Draft+Overview

Overview Draft

The aim of this study is to analyze design for women in the skiing and snowboarding industry in order to come to an understanding of the relationship between subcultures and design. The study will look into what it means to be a woman in the ski and snowboard industry, focusing on the hardcore, dedicated and passionate women in this industry. I will be looking into the lifestyle, culture and identity of these women. I will work to analyze and breakdown designs, both product and visual, to draw connections and overlaps between culture and design and user needs in order to draw conclusions about design within the industry. I hope to determine the appropriateness, especially the effectiveness and accuracy of the identity of these women and the sport.

I will obtain my data through analysis of various designs, such as products, print materials, marketing materials etc. I will be analyzing the design choices and techniques used and what they are communicating in order to find connections to the culture and identity of women in the industry. This will be done in correlation with analyzing cultural and lifestyle findings from my research. Interviews are another component to my research. I will hear directly from those inside the industry, such as designers, athletes, etc. I hope to learn about the design process and about what it is like to work as a designer in the industry while also understanding what it is like to be part of this culture and lifestyle and what these subcultures mean to them. I will also draw from peer reviewed articles on the topics of user centered design, appropriate design as well as gender and design.

On a personal level, this particular study is important because as a designer, it is crucial that I have an understanding of this connection between user and design, especially within the industry that I one-day hope to work in. Generally, this is an important study because it dives deep into the connections of the user through researching more than just the preferences and performance factors of a product or design, but also connects sub cultures, lifestyles, identity and communities to the designs. Additionally, feminism and the roles and views of women are topics that are generating a lot of talk and attention today.