Design Project 2 | Interview Results

Interviewee Background

Key interview takeaways

Interviewee Background

Key interview takeaways

Interviewee Background

Key interview takeaways

Interviewee Background

Key interview takeaways

Interviewee Background

Key interview takeaways

Interviewee Background

Key interview takeaways

Interviewee Background

Key interview takeaways

Interviewee Background

Key interview takeaways

Interviewee Background

Key interview takeaways

Every time that she is at Stanford to go grab something to eat or drink (but she eats outside). From her experiences, she is saying that there is a positive culture. People help when ordering for the first time. Her suggestion is it could get more sunlight but the temperature is good. The good atmosphere outside and more inviting for working with computer etc. She never went to the second floor. (When I asked her about Tressider, her first answer was that she had never been there, even though she is coming to Tressider very frequently. Some people even do not know the name “Tressider” but understand when you told them that “a place where Starbucks is located”.)

He goes there once or twice a week. Either to have something or pick up a parcel. His experiences depend on the food chain. He thinks that the worst part is close to panda express and as you walk towards Starbucks, CoHo, the pizza place, things start to get better. For him, the outside seating area on both sides is really nice. As he told me that he does not really enjoy the inside seating area near panda express but in CoHo even though it is quite old, it is a comfortable experience. Layout and lighting are very poor near panda express. He has never gone to the second floor but he really enjoys the outside area. He said the stairs are very confusing.

Nathalie goes to Tressider once a week for getting food. According to her, it is a good atmosphere. For her the seatings are good, bright light, not very cozy, good for work. She told me that she has never been to the second floor, she is just using the first floor.

She goes there three times a week. To chill out, grab something to eat, or listen to some live music since there is a piano near it. She loved her experience so far. For her, the environment is cool and calming. She loves lighting and for her the seating is convenient. She said that she had never gone to the second floor. She said that she is hearing that there is a second floor existing from my interview question. She loves sitting and spending time outside. She has zero idea about the stairs as she never used them.

She is visiting Tressider during the weekend to eat at Subway. For her in Tressider, it is easy to access various different food chains. She said she was never been to the second floor. But she told me that the stairs that are outside which are near to Starbucks (when you look outside from inside, take the Starbucks to your right, you can directly see it) are cutting off the sunlight. So she also prefers eating outside.

She does not have a visiting routine but she is guessing that at least three times a week she is coming to Tressider. She also told that there is an daylight issue but this also makes the environment more calm and its ambiance is brilliant in this way. She again, told me that she was never been to the second floor but seeing the stairs outside of the Starbucks from inside makes her view completely annoying.

He is saying that Tressider is not that hot but if there is an air conditioning going on, then it could be a little bit colder. For him sometimes the outside is colder and fresher than the inside. He is preferring outside if he is eating but prefers inside if he is just drinking his iced coffee. He has never been to the second floor. For him, since the all lights are turned on during the day it is a huge energy consumption that causes an energy loss. But he also told me that since Tressider closes around 8 p.m. (before sunset), during summer it is not really needed to light if Tressider somehow starts getting daylight. This is not true for winter since at that time even though we managed Tressider to get daylight during the day, after sunset it still needs lighting.

She is coming to Tressider twice a day. One of them is in the morning before her classes start and the other one is in the afternoon when she is done with her classes. For her, the lightning or the temperature is not a noticeable difference or problem since she is not sitting there but just picking up her coffee and leaving. She is staying in Lagunita courts so for her the location of Tressider is quite easy for her to access. She said that sometimes there is a heavy smell of food inside so maybe by air conditioning system it needs to be resolved. But the Starbucks area is quite nice and calm. She went to the second floor only once when she first come to Stanford but that is just mistakenly while trying to find the restrooms. So she does not have any idea about the stairs.

Keria has a little bit bad experience with Tressider Hall. One day while she was going to the restroom and passing through the door (near and left the Starbucks from inside), the door crashed into her face and she spilled a few drops of her coffee. So for her, the internal doors might sometimes be a problem in the crowd. She also prefers cold environments but she is not finding Tressider as cold as she expected so she also goes outside if the hours are a little bit late or if she believes that there is a wind outside. But on the outside there is a power problem so if she is working with electronic devices she had to move inside. So her advice is if we increased the air conditioning effect or decrease its degree, it might help. She has never been to the second floor.

She says that Tressider is her meeting point with her friends. If she needs to meet with someone, they are meeting in front of the Tressider hall and after they grab their coffees they are going out and wandering around the campus, find some seats outside (mostly in the Old Union), and spend time there. For her, the Tressider is so crowded and the campus is more peaceful than there.

She is coming to Tressider during weekdays to study and not to feel so lonely. She likes crowded spaces so that noise makes her happier. For her, the design of Starbucks is quite efficient and not allowing you to distract yourself by seeing the rest of the Tressider hall and food stores. For her, there is not a huge problem with air conditioning but if it is a little bit colder in summer, it might be better. She generally sits inside as she prefers to study and there are powers for charging inside. She learns about the second floor when I asked her the question, so she never heard it before.

He always sits inside and for him, the only reason for that is the: power for charging purposes. He is carrying 4-5 digital devices in his bag so without power he cannot survive. For her, the Tressider is a good place to study or hang out but he does not like to food smell, for him it is really heavy. Other than that he is quite comfortable being in Tressider.

Lorin is not coming to Tressider frequently. If she misses breakfast or lunch in the dining hall she is coming to Tressider, but other than that she does not like eating fast food or etc. For coffee purposes, she has her own coffee machine in the room so she also does not spend time in CoHo or Starbucks much. When she grabs food she prefers sitting outside. For her, the outside tables could be a little bit cleaner as it is sometimes hard to find a clean table there.

For Jan, CoHo is the best store in the Tressider Union and he spends his time mostly there. The reason for that is as CoHo is open until late hours, despite Tressider Union’s other stores and even itself. For him, CoHo is an amazing place for spending time. That’s why he does not have much to say about the Tressider Union’s common space as he is not going.

For her, the Tressider union is so hot and that’s why she is carrying a small fan with her. She usually spends 40 minutes in Tressider each day due to her Zoom meetings. She grabs her coffee and sits for her meetings and leaves afterward. She prefers the inside due to the power supplies. She has no idea about the second floor.

She finds Tressider quite a crowded place. She told me that whenever she comes, she is seeing a lot of student camp teams, little children, etc. For her, it is not reflecting Stanford’s much so she mostly prefers sitting in the green area between the old union and book store. For her, the Tressider is also too hot and the oil smells all around the Union.

Whenever she gets bored or lonely, she prefers to sit in the Starbucks facing the whole Union and enjoys looking at people from different cultures, little children, and hard-working students. She also told me that she met with an excellent professor in the Tressider while grabbing a coffee. For her, the lights are fine for the Tressider’s own unique ambiance but it still needs to get more daylight, especially in the summer quarter. She has never been to the second floor.

Charlie’s passion is drawing. So for him, the Tressider Union’s lightning is insufficient. That’s why he prefers to stay in the dorms or go to the library. He is coming to Tressider if he needs an urgent power supply or to drink some hot or cold drinks.

He is a fast food person so he spends quite a bit of time in Subway. Due to lightning and air conditioning purposes, he prefers sitting outside. He also likes the design of Starbucks and like writing sticky notes and hanging them there. For him maybe Tressider Union might need to have some fans or more strong air conditioning.

He visits Tressider Union during the weekend as he is really busy during the week. For him, the Tressider is not as much crowded as weekdays and he likes that calm environment. He prefers sitting inside due to the power supplies and has not been to the second floor yet.

She has an architectural curiosity which is leading her to draw or try to draw in her spare time. Even though she also agrees that the lightning is not the best in Tressider and needs to be improved, she still comes to Starbucks for drawing. The reason is she loves the coffee smell and she finds her more inspiring when people wander around, make some noises, etc. For her, the Tressider is not have unbearable hotness but she also supports the idea that it should be improved and become more chill.

She used to visit Tressider Union for studying purposes until she discovered the beauty of the libraries. She only comes and grabs a coffee from Tressider nowadays. For her Tressider is a little bit raucous in her study time intervals. But she still uses Tressider Union as a meeting point with her friends.

She visits Tressider once a week if she needs an urgent power supply or urgent coffee. Otherwise, she prefers to spend her spare time in the dorms. She said there are amazing lounges in Stanford’s dorms and they are more peaceful and silent.

Once a day grab a coffee before class. Since she visits Tressider Union in the early hours of the week, she has no complaints about the crowd or noise. She does not have time to spend in the Tressider hall so for her grabbing coffee in a close location to her dorm makes Tressider a sufficient place to visit.

Have his Zoom meetings in CoHo as he finds the environment calm and comfortable. For her, the design of the store also gives nice background in his Zoom meetings. He prefers sitting inside due to power supplies. He could not understand why the rest of the Tressider Union is being locked around 8 p.m. For him, they should be open just like CoHo or even if the stores are not open, they should leave the doors open for restroom purposes. He has never been to the second floor yet.

He comes to Starbucks each day. He has not been to other coffee shops and for him, Starbucks is a comfortable place to spend time. Not in the Starbucks area but in the rest of the Tressider he feels the smell of the fast food and for him, it is a heavy smell so he tried not to enter the Tressider from those doors. Other than that he enjoyed the environment. For air conditioning for him, the temperature is not a big issue but in order to avoid that unwanted smell, the air conditioning might be needed to improve.

Simply a meeting point for his friends after class. Sometimes got some food from the market but not sitting in the inside of the Union much. He said that there are lots of young people and children there.

Nice environment to meet with new friends and faculty. The workers are so helpful when you have questions. The restrooms are clean and the design of the Tressider Union is awesome. The outside tables should need more cleaning, maybe there could be some sanitizer or disinfectants around the Union so people can have easy access to them. The inside is too dark and the lack of daylight (the other lights are also not enough to complement the daylight) so she prefers sitting outside.

She visits Tressider approximately 4 four times a week and she thinks that there is a huge waste of energy going on. Really insufficient amount of sunlight and the other lights are also not rough even though they are turned on and working non-stop during working hours. This is a huge problem for her.

Ariana likes recording REELS videos on Instagram and for her, the lightning is not enough so she carries her own light bulb with her. She likes the lively environment and the design of the Tressider. For her, it is the best place to meet new people and get new creative ideas on campus.

the rest of the interviews (+20 are in the second part document pdf below)