1
ISSUES
1.1 PROJECT CLIENT
Technology Park Malaysia (TPM)
- government owned company
- subsidiary under Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI).
- science park for research and development of knowledge based industries.
- Located at Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur.
- Home to more than 150 technology companies with 10,000 knowledge workers.
-MSC cyber city housing 136 MSC companies.
1.2 TARGET USER
Technopreneur (Mentor)
- Be Malas: Concierge service where one's wish is their command, within the boundaries of law.
- K-Fit: Gives access to the best gyms in the cities.
*** Their role in this centre is to be the mentor of startup.
Technopreneur Startup
- Technopreneur: Technology + Entrepreneur. Person who introduce new products and services to achieve specific social goals.
- Startup: Business less than 6 months in operation. Normally small enterprise.
( Small enterprise: Employees from 5 to less than 30 people with sales turnover RM300,000 to less than RM3mil.
*** Their role is to be the main user of the centre.
Supporting agencies:
- Malaysian Global Innovation and Creativity Centre (MaGIC): Support and catalyzing entrepreneurial ecosystem under MOSTI .
*** The role is to manage training program and offer enrolment service at counter.
- Cradle Fund Inc.: An agency under Ministry of Finance (MOF), manages RM100mil Cradle Investment Program (2003) and RM175mil under 10th Malaysia Plan.
*** The role is to offer application and enquiry services.
1.3 ISSUES
Issue 1: Difficult Access by Public
Existing incubators of TPM and Malaysian Global Innovation and Creativity Centre (MaGIC) is fully utilized but not accessible to public.
Issue 2: Lack of activity
Despite long waiting list and demand for incubator offices but the existing office not vibrant and remain inactive.
Issue 3: Lack of Collaborative Spaces
There are technopreneurs doing business on their own. (e.g. lack of collaborative spaces)
Issue 4: Lack of Infrastructure for Tenants
Insufficient infrastructure to facilitate growth. (e.g. training or business space)
1.4 PROJECT OBJECTIVE
Project Objective 1: Public Outreach Program
Public Outreach Program, linkage between technopreneur and public.
Project Objective 2: Active Culture
Active lifestyle and working culture.
Project Objective 3: Collaborative Spaces
Collaborative space and mentorship.
Project Objective 4: Transport & Life Centre
Create effective infrastructure: training spaces, business spaces and transport facilities.
1.5 STUDIES & RESEARCH
1.5.1 EVOLUTION OF WORKING SPACE
1.5.2 EFFECTIVE WORKING CULTURE
1.5.3 LITERATURE REVIEW
1.5.3.1 DESIGN CHARACTERISTIC OF COLLABORATIVE SPACE
Table 1.1 showed that comparing the types of common collaborative spaces, traditional space compared to specialty and extra-curricular space did not possess the quality to foster innovation (Knoll, 2013 and Morell et. al., 2005). Elements of collaboration have fundamentally changed both from perspective of employees and organizations (Knoll, 2013; Morell et. al., 2005). Firstly, the employees increasingly desire social connection and engagement as collaborative experience (Knoll, 2013; Morell et. al., 2005). Secondly, organizations need both operation excellence and innovation to succeed (Knoll, 2013; Morell et. al., 2005).
Table 1.2 showed that five key features of highly-use collaborative space are technology, proximity, privacy, size and casual feel (Knoll, 2013).
1.5.3.2 INTERACTIVE USER EXPERIENCE
In Table 1.3, it showed adding technology in exhibition wayfinding can help to enhance visitors interactive experience by: help to refocus on human's innate navigation skill with ability to create cognitive maps, allowing user to have their own sense of navigating, balance between leisure and learning, more interactive material within limited space, Constructivist-style learning experience for the public, and transforming the passive viewer into participant (Sparacino, n.d.; Parson, 2011). Technologies available for exhibition: button-activated demonstrations, touch sensitive display panels, audio-tours with headphones, sections of exhibition to projection of short audiovisual documentaries, information overlay in smartrooms, and spatialized interactive narrative with smart clothes (Sparacino, n.d.; Parson, 2011). Tsai (2010) mentioned that majority of museums use multimedia (animation, sound, kiosks quizzes, and interactive games) to improve visitors' experiences and enable social interaction with the visitors. Tsai (2010) thought that exhibition as a place where techology development enhanced interaction with people to achieve the goals of education and recreation. Falk and Dierking (1992) mentioned that the interactive experience in the exhibition is at the intersection of three dimensions: personal context, social context and physical context (see Figure 3.1). Similarly according to Lin (1997), a good exhibition experience takes account of these three aspects: educate the people, entertain the visitor and enrich the idea of life. According to Tsai (2010), exhibitions can be experienced through senses. This is supported by Fan (2001), stated that information received by human is 80% from the sense of vision, 25% from sense of hearing, with other 10% from other senses.
1.5.3.3 WAYFINDING DESIGN
In Table 1.3, it showed adding technology in exhibition wayfinding can help to enhance visitors interactive experience by: help to refocus on human's innate navigation skill with ability to create cognitive maps, allowing user to have their own sense of navigating, balance between leisure and learning, more interactive material within limited space, Constructivist-style learning experience for the public, and transforming the passive viewer into participant (Sparacino, n.d.; Parson, 2011). Technologies available for exhibition: button-activated demonstrations, touch sensitive display panels, audio-tours with headphones, sections of exhibition to projection of short audiovisual documentaries, information overlay in smartrooms, and spatialized interactive narrative with smart clothes (Sparacino, n.d.; Parson, 2011). Tsai (2010) mentioned that majority of museums use multimedia (animation, sound, kiosks quizzes, and interactive games) to improve visitors' experiences and enable social interaction with the visitors. Tsai (2010) thought that exhibition as a place where techology development enhanced interaction with people to achieve the goals of education and recreation. Falk and Dierking (1992) mentioned that the interactive experience in the exhibition is at the intersection of three dimensions: personal context, social context and physical context (see Figure 3.1). Similarly according to Lin (1997), a good exhibition experience takes account of these three aspects: educate the people, entertain the visitor and enrich the idea of life. According to Tsai (2010), exhibitions can be experienced through senses. This is supported by Fan (2001), stated that information received by human is 80% from the sense of vision, 25% from sense of hearing, with other 10% from other senses.
1.6 PROBLEM STATEMENT
"Organizations recognized group work as central to success but struggle to offer effective collaborative spaces that do not fully acknowledge user wayfinding empowerment and without high level of interactivity."
(Knoll, 2013; Morell et. al., 2005; Parson, 2011; OP&A, 2002; and Osman, 2002).
Many organizations struggle to offer effective collaborative spaces. Technology Parks in Malaysia are not linked with public participation or university system as "real estate developments' primarily designed to accommodate high technology firms. The struggle has caused disappointment in the tenants affecting their working efficiency. Next, current system does not adapt human emotions interactive activity when enter a space. The users expect a high level of interactivity in space. The lack in interactivity has caused the current workspace to be vacant most of the time. Finally, the current wayfinding system do not acknowledge the variables that affect users individually when wayfinding. Technology Park was not providing appropriate level of support to their tenants companies. The lack of users acknowledgement in wayfinding system causing the firms did not outperform firms located elsewhere.
1.7 CONCLUSION FOR ISSUES
The significant finding of this research is that to demonstrate the importance of features for interactive wayfinding design and technology integration affecting the users' interactive experience and enhancing the quality of collaborative space. The outcome of this research has demonstrated the importance of collaborative features to enhance level of interactive in wayfinding design integrated with technology to enhance the user experience while going through the common space. Also, the collaborative features and inclusion of information technology in improving the level of interactive in exhibition. The current wayfinding system focus on path and signages which has lost the original meaning of wayfinding in user experience. Different from the opinion of Parson (2011) and Abrams (2010), the respondents felt that the wayfinding should still be solved with signages as object-to-object relations rather than to allow full user empowerment as person-to-object relations to move around the exhibition with cognitive mapping skill. The respondents not sure that whether signage is an eyesore, however still agree that human have natural navigation skill. The respondents were dependant to the signages as they think unclear signage is the major issue in wayfinding. Similar to Knoll (2013), the respondents felt that the collaborative spaces are as important as traditional meeting room and can foster innovation. The respondents felt that the most important collaborative space is brainstorm room. The most frequent reason in the survey is that brainstorm room can foster innovation as per mentioned by Knoll (2013) and improve interaction. Both results of physical observation and survey indicated that Singapore City Gallery is the best in wayfinding design features, technology inclusion and collaborative space quality showed that fulfillment of the wayfinding design features and technology features inclusion determine the interaction level of exhibition.