Good Morning – Friday 18th January 2019
Excited for our first day out, I put my waterproofs on as to not let the English Winter defeat me. I had been assigned the subject of ecology and biodiversity, so I kept this in my mind throughout the day. We left Uni in a minivan at 10 am to pick Bella up from The Broads office on Thorpe Road. We drove to Great Yarmouth where we stopped at the train station and met the focus group. The group comprised of 10 young men with mental disabilities and their accompanying chaperones. We all introduced ourselves and went over to look at the first information board across the road from the station.
The focus group were keen to talk amongst themselves but were hesitant to engage in conversation with us. I knew I was going to need to take more of an ethnographic approach, as opposed to a Q&A dynamic.
Great Yarmouth Train Station
As soon as we started walking around, my mind was immediately cast back to Bella’s comment about there being no signage to direct the public to footpaths. There is no indication of Angles Way or Wherryman’s Way in the form of signposts, imagery or even information pamphlets.
Great Yarmouth train station
We walked over the road to the first information board, showing the Three Ways Meeting Point. This sign, put up by Norfolk County Council, depicts Weavers Way, Angles Way and Wherryman’s Way. The legend shows which path is which, but with this not being backed up with real-life signposts, it is especially difficult for the public to find their way around.
Three Ways Meeting Point information board at Great Yarmouth train station
A 5-minute drive (or a 20-minute walk) brings you to a point on the Angles Way. We parked the van by the rugby club (we were only allowed to do this because of Bella being part of the Broads Authority) and had to climb over a small fence, which obviously presented accessibility issues.
After walking up the path for about 10 minutes, we reached the turn tide jetty at the mouth of the River Yare. Originally built in 1860, it was rebuilt by the Broads Authority to be sturdier and withstand more impact.
Turn tide jetty at the mouth of the River Yare
This is where the landscape really opened up and on our left-hand side, there were fields of grass with the town in the background and to our right, Breydon Water. It was a nice experience, albeit very cold and windy, but it really helped us to get the feel of the project in a hearty, wholesome way.
Along the walk, we saw various wildlife like birds, horses, other walkers with dogs so it became apparent that ecology and biodiversity would play a big part in the project. I got excited about being able to stick my teeth in and find out what type of nature resided in all the different habitats.
This walk was not circular, so we walked in one direction, with irregular stops, for about an hour. As well as taking in the scenery along the way, I spoke to Bella about the history, one of the focus group’s mothers and some of the focus group. Due to the nature of the event, and that I had not performed this type of research before, I decided to conduct ethnographic research. I let myself be in ear-shot of the focus group and noticed the way they talk and interact with each other. I noticed that they liked to have earphones in, presumably listening to music, so I tried this myself. I was able to stream Spotify and Soundcloud with no issues, so audio streaming wouldn’t be an issue.
There was a disgusting, appalling and quite frankly sad amount of rubbish and plastic chucked around the place. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a lot of photos of the rubbish thrown about but this is mainly because it distresses me to see. This may not even be the world of locals, rather than of the tide washing it up. It’s truly heartbreaking to see our beautiful planet be reduced to a type of wasteland. For this reason, I would love to include more eco-friendly aspects in our digital service.
A plastic-free (nearly) scene
The walk back was faster, mainly because we were all freezing cold and hungry. I started to quietly complain to my course mates about how much I wanted a cup of tea when some of the focus group started to voice their thoughts too. I looked at my watch and realised we had been walking for close to 2 hours, and that would be why everyone wants a sit-down. This sparked an idea of check-pointing. Time is a good way to judge how far a journey will take. For example, it takes 10 minutes to walk to Tesco Express but only 5 to walk to Budgens, so I choose Budgens (as long as I know they will have what I want). Maybe users could benefit from 5/15/30 minute walk check-points so they can tailor their experience of the Broads to their own (physical) needs and wants.
Angles Way, Breydon Water
Angles Way
We arrived back at the awkward fence when Bella told us that there is an easier way in. Just around the corner was a footpath leading from underneath a bridge. The public can apparently park on a housing estate, walk through a children’s play area and under the bridge to get to where we were standing. This solves accessibility but presented other issues such as lots of cars parking on a housing estate which could turn out to be awkward, again.
Horses in a field along Angles Way
Lunch
We stopped to have lunch at the ASDA next to the train station. I had a nice chat with one of the chaperones and he expressed his interest in the project and offered his and the groups services, which was a nice gesture. This was a great time to reflect upon the morning’s walk and lay down some initial thoughts and ideas.
After this, we walked around the ASDA area and the train station. Bella told me about the local mills because I questioned which ones were which and if they were the same ones we could see from Angles Way. She told me that you can’t access a lot of them because they are on private land, so my idea of doing a mill trail (along with already being tried, tested and failing) quickly became obsolete.
At the train station, our hunt for signage and imagery continued. We noticed the murals painted around the outside of the station near an access bridge.
Mural painted next to a bridge at Great Yarmouth train station
On the platform, there was another big mural commissioned by the Broads authority.
Mural on the platform
Burgh Castle
Upon arrival at Burgh Castle, I instantly excited to walk around. The setting was almost the polar opposite of Breydon Water, in a village setting and surrounded by gorgeous nature. We stopped at an information board that looked a lot more professional, which was positive.
The first information board at Burgh Castle.
We chose the circular walk, taking us across a field and onto a walk with reeds, passing a lookout point where you could see the broad, a mill and across the River Yare.
The River Yare
Across the field
There was good 4G reception here.
Walking on a path next to the reeds
When the boardwalk finished, around the corner it opened up into the ruins of a Roman fort. What an excellent place for an AI Roman experience! There was another good looking, well-maintained information board. I was impressed.
A Roman Shore Front information board
This part of the day was more relaxed as we weren’t with the focus group any more, so we took our time to stroll through and take in our surroundings.
The ruins of a Roman fort
We came across another information board.
Inside the fort information board
This was a lovely end to the day and a great taster for the rest of the project.
Personal Ideas
- Turn tide Jetty – Showcase large landmarks with adjoining information
- Utilise the use of audio – Due to ethnographic research, a digital service may benefit from audio enhancement. Users could take part in a guided tour where the tour guide would say “Pause audio” and “Start audio” so users have time to take in their surroundings.
- Check-point walks – Users can choose a (guided?) walk based on metrics like time and distance for personal preference, disability requirements etc.
- AI immersion – Could users be put in the place of different seasons (Breydon Water) or different eras (Burgh Castle, Roman fort)
Potential Follow-up Questions
- Do you use a mobile digital device? Do you use it whilst walking? What for? How often?
- Do you use health apps?
- Are you interested in the history of the Broads?
- What’s your favourite thing about the Broads?
- Do you ever want to know more about this particular subject?
- Who do you walk with? (Apart from this group?)
- Do you consider time (or distance) when planning to go out for a walk?
- Do you listen to audiobooks?
- Are you interested in the landmarks around the Broads?
- Do you ever get lost? (Due to lack of signage)
- Do you carry a map with you? Digital or physical?
Mood Board – Tuesday 22nd January 2019
Ecology [noun] – The branch of biology that deals with the relations of organisms to one another and to their physical surroundings.
Biodiversity [noun] – The variety of plant and animal life in the world or in a particular habitat, a high level of which is usually considered to be important and desirable.
My mood board consists of the main themes showcased in the species explorer on the Norfolk Wildlife Trust website. These categories are:
- Amphibians and Reptiles
- Birds
- Fish
- Freshwater Invertebrates
- Fungi
- Mammals
- Marine Invertebrates
- Plants
- Terrestrial Invertebrates
- Trees
I wanted to touch on the types of habitats around Norfolk and the Broads that the public may encounter. By including a little bit of everything, I have started to scratch the surface on the extensive research I will be performing.
Ecology/Biodiversity mood board