ABSTRACT

Buildings are made for people, at one point described by Le Corbusier as ‘machines for living in’; they are where we work, where we live, and where we play.  We’ve all experienced places that felt ‘right’, that we were drawn to, and places that anticipated our needs intuitively, just as we’ve also visited spaces that just don’t work, buildings that are outright unwelcoming or confusing, or places that have negative impacts on our wellbeing.

Good or great spatial experiences don’t happen by chance, and the architectural profession is beginning to utilize a more strategic approach to design, adapting tools and approaches from parallel strategy and UX fields to inform their designs. 

This talk will introduce attendees to how UX is emerging within architectural practice, what tools are being utilized to study how people use space and how this data has informed projects, and how the conversation around architecture and its impact on occupants is evolving.

BIO

Erin Corcoran is an Architect and Design Strategist who is fascinated by how humans use space, and passionate about understanding user needs using a mixed analytical and empathy-based design approach.  Currently a part of Gensler’s Boston team, she works to develop solutions to complex space and cultural challenges for public and private sector workplace clients, building owners and developers, post-secondary education groups, healthcare institutions, and community organizations. 

 A member of the Boston Society of Architects and more recently part of the steering committee for BostonCHI, she is always seeking to expand the conversation and widen her breadth of human-centric design knowledge.

 SCHEDULE

• 6-6:30pm: Networking via virtual whiteboard and zoom
• 6:30pm: Presentation
• 7:30pm: Q&\;A

This is a weird time, but we’ve heard from many of you that it’s important to keep the vibrancy of the BostonCHI community alive by continuing to host our monthly events. So BostonCHI is happy to announce that our April event is on!  

Please join us for a remote gathering and presentation in Zoom, live from our homes to yours.  Our speaker, Erin Corcoran, will tell us all about how UX is appearing in architecture and building design (more below). 

How’s this going to work?

 We are aiming to keep it fairly simple, tech-wise

We will be using:

• A Zoom meeting for the event

• A Mural virtual whiteboard during the pre-talk networking

• Live polling during the talk (via Poll Everywhere)

Links for both the Zoom meeting and the Mural whiteboard will be sent to registered attendees

What will the networking be like?

We’re going to try something new with a virtual whiteboard to interact in alongside the zoom call (video optional). We’ll have dedicated sections of the whiteboard for posting / hiring / looking for work notices and other announcements. 

We’re hopeful the combination of an open Zoom call and virtual whiteboard for posting will allow us to communicate together informally, but this is an experiment and we really don’t know what will happen. It could be super awkward, fun, or just right, and we welcome you to join with an open mind and we’ll see what happens!