You And My Door

A community project developed around a product: the door printer

 

A community notice board, a newsagent window, a lamppost, a bin, an alley, a drunk in an alley, old furniture all aids in communicating the 'identity' of a community. My aim was, through research, to discover more about the local community. This enabled me to design a solution which addressed needs found in the user group.

 

This project focused on the social aspect of products and thus comes under sociology and the way people relate to one another through products.

 

My brief was set as enhancing communication in a community. With communication defined as conveying information this required me to understand what information is conveyed in the community, why, and by what means.

This was done by actively participating in community events and working with the locals and carrying out research based on the local community and how the majority of users communicate.

 

Since its creation the front door has been a space for leaving messages. I wanted to further this idea by creating a virtual address for the front door.

 

This virtual address takes two forms:
1.Your mail is known through a mail address so it was logical to have e-mail addresses corresponding to real addresses.
This has value as a full network of real addresses already exists.
2. An email printer on or next to your front door to enable a new form of local messaging between often non-communicative neighbours.