Good and Bad WPI Designs
For this assignment I walked around the WPI campus to find one example of something that was well designed versus something that was poorly designed. The first example of something well designed was the leg extension machine in the gym. It is simple to use, easy to understand, and functions exactly as you want it to. I believe that the quad is an example of something that is poorly designed. While I agree aesthetically it is pleasing, it is stuck between a walk way and a park. However I do not think it functionally excels in either of those areas.
Good Design
The leg extension machine in the recreation center is well designed. It is a simple machine that allows you to do exactly what you want, work out your quadriceps. The machine has different length settings which are intuitive and easy to manipulate. There are two settings one that lengthens or shortens how far out the bar is. The button to manipulate this is within reach from sitting down and is next to the indicator for which setting is which size. The second lever also clearly demonstrates that it is meant to change the position of where the bar starts. As well as the pin for changing the weight is moved easily between different settings. Finally the chair shape shows that the user must sit down to use the machine and there are instructions on the side in case the user is confused.
Bad Design
The ‘quad’ at the center of WPI’s campus is poorly designed. I agree that while it is aesthetically pleasing, it barely works for its functional components. As a pathway between buildings, the paths are not the shortest distance. If Someone wishes to travel from Daniels Hall to their classes, they must walk from their building to the circle then turn towards class. If that student is late for an important class those are precious seconds added to their route. The paths are not only time wise inefficient, but spatially inefficient as it forces students onto a narrow path that is really only wide enough for two lanes of people. When classes get out and most people are using the quad to get back to their dorms or to the dinning hall the path leading from the campus center is packed and filled with people trying to make it back. These people are met with another tide of students walking to their classes, but since there is only space for two lanes of people, the walkways get over crowded.
During the warm months, the quad also serves as a space for students to relax and enjoy the sun. Many students like to throw a Frisbee or a football around. However the space is not conducive to these activities as the pathways section off small irregular shapes. This forces the students to operate within 15–20 feet of each other or pass over the heads of students using the walkways which can be risky. More often then not, a student will be hit with the Frisbee or football as students are prone to make mistakes when throwing. All in all, the quad was designed to be aesthetically pleasing to perspective students which I do believe it does well, however for the students currently on campus it is stuck in between a mediocre park and an inefficient walkway.