The New York City Department of Design and Construction
ethnographic research
How can the NYC DDC improve people's
experience with construction sites?
project overview
Our objective in observing the site was to provide the NYC Department of Design and Construction (DDC) with insights on public awareness and feelings surrounding local projects.
my team
Akshata Karekar
Ariella Brown
Yuxin Huang
my role
- Conducted on-site observations and street interviews to capture diverse perspectives.
- Recruited participants for diary studies to gain deeper insights into daily experiences.
- Analyzed and synthesized data to identify key themes and develop actionable next steps.
- Presented workshop activity ideas to the team and facilitated execution.
- Evaluated the language and tone of workshop results for insights.
- Analyzed findings and provided recommendations as a concluding project step.
methodology
site visits + interviews
diary studies
co-design activities
BACKGROUND
what is the NYC DDC?
The New York City Department of Design and Construction (NYC DDC) builds many of the civic facilities New Yorkers use every day. They provide communities with new or renovated structures such as firehouses, libraries, police precincts, courthouses, senior centers and more. They collaborate with other City agencies, architects and consultants. Some of the types of constructions they work on are roadway, sewer and water and provide sidewalks, street reconstruction, water mains, sewers, and pedestrian ramps. CDD supports the handling of hazardous materials, environmental assessment and investigations, environmental permitting, geotechnical services, and topographical services.
THE BIG QUESTION
How could NYC DDC improve people's experience with construction sites?
​
We are students from Pratt Institute, working on an ethnographic study of people related to NYC construction sites.
what did we want to find out?
EXPLORE
​
the New York City dwellers nature of interaction with the construction
LEARN
​
what the public impressions are about the DDC's projects
OBSERVE
​
public engagement with construction site and communication between them and the in charge
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
how did we plan do find this?
ON SITE WORK
​
Structured observations and in-situ ethnographic-style interviews.
DIARY STUDY
​
A 5-day study to understand people’s misconceptions.
CO-DESIGN WORKSHOP
​
Collaborative approach to brainstorming and concept creation.
THE SITE VISIT OBSERVATIONS AND INTERVIEWS
what did we do on our site visits?
We took took an ethnographic approach and set out to observe the area.
Our objective in observing the site was to provide the NYC Department of Design and Construction (DDC) with insights on public awareness and feelings surrounding local projects.
While there, we spent time making notes of people around the site, what they were up to, what they were feeling about the site. We also took note of the environment, mood of the site and objects and artifacts surrounding the construction.
Click on our interaction project to explore more!
OUR FINDINGS
what did we learn from our on site exploration?
I spoke to multiple passerbys, residents, delivery people and the traffic police to learn their feedback on the construction. Here is what they had to say:
”It's ridiculous, honestly, it’s been going on for 10 years now.”
“I don’t know these things , I find out through talking to people I see here or at a community post board.”
“I really wish I didn’t have to park so far away from the houses I make deliveries to - the traffic has gotten so much worse too”
"There's no way around it, it's all connected. The traffic is lagged for many blocks.”
“I never see anyone here. All I want to know is when they're going to get out of here”
We were able to gain an even deeper understanding of the site and feelings around the project by conducting on the street and stakeholder interviews. We identified some big ideas, common themes and next steps to the site visit observations
-
Local residents who live near construction sites and are personally affected by the lengthy construction, care most about end date of the construction activity.
-
Non local residence do not care to know or find more information about construction sites they pass by.
-
Locals receive community information from hyper local resources like community meetings, community boards, newsletters, talking to other locals, their doormen or construction workers.
-
An issue with hyper localized information is not all locals are not connected to community resources and it’s difficult to know these resources exist.
-
The shift in traffic patterns create unexpected issues that affect every person who drives in the area. This includes delivery drivers and people who have appointments at the local medical offices.
-
Issues include lack of parking, blind driveways, and excess traffic.
THE DIARY STUDY
how did we design our diary studies?
Diary Space: FigJam
Participants: 6 participants
Time Frame: One 5-day week
​
Who we recruited
Individuals who live by a construction area, and those who are affected by it on a daily basis.
​
The study
A 5-day diary study to understand residence and people who come in contact with construction sites expectations and misconceptions of construction sites. Through imagery and words we hope to learn how they perceive a construction site.
What was the task?
To select a persona, and a scenario image from the image box paste and create a scene with the use of speech bubble. visuals, drawings to express their thoughts and feelings on that day.
​
We prompted participants to answer
Who do you think is involved in the construction site?
What phrases come to mind when you talk about your experience with the construction with another person?
What struggles is that person experiencing near the construction site today?
​
Emotion Scale
After you are done reflecting, go ahead and circle your feelings around that day’s reflection.
OUR FINDINGS
what did we learn from our diary studies?
In a collaborative affinity mapping activity we identified some more commonalities through our dairy studies. We learned that people do empathize with other around the city and make an effort to get to their pains and concerns surrounding the interaction with construction.
CO DESIGN WORKSHOP
A quick, collaborative and generative way to collect thoughts
In an attempt of switching mind sets and better empathizing with people in different positions, we co created a workshop for our class to participate in.
​
We wanted to learn what would be the most feasible way to communicate the gap between the general people and DDC. We then analysed the language used in the letters to uncover the relationship of trust between the civilians and the DDC.
1. We asked our participants to create a persona, a role that engages with construction on a daily basis.
2. Then to role play as that person and write a letter to DDC about what they felt.
3. Then to switch roleplay into representatives of the DDC to reply to a letter your classmate had written in the previous step.
We used the analysis of the data generated to inform our bog findings below.
FINAL BIG FINDINGS
What can we conclude using our research?
01
Small business owners are concerned about the visibility of their business.
​
They are unaware on how and where to find information about the construction.
And therefore are unable to provide any information to their customers.
“We don’t really know when it’s going to end, I think it’s always been this way for the past few years.”
​
Quoted by the receptionist at a Medical Centre across the construction.
A participant had noted down the thoughts of a small business owner near a construction site during our diary study.
A participant had written complaints about a coffee shop owner not receiving their usual business during the workshop.
02
Travel disruptions are on everyone's minds.
​
Construction sites create unexpected changes to travelers daily routines and lack of information is a sore spot for residence.
“I really wish I didn’t have to park so far away from the houses I make deliveries to - the traffic has gotten so much worse too”
UPS driver who needs to park his truck far from the address he is delivering to.
A participant had noted down the thoughts of a small business owner near a construction site during our diary study.
A participant had written complaints about a coffee shop owner not receiving their usual business during the workshop.
03
People want the construction sites to be safe and pleasant places
​
We found issues surrounding noise, smell, and the unpleasing look of sites.
​
Multiple users have complaint about the look of construction, the dust, noise, and the smell. They usually react negatively when thinking about it during our diary study.
Two participants had noted complains about the noise, smell, and the look of the constructions.
RECOMMENDATIONS
How can we find meaningful solutions to address the issues we FOUND?
Making travel seamless through a Google Maps integration
​
Create a live map, such as the MTA did. OR integrate with main map tools, like Google Map and Apple Map, providing add-ons that alert travelers as they planning their routes.
A way for civilians to communicate with the DDC
​
With the help of a chatbot, residents can feel they are getting the answers they need in real time, lessening frustrations.
This chatbox can also educate residence on the benefits of the site.
Educates citizens about the construction
​
Build attractive visual barriers between the public and the construction site. The barriers can be helpful in educating the public about the benefits and basic information about the work being done.
NEXT STEPS
Explore solutions for small businesses
Hand off insights to Product Design team for continuation of design recommendations
​
​