ours.” It is the idea that is appropriate, given all the inputs, the clients, the requirements, the limitations. It is the idea that is self-evident, and makes everyone say “Of course!”
However, we recognize that even the most abstract and open-ended processes need some structure to keep things moving forward. Here, in Part II of our two-part series, we share our Discovery outline. This is the scaffold on which all these abstractions can hang to form a space and an experience.
1 Why
The Narrative: When we listen and discover
When we start a project, the first thing we like to address is “the why”. Why are we doing this at all? What is important and relevant about this specific place? Why now? By stepping back and really looking at the desires for the project, we are able to address a very broad definition of the needs and be open to a range of possibilities that might not have otherwise been visible or viable.
When we feel we have answered “the why” in the best way we can, and feel over-saturated with all the fantastic content from all our partners and community members, we summarize it with a Project Narrative. This is a statement of goals lifted directly from all the stories we heard but recontextualized into a coherent objective. This will resonate and be agreed upon by all interested parties and will be our guidepost for the rest of the project.
2 What
The Messaging: When we strategize and inspire
Here, we go into analysis mode and get tactical. What are we trying to say, and with whom are we speaking?
Using the information already gathered as our guide, we dive deep into the richest parts of the project and mine the most salient bits of information to bring depth, interest, and meaning. This is a very targeted approach, building toward specific solutions and experiences.
In some projects that have dealt with a complex program and a variety of user groups, we found it helpful to create personas that exemplify specific users: guests, mothers, visitors, employees, children, regulars, newcomers…anyone who might be encountering the space. We then go through the exercise of understanding their specific experience, from the time they arrive on site, to when they walk through the door, and so on, even to their return home reflecting upon their visit. What do they see when they arrive? How easy is it to find their way? What unexpected and delightful things do they encounter? What if they are thirsty or have an old piece of gum they need to throw away? Where is the best place to check their teeth before they go out? As we layer these potential experience paths, we end up with a kind of heat map that indicates likely places for specific elements, views, or voids. We are also able to confirm that we have built in experiences that speak directly to the specific users, making sure everyone has a place.
3 How
The Experience: Making things real
This point in the process is when it really starts to look like something. We take all of the information we gathered and distilled, and we use it to create something new. We craft moments, what we call “key experiences”, that articulate the project narrative, and we link them throughout the space to form the new story. The voice of the project is amplified so that all guests, staff, and visitors can hear it clearly. We make conceptual layouts and a lookbook to represent the narrative, hierarchy of, and relationship between project elements. The feel of the project also becomes evident here—we address the intangibles that support the ethos and provide the emotional backdrop.
4 Summary
The Script: Proceeding with direction
At the end of Discovery, a full story with players, scenery, and narrative arc all come into focus. It will be clear what we are doing, why we are doing it, and how we are going to get there. This Script will be the source material for all design and development, ultimately making all subsequent decisions easier, and will manifest enthusiasm, cohesion, and intentionality throughout all elements and scales.
The deliberate naming of this series on exploration, “An Approach,” is just that—an approach. It is how we, two designers at Scott Edwards Architecture, approach our work and layer meaning and experience into the places that we help create. We believe there are infinite paths to creating good work and having that work feel meaningful, and this is one we have tried and found successful. We will often revisit the process, checking in, confirming that it still serves us and our clients. This is why it is called a practice, perhaps; it will not be perfect, and will continue to evolve. We share this in an attempt to open up a conversation, internal and external, and to share our excitement and enthusiasm for the work that we do.
Let’s make something.
