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Fall 2023 Climate Survey

A climate survey was conducted in Fall 2023 by myself to the general student population. The survey honed in on how students used AHG, and what ways they may see themself using AHG as a space in the future. This survey helped target efforts for prototypes and helped influence the vision plan.

As part of the Vision Plan, select summarized results are p
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65 design undergraduates filled out the climate survey.
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Of those 65 students,
17 identified as first year
18 identified as second year
15 identified as third year
14 identified as fourth year

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RESEARCH

The Look and Feel
of Design

Every majors has that “look”–and their space is their first impression.
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The space that one inhabits is a reflection of one's work and what one does. For example, think of your room at home. Perhaps you have photos, artwork, or decor hanging in your room. All of that was intentionally curated by you. That look and feel exhibits you and your tastes. The same idea can be translated to a specific space. Take the ART building at UT Austin, for example. When you walk around the space, you encounter poster-filled walls, labs, and studio spaces. These elements scream like an artist uses this space. Looking at EER, the Engineering Education and Research building, their building is masterfully engineered and has spaces that have truth to the materials. When you walk into any of these spaces, perhaps you don’t know who occupies them. But, the space is the body language of who occupies them. By understanding the look and feeling that the Design Department should portray, AHG can be enabled to be a space that every design student can call home. 

wkrm's findings

When conducting its initial research, wkrm discovered several key data points related to the design of the space:
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The space doesn’t have a strong personality.Upon entering, visitors do not get a distinct impression of the space or its main purpose. Similar to individuals, spaces can have their personalities. For example, the EER has a distinctive character due to its well-designed architecture and its reputation as a suitable study area for non-engineering students. This is mainly because of the availability of resources such as nearby coffee shops, electrical outlets, and a pleasant atmosphere.


AHG looks, feels, and sounds like STEM.Many people, especially non-design majors, perceive AHG as a space dedicated to STEM subjects. Some even believe it is exclusively for engineering majors. While Design can be considered a STEM-related major, what sets it apart from engineering? What are the differences between these two majors?
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AHG doesn’t look comfortable (hard lines, edges, surfaces).The furniture in AHG is designed to promote productivity rather than lounging. However, the lack of options for relaxation may discourage people from staying in AHG for extended periods.
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People who aren’t in design can’t tell that AHG is for Design.As mentioned earlier, visitors surveyed believed that the Design side of AHG was primarily for engineering students, and indeed, most people working in AHG were engineering students. What distinguishes Design from engineering majors? And how can that distinction be reflected in the environment of the Design Department?
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Our signs and message are outdated making it look like we don’t care about the space.The wkrm team discovered signage that included contact information for faculty members who were no longer employed by the university. This raises the question of who is responsible for maintaining the space and what the service schedule is for addressing issues like this.


Students feel policed and patronized in the space.Throughout the semester, the wkrm team observed an increasing number of study rooms and spaces intended for students being locked and transformed into areas exclusively for “faculty and staff only”. This raises the question of whether students are allowed in these spaces and what the underlying reasons are for denying them access to resources specifically designed for them.
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There is no example of what quality work looks likeThe wkrm team noticed empty pinboards and uncurated work. Occasionally, work would be left up for weeks or even months without proper regulation. Despite students producing exceptional work within their classes, there seems to be little desire or motivation to display it.

The Problem Is

In the climate survey, students were asked to think back to the first time they walked into AHG, and summarize that feeling with one word.

Their responses were then put into the below word cloud. In the image, the bigger the word, the more responses it received on the survey:

As a follow-up, students were then asked to elaborate on why that was their selected word, and discuss their general feelings towards that first impression. Below are some of the abbreviated quotes from students and their chosen word:

The first time I stepped in AHG was during a tour of SDCT after I had been admitted.

I had already committed, but after seeing the design spaces, especially AHG,

I knew had made the right decision.

~Second year, first gen student
Chosen word: awe

No clear indicators of where things were (signage, help desk, etc.)

The inside is also somewhat, barren, (it looks unfinished. I also think it was under construction)

which made me question if I was in the right place.

~Third year design student
Chosen word: Confused

Considering Design's "Look"

In the climate survey, students were asked if they’d be willing to continue the conversation. In our conversation, I asked:
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- What does your AHG routine look like?
- What do you think about displaying work in AHG?
- What do you dislike and like about AHG?

In conversation with students, they all stressed the importance of being able to see their peer’s work and be able to not only gaze and understand it, but to help them make decisions about the courses they may opt to take in the future.
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Kenny (C/O ‘25) discussed his thoughts about submitting his work for display and curation:

“I’m too lazy and never get around to it...

I also wonder, ‘is this cringe?’”

He also agreed that having professors submit their archives to administration for curation and display would alleviate this hurdle, but acknowledged the notion of permission and gaining consent from end users about having their work and information on display.
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Aubin (C/O ‘27) is a first year design student. Being in AHG on Mondays and Thursdays means she usually spends a lot of time in the space. She discussed one of her reasons to stay in AHG is to linger and look at what’s happening. Her reservations for submitting work was that some of her work was not polished enough, which led to her having doubts about if her work was good enough for display. She also emphasized that the submission process should be clear and concise, and communicated to the community clearly and effectively, and probed the idea of having a weekly newsletter to communicate information and showcase student work.
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The lack of student work in the current state of AHG led to three key thesis points that helped influenced the revised plan for displaying work in AHG:

There isn’t a protocol for display.

All things on the pinboards are student or faculty initiated. There isn’t one person who regulates what goes up or off of the board(s), which leads to confusion if the boards can be used, if at all. If an established norm was in place with clear communication and appropriate environmental cues, the amount of work showcased may increase.

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There isn’t any student work repository.

As mentioned, all work that is displayed is either student or faculty initiated. Research showed that faculty have hesitation instead of motivation to show work, and students are either too busy (or lazy) and lack confidence to submit it. Additionally, there isn’t any specific place to submit it that is simple, straightforward, and easy to access. By enabling a central place to submit it that dedicated staff can access and use to help curate work, it may lead to a better display culture within AHG.

This is partly being addressed by Taylor Mason, who is designing a digital archive that the design community and prospective students can use to view student work. The end goal is to unite both the physical space and display of work with this system.

There isn’t anyone to do it.
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There is not one dedicated staff member to help curate and reset AHG. Instead, tasks fall on other staff members delegated to other responsibilities. By implementing a student worker or part time position that’s main focus is to implement a display culture, among other things, would be essential to ensuring that work is curated and rotated out.

AHG, a shared and
unique space

One area that arose in both wkrm and the climate survey was one of navigation. How was one to navigate the space, and know where locations and resources are? AHG is also a shared space that has resources that design students can and can't use. Yet, there is a lack of clear and constant communication about what resources are available.

By helping establish the "look and feel" of design through a combo of display of work, and also emphasizing wayfinding, creating AHG to be a more efficient and welcoming space would aid in making it a space for all to call home.

The Student Vision for
Anna Hiss Gym

Designed by Zac DeLane, with assistance from the Spring 2022 wkrm Team