Looking out, looking in...

Although we've only explored this project for one week, the topic of upper-class women has been a very provacative one for me. My expectation for this project was that I would need to set aside my previous experiences and try to look at the culture with objective eyes.

As Lauren and I discuss and observe the high-end lifestyle, I am forced to address my own history and experiences. I was raised in what is generally considered an upper-class family in Atlanta, and was a part of that culture and lifestyle for most of my life. I think it would be impossible for anyone to completely disengage themselves from something so fundamental in their history. After all, our human experience is built upon observation, and so no observer can see any situation without looking through the filter of their previous experience.

Through a lot of thought and reflection, I came to the conclusion that the information I have gathered through this lifetime of experience is just as valuable as the observations of someone new to the culture. With that in mind, I want to utilize my own knowledge and instincts about this topic, and contrast it with Lauren's more external perspective. I believe that together, she and I will be able to reveal more substantial and accurate insight into the world of upper-class culture than either one of us could alone.

I will write more about my thoughts and reflections as I clarify them. Already, it is interesting how interwoven they are with all aspects of my life, and how encompassing and provacative this reflection can be...

Charleston, SC

Lauren and I jumped right into immersing ourselves in the Charleston culture. We began by walking through some of stores on King Street, one of the high-end shopping areas in town.

We began with Williams-Sonoma, and could see that the store is intended for the upper-class female market the moment we walked in the door. Warm lighting, attractive displays, and classical music all make the shoppers feel welcome and comfortable before they even begin to explore the products for sale.

We discovered that the majority of the items in the store were subtly distictive from what one would expect to find. For instance, we approached a rack of kitchen utensils and picked up a rubber spatula, similar to what you can find in most home stores. However, this particular one had a metal handle, and a surprisingly subtle yet substantial heft to it that felt good and stable in the hand. Many of the products in the store had this clean style with a subtle surprise. We theorized that, as a complete experience, the Wm Sonoma store conveys a sense of security and stability, which are qualities that their shoppers want to create in their own homes.



Many of the products had classic appeal, but with a contemporary twist, like a bright color or slightly different proportions, with little unneccessary embellishment.

We also visited Ann Taylor, and upon entering the store were overtaken by the slow, hushed atmosphere. We identified the store as targeting women slightly older than our market.

In the Lacoste clothing store, our discoveries paralleled what we observed back at Wm Sonoma. A classic polo shirt design is made new again by the addition of disticitive colors and slightly new fits. According to Lacoste.com, there are 90 variations of the Lacoste polo, and "...Lacoste remains an elegant, authentic and timeless brand."

Interestingly, my father has worn these polos for as long as I can remember, and he is part of a completely different sub-culture than the young crowd that Lacoste's advertisements currently target; he still wears the shirts every weekend though.

We also visited the Sharper Image, one of the only technology-focused stores on King Street, and observed that few of the products attain anything close to poetry of form or use, although many contain as much technology as possible, like the ridiculous phone below...

Our minds look like...

Lauren and decided that, with the categories of Beauty, Style and Technology detailed in the project brief, completing an Affinity diagram (which we generally use to determine categories to focus our research) was unnecessary at this point in the design process.

Instead, we working together to create a Mind Map to explore key words and phrases that we associate with the categories above which represent our current knowledge, assumptions, and questions surrounding the broad problem domain. We also included Fashion, Upper-class, Women (which we identified as a beginning point for narrowing down our target market), Comfort, and Wearables as main branches in the diagram.

Through this exercise, we discovered many non-linear connections between the categories, which enabled us to see the expansiveness of the opportunity. The diagram revealed that in our experience there is often a separation or disconnect between the internal female mind and the external manifestations of that mind. These external manifestations are judged by the female’s peers.

Technology-, wearable-, fashion-, and style-oriented products are all part of this external woman, with comfort firmly rooted in the internal mind. Beauty straddles the division between categories.

We identified that a successful, poetic solution to the design opportunity will satisfy the externally expressed desires of the upper-class woman, while touching the internal needs of her mind.

We also identified that many beauty-oriented products either enhance or are in contrast to the natural state of the user. For example, hair dye either enhances one’s hair in a natural color, or is outside the realm of human hair colors, like bright blue.

Instinct as well as identifying and understanding patterns were identified as important elements in comfort, and have interesting implications for how these women identify and choose whether to accept or reject products, fashions, and styles.