Investigating Qualitative Methodologies in Lighting Design: A proposal for studying the human experience and practice as a new integrated qualitative approach to evaluate lighting design
Translated title
Investigating Qualitative Methodologies in Lighting Design
Author
Balboni, Alice
Term
4. Term
Education
Publication year
2018
Submitted on
2018-05-31
Pages
150
Abstract
Dette speciale undersøger, hvordan menneskecentrerede kvalitative metoder kan supplere tekniske og kvantitative vurderinger i lysdesign. Udgangspunktet er, at målinger og simuleringer alene ikke kan indfange brugernes oplevelser, følelser og praksisser i de miljøer, hvor lys faktisk anvendes. Specialet stiller derfor spørgsmålet: Hvordan kan designere systematisk studere menneskelig erfaring og brug af lys for at opnå en mere nuanceret evaluering af eksisterende lysdesign? For at besvare dette gennemgår forfatteren antropologisk forankrede kvalitative metoder, herunder deskriptive observationer, etnografiske interviews samt visuelle og deltagende tilgange som video-walking-interviews, visuelle opgaver og kortlægning af flow med video. På baggrund af denne gennemgang foreslås en integreret kvalitativ evalueringsramme, som afprøves i to casestudier (en universitetslobby og et stille læserum) for at undersøge metodernes anvendelighed og hvilke indsigter de åbner for i designernes evalueringsarbejde. Afslutningsvis vurderes metoderne fra en lysdesigners perspektiv, herunder en rating og en diskussion af fordele og ulemper, med det formål at udvide værktøjskassen og støtte mere menneskecentrerede beslutninger i lysdesign.
This thesis explores how human-centered qualitative methods can complement technical and quantitative assessments in lighting design. It starts from the premise that measurements and simulations alone cannot capture users’ experiences, emotions, and practices in the environments where light is actually used. The central question is how designers can systematically study human experience and everyday use to produce richer evaluations of existing lighting designs. To address this, the thesis reviews anthropologically informed qualitative methodologies, including descriptive observations, ethnographic interviewing, and visual/participatory approaches such as video walking interviews, visual tasks, and mapping of flows with video. Building on this review, it proposes an integrated qualitative evaluation framework and implements selected methods in two case studies (a university lobby and a silent study room) to examine practical applicability and the kinds of insights they open up for designers. Finally, it assesses the methods from a lighting designer’s perspective, including a rating and discussion of advantages and disadvantages, aiming to expand the evaluation toolbox and support more human-centered design decisions.
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