List of Ten Gaps:

1.  The single window next to my main door does not have the provision or space for a curtain rod and curtain. During the day, this window is a main source of light in the hall. At night, when the lights are on inside the hall, however, people from adjacent bulidings can clearly see through it into my hall. How do I cover the 8 square-paned glass window in such a way that I let some light in during day, but do not show much (or any) of what's inside once lights are on at night?
  
2. How do I organise space in my hall for my art material (rolls of paper, paint and brushes and miscellaneous stuff) such that they aren't  hidden or separated away in a wooden or glass shelf, and I can see them at a glance when I am looking for inspiration -- yet they aren't all over the place? And they don't catch lot of dust from the floor as they do now?

3. How do I design a mail-box or some such mechanism whereby I ensure that mail addressed to me at my residence is not lost or late or delivered to the wrong person in the building? The current mail-box in the building not in use (due to its inaccessible location). My neighbours in the flats below face a similar problem, yet choose to let the postman leave their mail by the stairs near the gate. Unlike them, I am never at home at daytime on weekdays, and cannot depend on their kindness or human error. I need an artefact for this. 

*4. In the college where I teach, the library has a ground floor reading-room, near which a new block of classrooms has come up.  Students passing by outside the reading room (to or from this new block) talk or make noise which disturbs those in the reading-room. However, since they are technically outside the library, the Librarian is reluctant to issue any rule to stop them (its efficacy is also a question). Moreover, one cannot always have a person standing there reminding students to be quiet as they pass by (as some readers try to do with limited results). Simple notices demanding 'SILENCE' or 'Library Zone' outside the library are unlikely to have any effect on the students either (I teach them, I know!). How can I design an artefact or design/organise a series of artefacts in that small space outside the reading-room that would, in an interesting and appealing way, persuade students or others passing by to respect the silence inside the room, and make as little noise as possible as they pass by that short stretch?   

5.   How do I organise my books (about 150 in number) around my 3-room house such that there are small stacks of books in every room?  Their spines/titles must be visible in the arrangement. I do not want to resort to a set of small conventional bookshelves, either.

6. Garbage bags from all the apartments in my building are piled in a niche in the buliding wall, near the gate. They are collected by the municipality only twice a week. In the interim, stray dogs sometimes jump in and drag these bags away, half-opening them and making a mess inside the compund. Could I design a cover of some sort that would guard the garbage against dogs (or occasionally, monkeys from the park nearby)? It should still be convenient for the residents to drop in their garbage, and look aesthetically okay (at least).   

7. Winter is coming. I need to keep my ears and neck covered when travelling in the city or walking in the streets. I use a scarf but that only covers my neck. Anything that covers the ears looks ridiculous or funny usually. Particularly since the winter here isn't too severe to warrant the kind of clothing you see in very cold places. However for asthmatics, this winter is severe enough. Could I design some accessory (or an extension to my scarf) that wouldn't draw much attention to itself, look pleasing in an understated way, and cover my ears? 

8. The monsoon rains last year saw moisture seeping in through small cracks in the terrace. Though fixed now, this has ruined a part of my wall inside: the pale lemon paint is now covered with brown and white patches and cracks. A fresh coat of paint in just that area would stand out incongruously, and painting the whole apartment is out of the question at the moment. Could I design something -- a poster or wallpaper that would blend in with the rest of the wall and turn this ugly patch beautiful? The patch is irregular and extends over a part of the top of a window as well -- so it cannot simply be covered by a rectangular poster. 

9. How do I prevent dirt from accumulating on the tiles around the drainhole in the corner of the bathroom? Or how can I ensure they are smoothly drained away every time?

10. What design fix/ change can prevent water from being sprayed across my kitchen counter when I was dishes at the sink? 

A short explanation of why my chosen gap (No. 4) meets the criteria for a course project: See 'My Gap' page

I love my Black Matt pencil. It is just right for both writing and sketching in my notebooks. So I do not have to keep changing writing/ drawing tools, or carry too many around. Its hexagonal shape allows a good grip, and its soft powdery interaction with the paper leaves quick dark marks without applying much pressure. So, the easy movement of the hand while writing means I can smoothly shift to sketching and back. I can vary pressure to get light and dark marks whether drawing or writing, which is something far more difficult with a pen.