Post-occupancy evaluations of public wi-fi services and spaces
How to understand the interaction of wireless networks, physical space, and place
As the result of some conversations about a month ago, my team at Arup have been commissioned by the State Library of Queensland to do some analysis of their free wi-fi service, which runs throughout their Infozone and Knowledge Walk areas. (Ed. This piece was first published at cityofsound.com on 22 August 2008.)
I’ll be doing research there next week, looking at usage patterns from various quantitative and qualitative perspectives, some analysis of how the variability of wi-fi maps onto the informal use of space enabled by the Library’s open design, some benchmarking against best practice in terms of denoting the presence of public wi-fi, some technical discussions. That kind of thing.
I’m keen to explore new ways of discerning spatial usage patterns, including software-based analysis of video If possible. Otherwise, it’ll be my team and some students, counting.
(Ed. This work turned into a deeper strategic project with the State Library, mapping their wifi as if a physical structure, which led to a major expansion of the service, and triggered many subsequent strategic projects.)
