The majority of today’s work involved forming insights based on our observations of Millennium Park, and then using various methods to recognize patterns within our data. For example, one observation might be that “People sit alone and read in the garden area of the park.” This would lead to an insight that “Some people prefer quiet solitude.”Once we had a long list of insights, we divided them up into clusters of ideas with similarities. This was interesting because it showed that many ideas are really variations on a few similar themes. My group had about 50 insights, and we were able to cluster them all into a few basic themes. Based on those primary themes, we came up with specific concepts on how these themes can be addressed to enhance visitor experiences in the park.
One of our insight themes was that the “international” theme of the park isn’t readily apparent to visitors. So, we looked for concepts that would enhance the visibility of that theme. We proposed ideas such as providing multi-lingual signage and brochures, having internationally-themed performances happening throughout the park at various times during each day, and perhaps (although this wasn’t my favorite idea) having several ethnic food stands located within the park. I especially liked the idea of highlighting the international quality of the architecture and sculpture that is already located throughout the park because this would neatly tie together the art and international themes.
After a day of working in groups organizing all our observations and insights, we traveled to The Second City for a workshop in improvisation. (I was having so much fun at the workshop, I completely forgot to take photos!) The Second City is an improv comedy school/club in Chicago that produced a variety of funny celebrities including John Belushi, Bill Murray, Mike Myers, Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert, and Tina Fey. The workshop was fun and informative.
We did a variety of interactive exercises that illustrated how what we say and how we say it can either empower people or shut them down as well as encourage or discourage collaboration and sharing. Just the difference between using the words “could” vs. “should” can have a big impact on how others perceive the message you’re trying to communicate. Fascinating. I’m going to try to get a workshop like this set up for the Publications team at FIDM.
