Control Theory

  • Control Theory
 Control Theory is the sense of control individuals have over our world and places they may be.
 As designers its important for us to acknowledge Control Theory and its place in everywhere we go. This theory is crucial to us because it pertains to how we feel as people knowing that we have a sense of control over our own spaces and abilities to change them. There three different types of control theories: Behavioral Control - The ability to change the environment event, Cognitive Control - The ability to change the way we conceive an environment, and Decisional Control - The ability to choose a response. All of these are key aspects for users in an environment and are present in most areas, for good reason.

  • What It Means For Us As Designers w/ Examples 
 As designers we should try and incorporate this theory in all that we do. Users in an environment must be able to choose a response and to decide on things. This is most important in cases where the user may become over-stimulated and they need a way to leave or an escape route. Objects or simply the way a setting is laid out can affect the way someone conceives an environment. If there is a possibility that it could be negative, there are ways that designers can place specific things at an attempt to counter-act this. I think hospital waiting rooms are a great example. Fish tanks, magazines, large open windows, fountains - all ways of trying to change the way an environment, especially a negatively impacted one, is conceived. It is needed for us as individuals to feel like there is a sense of control. Having control over an event is quite the stimulation given this fact. I like to think of a very busy intersection where there is a lot of traffic moving around. A pedestrian does have some power to change this event so they can walk across the street by pressing the cross button that is on most street corners in urban areas. 

Types of Control Theories (Sketch by Nick McFaddin)

My work place - The objects in front of the door have an actual influence over what can and can't be done in the space,  they may change the way we see the environment but can also be moved to change the event. (Photo by Nick McFaddin)

  • This area can does not feel congested due to its somewhat open spaces and high ceilings so it doesn't cause any over-stimulation necessarily, but there is a lot of work that occurs here leavings the objects in place affecting those who work. This could leave a negative impact on them. The environment itself does is not negative but because of the end-use of the space the placement of the objects can have this affect. Those in this situation can choose a decide to move the objects out of the way since they do not have the option to leave because they have work to do. 
  • Designers are directly affected by humans need for control in any setting and should try to incorporate this into environments they may have influence on, depending on its end-use of course.

Reference: 
Averill, J. R. (1973). Personal control over aversive stimuli and its relationship to stress. Psychological Bulletin, 80(4), 286-303. Retrieved from https://web-b-ebscohost-com.iris.etsu.edu:3443/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=0&sid=a1bed390-b2e3-46ef-94cd-344e8cc30821%40sessionmgr102 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Proxemics

Image
Our space moves with us - Sketch by Me Everyone has there own personal space or "bubble" that is with them no matter the setting, whether social or intimate. This space is centered around the individual therefore it travels with them wherever they may go. People react to environments differently, so the personal space bubble can be larger or smaller given the setting or the specific individuals that may be sharing it with them. We call this knowledge that deals with the amount of space people feel is necessary as "Proxemics". This is broken down into 4 different types of zones. Intimate space would be any interaction within a less than 2 foot space. Increasing, a 2 to 4 foot space is considered a Personal space. This is not quite intimate and would be in a setting of good friends or those who are communicating with one another. Some environments can interrupt this Personal space if it is close-quarters, leaving a negative impact. Expanding this to 12 ...
Read more

Ergonomics

Image
Desk ergonomics sketch by me using pencil    Ergonomics is simply how we can adapt to things done in a job to naturally help ourselves perform them better. We can do this by not using force that we shouldn't have to, adjust our natural postures, and allow ourselves to have the right movements. In doing so we can improve how comfortable we are when doing tasks or even the quality of our work.   As I am typing this I'm sitting a little awkward at my desk. I did have a separate roll-out top for my keyboard and mouse but it broke so now I have my them on the actual desktop. A couple things are wrong with this in accordance to my positions since it's been moved there. My computer is on the desk too along with my mousepad and everything. So as long as my keyboard is its all they way to the left so to speak. The way my chair fits in to the space below the desk, it's not like I can scoot my chair over to where its right in front of the keyboard. Most of the time I have m...
Read more