Thoughtfully Thoughtless Acts

Sometimes we just have to do what we can with what we got. Thoughtless acts describe the way people react to a world around them that is not perfectly tailored to their needs and wants. This idea of thoughtless acts displays the ingenuity of man, highlighting the way people solve problems in everyday life with the items they have in their immediate surroundings.

Not the builder’s preferred set of stairs, but a perfect solution.

To conduct this study, I decided to observe the way people interact with the objects at my gym. I looked to see how people used objects in ways that weren’t in their inherent design to solve their immediate problems, and looked for anything that seemed like a quick fix, or that was “Jerry-rigged.” From my observations, I was able to split the thoughtless acts I observed into five categories: Setting, Fitting, Securing, Displaying, and Blocking. From these categories, we can better understand the motivations of the individuals who committed the thoughtless acts, and the purposes these thoughtless acts serve.

Setting

The most basic of the five categories, Setting, is when somebody set something down somewhere simply because they could. In each of these situations, the end goal of the user was to put something away. The pieces of gym equipment sitting on the floor in random areas are the most basic and weakest example of this, but examples, nonetheless. The end goal of this action was purely to put these objects away anywhere that they could, in their immediate vicinity, that was the easiest option. The floor being open gave the affordance to the individual that they could set the object wherever they like to solve their problem of needing to put the object away.

If it fits, it sits.

Not the yoga ball rack, but a corner where it can reside.

Not anywhere specific, just in the “weight area.”

Just here because there is room.

Fitting

Another, slightly stronger, example of a thoughtless act in the gym that strives only to put something away is Fitting. This is when an individual has gone one step further than Setting, intentionally fitting something somewhere to put it away, rather than just setting it anywhere they please. The places where things have been fit all share a common affordance that gives the individual the illusion of putting stowing something away/fitting it in a certain place that gives the illusion of it being put away. The weights fitting on top of the other weights because there was no more room on the rack; the two 1lb plates fitting under the larger plates on the rack; and the balled-up extension cords fitting into the opening of the air vent that was set in the hall are all examples where someone had to tried to fit something somewhere to put it away.

“Let me just fit these down here.”

No more room on the rack? Just find somewhere they fit!

This bowl-shaped vent tries to contain a nest of wires.

Securing

Even more intentional than Fitting is Securing. Similar to the previous two thoughtless acts, the end goal here is no more than finding a place for an object to go. The difference here is that the individual has used the characteristics of the environment and the object to secure it in place, making for a slightly more permanent solution than can be found by either Setting or Fitting. The affordances here are given by both the object and the environment; the object has the characteristics to secure itself to something, and the environment having the characteristics that allow something to be secured to it. The cord wrapped around the pole, the L-shaped leg-bar hooked around a barbell, the dip bars hooked around the two posts, and the weight clip wrapped around the rack’s carrying handle all portray this exact scenario. The one deviation from the environment allowing the object to be secured to it is the barbell that is being supported by two weight pins that elevate the small plates off the ground, preventing the barbell from rolling away. While this is not the most secure of the examples, these weight pins do secure the barbell from rolling away, despite this not being their design. This is one of my favorite examples of securing because of how perfect these weight pins are for this, despite this not being their intention at all. They are the perfect height for these small plates in particular but would not accomplish the same goal with any larger plates, making this a unique and exceptional solution.

Two hook-shaped pieces of gym equipment secure themselves to metal bars.

While the purpose of a handle is to carry, this handle is occupied by a now-secure weight clip.

A cable secures itself to the pole that powers it.

A barbell is secured in place by two weight pins that are just the right length.

Displaying

Displaying is the first thoughtless act here where the end goal is more than to just find a location for an object, but to find a location where someone else can easily find and use the object. This thoughtless act uses certain physical characteristics of the environment that place the objects on a pedestal for other individuals to use, inviting other individuals to come and use whatever is there. The bottle of sanitizer spray, the pump full of liquid chalk, and the notes and pen are all placed on “pedestals,” whose affordances are that they promote and display their use, inviting someone to come up and use them. Sure, the staff could have given each of these objects a little holder/thoughtful place for them to be, but it is easily implied that they are there for each of their respective purposes.

A flat surface is a perfect place for paper and pen.

Two perfect pedestals of display.

Blocking

The strongest of the thoughtless acts is Blocking. This thoughtless act does the opposite of many of the previous acts. The commonality among the previous four is that they primarily all served to put objects “where they belonged,” even if not in the best location. The examples of Blocking do the exact opposite of this, deliberately putting objects where they do not belong to influence the actions of people. The affordances of each of these examples all serve to block off certain areas and prevent people from going beyond them. The first example is of wooden palettes being used as makeshift fences to prevent people from going into the construction zone. Obviously, these are not fences, but the way they have been placed suggests to the passerby that you should not (and cannot) go into the construction area. The next example is the barricade of chairs that prevent gym members from entering the “Staff Only” area. These chairs are doing nothing more than visibly indicating that you cannot enter the area, as you could easily pass through the, however, it is implied by their orientation that you should not. The final (and my favorite) example of Blocking is the blue plastic cup that covers the part of the water fountain that you place your mouth by to drink water. Sure, there is a sign above that states that you cannot use the water fountain, but who needs to read that when you see that cup covering the nozzle? Obviously, this is not the blue cup’s intended use, but it works, so why not?

Plastic chairs: an impenetrable barrier.

You could read what the sign says… but I think that cup tells you all you need to know.

It might not be the prettiest fence but it gets the job done.

Conclusion

In each of the previous examples of thoughtless acts, we see how innovative people can be when they need to quickly solve problems with what is right in front of them. While some were fairly weak and insignificant, others were very profound and effective, working as if that was their god-given purpose. These examples sum up excellently the idea of thoughtless acts and how thoughtful they actually can be.