'Mapping Hanoi Old Quarter' is a design research project initiated by Ngoc Trieu as her final major project on the BA (Hons) Design Management & Cultures course at London College of Communication.
By employing the Design Thinking process and a human-centered/service design approach to creative problem-solving, the project aims to discover and ‘map’ the relationship of objects and practices with their cultural and historical background, while essentially questioning their importance to the development of heritage preservation and urban experience in the Old Quarter.
‘Mapping’, in this context, means to reveal the quintessences of Vietnamese art, design & culture that aren't immediately visible to the casual observer or tourist.
introduction
Mapping Hanoi
Old Quarter
How walking brings the Old Quarter hidden stories to life
scroll to read the story
1
solution
14
stakeholders
10+
real world research
124
participants
12
months
5734
miles traveled
You think you know your city. But do you?
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There is a problem with understanding everyday life in our highly connected and socially mediated reality. That is, we either get bored of the ubiquitousness - lost in the landscape of mundane modernity; or we pick up on new trends such as a minimalist, decluttering lifestyle which has accidentally filtered out the many delightful myths and enigmatic details that everyday life has to offer.
In order to make sense of the everyday life and truly embrace the beauty of it, paying attention to the everyday life ‘itself’ is an important first step. There are two ways of doing it. The first one is to put everyday life under a microscope of theoretical articulation and discourse analysis. The second one, a much more ‘playful’ and heuristic approach, is to go out and walk in it.
Ngoc Trieu
Abstract, in Mapping the Peripatetic
Sequence of Entangled Curiosity, 2016
this is how the journey begins
The Old Quarter is consisted of more than 36 short and continuous streets, accidentally making it a real-life maze in the heart of Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. With a history that spans over 1,00 years, the Old Quarter represents the eternal soul of the city.
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However, in order to catch up with the speed of modern life, we tend to bypass the little details – those charming, mysterious witnesses of the centuries, lying underneath layers and layers of the emptiness of time - our daily chores. Too often, we rush through different crossroads, we stop for a quick grocery shopping, we hang out at a pavement cafe with our friends, but we never stay long enough to feel the vibrant torrent of thousand years of art, culture and history, flowing through the space between one busy, narrow street and another. All at once, we find ourselves lost in the ubiquitousness of everyday design, the mundane of urban life and the entanglement of history and present.
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​why design?
NAVIGATION ISN'T THE ISSUE
In an effort to improve the experience of visiting Hanoi Old Quarter, I attempt to build an understanding of people’s hopes, desires and needs by conducting a variety of primary and secondary research. The findings from my design research will help me gain more users and contextual insights, as well as identify key issues in order to generate ideas for the final design solution.
The Hanoi Old Quarter experience survey (April 2017)
Those who are interested but don’t know where to begin
65%
Those who are active in learning and exploring
30%
Those who find it boring
5%
Theme #1: Walking
Most walking trips take place during the opening times of Hanoi Old Quarter pedestrian streets. Average walking time is from 60 to 90 minutes.
People often walk in order to take pictures, observe and engage in other activities.
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Navigation apps aren’t preferred while walking.
Theme #3: Cultural and Historical Understanding
People aren’t aware of the unclassified heritage values or cultural distinctiveness of the Old Quarter.
People often don’t know where to find more in-depth information.
Information is often delivered and presented in a boring way that discourages interactivity and engagement.
Theme #2: 'Sense of place'
People associate ‘sense of place’ with intimate, personal stories or information of a specific site that is coated with cultural, historical or architectural values.
People often don’t have the opportunity to share their ‘sense of place’ to each other.
No two ‘senses of place’ are alike.
Theme #4: Heritage Preservation
There is a lack of innovative and creative communication methods between the local government and its people.
Cultural activities are promoted mainly through news media.
Most people are at the realisation stage of the heritage values rather than the effort to protect and promote it.
​the design challenge
By looking at walking as a way of experiencing the modern city in a playful manner, as well as an approach to the study of design elements (such as architecture, arts, craft) and other intangible values (such as stories, social practices, traditional music), ‘Mapping Hanoi Old Quarter’ aims to answer the following three questions:
1. How might we design a service that will enhance the experience of visiting Hanoi Old Quarter to be more playful?
2. How can walking bring Hanoi Old Quarter’s hidden stories to life?
3. How can people share their ‘sense of place’ with each other?
Strategic Objectives
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To provide visitors with a playful walking experience. To encourage the exploration of design objects and intangible cultural values in the historical context of the Old Quarter.
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Partial Objectives
Provide a platform for storing and sharing personal experiences and discovers. Raise awareness of the heritage preservation works. Increase tourism in the Old Quarter.
meet the people
NGUYEN
Economics Student, 19
Samsung & Goodreads user
Hobbies: Reading, travelling, watching movies, meeting friends and wandering in the Old Quarter.
HA
Banker, 43
iPhone & Viber user
Hobbies: Playing ping-pong, taking her children to the Old Quarter during the weekends, travelling.
MINH
Architect, 26
Sony & Instagram user. Hobbies: Photography, running, camping, coffee, music and sketching old buildings in the Old Quarter.
the alternative city experience
Walking is the best way to explore and exploit the city; the changes, shifts, breaks in the cloud helmet, movement of light on water. Drifting purposefully is the recommended mode, trampling asphalted earth in alert reverie, allowing the fiction of an underlying plot to reveal itself.
Iain Sinclair
Lights Out for the Territory
playful
inspiring
interactive
​ accessible
The service is designed based on the practical application of the Theory of Dérive, which aims to alienate oneself from the humdrum modernity of life in one's native environment by encouraging one to behave in a way one would not normally behave.
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Each tour has up to 10 different stops. At each stop, users will be encouraged to engage with their surrounding environment in order to find a point of interaction.
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After using a built-in QR reader to scan the point of interaction, new information of the Old Quarter will emerge. This emergence can be any medium: a task of activity, a recorded story, a melody, a video or an infographic. Like in a treasure hunt, users need to collect all emergencies in order to complete the tour.
The Mapping App
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Self-guided tours.
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Experience & learn about the Old Quarter in a playful, interactive, inspiring and accessible way.
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Suitable for individuals, family or group of friends.
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TOUR CATEGORIES
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1. Architectural heritage.
2. Intangible heritage.
3. Traditional crafts and masters’ house of worship.
4. Signage and old letterings.
5. ‘Sense of Place’ and the story of everyday life.
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SHUFFLE MODE
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Follow the instructions and perform given tasks to reach a designated point of interaction. Scan point of interaction to explore the hidden charms of the Old Quarter.
USER PROFILE
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Store, share findings and create a personal archive of new discoveries.
