4 x 8: Results

See the completed matrix for each unit below:

The success of the 4 x 8 Testing phase is that it generated ideas for synergies among activities in the home to enable more detailed design going forward that reflects the multi-layered domestic lifestyle found in modern western homes.

The results of the matrix highlight the prototypes with the highest scores, within each typology. The grading is done against specific activity comfort. While understanding the relationships between daily activities is important, the limitation of this stage is that the internal environment is not assessed. The 4 x 8 testing is limited due to its rearranging of familiar forms. Comfort cannot truly be achieved in any of the prototypes as the focus lies too heavily on convenience as opposed to genuine comfort; similar to the motion-saving experiments of Gilbreth. In this phase of testing, aspects of comfort such as unexpected events, the physics of the environment and material physical properties, are neglected. To be able to design for such conditions, one must first understand how we as humans interact with our physical environments to provoke emotional responses.