LAR 579 HUULS | Spring 2013

Edric Jazmin, Jermanie Jones, and Junyan Zhou

Tuesday February, 12 2013
THERE AND BACK AGAIN|A Covert Observation of Talley Student Center
FINDINGS
Talley Student Center ofers a variety
of services to the users at NC State
University. Mostly, the student center
ofers places to eat as well as meeting
spaces inside the building. The space
we focused on in our previous feld
assignment was not a heavily used site for
gathering. More so, it was a transitional
space to get from Talley to Carmichael,
or any other place on campus.
Students were more likely to go to Talley
Student Center during the evening because
of the food choices. Some students do
not go to Talley at all, not because they
do not like the food, but they do not live
on campus and it is inconvenient for them
to go to Talley at all.
Through the tools of mental mapping,
we discovered that students associated
Talley with places to eat, sit, and meet.
The participants associated Talley with
the change in materials on site. More so,
they saw Talley as an elevation, noting the
diferent materials as he uses the site.
Several of the drawings are drawn in an
aerial view, with the participants taking
note of places that were favorable and
unfavorable. They also took note of the
diferent pathways they goes when they
pass by Talley.
Most students preferred to take the Bus
when they go to Talley. A majority of the
students interviewed did not live within
close proximity, and therefore would only
walk if necessary.
...[I go to Talley] every other day. For
the subs, theyre the bomb.
...[I go to Talley] everyday. I eat
Wolfpack Subs and Wolves Den for dinner
sometimes. I use the late night plan.
...I dont have a meal plan anymore, and
I dont have any other reasons to into
Talley...I dont live on campus anymore
so Im not generally in the area to go to
Taco Bell or Freshens...
...I typically walk through it in a hurry to
get to the gym from northeast campus,
and sometimes (very rarely)I will grab
some food from Taco Bell to eat quickly
before a class.
DISCUSSION
Talley Student Center accommodates
places to eat, places to gather, and
places to sit. While the entry space
outside Carmichael Gym serves as an
efective transition space, the interior
of the building is where most activities
take place. However, Talley does provide
outdoor seating located near quiet areas
where people may eat and socialize.
We conclude that Talley is used more by
users who live on-campus than by users
who live of-campus. Users who live on-
campus are within 15 minutes or less of
Talley Student Center.
Through mental mapping and interviews,
we were able to learn more about peoples
perception of the environment and the
hidden decisions they make every day.
METHODOLOGY
Through the graphic research method of
mental mapping, maps were completed
by fellow peers and classmates. The
following questions were asked:
Can you make me a drawing of how
you approach and perceive Talley
Student Center?
Can you point out an interesting or
favorite spot near Talley Student
Center?
What are the most memorable things
about the site?
The following maps were assessed not
on their skill level, but on what they drew
and how they perceived the site. An 11 x
17 size sheet of paper was given to the
participants to make the maps (N=18).
The interview process consisted of asking
students who use the site how often they
visit Talley, the time of day, number of
people accompanying them, and the spot
they found favorable (N=18).
RESEARCH AIM
Based on the previous assignment, we
found that the space between Talley Student
Center and Carmichael Gym was used as
a transition space and not necessarily as a
gathering space. While we did notice that
the space was efective in providing safe and
efcient passageways to and from buildings,
we wanted to know more about peoples
decisions on why they choose specifc
pathways.
The aim of this feld assignment was to assess
the use of space between Talley Student
Center and Carmicahel Gym based on the
users intentions and motives. In addition, we
wanted to observe the entrance patterns and
desriable areas.
How do the users feel about the exterior
space just outside of Talley Student
Center?
Did any physical attributes of the site
afect the users intentions in a positive
or negative manner?
What afordances do the interior and
exterior of the site provide?
Figure 3. A compilation of several mental maps done by students.
Figure 4. A map showing favorable spots marked by students.
LOCATION
The same site was chosen as it was in feld
assignment one. The site is located in Raleigh,
North Carolina at NC State University. Tally
Student Center is located on Cates Avenue,
across Carmichael Gym.
Figure 2. Talley in relation to NC State.
Figure 1. NC State in relation to Raleigh, N.C.
East Entrance Favorite Places
South Entrance
Figure 5. South Entrance to Talley. Figure 6. Talley Center from the south. Figure 7. Outdoor seating on the south side.
Figure 9. Northeast side of Talley. Figure 8. Talley from Cates Avenue.
N
Figure 14. The percentage of users that go
to Talley during diferent times of day.
8%
31%
61%
Time of Day going to Talley
Morning
Afternoon
Evening
Figure 10. The percentage of users that visit
Talley on a daily basis.
62%
38%
Frequent Visitors to Talley Center
Yes
No
14%
28% 58%
Favorite Places Mentioned at Talley
South Entrance
East Entrance
Outdoor Seating
Figure 11. The percentage of favorable places
that were mentioned in the interviews.
Figure 12. The percentage of users that walk
or take a motorized vehicle to Talley.
Figure 13. The percentage of users who live
within a certain proximity of Talley.
63% 24%
13%
Pecentage of People who live in
Proximity to Talley
within 5 minutes
within 15 minutes
greater than 30
minutes
38%
62%
Transoportation to Talley
Motorized
Nonmotorized