Christina Gotuaco

Master's thesis project by Christina Gotuaco To read the full document, please visit: http://issuu.com/otuaco The purpose of the research behind this creative work was to visualize the collective moving resources and patterns of individuals over time by quantifying aspects of moves made over their lifetimes and to understand the role furniture played in a variety of individuals’ moving experiences. Frequency of moves was often higher than respondents had anticipated as they reflected back on their experiences, suggesting that this life event is an under-analyzed aspect of human behavior. Through this research, underlying problems and disincentives in moving furniture were made visible and led to the development of guiding ideas for furniture joinery systems that facilitate the disassembly and reassembly process, minimizing frustration and improving options for individuals on the move. [Images adapted from IKEA, West Elm, Legaré, and ULINE furniture assembly instructions.]
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[Small scale] Infographic of the frequency of residential moves made by members of our year's graduate cohort. Among the four of us, seven moves were made from one residence to another over the course of 22 months.
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[Medium scale] Eighteen individuals were interviewed as part of this creative work project. The personal interviews conducted covered all of the times the individuals moved after turning 15, how they moved into each new place, what furniture they were using at each place they lived, where it came from, and what they did with it. The choice of 15 as the starting age was to allow for a focus on moves initiated independently by the individual (rather than, for example, childhood moves initiated by parents), and in which individuals were more consciously aware of their experiences, potentially acquiring or transporting their own furniture and belongings, conducting their own search, and making their own decisions. Interviews lasted approximately one to three hours each, depending on the number of moves an individual made in their lifetime and the information they could recall and share from each experience.
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[Large scale] In order to obtain additional data, a supplemental online survey was distributed to capture a wider audience of people through more directed questions about their moving experiences. Data collection from the survey was compiled through an online form. The survey took approximately 30 to 45 minutes to complete and asked people to submit information on a number of topics related to their own experiences with furniture and moving. The bar heights on this graph represent the ages of each individual survey respondent. The black circles are the ages at which they moved after turning 15. Circle sizes indicate the number of moves they made at that age. The observations are ordered by each individual’s calculated annual moving rate, lowest to highest from left to right.
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One survey question asked individuals about the resources they used to move, and approximately how many times they had used that resource, if they moved multiple times. Ordered by most frequent use among survey respondents: • 1) Personal vehicle (or parent’s) • 2) Friend or relative’s vehicle • 3) Rented vehicle • 4) Plane or boat • 5) Shipped belongings • 6) Professional moving company • 7) Taxi, bus, or train • 8) Walked Many people relied on personal or borrowed vehicles to move, rather than using professional movers. This may have been due to the younger median age of the group who filled out the surveys, but of the 60 individuals and among all their moving experiences, a significant majority moved to their new homes by personal vehicle at least three or more times. The numbers were also high for borrowed vehicles – whether from friends, family, or U-Haul.
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The experiences shared within the 18 interviews provided strong guidance in the choice of topics and formulation of questions for the online survey. Several versions of the online survey were tested before the final distribution to ensure opportunities had been incorporated for respondents to provide both quantitative and qualitative feedback through various multiple choice and open-ended questions, as appropriate per topic. Among the responses provided as part of the open-ended questions in the online survey, the comments and stories people shared fell mainly into three categories (assembling furniture, moving things, and discarded items). Some comments also mentioned structural elements people liked in their furniture and those were also categorized, in order to better directly inform the furniture joinery guiding ideas.
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Many of the comments and anecdotes shared by individuals in the surveys and interviews were used to inspire and support the guiding ideas ultimately established as part of this creative work project.
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Current published literature about moving is mainly limited to guidebooks and checklists for movers, dated reference manuals about moving to specific cities, and books on employee relocation, moving psychology, and macro-level economics. Where moving relates to furniture, there is much more room for improved resources that address the connection between furniture design and the moving experience. Unlike in product design, in the fields of architecture and urban planning, design guidelines abound - from those based on specific sites, to those for certain environmental types, municipalities, regions, and beyond. Several of these design guidelines provide useful examples of structure or applicable concepts in the formation of research-based furniture design guidelines. Furniture manufacturers and designers can benefit from analyzed data to improve the furniture options available to frequent movers and others who could well-utilize furniture that is easily disassembled and reassembled.
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The underlying goal of this thesis is to improve the furniture options available to frequent movers and those who need furniture that they can disassemble and reassemble as they move it from place to place with limited resources, whether their constraints are manpower, strength, money, or time. By providing a tool to furniture designers in the form of guiding ideas for furniture joinery, a larger audience can be reached, and the improvements in furniture assembly methods will have a more widespread impact on improving the collective experience of moving. Through the thoughtful design of furniture joinery, end users can be empowered in important ways: • Increased options • Reduced fear of making mistakes • Reduced frustration
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(1 of 2) One important lesson uncovered during the review of literature in the field of existing guidelines was the importance of simplicity and accessibility of any guidance/reference documents. In order to make the Guiding Ideas visible to a wider audience, a small, convertible booklet + poster was created to allow for easy distribution and utilization of the Guiding Ideas.
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(2 of 2) The three overarching themes are Structure, Process, and Cost, which together combine to form the basis of a human-centric furniture joinery system. Structural considerations fall into three categories: Durability, Stability, and Integration. Process considerations fall into another three categories: Intuitiveness, Inclusivity, and Organization. And finally, Cost considerations fall into three types: Time, Mental, and Economic. For more information please download the flyer from otuaco.wix.com/thesis, or read Chapter 5: Presentation of Outcomes from the publication posted at issuu.com/otuaco. Print versions of the completed thesis book are available through lulu.com.
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A basic website was also established to present the Guiding Ideas both as a whole and further detailed by category. Online access, in combination with their availability in printed form, opens the Guiding Ideas to a wider audience for increased access and utilization.
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