Empathising - Interviews & Composite Characters
Abla
Afreen Bad: Seating position to rest, stores on different and far of each other, parking traffic.
Good: Different cuisines of food, activities to keep children engaged, variety of stores and brands with different kind of product for kids, men and women.
How often: Twice a month
Shaya
Bad: Holding bag issues, the weather feels hot when its crowded.
Good: Organized parkings (red and green lights), quite place, digital Map, organized mall section.
How often: Once a week
Alexis: Bad: Spend a lot of time (time waste), the mall doesn’t feel safe, all the stores fast fashion shops, products in some stores are not quality which made them end in the trash.
Good: A good place to hang out for few hours, good snacks, good lighting ( outside lights)
How often: Twice a month
Abdulla, 30 years old, married with 4 kids, passion, he enjoys family trips.
Anna
Blue, Male, 17, Washington:
Positives: Christmas shopping every year, watching the new star wars movie, going to the arcade
Negatives: A store manager was rude
Chance, 17, Arizona
Positives: Meet people, memorable experiences with groups of friends
Negatives: they lead to a very produced experience and if you don’t like the stores, the mall doesn’t have much to offer
Would change: some sort of memorable experience, maybe an aquarium, mini cars or bowling alley, something more than just buying products
TLDR: less shopping, more experience
Luc, 16, Maryland
Positives: accessibility, you can find anything you need in a mall, social aspect, you can meet people you know & don’t know, it’s nice to feel and see what you’re buying in person, trying on clothes
Negatives: mass shootings, unsanitary surfaces, people sharing the same area, sensory overload
Would change: Less big companies, give chance to local businesses, make things cheaper, make them safer e.g more security, no guns in the mall, cleaner everything, make them more accessible for the average person & people without cars, have cultural diversity in food choices, better music or no music, let people put in music requests
Teenage Tim, 17, spends weekends hanging out with friends and studying
Alexander
“Malls are not really a thing in Germany. People prefer to visit a street with individual shops and boutiques.”
“Malls are usually old and run down. Shady characters and kids can normally be found loitering there.”
“I love the malls in China.”
“The malls in Asia, you can’t find anything like it in the Australia.”
“Sometimes they’re too big. They can be very crowded too.”
“Would be interesting to see a more futuristic mall - even one that generates its own energy.”
“I like the shopping malls in Asia. There’s a wider range of brands. The dining options are also better.”
“In the UK, malls are real dim and boring. They’re not as big and robust. The malls in Asia just feels new, whereas in the UK you can tell they’ve been around for a while.”
“I think every mall should have an Aunty Anne’s (pretzel chain). Mall toilets are also always broken/unsanitary.”
“Sure malls are great for air conditioning, but i prefer a busy local street where I can hang out and get a bit to eat/grab some good coffee.”
“I’ve found that local malls tend to be a bit run, and are slowly dying. After all, we have online shopping now, which is far more convenient.”
“I would appreciate a multi-purpose, busy local street, I think this is the future of community shopping and dining centres.”
- Loves to shop and dine locally, where possible
- Does not like traditional malls, he thinks that they’re outdated
- He likes the convenience of a busy, walkable street, full of conveniences.
Defining (Composite Character needs ……….. because ……….)
Abla
P.O.V. statement 1
Abdulla needs a family-friendly mall with kids' activities, diverse products, family restrooms, safety wristbands, medical facilities, and accessible parking. Also, a kids' club, prayer rooms, inclusive facilities, and valet parking. Great customer service, clear maps, quiet spaces, and cleanliness are essential because he wants a delightful and hassle-free shopping experience for his family.
The product includes:
- a children's activity zone with various engaging activities
- a diverse selection of stores for shopping
- family restrooms with baby changing stations
- a safety system with wristbands or ID tags for children.
Anna
P.O.V. statement 2
Teenage Tim needs a cool space to hang out at with friends, and have memorable experiences. The place should alternate as a study space while waiting for friends.
- An open space with a lot of entertainment and activities opportunities.
- Mixed types of entertainment, e.g rock-climbing wall from different storeys.
- indoor spaces for interactive light exhibitions, monthly events e.g concert venues.
Ilyaan
P.O.V. statement 3:
Shopp-ey Susan needs a place that has easily accessible window shopping while also being able to easily navigate around without getting lost.
Online Oliver would prefer a faster and more seamless shopping experience (smaller queues, faster travel through the shopping centre, less traffic). He wants to get in and out as soon as possible. Also, he would like for there to be more entertainment options at the mall.
Alexander
P.O.V. statement 4
Local Larry needs to make his shopping and dining choices more sustainable, because he wants to act locally whilst thinking globally.
The Shopping and Dining precinct will feature:
- 100% powered by renewable energy (solar roofs, kinetic energy pavements, battery storage)
- A multi-purpose precinct for local residents (gyms and libraries, cafes and shoppes, markets and performance centres)
- Biophilic and passive design language embedded throughout the precinct.
Ideating
Abla
- Divergent Thinking — How might we…?
Time-Traveling Escalators: Escalators with themed designs that take shoppers on a virtual journey through time, showcasing different historical eras as they ride.
- Convergent Thinking — Feature selection…
Robot Friends Zone: A designated area with friendly and interactive robots that engage with kids in games, storytelling, and even dance-offs, creating unforgettable memories.
Anna
- Divergent Thinking — How might we entertain?
Open outdoor rock-climbing wall, silent day raves, rollercoasters/waterpark around the mall, indoor jet-skis.
- Convergent Thinking — Feature selection…
Spas, alternative sport areas (race-cars, bouldering, indoor surfing), rollercoasters.
Ilyaan
- Divergent Thinking
- Open air
- Shopping pickup at exit
- Many access points
- No-car zone
- Gyms, pools, cinemas, bowling maybe even residences
- Daycare centres and schools
- Lifestyle hub
- Wide walking areas
- Open air
- Many access points
- Cafes that turn into bars at night (reusing space)
- Organically and directly sourced produce - for sale directly and at all restaurants
- Limiting plastic use and take-away containers: allowing users to take cups outside restaurants (eg like at Arillaga) and have them ‘dispose’ them at any exit, where the disposed cups get re-washed and re-used. Hence people can take their soda/coffee etc around the shopping centre in reusable cups, and return them before leaving.
- Shopping pickup at exit
- Greenery across the area: users should feel “engulfed” in the greenery, in a good way
- Inspiration from Stanford’s construction around green areas and supporting certain wildlife (squirrels, rabbits etc).
- Convergent Thinking —
- Open air
- Shopping pickup at exit
- Many access points
- Cafes that turn into bars at night (reusing space)
- Organically and directly sourced produce - for sale directly and at all restaurants
Alexander
- Divergent Thinking
Cable cars running through, into, and out of the centre.
A green hub that recycles the air around it.
- Convergent Thinking — Feature selection…
- Co-operative businesses
- Net-zero precinct emissions
- Car-free pedestrian area
- Seamless waste management
- Biophilic and Passive design elements to regulate temperature and shade.
