Interview Summaries

I have posted the summary of relevant answers or insights from the interviews.

Name: Michael Wang
Age: 25
Number of Siblings: 0
City/Province: Canton, ZhuHai
Marital Status: Single
Social Class: Middle
Years in N.Z: 4 .5 years
Been back to china often, recently: 2 times 2004,2006
N.Z Accommodation: House
Accommodation in china: Apartment
If apartments/high rise: what level? 4

Name: Kevin Ren
Age: 24
Number of Siblings: 0
City/Province: Canton
Marital Status: Single
Social Class: Middle class
Years in N.Z: 4
Been back to china often, recently: every year
N.Z Accommodation: Apartment
If apartments/hostels: what level? 2nd
Accommodation in china: Apartment
If apartments/high rise: what level? 19th

Name: Marko Shi
Age: 24
Number of Sibling(s): 1
City/Province: ShenZhen
Marital Status: Single
Social Class: middle class
Years in N.Z: 6
Been back to china often, recently: every year
N.Z Accommodation: House
Accommodation in china: Apartment
If apartments/high rise: what level? 3



Name: Kent Gao
Age: 31
Number of Siblings: 1
City/Province: SunDe
Marital Status: Married
Social Class: lower middle class
Years in N.Z: 4.5years
Been back to china often, recently: 2007
N.Z Accommodation: House
Accommodation in china: Apartment
If apartments/high rise: what level? 4

Name: Kailin Huang
Age: 22
Number of Siblings: 0
City/Province: ShiChuan, ChengDu
Marital Status: Single
Social Class: Middle Class
Years in N.Z: 4.5years
Been back to china often, recently: 3 times
N.Z Accommodation: House
Accommodation in china: Apartment
If apartments/high rise: what level? 4 and 6 (2 apartments)

Summary:

• N.Z has great views – green, garden everywhere, park everywhere, we have gardens in china but not very good.



• N.Z Air is clean, not polluted like Guangzhou, you can't see the sky.



• You can see stars in china but not as clear as New Zealand.



• Most people likes nature rather than man made buildings.



• Interior walls are mostly white.



• Windows are generally closed, because it gets really dusty.



• Most apartment are not open planned.



• Most curtains and blinds are closed because neighbouring apartments are too close; no privacy, no view and for security reasons.



• Usually 3 people live in a apartment.



• Good views from apartment are expensive.



• Having a beautiful scenery can help them relax, feel more comfortable; or more of a lifestyle than just living.

Product Proposal

“looking out is not just about living, it’s a lifestyle.”

From the Secondary Research that the Designers and I have done from the start of the project, a theme began to emerge from the images that were collated. Most if not all apartment shots which has a Window insight either had the curtains drawn or the view was just shocking. Because of the way most of the apartments are raised, every window that you look out is towards another building, with a view of your neighbors kitchen, toilet, living room, Air Condition units, Railings...everything but beautiful, calming views.

This led to further secondary and primary research into Chinese people's living habits and lifestyles. After interviewing a group of people I came to a conclusion that, if people have a great view to look at, it would enhance their environment and create a better living space. Apartment with good views are expensive, but if you can manipulate your surroundings, it is cheaper.

My product will be a movable screen, using the combinations of new technologies like ‘E-Ink and Electrochromatic Glass/Plastic’ to create a ‘Window’ where the users can look out; dream, be motivated and get inspired. They can change the image whenever they like with a click of a button. There is another function with this product as it is a room divider to divert the flow of “chi” into and around the house.

The dimension of the product is 1800mm x 1800mm x 20mm

Design Freeze!

After looking at the possibilities of creating a product which affects both the the direct user and people around them, I came to a conclusion that it would be plausible but difficult to accomplish given the time frame that we have left for this project.

With that in mind, I decided to take it from the blue sky idea back to square 1. Using the technologies which I have discovered but applied in a different way. Instead of looking at Windows/Blinds/Curtains...the technology will be applied onto a movable screen.

The screen has multiple uses, it can be used as a screen/divider for a room, a backdrop, or used as a TV. The product will include the WiFi, Blue Tooth and Usb Technologies whereby the users can upload and change the images on the screen. The product comes with default still/moving images. The users can buy more images or create their own which can be customised/downloaded by going online to the companies website. This will maintain a loyal customer base to the company.

The next step on this design freeze is to come up with the aesthetics of the screen, to do so, I will research on existing screens both modern and traditional.

Yin Yang 阴阳

The dual concepts of yin and yang – or the single concept Yin-Yang – originate in ancient Chinese philosophy and metaphysics, which describe two primal opposing but complementary principles or cosmic forces said to be found in all non-static objects and processes in the universe. The concept is the cornerstone for Taoism and traditional Chinese medicine.
Yin (Chinese: 陰 or 阴; Pinyin: yīn; literally "shady place, north slope, south bank (river); cloudy, overcast") is the dark element: it is passive, dark, feminine, downward-seeking, and corresponds to the night.

Yang (陽 or 阳; yáng; "sunny place, south slope, north bank (river); sunshine") is the bright element: it is active, light, masculine, upward-seeking and corresponds to the daytime.
Yin is often symbolized by water or earth, while yang is symbolized by fire or wind.
Yin (the receptive, feminine, dark, passive force) and yang (the creative, masculine, bright, active force) are descriptions of complementary opposites rather than absolutes. Any yin/yang dichotomy can be viewed from another perspective. All forces in nature can be seen as having yin and yang states, and the two are in movement rather than held in absolute stasis.

Longsheng

The Dragon's Backbone Rice Terraces, covering an area of 66 square kilometers, these rice terraces were first built in the Yuan dynasty and completed in the Qing dynasty by Zhuang people, making them over 700 years old. The terraced fields are built along the mountain slopes winding from the riverside right up to the peaks, reaching elevations of up to 885m. The views from the tops of these peaks are just superb. While an hour or two is all that is needed to see the designated viewpoints, longer hikes are certainly well worth the effort.

Another interesting design element that can be added onto the product!

National Emblem

The National Emblem of the PRC features Tiananmen Gate beneath the five shining stars, encircled by ears of grain and with a cogwheel at the bottom. The ears of grain, stars, Tiananmen and cogwheel are gold; the field within the circle is red, as are the ribbons festooning the bottom of the circle. These two colors traditionally represent auspiciousness and happiness.

Tiananmen symbolizes the unyielding spirit of the Chinese people in their fight against imperialism and feudalism; the cogwheel and ears of grain represent the working class and the peasantry respectively; the five stars stand for the great unity of the Chinese people under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

Farmers are regarded one of the most important peoples in China as they grow crops and rice to feed the nation. In respect of the working class cog whell and grain are used on the emblem, and I might look at ways to incorporate such shapes into my design. Stars represents Unity of chinese people, that too might be incorporated into my design.

China's Flag

The National Flag of the PRC is a red rectangle emblazoned with five stars. The proportion of its length and height is 3 to 2. The upper left of the face of the Flag is studded with five yellow five-pointed stars. One of the stars is bigger than the others, with its circumcircle's diameter being three-tenth of the height of the Flag, and is placed in the left; the four other stars is smaller, with their circumcircle's diameter being one-tenth of the height of the Flag, encircling the big star on its right in the shape of an arch.
The red of the flag symbolizes revolution; the stars are yellow so that they will stand out brightly against the red ground. The larger star represents the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the four smaller ones, the Chinese people. This expresses the great unity of the Chinese people under the leadership of the CPC.

For more information visit: http://www.chinaculture.org/gb/en_aboutchina/2003-09/24/content_22294.htm

IKEA - Similar Philosophy "a better everyday life"

The IKEA business idea is to offer a wide range of home furnishings with good design and function at prices so low that as many people as possible will be able to afford them. And still have money left!

Most of the time, beautifully designed home furnishings are created for a small part of the population — the few who can afford them. From the beginning, IKEA has taken a different path. That means responding to the home furnishing needs of people throughout the world. People with many different needs, tastes, dreams, aspirations...and wallets. People who want to improve their homes and create better everyday lives.

For more information visit: www.ikea.com/ms/en_CN/

Route To Market - Do It Yourselves!

Orient Home, Home Depot, B&Q and more

The home improvement market on the mainland is the most promising in the world: $50 billion in sales in 2005 and growing at 12% a year. Homeownership has skyrocketed, from near zero two decades ago, when there was virtually no private property, to 70% of all housing today.

Even though that these stores sell Do It Yourself goods, they provide the service of installing all the furniture/goods at the purchasers home.

For more information visit: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_18/b3982066.htm