Jung Eun Kim_MDes 2016: 2016

Reflective journal in July

I have to finish my work within 1 month as re-coding and ideation and making,

time passed really fast, anyway, as I wrote a reflective journal in June, I reorganized axial coding as below.

Problem
Physically	Psychological	Functionality
-Normal socks have high risk of sliding -Correlation between foot and falls -Use shoes that fit properly are protective -Spiky heels make short step length -Short step length can lead to falling -Rubber soles of shoes help prevent falls -But rubber soles has a fall risk on the linoleum floor -Leather soles of shoes have high risk of sliding -Shoes which have a thick soles lead to lose of balance -Shoes and slipper must definitely fit well -Loose fitting shoes make accident as falling over a obstacle	-Feel bad when elderly perceived to be sick people -Do not want to be called silver generation -Self-conscious -Disagreeability -Be youthful	-Need function to reduce the impact of falls -Need function to hold the body -Need function to continue to walk -Functional socks are good for elderly when they go to toilet -Shoes need function to prevent sliding on the floor
Cleanliness	Wearability	Economically
-Cotton can be sterilized -Need to easily wash	-Cotton is comfortable when it touches skin -Uncomfortable when sitting at the chair -It is bulky when sleeping in the bed -Prefer loose fitting pants than tight fitting pants -When elderly purchase clothing Prefer big size pants -Prefer rubber band -Sweating	-Suppose functional wear is expensive -Welcome paying more for healthcare -Concerned about high price -Affordable price

Finally, I found out 4 factors through Selective coding as below

1.Daily routine should be considered

2.Particularities of body type need hiding and extra space

3.Stay young is basic human need

4.Sense of relief is one of the ways of prevention

After that, I had to decide to core category which can connect with those 4 factors.

In the beginning, ‘inevitable’ is regarded as a moderate word, but it wasn’t enough for me, and then, some words were evaluated such as ‘Holistic care’, ‘Well balanced’, ‘Equilibrium’, ‘Being stable’, ‘Reasonably’. From this process, l recognized that all the factors which surround our body in any circumstance: environment, atmosphere, are ultimate reason and these sources are need to be applied as a solution. Finally, ‘Being around’ is chosen as a concept.

Open coding	Axial coding	Selective coding	Concept
-Normal socks have high risk of sliding -Correlation between foot and falls -Use shoes that fit properly are protective -Spiky heels make short step length -Short step length can lead to falling -Rubber soles of shoes help prevent falls -But rubber soles has a fall risk on the linoleum floor -Leather soles of shoes have high risk of sliding -Shoes which have a thick soles lead to lose of balance -Shoes and slipper must definitely fit well -Loose fitting shoes make accident as falling over a obstacle -Feel bad when elderly perceived to be sick people -Do not want to be called silver generation -Self-conscious -Disagreeability -Be youthful -Need function to reduce the impact of falls -Need function to hold the body -Need function to continue to walk -Functional socks are good for elderly when they go to toilet -Shoes need function to prevent sliding on the floor -Cotton can be sterilized -Need to easily wash -Cotton is comfortable when it touches skin -Uncomfortable when sitting at the chair -It is bulky when sleeping in the bed -Prefer loose fitting pants than tight fitting pants -When elderly purchase clothing Prefer big size pants -Prefer rubber band -Sweating -Suppose functional wear is expensive -Welcome paying more for healthcare -Concerned about high price -Affordable price…	Physically Psychological Functionality Cleanliness Wearability Economically	1.Daily routine should be considered 2.Particularities of body type need hiding and extra space 3.Stay young is basic human need 4.Sense of relief is one of the ways of prevention	‘Being around’

I was satisfied with that some kind of unsolved feels were erased. Before, over-passion made a trouble in Axial coding stage, it didn’t let all the open coding data throw away. After that, I decided core category, so I started trying to figure out design concept. There were two considerations to make a fundamental of design concept; one is using the four solutions that referred in this initial stage of process and the other is using some solutions derived from some actual problems in Axial coding stage.

Using the four solutions that referred in this initial stage of process seems to create a creative design, but there was a doubt that final outcome can’t satisfy users need, and the other one will be easy to satisfy user’s needs, but I concerned about that one may be hard to make a creative design, because that axial coding process is from problems of functional clothing to protect falls

The most considered things were to improve wearability problems and psychological problem. While I formed an idea to solve this problem, many detail ideas were figured out as new approach to wearing, easy opening, cotton material, patch typed protection pad, skirts that good ventilation with easy wearability, but I’m not sure that all ideas are good enough to my before research value, also it doesn’t motivate me.

And than, I couldn’t accept it, so I try to invent something more, no more get stress from ideation process. And I found out to make a slipper that lighting a floor when wearing at night time. Because elderly falls is occurred at night time when they going to toilet, so I want to focus on that phenomenon and I hope to manage this case, but when I started that ideation There was no expectation at this idea from the start, it couldn’t be main project, it might be fun that make a lighting slipper while we can turn on the room light by clapping in this age. Meanwhile, for elderly, they are isolated from high-technology, may be really needs some low-technology products like a lighting slipper which just put a coin battery. Anyway I thought it’s not enough to be a main outcome and skip it.

So I restarted Ideation, before when I designed something, I’d like to using basic figures, so in this time, I try to use basic figures at design and also I have to concentrate core category as ‘being around’ and to link with 4 solutions that derived from selective coding.

To sum up, I think back on all of the progress this works from first time, although there were a few changes in this works by some factors, it keeps its own frame work, but, outside of the work. Firstly, I’ve changed bias to elderly, I got a ‘more comprehension’ someday, aging will come to me, and I recognize that aging affects to elderly’s life much more than I expected. I understand that elderly behavior such as only staring floor during walking, or bumping to beside people during walking, all phenomenons are caused by their decreased neurological ability, and muscular strength.

Secondary, during searching journals about elderly life, I was surprised that not all the old people tend to feel lonely or depressed. When I read that journal at first it was weird to me, but reviewing my before interviews with elderly, people who concentrating to any interests, keeping social life or watching interesting tv show looks enough happy and lively, one the other hand, I thought recent developing speed of technology rush technological gap between young and old people, consequently, it can lead to make a new social disadvantaged group in digital age. even this paradigm probably related elderly depression in near future.

Finally, during researching works, I was so shamed to asking to taking a picture or throw a question. It was helpful to collect information that Each interviewee has a distinct characteristic and their own belief.

Research process was meaningful time to improve myself, and well progressed. Coding stage was not simple in that I had to consider and evaluate various factors. After all, last result that through core category is acceptable. Since I try to all my best at each stage, this great experience made broader aspects in my life.