Committee Meeting 3

Hello Hello!  So what's my big news?  I had another committee meeting this week- better yet- my head is still attached to my shoulders!  

I went into Tuesday's meeting overwhelmed.  I came out nearly nauseous from an overload of ideas.  Wednesday I followed up with Nancy, and by Wednesday evening, life started to make sense again.  I think every graduate student can relate to this vicious cycle.  Today I spent several more hours reviewing this week's advancements and believe I am at peace with tackling the task ahead of me.  Below is a rather lengthy synopsis of Tuesday's meeting and where I plan to go from here in order to successfully reach that ominous deadline.  

During the Meeting

1) Updated Plan of Work Approval (Added Independent Study with Nancy in Jacquard Woven Design)

2) Adjust Timeline

3) Discuss Updated Outline

Updated Outline: An Exploration of Factors Affecting Innovation in Automotive Upholstery, 1950-2010

I have now clarified my purpose of study:

Determine trends and trend cycles in the automotive upholstery over the past 60 years.  Based on these trends and industry interviews, understand what factors are involved in creating successful automotive fabric.  From this information, develop predictions for future trends in automotive upholstery.

I have also finalized my research objectives:

1) What trends have recurred in the materials used in automotive upholstery?                       

2) What trends have recurred in the types of fabric structures used in automotive upholstery?           

3) What trends have recurred in fabric design (colors, and patterns) in automotive upholstery?

4) What factors contributed to these trends?

5) Based on these factors and trends, what predictions can be made for future automotive interior upholstery?

In order to accomplish these objectives, I will:

1) Review pre-existing literature on automotive upholstery in order to better evaluate the fabrics’ materials and constructions.  I will also review literature that explores trend cycles in order to understand how to document my findings, relate these to outside factors, and justify my approach.

2) Analyze the fabrics from the Top 5 Best Selling Vehicles in the US from the DeLeo collection.  From the swatches, I will be able to determine the year, model and make of the vehicle, the materials, structure and fabrication method, and the fabric design (colors and patterns) of the fabric.  I will catalogue this information and examine it using various statistical analysis tools (yet to be decided) in order to determine trends and trend cycles.

3) Conduct a follow-up literature review in order to understand what factors may have contributed to the observed trend cycles.  These sources will focus on consumer, OEM, and global influences in automotive design and textiles.  I will also complete my study on the F-Series (America’s all time best selling vehicle) in order to gain an in-depth understanding of what factors are involved in design during a vehicle’s life cycle.

4) Conduct industry interviews in order to confirm and validate the factors that I have determined contributed to innovations in automotive upholstery.

5) Based on these factors and trends, I will make predictions for designing successful automotive upholstery fabrics for the future.

Literature Review

            We spent the majority of the meeting discussing the literature review, which was certainly a wise use of our time.  Initially my thoughts were too broad and too vague at the same time.  I think the main reason for this is because until Tuesday’s meeting, the literature review was the most intimidating part of my thesis (which shouldn’t be true), and this was keeping me from getting off to an efficient start.  Our solution is actually the opposite of what is normally done; I will be conducting my primary literature review after my research.  Most graduate students are strongly advised against this, but we felt that this was the natural order of progression for my study.  I will still conduct a preliminary literature review, as discussed in Point 1 above in order to better understand what I am looking for and how to evaluate this information, but the majority of my traditional literature review will conducted after my fabric analysis.  This way I will be able to focus my efforts only on the factors that actively influenced trends seen in the sample analysis.

Goals before May 12 Committee Meeting:

1) Complete TTM Research Proposal. 

This is an assignment given for my Research Methods class, taught by Dr. Moore (my committee co-chair).  For the proposal, we are a write an Introduction, Literature Review, Methodology, Prospective Benefits and Limitations, and create a Timeline/Budget, within a 10-page document.  I have discussed much of this with my committee, but this assignment will force me to put it all on paper in order to get the ball rolling.  This is also a great opportunity to receive valuable feedback before I am in too deep.

2) Begin Fabric Analysis and Cataloguing.

In order to successfully complete my proposal, it will be necessary to understand if my analysis process will be a success.  I hope to analyze fabrics in the 2006 and 2005 DeLeo books, 10 vehicles total.