Assignment 4: Interviews -But not as we know them!

Unlike assignment 3, this time we had to interact with people and interview them. In order to avoid interviewing strangers this time, we didn’t have to visit any site, we were asked to interview friends of friends that we didn’t know too well and mostly importantly they didn’t know us. We had to choose between 10 topics, the topic I chose was -How have students’ dress sense changed since they left home? I find this subject interesting and having already written about myself in a previous blog I felt this was a chance to develop it further and research about it. 

Once I had chosen my topic, I mind mapped the questions and areas I wanted to cover during my interviews, and also some other subjects to talk about soon as the interview had to be semi- structured which means you can prepare questions beforehand but also turn your interview into a informal chat and talk more comfortably.

 

Mind Map

Part of this assignment was to use one of the Service Design Tools we read about during the last assignment and use it to interact with our interviewees. I met my interviewees in the library so couldn’t really take up a wall with our post its so instead, I wrote down my questions on a page of my note book and before we talk I asked them to answer very shortly on the post its. This tool is called the Affinity Diagram and it’s used to brainstorm ideas and facts and then once on board or in my case on a notebook page the notes can be analyzed further. http://www.servicedesigntools.org/tools/23

''Affinity Diagram''

 The questions I chose to ask were the following: 

       1.  How would you describe your style?

       2.  Has your dress sense changed since you came to University?

       3.  What subject are you studying?

       4.   Do you feel like you have changed more than your style? (more or less confident etc.)

       5.   Do you know who influences you? (course mates, flat mates, sports palls etc.)

       6.   Do you feel like you have influenced anybody? ( is anybody copying your style?)

       7.   Do you shop in the same stores as before you came to University?

       8.   Could you describe your dress sense before you come to University?

       9.   How do you feel like when you are back home with your old friends?

     10.   Have they noticed the difference, if yes what did they comment on?

•  My first interviewee is in second year of Fine arts, when we met I gave her the questions and she answered very shortly and informally (some consisted of just one word), we then looked at each post-it and discussed her answers together which gave her the opportunity to analyze them further and explain them. She described her style as being vintage on the post it and I wanted to know more about it, it turns out she goes for the 60's look, very pretty, delicate (doll-like) style with big bows in her hair and knee high socks which reminded me a lot of Topshop's display window. So we then talked about where she shops since she has been in Dundee University and were did she shop before.. She admitted that most of her clothes are from Topshop and Zara and that she never used to shop much in them stores when she was back home and at school. She also explained that in her small town in Orkney, there wasn't much pressure on what you were wearing because everybody is relaxed and not everybody follows the fashion trends apart from the snobbish girls at her school. Living in the countryside, she wasn't really bothered about her looks and would wear casual clothes when not at school. Her course mates have influenced her and I can understand that because she probably spends most of her time with them especially as she is studying Fine arts and I would imagine it is very time consuming and studio based. She said that she doesn't really feel like she doesn't fit in when she is back home because most of her old friends have also gone to University ans they have also changed slightly although she did say that the first time she went back to Orkney in first year for Christmas, she went back to wearing tracksuits because she spent a lot of time in the countryside and didn't bother worrying about what to wear when she woke up. I asked her if she feels different now when she goes back home and she said her new (Uni) style is properly adapted an that even when she is back home she likes dressing Vintage, on her post-it she also mentioned her cousin saying she looked a lot prettier and that she has changed since she has been  here. Although she was aware of her changes, she didn't know whether she like the fact that it was so noticeable but she accepted it as a compliment.  After talking to my first interviewee I feel like she was a really confident and easy going person before she came to University and now she feels like she has to wear whatever is in Topshop this season. As she is studying Fine art I would have expected the opposite, would have thought she would be more free and have her own dress sense according to her own taste but no and that is really confusing me because my second interviewee was exactly the opposite.   

• With my second interviewee we arranged to meet at the Cantina during lunch time which made it a lot more comfortable and casual. We went through the same method and then chatted about her answers. She is in her third year of Law and her home town is Glasgow. During this interview, I spotted a huge difference between her and my first interviewee and I knew from the start I would have very different answers, mostly because they had very different backgrounds which made it a lot more interesting to compare their styles. She described herself as being really sporty and most of the time she would come into uni wearing tracksuits because she goes to the gym nearly everyday after her classes and she also said that since she has been at University and is part of the Volleyball team she is a lot more aware about her health and being fit enough for the sport she really enjoys playing. She said that mostly her parents and close family have commented on her rapid style change because they still cant believe it after three years, although she said that everybody goes through phases in their lives and as a matter of fact she might be going through one just now and in a couple of months change her style completely. That made me realize that she is a very open minded girl and ready for any kind of changes. To be quite honest I would have expected to hear that from an art student rather than a Law student and actually would have thought that the subject students are studying would have had an impact on their dress sense, (e.g would have expected a Law student to dress smartly) but that isn't the case.  She explained to me that back in her home town in Glasgow, if it weren't for School Uniforms, she would have been stressed every single morning when she was getting ready to go to school because she used to hang around with the ''divas'' of the school and the most popular ones. She also said that a lot of times they would go shopping after school and she would buy very similar clothes to her friends rather than just go for what she felt comfortable with. Now at university she feels like she is dealing with a lot more mature people and has met a lot of people that don't care about what they wear because they have got their own character and style. Also being in a Volleyball team and mixing with people with all different backgrounds has help her a lot to come out of her shell and be more comfortable with who she really is and she doesn't have to pretend she is someone else anymore. She recons that she has influenced her flatmates a little and has actually got them coming to the gym with her too and she feels quite happy about that soon as she is encouraging them to lead a healthier life.

• My third and last interviewee is a course mate of an ex-flatmate of mine and we met in the main library between his classes for a quick interview/chat. He is studying  Forensic science and as you can imagine we haven't got a lot in common but it was interesting to see if he had changed his style since he has been in Dundee University. This time I just went ahead and asked him the questions and discuss them as we went a long as I felt it might get a bit awkward and uncomfortable for him if I just sat there waiting for him to quickly answer on the little post-its. He explained that he hadn't really changed much although he had toned down a bit because he felt his style was a bit too extreme for his course as he had a very Gothic dress sense when he first came to Dundee whereas now he describes himself as being more casual/rock music person so he still has some of the elements he had in first year. He also said they his friends still have kept the Gothic style although only one of them has gone to University so they haven't really changed environment or friends. He said that he doesn't really shop as much now and when he does he only gets casual jeans or whatever he needs at the time whereas before he would buy a lot of belt and different accessories. He said that being at University and meeting a lot of different and open minded people has really helped him with his confidence and he is not as self-conscious  as he was when he was in Newcastle.
  

Looking back at all three interviewees and comparing there background, you can notice very big differences but the last two are very similar in some ways, as they both feel more comfortable and confident since being at University and feel less pressured and don't feel the need to impress anybody or make a statement. I think that comes down to the people you are going to meet and the experiences you are going to live throughout Uni life. It is all about what you feel comfortable, if you prefer making a difference by dressing weirdly then go ahead and do it but if you feel like you have to do it in order to impress others then think to yourself why do you need to impress others in order to feel good about yourself? 

After my conversation with the second interviewee, I couldn't stop thinking about what she mentioned about being happy she had to wear a school uniform to school because if she didn't have to she would be stressing herself out and wouldn't feel comfortable at school. I researched about school uniforms a little to find similar stories, incidents and what schools and parents think of uniforms and came up with a lot of pros and not many negative comments not even from students which I would have expected because a lot of my friends here in the UK think I'm lucky to not have been forced to wear uniforms as in Greece we don't.

Results from research:

Reduces Fighting and Violence:

Schools report that school uniforms decrease fighting and violence that arrise out of arguments over fashionable clothes. Children invariably tease those who do not have trendy clothes. Those who can't afford name brand clothes are often sensitive about their clothing. Schools struggling with gang problems report that school uniforms help ease tensions.

Distractions:

Many parents believe that students wearing school uniforms look nicer and that a school uniform policy ensures that children will come to school in appropriate clothing, avoiding distractions such as trends considered to be overly revealing. Some students have turned school into an unending fashion show. This distracts from learning, as some kids spend more time focused on their clothes than on homework.

Values:

School uniforms stress that individuality and self-expression are not determined by designer clothing or the latest fashion.

Low Cost:

School uniforms are a bargain. They are becoming far less expensive than many other clothes. Schools argue that school uniforms are economical, especially compared to designer clothing.Parents agree that school uniforms last longer because they are made for repeated wash and wear.They also can get used school uniforms at discount prices, or just use them as hand-me-downs between siblings.

School Spirit:

Some feel wearing a school uniform helps build school spirit.