Companion Cube DIxD Honours Project Project Booklet By Jack Thakore Rodger Dedicated to Sam Lewis, who's laughter, joy and life gave us all the confidence and inspiration to just be ourselves. 2 3 Special thanks to my ever-loving and encouraging parents. Who have inspired, Foreword supported and talked sense into my ever frantic mind, everyday without fail. And let me stay in the house until the grand ol' age of 27. ❤ 4 5 Contents • Foreword • Acknowledgements • Introduction • Design Process - Discover - Define - Develop - Deliver • Critical Reflections • Advice for Future Years • Final Note the throwdown’ 6 7 University Aiden Johnstone, Alex Binyon, Wiktoria, Anne, Acknowledgements Companions McCubbin, Elliot Cansfield, In no special order, a heartfelt thanks to everyone who have Ethan Hunt, Jamie Carlyle, helped make my entire university journey so memorable. Matthew Ross, Anna Holly Walker, Lachlan Mitchelmore, Jodie Musset, Kerri Graham, Liam Sinclair, Beth Shannon, Izzat, Matthew Milroy, Lois 欄 Gurus Rory Houlihan, Chris Blair, Glithero, Patrick Bourne, - Tiernan Haugh Summer Jade, Malcom Robert Brough, Rachel Blair, - Patrick Stevenson-Keating Bradley, Calum Orr, Angus Dan Sayer, Charlie Kleobe - Rachel Farquharson Stevenson, Lucy Carrie, Rogers, Craig Reoch, Lauren Staff - Neil Dawson Ishbell Dickson, Gareth Donachie, Charlie Johnstone, - Andy Ross McMurchy, Katie Mckinlay, Jessie Delatoucsche, Oscar - Dr Andrew Cook - Craig Lamb Emily White, Madeleine Van Cripwell, Stefanie Chant, - Dr Paul Gault Dam, Lydia Perrin, Cory Paula Shalke, Emily Millar, - Ewan Steel Research West, Berdan Kaplan, Jade Alana Spence, Claire Hartley, - Martin Skelly Participants Chau, Jack Fletcher, Calum Belle Manning, Connor - Gary Kennedy Laird, Christy Tukalo, Eilidh Finlay, Naomi McGuire, - Martin Skelly - Chika Inatimi Macleod, Sammy Corbett, Sofie Tait, Daniella Levins, - Professor Graham Pullin - Tom Inns Laura Ewen, Kelda Young, Ruaridh Wood, Patrick - Rachel Menzies - Rodney Mountain Owen Pyles, Finlay Grant, Heger, Lindsey Walker, - Jason Nelson - Sandy Kennedy Finn Rush Taylor, Mina Freya Macleod, Helen Stout, - Metal work Jason - Annie Hosie Curran, Chi Vo, Ellie Jane, Kirk McGrady, Lucy Dickie, - Robert Jackson - Barrie Pullar Ewan Watt, Carys Please, Peter Carluke, Charlotte - Canteen Alison - Holly Stansfield Ben Akkari, Zoe Gibson, Kate Baillie, Seona Mackay, Big - Gwyneth Stewart Harvey, Blair Boyle, Lauren -D, Dervla-duncan-Cox, Donachie, Grant Milne, Fin- Jamie McGregor, Daniella Alumni Test Dummies tams-Gray, Kellie Laonnou, Mendes, Kate Bruce, Pablo - Arooj Alim - Jamie Brown Anna Simpson, Natasha Boy, Rodriguez, Kerina Nepali, - Julie Cumming - Amy Bryson Mhairi Cook, Sophie Gibb, Adam Koval, Richy Lettice, - Jenna Maudlin - Annie & Lily Hosie Rachel Fleming, Suki-Suki Ife, Laura Porteous, Elaine - Chris Wesley - Adam & Dean Stewart Tenbucki, Yiwen Jin, Jignyi Simpson, Jordan Remy - Callum Laird - Lucy Carrie Zhang, Kit Dickson, Peter O’Brien, Molly Nicolson, Ross - Cara Pirie - Ishbell Dickson Bentley, Kieran Rutherford, Young, Deanne Small, John - Kirsten Mae - Julie Thakore Rodger Russel Craig, Dave Garrow, Millar, Megan Baxter, Niamh - Shobhan Thakore Glen Craig, Andrew Arthur, Browllie and more. 8 9 Introduction About the Designer Am I meant to write this is Jack Thakore Rodger is an first or third person? Interaction Designer based in Dundee, Scotland. Curated from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, Okay back to normal tense. Jack has a previous career in construction, which he was surprised to find has a lot of Let’s try the third. similarities with design Core Values Aspirations - makes sense really. Be curious and ask stupid Continually learn and gain He enjoys design that questions. experiences. sparks wonder, curiosity and conversation through Any any chance push Help pioneer the industry meaningful experiences that yourself into the unknown or into its next phase. can connect people together. uncomfortable. Get in touch ✍ Become a Design Leader/ Most of all, Jack likes Help inspire others Educator. [email protected] colourful walls and looking twitter/insta: @jtr-ixd mildy uncomfortable getting "Enjoy yourself, its lighter Eventually give back to www.jtr-ixd.com his photo took. than you think" - SC Dundee/ Scotland. 10 11 Are you sitting comfortably? 12 13 Let’s begin. 14 15 Design Process Welcome, to Jurassic Park. No, not really - obviously. But this is my behemoth of a design process. I found Miro a great way to track progress, refer to research, share with others and stay on the bus. Click here if you’d like to take a donder through... 16 17 Discovery The Idea The Approach Growing up I experienced I coined the phrase: and noticed a particular trend in how us Scots often “The eyebrows that get tend to tear each other raised at anyone who dares Gonzo Research down, instead of build each to be different” This was very much an other up. Dr Cook said this happy accident. I had always was an excellent starting tied loosely with wanted to paint my nails, and point and off I went. as I was getting the paint “Is it, shite being Scottish?” applied to Anna I thought And literally just started “fuck this would work really chatting to people. well for my research”. - Worked a treat. Pink to make the boys? A more, boots on the ground, undercover, first hand account of checking if my bias was right... 18 19 Nail Comments “Jack I love them!” “I’m sorry mate but what the fuck is that on your hands?” “Like you turning Gay?” “Nothing against your nails girlfriend” “Nice nails sistaa!” “He should never have painted his nails?” “NICE nails Dude!” So what’s going on with “YOU GAY?” the whole nail situation? “You going for the whole metro-sexual look?” “MATE WHAT ARE YOU WEARING ON YOUR HANDS?” I guess you could say my bias was confirmed - and that my friends are pricks. 20 21 Secondary Research The thinker of “the eye brows that get raised at someone who Tender thoughts dares to be different” By Sheil Silvertsein Peoples eyebrows would in fact raise and instantly I re-discovered this relate, as a result. illustration quite early on during some secondary Conversations would flow research. naturally onto anecdotes and opinions of times the I found the illustration individuals had experienced incredibly powerful. It such a moment. highlights the precise issue I was exploring. This connection purely from passing conversation It is raw, depressing, and provided a great drive for completely relatable. this project. Living in fear of judgement Sheil’s illustration just about of others is something that brought me to tears in the we all have suffered from library. It is layered with greatly whether its growing detail and something I up or later in our adult life. decided I wanted to explore We are constantly doubting more later in my research. ourselves. Its such a common issue that whenever I would quote: Why do you think he leaves a single flower? 22 23 Primary Research Rodney Mountain understanding of your core Kicking things off with a values and strengths. series of 1:1 semi structured interviews, we had Rodney I liked the imagery and Mountain, a South African symbolism this provided. - BFG. Rodney shared interest into my project To me a corner represented after discussing it at my ear strength in its structure, appointment. safety in its the protection it provides and the opportunity Rodney experience moving for growth by being a here in the 70’s as a Junior foundation. Doctor shed light on the fact of whether this I took inspiration for this was a Scottish issue or later in my cultural probes, international issue. and ultimately this first conversation ended up He shared anecdotes of becoming the crucial first trend setting by removing domino in my process. doctors ties and talked more personal mantras. I remember later down the line opening up a random One of which stood out, booklet in the studio and was his belief Radio 1 DJ discovering that Rodney was Zane Lows “Build your own a commonly featured Guru corner” mantra. Exposing within DJCAD. that to build confidence you must first develop an “Fucking right”. I thought. 24 25 Tom Inns Tom inns, a well respected Design Consultant, educated me on Scotland’s lack of diversity and how its monoculture can lead to small mindedness. Tom shared a personal anecdote about only ever feeling English when he moved to Scotland. Highlighting the contrast in different cultures. 26 27 Annie Hosie On a much more ground level about diversity leading to basis, Annie managed to confidence and acceptance, reinforce Toms theories and when sharing her personal suggestions. experience moving from school to college. She amplified the thought 28 29 Chika Inatimi An incredible hour long conversation with quite possibly the most selfless man on the planet. Chika Inatimi, a man dedicated to facilitating others hopes and dreams, shared deep insights into the history of Scottish Culture and particularly Dundee’s part in it. He offered fantastic perspective in the issues regarding people being held back structurally and how we’re all dreamers. ⤴ 30 31 Sandy Kennedy history of pioneers. Tom linked me with One particular story Sandy Kennedy, CEO of stood out, when he noted Entrepreneurial Scotland. about Edinburgh's famous alleyways were designed in Sandy graciously gave me a such a way that you would 30 mins of his time to prod often get engineers, medics his perplexed brain on the and scientists bumping and issue. brushing shoulders with each other. He provided me with a deep historic insight into Scotland Excellent for innovation. 32 33 Infinite Insights Channelling my inner Xzibit ... of insights. and put my affinity maps insights into one large collective affinity map... Insights 34 35 Cultural Probes Better late, than never. Late December I issued out cultural probes packs. These were heavily inspired by “A Presence Project”, and I was in the search for ‘rich-textured fragments’ of human life.