Prototypes in Landscape Design – Final Thoughts

A few final wrap up comments about applying prototyping to landscape design.  These comments and observations are mostly things I have carried over from my prototyping experiences in the systems field.

Getting client requirements is crucial.  Having a design methodology with an approach to gathering requirements is extremely important but probably more important is having a toolkit of methods and approaches you can apply in different circumstances.  One size does not fit all in design methodologies.  The major thing to keep in mind is that you must gather all client requirements, gather them completely, and gather them accurately.  Finding the mix of tools and approaches that will allow you to accomplish this comes with experience and practice.

I would not tell a client I am going to prototype their design or some portion of their design.  However, I would use a prototyping approach if it was appropriate and it would allow me to draw out and/or confirm some of the client’s needs.  If I was doing a physical representation with stakes, cord, boxes, and other materials, I might describe it as a walkthrough or simulation.  The approach is the same; I just am not bogged down in the use of the term prototype.

As I said in an earlier post, almost everything we create to represent the client’s design is a prototype.  These artifacts just have different levels of visual and functional fidelity.  A simple plan view is a prototype.  If I can use that plan view to validate the client’s requirements there is no reason to go further.  However, if the client continues to waver or expresses concerns, I may have to dig into my toolbox and apply a creative approach to representing the design that will communicate the design intent and how it meets the client’s needs.

Some prototyping can be done with either 2D or 3D design software.  Other prototypes may be visually enhanced photos.  Physical models take time and talent but, if you know what you are doing and are good at it, giving the client a scale model can be impressive.  Simulating areas and/or spaces with objects, lines, and other materials is a good way to give the client a sense of space and proportion.  The point is you need to determine what you need to convey, how much fidelity you need, and the best way to convey it.

Having the right tools and knowing which tool to use is important.  In addition to DynaSCAPE, VizTerra, DesignWare, and other landscape design packages I use other tools to augment my design analysis and presentations.  Software such as PowerPoint, Excel, Work, Visio, Photoshop and others allow me to produce analytic materials and client presentation materials.  They can play a role in prototyping if they allow you to create a representation you can use to convey what you need.  I typically use the tool that will work best for what I need to accomplish whether it be analysis, design, or creating a prototype.  However, I always keep in mind how I might be able to leverage that material later in the project.

Making the choice to use physical representations with rope, cord, hose, stakes, boxes, etc. is a little more difficult.  Deciding when to use physical representation is primarily a matter of experience and ability to read what the client needs.  There are clients who just cannot visualize anything.  Even with a plan view, enhanced digital photos, drawings/sketches, and other representations, they just cannot sense or visualize how it will work, how much space will be available, etc.  In some cases, you might decide to use a physical representation in order to convince the client that their ideas will not work or you want to show them an alternative approach.  Whatever the motivation for a physical representation, you need to decide how much effort to put into it to create the level of functional or visual fidelity to meet your needs.

Prototypes do work.  The key is to use the right tool or technique at the right time for the project.

Applying Prototyping in Landscape Design

My last two posts have dealt with prototypes.  Prototypes are representations of the design objective or some portion of the design objective.  That being said, almost everything we create to show the client as landscape designers qualifies as a prototype.

In my first post on this topic, I mentioned that I have been a big proponent of prototypes for many years.  However, this was in the context of information systems.  I did not see an immediate fit for prototypes within landscape design.  In thinking about prototyping from the standpoint of how they are used and their varying levels of fidelity, I think the prototyping approach is actually used within the landscape design field.  It just may not be used consciously.  Let’s look at some examples.

First, assume you get a call from a homeowner who wants a consultation on what is feasible in their backyard.  They have limited space.  They would really like a pool but they need a deck or patio for entertaining.  They just don’t see how it could work.  Assume you meet with the client, make some measurements, and evaluate the space.  Since this is a simple consultation, you grab your note pad and sketch out a rough diagram of the space.  You use bubble diagrams to show how the functional areas, the pool and the entertaining space, could fit into their yard.  That hand sketch is a prototype.  You are using it as a proof of concept.  It has zero functional fidelity and very low visual fidelity but if it convinces the client, it did the job.

In our second example, you are designing a front yard walkway.  The clients want to enhance the curb appeal of their home.  Their current entry way is obscured and offers visitors no clue of how to get to the front door.  You take measurements, get the budget, and get other information from the client.  You create a colorize plan view showing the new front yard bedding and walkway with all new hardscape and plantings.  That plan view is also a prototype.  It has high visual fidelity in that it is colorized and shows the flow of the walkway and how it is visible from the street.  It has some functional fidelity in that it shows how it functions by opening up the view from the street.  However, it is not high fidelity because the clients have to translate from a 2D drawing to how it will look when it is actually done.

In this last example, you have already sold a design.  You are creating an outdoor entertaining area with a large fireplace at the end of the patio.  During the design phase there was a lot of discussion about size and cost tradeoffs and the client made their decisions about how much space they were willing to pay for.  Construction has begun.  The patio area is dug out.  The concrete will be poured in a couple of days.  After that, the construction of the fireplace area will begin which includes side benches for seating.  The client calls in a panic and says they just do not see how it will fit.  They are very concerned about how the fireplace and seating will fit and that there may not be enough space.  Realizing the problem is one of visualization you go to a store and get several cardboard boxes.  You go to the client’s home to meet with them.  You grab the cardboard boxes and set them up, one on top of another, to represent the fireplace and side benches.  You move the client’s outdoor table into a position to represent how it might be set up after construction.  The client can then see a physical object where their fireplace and seating are going to be located and how a table and chairs fit into it.  This leads to some discussion and playing around with the space.  The client decides they really want more space.  They are willing to reduce some of the other yard areas to get it.  They can afford the change and ask you to have the contractor push the fireplace back two feet.  They realize it is their decision and are willing to pay the additional cost and suffer the delay.  Those cardboard boxes were a prototype.  It had very low visual fidelity but moderate functional fidelity from the standpoint that the represented the scale of the objects.

Each of these examples shows how a different representation was used as a prototype.  The first two, the quick sketch of a bubble diagram and the colorized plan view are very common in landscape design.  Using cardboard boxes to represent hardscape is less traditional.  In each case, the degree of visual and functional fidelity varied but was adequate to achieve the objective.

In the first case, you could have taken the client’s information and gone back to the office to create a plan view drawing to show how there was adequate space for the client to achieve their objectives.  There may be cases where you have to do this to convince the client.  Some client’s want more detail or want more precise drawings.  You have to judge the client and determine what will work for the client and your objective.

In the second example, there are other approaches that could have been taken.  You probably would make the plan view drawing anyway.  Colorizing it was an enhancement that may or may not have been necessary.  The plan view would show how the space was opened up and how the new walkway was more clearly defined.  Colorizing just adds to the visual fidelity in that it shows space relationships between hardscape and softscape more clearly.  It may also show the client how you are working in their preferred color scheme.  There may be cases where the client just cannot make the 2D to 3D translation and creating a 3D walkthrough may be necessary.  This is again something you have to determine for each client and project.

In the last example, objects were used to represent hardscape objects within the design.  You may be need to get creative when you to try to physically model something.  Sheets, plastic sheeting, or large sheets of brown wrapping paper can be used to represent walls or fences.  They can also be laid out to represent walkways.  A trash can may be used to represent a water feature.  Hose or cord can be laid out to represent bedding edges.  There are endless possibilities.  You just have to determine which design elements you need to represent and then what you can use to represent them.

All of these examples of prototyping also demonstrate how prototyping can be applied at different stages of a project.  In the first example, it was used as a proof of concept.  The second example showed how it was used to convey the design result.  The third example showed how prototyping can clarify issues and/or determine if changes are needed during construction.

None of the examples dealt with prototyping as a means of facilitating requirements gathering.  This is probably one of the most useful applications of prototyping.  Being able to show clients a prototype representation of some portion of their design may help the client clarify what they want and allow the designer to explore ideas that the client has not expressly stated.  What you prototype and how you prototype really depends on what you are trying to accomplish.  Prototyping can answer questions.

Bringing in stakes and cord to mark off different functional areas can help the client understand how their new space will be proportioned and how it will flow.  If there are questions about how confining a fence or wall will be, one approach might be to hang clear plastic sheeting in one area and a more solid material in another to give the client a sense of how different materials can provide varying degrees of transparency.  That same question might apply to the fence itself.  Placing some plant materials in front of a sheet to represent how the fence is obscured may convince the client that the fence will be a good functional element but it can be made visually attractive though the addition of plant materials.

There are many, many opportunities to use a prototyping approach in landscape design.  I realize I am using a very loose definition of prototyping.  In other design disciplines, prototyping is more of a way of approaching a problem.  It is not necessarily any one tool or set of tools.

In landscape design, prototyping can be both an approach and a tool.  I have frequently recommended that client contact and feedback be a priority throughout the project.  This provides opportunity to show the client small prototype components of the design.  Getting client concurrence early in the project and often, helps prevent costly redesigns.  As the project moves along, designers should keep prototyping in mind as a useful tool to help clarify issues or develop understanding of the design intent.  More importantly though, the prototyping approach can provide validation of both overall design concepts and specific design elements.

Space Layout Demonstrations

One way to give a client a feel for their new design is to physically layout the shapes and areas on-site.  You can use rope, hose, cord and stakes, Popsicle sticks, paint, chalk, or anything else that can be easily seen on the ground.  I have also seen different color tarps used.  They were folded into the appropriate size and laid out to simulate different outdoor spaces.  The purpose of this exercise is to allow the client to visualize the space and the connections with the residence and other areas of the property.  I have also seen designers use this technique to verify that their paper designs are actually going to work as designed, making sure all of the elements fit onto the property as planned.

The value of this technique depends a lot upon what you are laying out.  If you are laying out bedding your primary concern is appearance.  You may also validate that the edges will be easy to maintain.  Curves are hard to mow around and sharp angles are difficult to mow into.  Visual appearance is the primary issue and marking the proposed edges using one of the techniques listed above will serve this propose.

For laying out livable outdoor spaces, this method accomplishes the goal of demonstrating the layout but it has shortcomings.  First, there is no sense of enclosure if any of the area edges will have features that are above ground.  Second, it does not address any changes in the terrain if any of the areas are going to be terraced or raised.  Third, there are no furnishings, accessories, or other amenities within the space so it is hard for the client to ascertain usable space.  Lastly, there is no sense of occupancy other that the clients.  They do not get a sense of how the space will be filled with guests and how people will move around and interact.

In an analogous situation, I have seen lighting and irrigation specialists bring out kits to show clients how their products work and what the installation options might be.  Portable light units that run on 110 volt or batteries can provide an effective demonstration of outdoor lighting options.  Understanding how the sprinkler heads perform and are installed can help the client make a better decision about their system.  There just is no kit for a designer to bring out and show a client how their outdoor space will look, feel, and perform.

If a designer wanted to go to some extra effort, they could sting up tarps or sheeting to simulate fences or walls.  An assortment of cardboard boxes could simulate bushes.  Stacked boxes could be arranged to simulate taller shrubs or a low wall.  There are probably dozens of other items you could use to simulate outdoor components.  It is simply a matter of imagination and the time and motivation to go to this extra effort.  Which raises a consistent question throughout this blog; “When does the extra effort and time to validate the design become justified?”