01 Design for Discomfort

Challenge #1:

To begin with, all players need to face each other. A person in the group needs to inform the other players the instructions. Simple rules to the game: Gather two or more people in order to play. Members can choose between “innie” (individual reacts to the ask) or “outtie” (group reacts to the ask). To start: a member can choose a player randomly and ask the question, “Do you want to choose innie or outtie?” When task is assigned and completed, the question will repeat clockwise or anti-clockwise. If the player chooses “innie,” the question can direct a command relating to the person, such as “say one thing that you are grateful for.” If the player chooses “outtie,” the question can direct a command relating to the group, such as “I want everyone to stretch.” If the player does not commit to the ask, the person will get a penalty and cannot participate again. In consequence, the game requires each to respond, collaborate. The option of opting-in can have multiple stages, the option of opting-out is once, and final. When one opts-out, they don’t have the opportunity to opt-in again.

The game takes into consideration of care: allowing the individual or group to gain, aim for growth or transformation either as an individual or as collective. I’ve identified the vocabulary for experience design as follows:

Risk: Social; Magic Circle: Conditioned; Structure: Exploratory; Transformation: Repetitive

Our class demonstrated the game:

Our group (August, Kimberly) play tested the game. The following is the reference round.

Innie |Outtie play experiment

Round 1

Player 1: Do you want to choose innie or outtie?

Player 2: Outtie

Player 1: I want everyone to stretch

We all stretched.

Round 2

Player 2: Do you want to choose Innie or Outtie?

Player 3: Innie

Player 2: Say one thing that you are grateful for.

Player 3: Family

Round 3

Player 3: Do you want to choose Innie or Outtie?

Player 1: Innie

Player 3: Set a reminder that you have to leave school by 9:30p.

Player 1 sets reminder on phone

Reading response #1

Ethical considerations for experimental research will be examined in this post.

I want to review the etymology of Ethics. “The English word “ethics” is derived from the Ancient Greek word ēthikós (ἠθικός), meaning “relating to one’s character”, which itself comes from the root word êthos (ἦθος) meaning “character, moral nature”.[3] This was borrowed into Latin as ethica and then into French as éthique, from which it was borrowed into English.”

The Stanford experiment brings forward the question of authority and the usage of such. Concern revolves around how much authority takes into account: consent, agency, freedom participants have or don’t have during and after the experiment. A few instances of authoritative control that have a palpable design on others that demands attention:

“David Jaffe tried to influence the behavior of one of the “guards” by encouraging him to “participate” more and be more “tough” for the benefit of the experiment.”

Even such, psychological experiments are more likely to do what they believe the researchers want them to do; creating fallacies, “to act out their stereotyped views of what prisoners and guards do” which in consequence takes away individual command of agency. The dynamic between prisoner and guard changes the way people perceive their roles, and the way people play their societal roles. In reference to TedTalk, games are no different than experiments in how it reveals patterns:

“And so games, for a change, it changes how we see topics, it changes our perceptions about those people in topics, and it changes ourselves. We change as people through games, because we’re involved, and we’re playing,and we’re learning as we do so.”

The values that are essential is respect, competence, responsibility and integrity. The violation in ethics is assessment in account of breaking agreements with the participants without intervention.

The experiment involved questionable ethics, the concerns being that it was continued even after participants expressed their desire to withdraw. The participants were told they had the right to leave at any time; but Zimbardo did not allow such. I am sceptical to this experiment that are (verily) inhumane and addressed to be “experiments” when the self-proclaimed fame, or legacy is given to those that possess authority/power rather than virtue.

Quotes I like:

I found this line comedic: “there are some psychologists who are ‘as obnoxious as the law allows’, who show ‘a morally obtuse zeal in the pursuit of their careers, and who can be likened to used-car salesmen.”

“And yet, the middle ground between accessibility and isolation, where we can gather together in intimate contexts around critical life moments, is being lost.”

“Experience design offers a possible solution to our very human craving for connection and meaning in the face of increased isolation and diminishing social cooperation.”

“Experience design is the creation of experiences for the purpose of entertainment, persuasion, recreation, or human enrichment where the emotional journey of the individual or group is the focus.”