top of page

Questionnaire 2

A Space to De-Stress

Following on from my first questionnaire, I created a second one to further investigate what people like to do to relax and how they like to spend their free time. This survey was aimed primarily at students, but also sent out to general public, because I was interested in hearing everyone’s de-stress methods to generate ideas on what could be considered for my final design. Again, the aim here was to obtain at least 50 responses in order to gather a relevant amount of ideas. This would also assist in finding common interests and help determine which solutions are more favourable amongst stressed individuals.

Here, I used open-ended questions where possible to try and prompt respondents to really tell me what they think. I also used questions where more than one option could be selected, to create an easier way for people to tell me everything they might consider doing after a stressful situation, in order to calm themselves down. My questions this time were predominantly regarding the ‘solution’ to the ‘problem’ identified in the first questionnaire.

 

I wanted to find out the following:

  • Do people generally like to relax alone or with others?

  • What activities tend to leave people relaxed and calm?

  • What kind of places do people think are missing from University campuses for chilling out?

  • What helps someone take their mind of a stressful task?

 

These were my questions & answers:

Q1. Are you Male or Female? 

67 Responses

53   x     Female

14   x     Male

 

Q2. What is your age?

67 Responses

0     x        age 17 or younger

9     x        age 18-20

48   x        age 21-24

5     x        age 25-29

2     x        age 30-39

3     x        age 40 or older

 

Q3. Which of the following describes your current education status?

67 Responses

42   x        I am a student at Nottingham Trent University

5     x        I am a student at the University of Nottingham

5     x        I graduated from university within the last 3 years

3     x        I graduated from university over 3 years ago

4     x        I did not attend university

8     x        I am a student elsewhere (Please specify)

Q3 Comment Box: Please specify 'elsewhere'

8 Comments:

  • University of Manchester

  • University of manchester

  • University of Bath

  • Sheffield

  • University of Manchester

  • Birmingham City University

  • University of Greenwich

  • Edinburgh

 

Q4. When in stressful situations (work, deadlines, exams, etc.), which of the following works best for you?

67 Responses

29    x       I work better when I'm calm and focused, so I take short breaks every now and again between working.

25    x       I work better under pressure. Feeling stressed makes me extra productive so I do not rest until everything is done.

12    x       I feel the need to push myself even though I am tired. I will not take a break until everything is done, even if this means                              sleepless nights.

1      x       None of the above (please comment)

Q4 Comment Box: Please comment on 'none of the above'

1 Comment:

  • depends on the work

 

Q5. Again, thinking of your stresful situation, what makes you feel calm & relaxed? Tick all that apply.

67 Answered, each ticking numerous answers

37     x       Somewhere Quiet

30     x       Socialising

21     x       Venting about your stress

6       x       Meditation/Yoga

16     x       Pampering i.e. Massage

37     x       Being outdoors/ Fresh Air

15     x       Light-moderate excersise i.e. light run 

14     x       Intense excersise i.e. circuit training

35     x       Watching a film, tv series, etc

6       x       Playing video-games

15     x       Other (please specify)

Q5 Comment Box: 'Other' Please specify

15 Comments:

  • Eating

  • listening to music as i work.

  • having someone next to me who is also working

  • Eating

  • Sleep...

  • Sleep

  • Listening to music to keep me focused. Preferrably working on my own.

  • having a ciggartte

  • working alongside other people who are working too

  • Smoking.

  • listening to music

  • write and drawing

  • Hot bath

  • Writing everything down, getting thoughts in order

  • music

 

Q6. Do you prefer to unwind alone or accompanied?

65 Responses

38     x      Alone

27     x      Accompanied

 

Q7. What helps your mind wonder when you're trying to 'zone out'?

52 Comments:

  • cant sleep well

  • music

  • Random things i shall do, like getting groceries, read a book or draw, after I complete my work.

  • A cheeky drink, loud music or film

  • yoga

  • ?

  • Exercise Watching tv

  • deep breathing

  • Music

  • Exercise Watching tv

  • Music

  • Listening to chilled music

  • be surrounded with nature

  • watching tele, going for walks

  • Walking through the woods or seaside 

  • chat with friends

  • Sleep or cry, lol

  • Watching a movie that interests me. Perhaps going for a run before hand so I feel tired.

  • Music

  • Coffee

  • Sleep, watching tv

  • Watching TV and talking to friends

 

  • reading a book

  • Listening to music

  • Listening to audio books, exercising, dull tasks, ie. washing the dishes

  • tv

  • Music, unrelated talks

  • Very chilled music

  • Thinking about happier times, reminiscing.

  • a break , writing a list

  • music

  • Showering, drinking tea, going for walks

  • subtle distractions - something interactive but not too pressured/ you don't stand out when doing it

  • Keeping hydrated and having enough sleep helps me zone out also music and a engaging distraction that actively makes me think about another thing

  • Sleep! When I am stressed I feel like i'm in a constant whirlwind - pretty hard to escape really - what works best for me is taking some fresh air and maybe meeting a friend for an hour or so.... (if I spare the time)

  • Creating something new

 

  • Books, TV programmes

  • food

  • Never ending to do lists

  • Thinking about what I can do once the project/ deadline is over - such as a night out, some food I'm looking forward to cooking or finally being able to sleep again

  • Music

  • Music. Windows so I can see outside

  • Situations that don't involve thinking about the work - film/tv, meditation, outings with friends, etc.

  • Distracting surroundings, ability to watch other people, to focus on a different activity

  • Things that are coming up or the future

  • Music

  • clasical music

  • Exercise - gym, and baking

  • Watching TV, Cooking, Going to the gym

  • drama

  • searching crap on google

  • reading, listening to music, arts & crafts,

  • browsing blogs and pages such as facebook and pinterest

Q8. How useful do you think the 'chill out' spaces are at your university?

59 Responses

0       x      Very useful, I spend alot of time there

14     x      Good, I occasionally socialise there

15     x      Not very useful, I only sit there when I'm waiting for someone

13     x      I never use the chill out spaces

17     x      I'm not aware of our chill out spaces

 

Q9. What kind of places do you feel are lacking on campus for 'chilling out'? Please describe what you would like to see become available to students.

36 Comments:

  • Area's with decent seating and which are actually quiet.

  • better/larger places to chill out and eat lunch - so many spaces on campus are not allowed food in.

  • Do not have time to 'chill out'

  • students spa's/massages

  • two locations, one for chilling out individually (a quiet zone), another for social chilling out (that can be noise)

  • A room that is warm (Trent is always cold!!!) with some quiet music (no party music)

  • Mauslay building

  • A seating area that is always available. Sometimes I want to go somewhere alone for a bit, but theres nowhere to go by myself.

  • comfort

  • Cafes, tv rooms or media hubs

  • Park - nature

  • Rooms with bean bags / cinema rooms you can book

  • somewhere really relaxed with a food   menu a couple of snooker tables maybe sofas for a more relaxed atmosphere as opposed to chairs

  • Any! Comfortable sofas so on. Just a   space to relax.

  • A comfy place outside which is sheltered + vending machin that offers healthy options, such as fruits/ sarnies...

  • comfy sofas

  • Parks, indoor gardens, laying kind of chairs

  • Outdoor sheltered relaxation zone.

  • Exhibition spaces to inspire students

  • more private - not just having in in the SU be nice if there was some secret get a ways - hiding rooms etc

  • Silent zones

  • Just somewhere calming and relaxed - maybe a sporty social hub with lounge bean bags - something casual not pristine.

  • Spaces where you can make noise.     Usually the social areas are in quiet     zones or near working areas.

  • I don't feel I am aware of the chill out spaces that are provided - perhaps they need to be more segregated from working areas so we can completley get away from work mode

  • Quiet places - not in really public areas

  • Outdoor spaces. Comfort: in the form of furniture

  • More of a 'common room' feel than a waiting area. Maybe some other facilities not just seating, so journals, magazines, gaming, vending machines etc. It would be cool if there was a ping pong table! That would help distress me

  • Every building in the uni campus should have more chill out area, as there are many classes in each buildings. People can have more places to chill while waiting for classes or chill after class

  • Fun, playful spaces. Plenty of seating already but the furniture just seems laid out where possible. There is a lot of wasted space in Newton where degree shows are sometimes held. The SU deals with this a little better

  • More spaces with privacy

  • I think that there is enough of places like that

  • The vet school is on a seperate campus, so nowhere near the main Uni. Often gets missed out when designing student areas.

  • The new SU has most things covered

  • nice environment

  • gaming room

  • comfy places both for groups and individuals to relax. Current spaces are very open and noisy with just lots of seating, can be abit intimidating to just sit by yourself, and is not very comfortable.

Q10. Thank you very much for taking the time to complete this survey. If you have any additional comments regarding 'stress at university' or ideas/suggestions on a 'space to de-stress', please add your comments in the box below.

6 Comments:

  • I do work well under pressure many people do. That being said I believe the pressure created at University is not realistic of a real life work place. At work all be it stressful at 5/6pm you finish for the day and switch off and the weekend means weekend. Also not many jobs would give you several non-moveable deadlines all on the same week. It just isn't reflective of real life, create pressure and stress and doesn't help students produce the best results.

  • making for extra help avaliable with assignments

 

  • Good luck with your research project :)

 

  • Perhaps a large movie space, somewhere I can go by myself and theres always a movie playing. But perhaps there are headphones to listen along, so you can talk in that space also.

  • Meditation room where calm music and yoga matts are available and accessible for everyone.

 

  • i think theyve done a really good job with the new design. more computers???

Q2 analysis

Questionnaire Analysis

 

This survey was carried out between the end of November 2014 and open for responses till the end of December 2014. The majority of responses were from NTU students in their early 20’s, though I also had responses from other universities as well as recent graduates and people who had not attended university.

When asked what make them feel calm and relaxed, there were various options chosen as well as others suggested in the comment boxes. The image below shows these in hierarchy, where the size of the word indicates its popularity amongst the answers.

The three most mentioned things were: Music, Watching TV and being Outdoors. The next few most popular responses were: Thinking, Sleeping and Talking to friends.

Most of these answers are things that could be done either alone or with friends, so in order to help determine what kind of spaces I need to provide, I asked if people would normally prefer to unwind by themselves or with someone else. Out of the 65 people who responded, 58% preferred to unwind by themselves and 42% would rather be accompanied. Based on that I can conclude that both types of places would need to be provided in this new space to breathe, as there was not a clear preference between the two options.

Following on from that, I then asked what was lacking from university campus in regards to relaxing spaces, to which the majority of people answered ‘a space with comfortable seating’ and ‘spaces with separate areas for quiet and noisy zones’. This is shown again, with hierarchy, in the image below.

What I have analysed from these results, is that the new breathing space I wish to design would need to be quite large and accommodate various quiet individual spaces for people to relax as well as separate areas where social activities could be carried out. One of the main things I will need to focus on will be a way to bring in an outdoor element, perhaps by providing some form of indoor garden space. Also, I will need to put great thought into providing the comfortable areas with screens and devices for music/films/TV.

Consideration will be needed as to how this building will function with the different noise zones, and how to provide comfortable spaces both on a small and larger scale.

Previous Page

Current Page

Questionnaire 2

Next Page

bottom of page