[DG: Open Forum] Access paths
Sean DeMonner
demonner at umich.edu
Fri Aug 6 13:45:09 PDT 2010
One follow-up to this: I had some communication with our facilities director about the "chaining of the path" and he said,
"Thanks for the pictures and your observations regarding a more user friendly solution...[snip]...while I agree that this is not the best solution to our building access needs, there are budget limitation that Building & Grounds services must live within. I will share this information with Building & Grounds Dept. and inquire further about the future of this area and adding a sidewalk. However, until this path is identified as an area for improvement and funding is allocated to install a sidewalk, the University will use barriers like this to limit use, and improve safety. Please let me know if you’d like to discuss this further."
So, I interpret this as saying, "until we have the money to do it right, we need to eliminate a potential safety (and liability) issue". Which I think is understandable. Imagine someone breaking their ankle on that path and suing the University for negligence or making the case that a commonly-used thoroughfare is not ADA compliant, and you can start to get a sense of the not-immediately-obvious challenges and constraints the facilities group faces.
As system builders and administrators we also have to deal with similar constraints and make a good-faith effort to do as much as we can within them.
SMD.
On Aug 6, 2010, at 10:59 AM, Pavolka, Rita Kay wrote:
> Not so simple after all. I've never been at the building, sorry to say.
>
> And, by the way, I didn't mean to imply Michigan didn't use woodchips.
>
> Anyway, I've found the excellent examples and comparisons to work we
> need to do with Sakai very stimulating.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Rita Pavolka, Indiana University, Sakai online training and support
> for IU
>
> where even our students have pickup games of touch-football and
> soccer. ;-)
>
> (sent from my iphone)
>
> On Aug 6, 2010, at 10:09 AM, "Perpich, Diana" <dperpich at umich.edu>
> wrote:
>
>> The real problem, of course, is complex-- not unlike web design--
>> with conflicting needs and expectations. I work in that building,
>> see that path from my workspace, and I walk that path daily (well,
>> not yesterday!). I've actually spent time considering that space.
>>
>> I think it was probably designed for two main purposes, as dramatic
>> foreground to set off the building, and also as a flexible
>> recreational space. Think touch-football (it is Michigan, after
>> all) or pickup soccer. Problem was, the designers forgot to step
>> outside the space and consider it's relationship to the other
>> buildings (think other systems) on campus and to what students
>> actually need to do, which is get to Point A to Point B as
>> efficiently as possible. Obvious parallels to educational tool
>> design.
>>
>> Wood chips would help with reclaiming the concept of intentional
>> design. And they would legitimize the demonstrated need to get from
>> A to B. But would they support the students' need to have this
>> place to play ball? Granted, the space isn't often used this way--
>> but sometimes it is-- and the fence might be an attempt to protect
>> that important minority need. And sometimes in Sakai we sometimes
>> make choices to protect the silent minority (accessibility,
>> security) that look really foolish to pedestrian users.
>>
>> Oh, and by the way. The result of the fence will be two dirt
>> paths. The original path is still viable for folks with average
>> inseams. The second path will aim toward the point where the bushes
>> meet the sidewalk about ten meters to the west. That second path
>> shows up each spring when the dirt path turns to mud. Users do the
>> darndest things...
>>
>>
>>
>> diana perpich | digital media commons | university of michigan
>>
>> ... and don't get me started about the bike racks.
>>
>>
>>
>> On Aug 5, 2010, at 11:54 PM, Pavolka, Rita Kay wrote:
>>
>>> Yep :-). However, there's a simple solution in the path example. Many
>>> institutions put down wood chips :-)
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Rita
>>>
>>> (sent from my iphone)
>>>
>>> On Aug 5, 2010, at 11:09 PM, "Nate Angell" <nangell at rsmart.com>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Great example Jim! I recognize that path from my own visits to
>>>> UMich.
>>>>
>>>> So what's Sakai's fenced-off path: the back button? ;)
>>>>
>>>> - Nate
>>>>
>>>> On Aug 5, 2010, at 7:35 PM, Jim Eng <jimeng at umich.edu> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> An off-topic musing:
>>>>>
>>>>> I work in a building that opened about 12 years ago. Some people
>>>>> put a lot of thought into the design of the building and how people
>>>>> would get into it and out of it. Here is a photo taken from just
>>>>> outside the front door of the building:
>>>>>
>>>>> <IMG00321.jpg>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> That path started to appear shortly after the building opened. It
>>>>> has been used every day by dozens of people -- maybe hundreds of
>>>>> people. I have always thought of it as an indication that the
>>>>> designers who worked so hard on this little part of the university
>>>>> failed to understand some of the needs of the people trying to get
>>>>> into and out of this building. There are several other buildings
>>>>> off in that direction, as well as a couple parking lots. And the
>>>>> only other doors on this side of the building are on the loading
>>>>> dock. But the people who used the building were able to correct
>>>>> the oversight of the designers. One person after another chose to
>>>>> use the pretty direct route to the front door (except maybe on
>>>>> rainy days). In winter, a walkway through the snow quickly appears
>>>>> -- following pretty much the same route as this path.
>>>>>
>>>>> Now here's an update:
>>>>>
>>>>> <IMG00322.jpg>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Those posts and chains were added yesterday. I take this as an
>>>>> indication that someone currently responsible for the design of
>>>>> this little part of the university saw a problem. But they blamed
>>>>> the problem on the people who use this building and decided the
>>>>> answer was to make it harder to get to and from the building.
>>>>> Instead of turning the path into a sidewalk, they want to keep
>>>>> people from using the path.
>>>>>
>>>>> Grrrr.
>>>>>
>>>>> What does this have to do with the design of webapps? If we see
>>>>> that people are creating their own paths through our pages, do we
>>>>> put up fences and barricades? Or do we recognize the natural paths
>>>>> identified by our users and help make it easier for our users to
>>>>> accomplish their goals?
>>>>>
>>>>> Oh, nevermind.
>>>>>
>>>>> Jim
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> openforum mailing list
>>>>> openforum at collab.sakaiproject.org
>>>>> http://collab.sakaiproject.org/mailman/listinfo/openforum
>>>>>
>>>>> TO UNSUBSCRIBE: send email to openforum-unsubscribe at collab.sakaiproject.org
>>>>> with a subject of "unsubscribe"
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> openforum mailing list
>>>> openforum at collab.sakaiproject.org
>>>> http://collab.sakaiproject.org/mailman/listinfo/openforum
>>>>
>>>> TO UNSUBSCRIBE: send email to openforum-unsubscribe at collab.sakaiproject.org
>>>> with a subject of "unsubscribe"
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> openforum mailing list
>>> openforum at collab.sakaiproject.org
>>> http://collab.sakaiproject.org/mailman/listinfo/openforum
>>>
>>> TO UNSUBSCRIBE: send email to openforum-unsubscribe at collab.sakaiproject.org
>>> with a subject of "unsubscribe"
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> openforum mailing list
>> openforum at collab.sakaiproject.org
>> http://collab.sakaiproject.org/mailman/listinfo/openforum
>>
>> TO UNSUBSCRIBE: send email to openforum-unsubscribe at collab.sakaiproject.org
>> with a subject of "unsubscribe"
> _______________________________________________
> openforum mailing list
> openforum at collab.sakaiproject.org
> http://collab.sakaiproject.org/mailman/listinfo/openforum
>
> TO UNSUBSCRIBE: send email to openforum-unsubscribe at collab.sakaiproject.org with a subject of "unsubscribe"
>
>
SMD.
==========================================================
Sean DeMonner, IT Senior Project Manager, CTools Implementation Group
Digital Media Commons @ The Duderstadt Center, U-M (734) 615-9765
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://collab.sakaiproject.org/pipermail/openforum/attachments/20100806/015de8f3/attachment-0001.html
More information about the openforum
mailing list