Behavioral Architecture

1. What are examples of architectural design that you consider to be epic failures?
The locks on the mailboxes in Hicks are epic failures. I think locks in general are examples of bad architectural design. Most locks are turned to the right first. The locks on the Hicks mailboxes are to be turned left first. There is no mapping or visual clues that let people know this. In fact, I know people who still struggle with opening their mailboxes because they are used to turning locks to the right first. On the inside of the mailbox it states directions on how the user should turn the lock left initially and then turn right past the first number, and then directly left to the last number. However, one has to actually open the mailbox to find these directions which is backwards and not helpful at all.

2. Good, Bad, Ugly. Choose a building on K campus and analyze its behavioral and visceral usability.
The Dalton Theatre is a very viscerally appealing building, especially at night. Passersby are instantly attracted to the circular front, with white pillars and big windows. At night the building is well lit and the glass on the upper windows is colored and it looks really cool from the street. The mundane brick building wings connected on the sides are in the back of passersby minds because the attention is directed toward the center of the building.
I think the building is a good behavioral design as well. As one enteres the building, they are greeted by a spacious lobby with comfy chairs and a few plants. Straight ahead is the theater, which is well labeled. On both sides of the building there are classrooms on multiple floors. This design is very similar to the inside of Dow. The navigation is very straight forward.


3. What is the flaw in the current design process? How could this problem be fixed?
There is a lack of a programming phase and a feedback phase. Feedback is required fro the relationship between decision making and response. Feedback requires a review of architecture after it has been used. There is no feedback to "check that the assumptions sued in designing a building were indeed valid". The process also has little behavioral data. The programming and feedback phase work together to adhcieve social accountability which is lacking from the process because of the lack of these phases.