Abstract

The stimulus for the inquiry came directly from teaching an undergraduate design studio that had a retail focus. The authors had asked students to explore the interaction that is required during the act of purchase and examine the typical constructs that facilitated such an action. In preparation for the class, the course instructors discovered that, while much was written about the subject from the perspective of historical urbanization, very little was recorded about the human-scale vehicles or structures that support such transactions. The importance of knowing such information lies in understanding how we instinctively create supports to human interaction and how recognizing these may lead to better informed design outcomes from students and exponents of retail design alike. This study began by collecting data via study and analysis of several examples of impromptu retailing in different cultural settings and then took a qualitative approach to exploring meaningful patterns found in those contexts.. The dearth of existing research into this specific aspect of retail design made this a nascent investigation, a starting point for further comment on the topic. By visiting various global locations to observe and document examples of small-scale trade, the authors were able to propose a number of defining characteristics, not necessarily present in all examples, but identifiable in many. These outcomes then informed studio projects undertaken by students in the Retail Design studio where the project originated. The authors propose that these patterns illustrate a previously un-researched conceptual origin of present day kiosk design that builds upon existing knowledge and understanding of contemporary retail design.