Assignment 4: Conducting the interviews and piecing it together

When writing my interview questions, I adopted a semi structured technique.  I had most of my questions planned, however I allowed room for appropriate improvisation.  I used a relaxed environment for each of my interviews and for accuracy purposes I made a point of avoiding 'closed' questions that would result in a simple yes/no answer.

I carried out a 'pilot interview' with a close friend so as to find out what questions were appropriate and what questions weren't going to provide me with useful results.

I interviewed 6 people, all of different ages and backgrounds - so as to receive results that were varied.  This would then help enable me to make reliable conclusions.

After carrying out my pilot interview, I came to the realisation that there was some doubt over what a 'living space' actually was.  I realised that a 'living space' to every individual is different.  Some would automatically assume I am referring to their living room, whereas others (particularly students) would immediately think their bedroom was their 'living space'.

To avoid ambiguity when carrying out my interviews, I ensured that my first and foremost question was ''what room would you say is your 'living space'' before carrying on with the rest of the interview.

I found that out of the 6 people that I interviewed, 4 people said their 'living space' was their bedroom.  I had asked these 4 interviewees in what way they had decorated their bedroom to make it 'their own'/personal.  I found that all 4 of them mentioned pictures/posters on the wall.  They went on to inform me how pictures could so successfully relax them/put them at ease.  As I had interviewed a number of students, they obviously went on to describe how they make it their intention to get rid of the bare walls of student accommodation by filling the walls up of memories of home, family etc.  One interviewee mentioned, ''Having pictures of my family at home remind me of their existence and the happy memories I have when I'm back in that place.''  She went on to describe how she doesn't like her student room to be empty.  She admitted that she deliberately laid out 'nik naks' around her room that had been given to her from her friends/family over the years.  These items are obviously of sentimental value to her and therefore she wants to be able to see them daily as a reminder of those that are far away from her.

'nic naks'

picture showing desk space, wall space and revision notes on wardrobe

The interviewee went on to describe how she would attach summarised revision notes to her wardrobe door as a method of constantly reminding herself of essential information that may crop up in future exams at the end of the year.  This particular quality of the young student says a lot about her determination within her course.  

A young guy of 18 who also lives in student accommodation explained that he personally went to a shop to have photographs developed in the first week of arriving in university as a method of decreasing his chances of becoming home sick.  He described how he completely covered an the entire main wall within his room with his photographs to prevent him from feeling alone. The young guy went onto explain how he had also put up posters of Manchester United, his favourite football team, as a means of outwardly informing any visitors of his support for the team.  He obviously wanted to make a statement.

When I carried out the interview with a young professional female of 25, I felt that she surprisingly realised a lot about herself. When asked about the purpose of the décor within her bedroom, she explained how she had personally painted the walls to her own taste.  When I finally found out that the young woman was an artist, I immediately understood why she had made it her intention to paint her bedroom to her own acquired taste.  She is obviously proud of her talent and isn't afraid to hid it.  When asked what other items were within her 'living space' she went on to explain how she chooses to lay out teddy bears on her bed as each one reminds her of a particular person/time in her life.  She continued to talk about how they act as a visual reminder of people that she has lost in her life, and of those who remain as loyal friends in her life...

The 2 interviewees that stated that their living room was their 'living space' were the eldest of the 6 interviewees.  From this, I can only assumed that it is a parental duty to take control of the décor within living rooms in households.  A middle aged pharmacist talked about  how her ornaments on top of her open fire place were her favourite items within her living space.  She explained how each one had sentimental value.  Most were bought as presents, however there was one ornament in particular that she had made herself.  This signifies that she too is proud of a talent that she has and is willing to display the piece that she had made.

The following extract from the book 'Snoop' by Sam Gosling is related to how décor relates to personal space:
''One of our goals was to explore the ways in which people have an impact on their personal spaces.  What evidence of their characters do they leave behind? What elements of personality are most likely to leave traces?''


This secondary source allows this topic to be explored thoroughly.

Unknown to the majority of us, we can unconsciously design/decorate our personal space in a way that make us feel most comfortable.  Some of us will choose to direct our furniture towards a television, whereas others may prefer to direct their furniture around a fireplace.  Some of us regularly change the artwork on the wall, change the photographs on the mantelpiece...whereas others will keep the same art work and display the same pictures for many years.  Some people fear change, and this is illustrated in their 'living space'.  Those people who are artistic and love change may alter the atmosphere in their living space regularly, in order to change the 'mood' of the room..

Another extract from 'Snoop' reads:
 ''conscientious people have living spaces that are organised, neat, and uncluttered, and, perhaps more surprisingly, their living spaces tend to be well lit.'' 


This quote suggests that people with organised, neat living spaces are conscientious.  Is this really the case?  Does this mean that hoarders (people who accumulate 'stuff' over years) are not seen as conscientious?

I don't think there is an 'exception to the rule' when it comes to how a living space relates to an individual.  A persons living space will tell you more about the person than if you had a discussion with them.  I guess it's fair to say that people would struggle to hide their personality in their living space.