AFFORDANCE-BASED EVALUATION OF SIGNAGE DESIGN FOR AREAS OF REFUGE (original) (raw)

An affordance-based approach to architectural theory, design, and practice

Design Studies, 2009

The idea of affordance, borrowed from perceptual psychology, is applied to the domain of architecture. As to architectural theory, affordances can be used as a conceptual framework to understand the relationship between environments and occupants, especially with respect to form and function. Regarding architectural design, the concept of affordance allows for a common theoretical basis to improve the design process. Concerning architectural practice, affordances can be used as a tool to explore the connection between the intentions of the design with how the artifact is actually used, leading to archived knowledge, and the potential for avoiding common design failures.

Buildings and Affordances

Design Computing and Cognition ’06, 2006

The notion of affordances has been used to represent functionality and usability in several design areas. The paper considers its applicability to architecture and buildings. It discusses a distinction between the affordances of building elements and spaces, and a number of dimensions for the mapping of different aspects.

Qualitative Assessment of Usability and Accessibility of Housing Design Elements for Disabled People

PLANNING MALAYSIA JOURNAL, 2022

Accessibility has become a challenge in today's societies where everyone has equal rights to live in a barrier-free and accessible environment. A previous study indicated that those living in high-rise residences have limited access to facilities for the disabled that are provided in accordance to the Garis Panduan Reka Bentuk Sejagat (Universal Design). This paper aimed to determine the level of accessibility of selected six (6) design elements such as the ramp, stairs, main entrance, the lift, handrails, and parking space and the usefulness of legislation and standards in PPR Pekan Batu, Kuala Lumpur. Qualitative assessments were applied for the study using content analysis of planning guidelines and site observation. The results demonstrated that the efficiency of legislation and standards was a factor in the accessibility and usability of housing design elements for PWDs. Three (3) design elements-the stair, parking space, and main entrance, had recorded the lowest compliance scores compared to another two (2) elements-ramps and handrails, which recorded the second lowest compliance score. Meanwhile, the lift was recorded as the most compliant element based on its accessibility. The outcome of this study implied that different types of disabilities require varied housing accessibility requirements. This study improves accessible design elements for the disabled, resulting in a better environment.

Social affordances and architectural design - a case study of a central stairway

2024

In this paper, we offer arguments for the relevance and usefulness of applying a psychological affordance perspective to social interaction in the built environment. Our empirical focus is on building elements where the intention of the architectural design is better to foster social coordination and interaction between building users. We illustrate how the concept of social affordances relates to such social activities through scrutinizing a special designed central stairway architectural element in a building housing the Ørestad College in Copenhagen, Denmark. We take a qualitative approach using observational study techniques using video recordings of the everyday use the stairway at the college. Through our analysis we identify eight types of social interactions, which we distilled into four categories of social activities afforded by the lays-out of the stairway and its surroundings; social walking, social spotting, social waiting and social encountering. We discuss our findings both theoretically and in relation to architectural practice and we conclude that the concept of social affordances would be of great use and value for research and practice in architectural design. Moreover, the findings presented in this paper have potential theoretical implications related to the coupling between the concept of affordances on one hand and social interactions on the other, a coupling that is shown to be relevant not only theoretically, but also through its empirical application.

The use and misuse of the concept of affordance

6th International Conference on Design Computing and Cognition (DCC'14)

Given the lack of agreement on the phenomenological elements of affordance, it is difficult to conduct empirical research to test systematic observations across contexts (e.g., industrial design and interaction design). To address this problem, this paper aims to establish a new understanding of the concept of affordance and its key concepts. Through a critical review of influential articles about affordance, the article identifies some uses and misuses of the concept. Then, a definition of affordance is provided, which delineates its foundational elements. Based on the definition, the article proposes a framework to explain how artefacts acquire affordances through the intentional behaviour of designers, certain material features, and contextual constructions. As a result, this research will contribute a new perspective on affordances that may help designers have predictable control over them when designing end-consumer products.

Use of Affordances in Cognitive Modeling for Wayfinding

THE COGNITIVE …, 2006

Abstract. The CADMUS system produces maps of perceived difficulties of displacements in complex buildings, for people without disability or for those suffering a physical or perceptive disability. Using a numerical model of the environment as a foundation and a descriptive ...

Affordances and the Potential for Architecture

2020

Introduction: Designing Affordances for the Living-Lived Body? Andrea Jelić such connectedness between the inhabitant and the space is a prime characteristics of what means to dwell and to be in the world. Secondly, the notion of affordances-with its origin in ecological psychology, but readily taken within other fields such as neuroscience-shows a promise of a shared vocabulary that can ease the bridging between architecture and cognitive science disciplines, and thereby, possibly provide a way to operationalize the investigation of architecture-body relationship. Several illustrative examples of this dialogue readily spring to mind, including the 'End of Sitting' (figure 1.1) and 'Hardcore Heritage' design projects by RAAAF, informed and shaped by ecological-enactive cognition framework (Rietveld & Rietveld, 2017; Rietveld, Rietveld, Mackic, Waalwijk Van Doorn, & Bervoets, 2015); a set of empirical studies by ecological psychologists exploring children's perception and engagement with play affordances based on well-known Aldo van Eyck's playgrounds (Withagen & Caljouw, 2017); or a recent neuroscientific study of sensorimotor brain dynamics in relation to architectural affordances (Djebbara, Fich, Petrini, & Gramann, 2019). Taken in sum, these three essays clearly indicate the value of considering the concept of affordances in the context of architecture, and provide a valuable contribution to this discussion of how to conceive, think, and design the inherent coupling between the human organism and the environment.

Affordances: Clarifying and evolving a concept

2000

The concept of affordance is popular in the HCI community but not well understood. Donald Norman appropriated the concept of affordances from James J. Gibson for the design of common objects and both implicitly and explicitly adjusted the meaning given by Gibson. There was, however, ambiguity in Norman's original definition and use of affordances which he has subsequently made efforts to clarify. His definition germinated quickly and through a review of the HCI literature we show that this ambiguity has lead to widely varying uses of the concept. Norman has recently acknowledged the ambiguity, however, important clarifications remain. Using affordances as a basis, we elucidate the role of the designer and the distinction between usefulness and usability. We expand Gibson's definition into a framework for design.