100 URBAN TRENDS - FINAL PROJECT - PART 1

Looking back through what research we already had and adding to it what we had discovered through developing GENPAL we began on what was a long day developing the next stage to our project. This was quite tough as a couple of us, myself included were quite keen on the previous project but understood that realistically we couldn't achieve what we set out to do in the timescale we had left. On the bus into uni that day I had read the Metro (something I never do!) and found some really quite sweet daily sections called 'Rush-hour crush' and 'Good deed feed'.

Our new concept began by relating what we had developed in the last project plan, with the good deed feed, and how technology could bring these together. Since Generation Y will be tech savvy when older. (We also discussed helping Gen Y with technology issues when older like printing meat out etc but came to the conclusion that as we already rely on technology to help us figure out how to use it, i.e. youtube, this might not be as big an issue for Gen Y as it is the the elderly generation now - moving on!). Also going back to wanting to encourage more face to face contact for the Gen Y in the future we decided to create these zones throughout cities that would be operated socially online initially to encourage people, old and young to get together within these zones to share some time with one another. Whether it be a quick 5 min chat to see how you are or to meet up and share the afternoon walking through an art gallery together.

Brainstorming names for the zones - Moan zone, Gener 8, Street meet, Gen zone, Generation Station, YZone, whYZone, O-Zones.

From sitting and sketching what we imagined these zones to look like we settled upon O-Zones as the letters in the name related well with how we imagined the zones and other elements of the project to develop. I'm making it sound like this was a breeze to come up with! I had my initial doubts and spoke with the group about whether we had just invented a nicer, modern day version of grinder! I felt quite unsettled about the project to begin with, perhaps because we had already realised an idea previously that I thought worked nicely. It felt really great to be able to openly talk to the others in my group and to realise that what we were doing was along the right track. To communicate our ideas face to face was integral to our development with these ideas. We initially began by using the facebook page, texting, telephone calls,meeting in person at the art school. Some days were difficult with some members of the group being part time and others living outside of Manchester. Skype was an extremely useful tool for when we could not meet in person but still needed to discuss aspect of our project.

Above - Sketchbook plans on what to create to get our project idea across and how to present it. Initial ideas on presenting all of our research was to print out facebook as one continuous scroll which would hang from the wall and go across the floor. Although an interesting way of looking at how a facebook page translates into print, we did not realise this idea as we thought the audience would not be able to read all of the information on there. To have the research printed on a fold out sheet attached to the wall or wrapped up, or to have it arranged in a timeline across the wall. This would have most likely gone all of the way around the room we were presenting on and so didn't settle on any of these ideas.