embracing neighborhood connectivity

exploring Interactions - social city of the future student eric ringard - 4260414

introduction design goal interaction vision research setting the perimeter research methods - literature - survey results conclusions concepts

3 4 5 6

7 9 11 15 17

overview
exploring Interactions - social city of the future student eric ringard - 4260414

appendix

22

design for interaction - tu delft

introduction
social interactions are omnipresent in our everyday lives and influence us strongly in how we feel, act and think. this project is about investigating these social interactions and developing a design concept based on our research and experimentation in order to create a desired effect. this design case is developed under the main subject social city of tomorrow in this tributary case, the focus of the project aims at the investigation and improvement of social connectedness in a certain neighborhood community. the residents and their sentiments are the most valuable sources for this research and are considered expert users due to their direct and personal experiences in this scenario. throughout the project it is recommended to experiment with various research and design strategies to gain a deeper level of understanding of the context and the user to essentially develop a suitable solution.

resident

community

04

design environment: neighborhood

design goal
my personal design goal is to create a concept which positively effects the connectivity between the residents of a certain neighborhood and embraces their personal relations. this is intended to increase trust, respect and happiness among the people living there and to give incentives to become more aware and involved in ones community. my motivation comes from having lived in various neighborhoods and communities over the last years and having experienced how much the percieved life quality can be influenced by ones knowledge and trust towards the people of his environment. my experience shows that sometimes people who share common grounds can be very disconnected from their surrounding community and live their lives next to each other without knowing or caring much about their neighbors, which can have negative effects on ones personal well being and the entire community spirit. I intend to increase the social interaction in this situation and create something that can be shared and experienced together.

connection

resident

community

06

interaction vision
my conception of how the successfully reached design goal should feel like can be expressed in the following metaphor: remembering ones class mates on a yearbook photo the reasoning behind this metaphor is to have the people share a common memory of an experience which is defined by their surrounding and community. in this case it is a cyclical ritual to record ones status every year together as a group so one can look back in the future and be reminded of how things were. often people are amused when looking back at their old school pictures and remember a lot of stories they like to tell, which initiates them to share personal information and interact socially when they meet their old class mates or other interested people.

07

research
the gathering of information for this project has been divided into different sources and also has been partially conducted in collaboration with my student buddy Maik de Rooj. in the beginning of the project the perimiter was set, followed by literature research and finally a survey conducted on the residents of this area. the intention was to match the results of the literature research with hard data we personally collected and draw our conclusions from this for our future projects and their designs.

09

setting the perimeter

at first the area in which the research is condocted was defined to be the Schijflaan in Delft. this is my personal new neighborhood which I recently moved into and now have been living in for 2 months. the Schijflaan is a very green and quiet neighborhood and it is divided into 3 houses with sperate walkways connecting the houses with the street. each household has a closed garden area of its own and there is in general considerable traffic in the street, which makes it considered a safe place for children and fairly comfortable to live in. furthermore the residents see their neighborhood as a village in a city, which is kind of seperated from the distant city center yet still well connected through the public transport. also the view is remarked as very nice and the people seem to be pleased with the density of stores and facilites in the surrounding area. for further information please refer to the detailed survey results [A] in the appendix.

Schij aan Huis # 1 -13 Huis # 14 -18 Huis # 19 -26

10

literary research
for the initial research on the topic of neighborhoods and their social contexts several online sources were used. these contain information ranging from social studies to reviews and documentations of carried out neighborhood projects by their own community association. the general results can be reported as following: the most common interaction between neighbors is to exchange themselves when meeting in person. in terms of statistics on their communication habbits the findings can be summed up as such[I]: directly in personal on the phone via email other 46% 21% 14% 19%

furthermore reports show that when neighbors have a higher trustful relationship they benefits from better health [2]. sadly it has been observed that the genereal trust in neighborhood communities has been declining drastically in the last 60 years, which results in less communication and interaction between neighbors and also less interest in the community.

11

when taking a closer look at reviews of existing neighborhood projects, interesting observations can be made. in context of social interactions there is a variety of possibilities which can induce activity and exchange in a community. one example is to have a shared subject in which one can share time, expertise and amusement such as a community garden. it requires a certain amount of commitment and can inspire others to join or participate in a similar way by for example cooking a meal from the harvested vegetables. other examples include children playgrounds and daycare, having personal assistance for the elderly, decorating the shared neighborhood together or sharing ones personal knowledge with others, like in form of a computer course.[B] it can be observed that whenever people do things together the more likely it is to connect more deeply with each other and gain more trust in each other, maybe even have positive effects on the community spirit.[C] in my opinion a shared activity seems to be a good starting point for exploring further interactions and design concepts.

12

survey
Eric Maik

for further research and also to see how far our gathered information was potentially valid and applicable to our scenario, a survey was layed out. the idea was to gather general data from the residents in the Schijflaan and ask them about their feelings and impressions about their neighborhood. the survey consisted of a A4 page printed on both sides accompanied by an introduction letter of our research team, which consists of Maik de Rooj and me, and our intentions with our project. the survey was handed out to the neighbors in a personalized envelope as we approached each household from door to door and introduced our selves personally, if anyone answered the door bell. luckily that was the case with 80 percent of the residents and first encouters and handshakes could be made. we advised them to simply return the survey to Erics mailbox when they were done, since we did not want to pressure them in any way at our first introduction. the return rate was relatively high: we recieved 9 out of 19

Contact: eric@ringard.de maikderooij@gmail.com

Beste buren,
Mijn naam is Eric en ik ben hier net in deze buurt komen wonen. Ik kom oorspronkelijk uit Duitsland en deze buurt is nog nieuw voor me, maar ik zou jullie graag leren kennen. Ik studeer hier Industrieel Ontwerpen aan de TU Delft en ik werk momenteel aan een project over deze straat, samen met mijn projectgenoot Maik. Hij woont hier ook in de buurt en we willen samen onderzoek naar de Schijflaan doen. Wij zijn erg genteresseerd in de dynamiek van deze straat en over hoe u zich voelt om te leven in deze straat. Omdat wij beide nog onbekend zijn in deze buurt, lijkt het ons een goede kans om u te leren kennen en deze straat te leren begrijpen. Het helpt ons enorm om over uw persoonlijke ervaringen te horen over hoe het is om in deze buurt te wonen. Denk hierbij bijvoorbeeld aan hoe lang u hier al woont; hoe het u bevalt om hier te wonen; welke buren u nog meer kent en of u veel met ze omgaat. Uiteindelijk kunnen we achter gezamenlijke dingen komen die jullie leuk en minder leuk vinden aan het wonen in deze straat. Onze vraag aan u is of u het leuk lijkt om deze verhalen aan ons te vertellen. Het lijkt ons dan ook leuk om u uit te nodigen voor een bakje koffie of thee, om ondertussen gezellig te kletsen. We zullen alles wat u vertelt als vertrouwelijk beschouwen en het niet delen met anderen. Het project is geheel vrijblijvend, dus als u het niets lijkt is het niet erg. Om al aan wat minder persoonlijke informatie over deze straat te komen, hebben we een enqute toegevoegd. Als u deze wilt invullen, helpt u hier ons al mee. Als u de enqute heeft ingevuld, kunt u deze in de brievenbus doen bij de Schijflaan 20. Of u mee wilt doen aan het verdere onderzoek, kunt u gelijk aan te geven. We kunnen dan eventueel een afspraak maken voor dat bakje koffie. Bedankt en tot snel! Eric en Maik

Schijflaan Enqute
Hoe gelukkig bent u om hier te wonen?
Huis # 1 -13 Huis # 14 -18 Huis # 19 -26
Erics Huis

ongelukkig

gelukkig

Kruis op de plattegrond aan in welk huis je woont. Met hoeveel mensen woont u hier? Met hoeveel mannen en vrouwen woont u hier? mannen vrouwen

Hoe betrokken voelt u zich in deze straat/buurt? niet betrokken betrokken

Hoe trots bent u om in deze buurt te wonen niet trots trots

Hoe oud zijn de mensen die hier wonen? (Vul het aantal mensen in de leeftijdscategorie in het vakje) 0-12 13-25 26-40 41-60 61-75 76 of ouder

Hoe veel contact heeft u met uw buren? wenig contact veel contact

Heeft u huisdieren? Zo ja, hoe veel en wat voor dier? Wat voor beroep heeft u? Hoe omschrijft u het om in de Schijflaan te wonen? Beschrijf dit in maximaal 5 woorden:
Hoe genteresseerd ben u in de buurtgemeenschap? niet genteresseerd erg genteresseerd Hoe goed kent u uw buren? slecht goed

Hoe actief bent u in de straat/buurt? niet actief actief

Hoeveel positieve herinneringen heeft u aan uw buren?

Ja

Nee

Lijkt het u leuk om ons meer te vertellen over de Schijflaan? En een bakje koffie of thee met ons te drinken?

Ja

Nee

Wilt u de buurt meer aangesloten zien?

Ja

Nee

Zo ja, vul dan uw telefoonnummer in: Wij zullen dan contact met u opnemen.

Wilt u uw buren beter leren kennen?

Ja

Nee

Bedankt voor het invullen!

z.o.z.

13

Schijaan Survey Results

Students:
Maik de Rooj Eric Ringard

results
! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 20 ! ! 24 ! ! 20 9 24 13 9

after the evaluation of our survey we were able to sum up General Results following data:
Households in total! ! general data: Households that answered !

number of household People living in those 9 households! households that replied

Men! ! ! ! ! ! ! Women !! of residents ! !in those ! 9 households ! ! number

! ! !

gender ration: male / female

13 / 9

Age distribution
8 6 4 2 0 0 - 12 years 13 - 25 years 26 - 40 years 41 - 60 years 61 - 75 years 76 + years

Pets

14

ratings
when asking the residents to rate on certain subjects concerning their personal feelings following numbers were the result:

Do you have positive memories with your neighbors?

Do you want to be more connected to the neighborhood?

Would you like to get to know your neighbors better?

yes 86% no 14%

yes 43%

no 57%

yes 57%

no 43%

15

Questions asked in following order:

How happy are you with living in the Schijaan? How involved do you feel in your neighborhood? How proud do you feel of your neighborhood? How much contact do you have with your neighbors? How well do you know your neighbors? How interested are you in your neighborhood? How active are you in your neighborhood?

ratings
6 5 5

Neighborhood Rating

Amount of Votes

4 4 3 2 2 1 1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Rating Score

happy in neighborhood proud of neighborhood knows neighbors well active in neighborhood

Bonus question:

involved in neighborhood contacts in neighborhood interest in neighborhood

16

conclusions
these results give us a good picture of the community and the residents basic information. it can be noted that a large part of interested users are either very young or already retired, meaning that further investigation in their needs is definitely valuable. they also seem quite happy with their living situation. generally speaking the people who have answered us seem interested and open towards our project and also are partially willing to participate in further parts of our projects. more data is required to gain deeper insights into the community and its sentiments, as they still are too general. for this we plan further measures and investigations. the next planned step is to invite selected neighbors to my house for coffee and cake and interview them in a personal and comfortable setting in order to gain deeper insights for future conceptualization.

17

further research
the next step in gathering more detailed information is planned to be a interview session in my house. we will invite selected neighbors over for coffee and cake and have a casual introduction chat. then we plan to ask then questions related to their own personal experience in the neighborhood and also try to identify what they favor and what not. potential question or tasks are: - describe your daily routine - tell us about how you meet your neighbors - what do you like to share - what is your favorite neighborhood memory / story -what do you personally dislike here these questions are not very specific and require the user to think about it before answering them. this should give us a wider range on how we can ask associated questions to their answers on the spot and have the possibility to manage the interview more freely. for more details on the coming steps please refer to the research schedule.

18

concepts
based on the rather general data there are several different ideas that could be applied as a experimental prototype in order to see what kind of effect they might evoke in the community these are introduced briefly in the following pages.

19

concept: open wall

give the community an open voice share and discover new thoughts and comments every day

06

concept: group photo

give the community a shared memory something they can remember doing together and enjoying

concept: yourSchijflaan

have neighbors residents describe what their personal Schijflaan is like and share the stories with others

appendix
[1] Smith,A (2010). Neighbors Online. Pew Internet & American Life Project. [2] Bjornstrom, EE (2011). The neighborhood context of relative position, trust, and self-rated health. Department of Sociology, University of Missouri.

[A] Schijaan Survey results Students: Maik de Rooj Eric Ringard General Results Households in total Households that answered People living in those 9 households Men Women Age distribution
8 6 4 2 0 0 - 12 years 13 - 25 years 26 - 40 years 41 - 60 years 61 - 75 years 76 + years

20 9 24 13 9

[A] Schijaan Survey results (continued) Pets Households with pets Cats Guinea Pigs Rabbits Fish Occupation Ratio working retired Description of the neighborhood (by the residents) 8 4 out of 9 4 4 2 19

[A] Schijaan Survey results (continued) Given descriptions: pretty quiet comfortable living pleasant many facilities closeby (shops & public transportation) prima nice gezellig green little traffic nice view well connected safe for kids bourgeois secluded seperate village in a city Questions about the neighborhood:
Do you have positive memories with your neighbors? Do you want to be more connected to the neighborhood? Would you like to get to know your neighbors better?

Word Count 5 2 2 2

2 2

yes 86% no 14%

yes 43%

no 57%

yes 57%

no 43%

[A] Schijaan Survey results (continued) Questions asked in following order: How happy are you with living in the Schijflaan? How involved do you feel in your neighborhood? How proud feel in ofthe your neighborhood? How happy are do youyou with living Schijaan? How involved you feel do in your neighborhood? How muchdo contact you have with your neighbors? How proud do you feelknow of your your neighborhood? How well do you neighbors? How much contact do you have with your neighbors? How interested are you in your How well do you know your neighbors? neighborhood? How interested are you in in your neighborhood? How active are you your neighborhood?
Questions asked in following order:
How active are you in your neighborhood?

Neighborhood Rating
6 5 5 Amount of Votes 4 4 3 2 2 1 1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Rating Score

happy in neighborhood proud of neighborhood knows neighbors well active in neighborhood

Bonus question:

involved in neighborhood contacts in neighborhood interest in neighborhood

Would you like to get to know your neighbors better?

[B] Die Strae, in der sich jeder kennt - Hamburger Abendblatt - 27.09.11 Source: www.abendblatt.de/hamburg/article2040183/Die-Strasse-in-der-sich-jeder-kennt.html - accessed: 7/10/2012 Hamburg. Einen Politiker als Nachbarn zu haben, kann den einen oder anderen Vorteil bringen. Mancher Volksvertreter sorgt dafr, dass die eigene Wohnstrae von Schnee und Eis gerumt wird (wie einst ein Brgerschaftsprsident in Gro Borstel, der danach aber zurcktreten musste). Andere knnen sogar darauf Einfluss nehmen, dass ein Weg den von ihnen gewnschten Verlauf nimmt. In der Strae Reye in Wohldorf-Ohlstedt kennt jeder Anwohner die Geschichte von Senator Oscar Toepfer, der im vergangenen Jahrhundert eigenntzig dafr sorgte, dass der Alsterwanderweg eine kleine Schleife macht und Wanderer und Radfahrer den Weg am Wasser ein kurzes Stck verlassen mssen. Denn so behielten die Grundstcke den direkten Alsterzugang. Idyllisch ist es hier. Die Bume sind hoch gewachsen, die Hecken auch. Und doch kennt in dieser Sackgasse in der Grostadt jeder jeden. Anonym lebt man dort trotz hoher Hecken nicht. Die Nachbarn gieen in Urlaubszeiten gegenseitig die Blumen, nehmen die Post raus und achten aufeinander. Wer Silvester zu Hause feiert, trifft sich in der Kehre. Jeder lebt fr sich, aber wenn es darauf ankommt, helfen alle zusammen, sagt Jan-Till Manzius. Der selbststndige IT- Unternehmer lebt mit seiner Frau Heike und den beiden Kindern Florentine, 6, und Leonard, 8, seit sechs Jahren in der Strae. Fr Autos ist am Wendehammer Schluss, Radfahrer und Wanderer gelangen ber einen Pfad zurck zum Alsterwanderweg, der hier auch Teil des Pilgerwegs Via Baltica ist. Als Familie Manzius einzog, machte sie die Runde durch die Nachbarschaft und stellte sich berall vor. Und das Paar steckte ein Familienfoto in die Briefksten. So konnten sich alle, auch die, die nicht zu Hause waren, ein Bild machen von den neu Zugezogenen. Helga Rieck lebt schon seit 1943 in der Reye und ist damit sozusagen das Urgestein der Nachbarschaft. Die Eltern der 74-Jhrigen hatten das Grundstck 1942 gekauft und zuerst ein Behelfshaus gebaut. Helga Riecks Ehemann Walter, 76, ein pensionierter Maurermeister, errichtete in den 60er-Jahren das Rotklinkerhaus, in dem auch heute noch drei Generationen wohnen. Sohn Thorsten mit Ehefrau Angela und die drei Kinder leben mit im Haus. Er habe auch als Jugendlicher nie den Wunsch gehabt, im Zentrum zu leben, sagt der 42-Jhrige. Meike Manzius und ihr Mann wohnen nur zur Miete, wrden gern kaufen. Fr die Kinder ist das hier ein Paradies, sagt die Kauffrau. Die knnen spielen, rollern und auf der Strae inlineskaten. Und manche Nachbarskinder sind alt genug zum Babysitten. Die Kinder von Minola und Henry Rismont sind lngst ausgezogen. Rismont, der bei einer Minerallfirma ttig war, hatte sich nach der Besichtigung vor zwlf Jahren innerhalb von zwlf Stunden fr den Kauf entschieden. Wir haben es umgebaut und sind im November 1998 eingezogen, erzhlt der 65-Jhrige. Weit dehnt sich der Garten bis zur Alster aus. Manchmal erstreckt sich die Alster aber auch in den Garten. Bis hierhin, sagt Rismont und deutet etwa zur Mitte des Gartens, stand das Wasser im Winter schon. Ein Teil des Gartens sei berflutungsgebiet. Fr seinen Nachbarn, den Architekten Klaus Staratzke, war der direkte Alsteranschluss die Voraussetzung dafr, dass er und seine Frau Lore das Haus vor 30 Jahren gekauft haben. Das Haus war vllig vergurkt, aber es lag am Wasser und dazu noch in einer Sackgasse. Er hat das Gebude aus dem Jahr 1924 so akribisch restauriert, dass es jetzt unter Denkmalschutz steht.

Das schnste Grundstck in der Reye sei aber das, wo frher Cornelia Funke gewohnt hat, sagt der Architekt. der vier Kinder ist stndiger Gast im Haus von Familie Manzius. Das ist ihre zweite Heimat, sagt Heike Manzius. Sie streiten sich sogar wie Geschwister. Bis zu ihrem Umzug nach Amerika vor sechs Jahren wohnte die Kinderbuchautorin dort mit ihrer Familie. Damals war sie noch nicht ganz so berhmt wie jetzt, sagt Annette Franz, eine der Nachbarinnen. Sie war sehr bescheiden. Und sie war sehr offen, wie du und ich. Ihren Mann Rolf habe sie immer Kater genannt. Der sei immer so stolz auf seine Frau gewesen: Er sagte immer, meine Frau ist besser als die Rowling (die Autorin von Harry Potter, die Red.) , erinnert sich Lore Staratzke an Funkes Mann, der 2006 an Krebs gestorben ist. Natalie Rieck hat ebenfalls sehr persnliche Erinnerungen an die frheren Nachbarn. Die 21- Jhrige ist mit Funkes Tochter Anna befreundet. Von diesen Mdchen lie sich Cornelia Funke beim Schreiben ihrer Reihe Die wilden Hhner inspirieren. Einmal im Jahr hat sie selbst in der Schule ihre Bcher verkauft, erinnert sich Thorsten Rieck. Auch dann noch, als sie eine weltweit gefeierte Bestsellerautorin war. Als sie nach Amerika ging, zog Kirsten Gaida mit ihrer Familie ein. Sie hatte durch Zufall im Reitstall, in dem Cornelia Funkes Pferd untergebracht war, davon erfahren, dass das Haus zu vermieten sei. Ein Paradies vor allem fr ihre Tochter Greta, 7. Das jngste der vier Kinder ist stndiger Gast im Haus von Familie Manzius. Das ist ihre zweite Heimat, sagt Heike Manzius. Sie streiten sich sogar wie Geschwister. hnlich beschaulich wie ihr groer Garten, in dem sogar ein Mammutbaum steht, ist der von Kirsten Gaida. Die 44-Jhrige, die als Sozialarbeiterin in einer Kita arbeitet, hat direkt an den Wasserlauf zwei weie Holzsthle gestellt. Hier sitzt sie gern, wenn sie entspannen will und die Witterung es zulsst. Mit ungebetenem Besuch muss sie anders als die frheren Bewohner nicht mehr rechnen. Weil viele Wanderer und Radfahrer vom ungewhnlichen Verlauf des Alsterwanderwegs verwirrt waren, landeten sie im groen Garten, wo damals noch Familie Funke wohnte. Bei schnem Wetter lagerten manchmal 50, 60 Leute auf dem Rasen, wenn sie nach Hause kam, erinnert sich Thorsten Rieck. Cornelia hatte Schilder aufgestellt, aber das ntzte alles nichts. Irgendwann habe sie dann einen Zaun aufstellen lassen. Jetzt berflutet nur noch die Alster manchmal die Wiese. Die lsst sich weder durch Zune noch durch Politiker aufhalten.

[C] source: www.netzwerk-nachbarschaft.net/home/36-initiativen/390-oesterreichs-nachbarn-in-aktion.html accessed 7/10/2012 Initiativen sterreichs Nachbarn in Aktion Gemeinschaftsgefhl und freundschaftlicher Zusammenhalt das gilt auch fr unsere sterreichischen Nachbarn. Ihre Aktionen machen jetzt Schule! Drei Beispiele.

Gemeinsam garteln Im Wiener Arenbergpark stimmten die Nachbarn mit ihrem grnen Daumen ab. Im Verein Gartenpolylog legten sie einen grnen Freiraum mit 20 Beeten zum ffentlichen Gemeinschaftsgarten an. Gro und Klein sten, bewsserten und ernten jetzt. Mglich wurde das mit Frdermitteln der Stadt. Ein tolles Projekt, weil es alle Anwohner erfreut. Gemeinsam urlauben Die Nachbarn vom Grazer Margaretenbad hatten sich ursprnglich zusammengeschlossen, um das Freibad vor der Schlieung zu retten. Inzwischen organisieren sie regelmige Gemeinschaftsaktionen. Fr ihre diesjhrige Sommeraktion Ferienstrae mit bunten Aktivitten auf verkehrsfreier Zone wurden sie von Netzwerk Nachbarschaft prmiert. Gemeinsam handeln Die Nachbarn in Tulln an der Donau grndeten 2011 die Initiative Netzwerk Nachbar. Wer eine gute Idee hat, meldet es an und alle helfen mit. Vom Fuballplatz fr Kids ber ein grenzenloses Kochevent bis zur Patenschaft fr Grnflchen sind so zahlreiche kreative Projekte entstanden.

[D] Design goal sheet Design Goal - Eric Ringard Users Who will be the users of your design? The residents of the Schijflaan, or at least those who are willing to participate in our research and projects. Situation In which situation will your design be used? (location, people involved, experiences, products involved, etcetera) My designs will be used in the selected area and the participating households of the Schijflaan in Delft. Effect What effect for the user(s) do you intend to generate with your design? (what possibility is generated, or problem is solved) I intend to create some kind of common incentive or experience that induces the neighbors to interact and communicate more with each other, so that it they get to know each other better and feel more involved and connected in their living environment and community. Stakeholders Which other stakeholders will be affected by your design? (as users, producers, others in the situation, regulators etcetera) The target users (residents), visitors or bypassers to the Schijflaan.

[D] Design goal sheet (continued) Topic Contribution General effects How will your design affect the topic? (characteristics of the topic, the way people view the topic, etcetera) My design should make the users feel more as a part of his community and increase trust and interaction in the neighorhood community. Personal Involvement Motivation Why does this design goal stimulate you personally? I have lived in several different neighborhood communities and have experienced various scenarios of how residents of shared grounds live next to each other passively or without caring much about what is happening around them. I find this very sad that a great part of ones social surrounding is lacking which can mean a big enrichment in ones life and community spirit. Exploration Potential Initial questions Which questions do you need to ask yourself and seek answers to, in working towards your design goal? How does the user experience his surrounings? What are his sentiments or feelings towards his neighborhood? How connected do they feel with their neighbors? Are they interested in getting to know their neighbors better? What kind of things add value to their physical neighborhood? Accessibility How do you expect to get access to the situation and people involved in your design goal? The Schijflaan is my personal neighborhood since I moved there in mid-september 2012. I intend to approach them personally and introduce myself before I ask if they might be interested in participating in this project. Written questioning in form of a survey seems very likely at this point.