IN-PERSON London. Section A
Abstract
How to ensure that a public space becomes a pleasant and meaningful place? In the quest to optimize public spaces for users, a critical need arises to understand and to steer the experiences of individuals visiting these areas. In our research we developed experiential guidelines for the transformation of an area in the Dutch city of Deventer, De Kien. The aim is to transform this area into an innovative urban campus that encourages collaboration between students and young professionals to address societal challenges. Theory on customer experience (i.e. Bitner, 1992; Pizam & Tasci, 2019) served as a starting point for the research. Through literature research, desk research, and stakeholder interviews, an overarching experiential context was formulated for the targeted area. Subsequently, four focus groups were held with key user groups (students, young professionals, and passersby) to explore their desired experience for the area. This second stage resulted in an ‘experiential map’, which articulates the desired use and experiences in the area. In the third phase, based on literature review and two additional focus groups, the relevant experiential aspects in the experience map were translated into sensory perceptable environmental features of the public space. By uncovering the relationships between these environmental features and the experiences they evoke, specific design guidelines were formulated. These guidelines serve as a practical tool for designers to design public spaces that match the desired experience of its users. The guidelines will be used and tested in a next phase of the project.
Ruth Pijls is a cognitive psychologist and expert on sensory perception, hospitality, and customer experience. After having served in practice as a consultant and researcher in sensory marketing, she obtained her PhD at the University of Twente on the embodied experience of hospitality in service organisations. Ruth is currently appointed as a senior researcher at Saxion University of Applied sciences. She is amongst others co-leading a programme dedicated to developing tools to manage the experience and behaviour in public spaces.
Dr. Ruth Hekman (1992) earned her Ph.D. in organisational psychology from the University of Roehampton in London, UK. Presently serving as a lecturer and researcher at the Hospitality Business School Saxion in Deventer, the Netherlands. Her academic focus centres on employee engagement, organisational culture and behaviour. In addition to her academic role, Dr. Hekman operates a consultancy business specialising in Strategic Human Resource advice. Within this research on the experience of public space, Ruth acts as an associate researcher, supporting the overall project within this specific phase.
Renate Sluiseman (MSc), a sociologist with a specialization in policy, is currently employed at the municipality of Deventer in the Netherlands. In her capacity as an advisor for processes and projects in public spaces, her focus is on user experience, understanding user dynamics and the societal implications of public spaces.
Egbert Stolk is an urbanist with experience in professional practice, education, and research. He has a background in urban design & planning, complexity theories of cities, environmental cognition and design thinking. He holds a PhD from the Delft University of Technology, did a postdoc at the University Technology Sydney, and is currently appointed as an associate professor at the Saxion University of Applied Sciences.
4:00 pm - 5:30 pm
Wednesday 26th June, 2024