Design Domain Research
Week 1 Recap & Next Steps
I’ve been working on putting together my portfolio for upcoming job interviews. While doing this I’ve been thinking a lot about the narrative surrounding some of my design work. While looking at the portfolio of designer Martijn van den Broeck for inspiration, I found him explain his process for one of his projects as such:
In general the design process was human-centred and iterative with a crucial role in creating exploratory prototypes.
I would like to take a similar approach with my design domain project. I’ve found this week spent researching to be unsatisfying because I was so far removed from the making process.
I’ve spent much of my time following design thinking frameworks. These frameworks being that of IBM Design Thinking and Frog’s Design Thinking.
IBM Design Thinking:
Frog Design Thinking:
Although this is obviously very subject, and perhaps labeling this potential ideas into these two buckets could debated, I will do so for my own mental clarity.
Work that relates to a problem:
- Time Well Spent / Everyday Magic: What are those everyday problems and opportunities that you see around you? In what situations has technology diminished the pleasure of an interaction, rather than enhancing it? What analog objects could be improved with a layer of thoughtful and relevant new technology?
- Testing Interactions: How could different interaction paradigms make task completion different? For this idea, I would have users try various input devices to see which were more efficient. Specifically I would explore bimanual input methods. HCI / Research focused
Work that does not relate to a (currently known) problem:
- Playful Systems: Designing systems that become experiences to transcend utility and usability. In a world mediated through computing, our everyday lives are increasingly affected by complex and invisible systems. Some of these are algorithmic trades on the stock market, others are search results for information, movies, or a date. These systems often aspire to transparency, usability, and efficiency. Playful systems take a different approach, bringing the systems to the foreground as games, stories, narratives, and visualizations. Playful systems embrace complexity rather than conceal it, and seek to delight, not disappear.
- Zen Objects: Zen transcends logic and dualism. The foundation of computing is logic and dualism (binary). I believe it would be interesting to explore the relationship between these two ideas through simple pieces of art such as this piece (http://taylorlevy.com/24-switch-pixel/).
“Zen abhors media, even the intellectual medium; it is primarily and ultimately a discipline and an experience, which is dependent on no explanation; for an ex- planation wastes time and energy and is never to the point; all that you get out of it is a misunderstanding and a twisted view of the thing. When Zen wants you to taste the sweetness of sugar, it will put the required article right into your mouth and no further words are said.” — D.T. Suzuki
3. Strange Instruments: Using various input devices such as Kinect, Leap Motion, Arduino, IOT, Smart Phones. It would be interesting to create instruments that are specific to the unique type of input any of these devices could offer. I.E. A depth based instrument with Kinect as the mode of input. | A second strange instrument idea is a simple machine that would allow a user to perform the composition “clapping” by Steve Reich with it.
There are many problems in our lives. I think that I would prefer to spend my time thinking about these problems.
In order to work more intelligently, the whole practice of design has to be turned around. Designer can no longer be employees of corporations, but rather must work directly for the client group -that is, the people who are in need of a product.
— Victor Papanek
Even if the corporate greed of many design offices makes this kind of design impossible, students should at least be encouraged to work in this manner (10% non-profit). For in showing students new areas of engagement, we may set up alternative patterns of thinking about design problems. We may help them to develop the kind of social and moral responsibility that is needed in design.
— Victor Papanek
I want to pursue one idea from each category
- Everyday Magic
- Playful Systems
Backup: Strange Instruments — Clapping
Perhaps these 2 ideas may even be able to converge.
In general the design process was human-centered and iterative with a crucial role in creating exploratory prototypes.
Two questions I want to answer by the end of the day:
1. How do people in MIT’s playful systems group come up with ideas?
2. What are a set of questions I could ask to get more insight into opportunities to create “everyday magic” in people’s days?
