Dissertation

To ensure my time management and organisation I created a Gannt chart which I split into 4 phases, initial preparation, literature review, methodology and analysis, and review. I found that the conducting of primary research took longer than expected because of the interview delays due to the time permits of the local professionals. This meant that there was a reduced amount of time to proofread and format but fortunately this was still enough time to complete both review tasks. In future, I must dedicate more time to contingencies and areas which are heavily reliant on external factors, such as the schedules of respondents and interviewees.

The process of gathering secondary research proved to be fairly time consuming. I aimed to gather a variation of sources as this would provide a wider scope on the existing literature, thus, further reinforcing the stated research gap. This was achieved through academic databases such as Google Scholar, EbscoHost, Elsevier, ProQuest as well as the universities library database. A vast majority of sources heavily linked biophilic design to the health and well-being SDG therefore I dedicated a large section of my secondary research to this as it proved to be a key aspect. The conducting of secondary research effectively allowed me to gain some insight into the concept of biophilic design and the benefits it has on individuals.

Once I collected a significant insight into the topic, I began to identify themes or quotes which relate to a specific sub-category. This helped to form an array of themes to explain and discuss in the literature review part of the dissertation study. As you can see below, I created a table which lists the source, quotes, additional information, page numbers, references and citations. This helped to keep up-to-date with the existing literature and slowly start to identify topics ready to discuss or take into the questionnaire and interview questions. If you would like to download and view the research table created for this topic, please click here.

After completing the literature review, I submitted a research report outline as part of my semester 1 submissions. If you would like to download this report, please click here.

To conduct primary research, I created a questionnaire whilst also carrying out an interview. The questionnaire was distributed amongst social media platforms such as Facebook and aimed to gain an understanding of the respondent’s current kitchen space. It focused on some of the biophilic patterns discussed in the secondary research such as lighting, materials, forms, and shapes. It also touched upon the presence of greenery and plants and how this implicates the user’s health and wellbeing. The questionnaire adopted a style of both open and closed questions as a way of allowing for a variety of responses. Overall, the results were representative of all age groups which provided a strong set of data ready for analysis along with the discussion of the themes identified in the interview transcript.

The interview process proved difficult at first due to several weeks delay to confirm an interviewee. I interviewed an individual who is a kitchen and bathroom specialist based in Hedge End. The interview lasted just short of 15 minutes, in line with the proposed plan, and provided some great insights into the key aspects and attributes of biophilic design. It also provided several interesting examples of how some users prefer the raw materials and keep the edge of wood ‘unclean’ or ‘live’ as he described it. This contribution from an individual within the industry of focus allowed me to gain an understanding of the current and up-to-date trends as favoured by the consumers. The primary research therefore allowed me to collect data on both sides of the business – the designers and the consumers.

Once I completed the primary research and provided the results and discussion within the report, I submitted my final dissertation which marks the end of this module and the start of my final submissions.Click here to download my final dissertation.