Materials and imagination virginia tech

Materials and Imagination in HCI and Interaction Design

Nicolai Brodersen Hansen Aarhus University

Centre for Participatory Information Technology Centre for Advanced Visualisations and Interaction

[email protected]

Me• M.Sc in Information Studies, Aarhus University

• PhD fellow 2013-2016

• Affiliated with the PIT and CAVI centres

• Advisor Kim Halskov

• Research interests:

• Materials and materiality in design

• Participatory creativity and innovation

• Creative collaborative design processes

Aarhus University?

Centre for Participatory Information Technology (PIT)• Participatory Innovation

• Participatory Publics

• Sustaining IT development

• Aesthetics of Participation

• Artistic strategies of Participatory culture

Centre for Advanced Visualisation and Interaction (CAVI)

Research through design

Research question

“how can we understand design materials as generative, as supporting designers and users in creating new ideas in interaction design, HCI and Participatory Design?”

Theoretical framing

• Schöns idea of the “generative metaphor”

• Deweyan pragmatism: Inquiry and technology

• Materiality discussions in IxD, HCI, PD, etc.

Design materials

Design process and materials

Generative metaphors

• Seeing something as something else

• “seeing a troubled inner city neighborhood as urban "blight" and, hence, taking steps rooted in the idea of disease.”

• Generating ideas by exploring potential alternative metaphors

Generative metaphors

Generative design materials

• Generating and developing new ideas by experimenting with materials

• What is the interplay of materials and ideation?

• What qualities of materials support ideation in design?

Urban Media Space

“Living blueprint workshop”

“Living blueprint workshop”

Creating cardboard-characters

Creating future scenarios on

blueprint

Presenting future scenarios in

plenum

Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3

An example of Material design artefacts in use

• Employed in a wide range of design situations

• Sketching, cards, probes, props, mockups

Design considerations

• Which actions were supported by the material design artifacts?

• Why?

Rapid transformations of the design space

• Transformations of the problematic design situations are manifested immediately

• Inquiry can move along effortlessly

Dynamic Design space

Rapid changes

Documentation of design Moves

• Creating physical manifestations of agreements

• Documents currently imagined situations in the scenario Dynamic Design space

Rapid changes Documenting moves

Aligning collaborative efforts

• Constant need to agree on specifics of scenario

• Prompts reflections

• Keeps design artefact relevant


Rapid changes Documenting moves Aligning collaboration

Provoking reflections

• Transformations of the problematic design situations are manifested immediately

• Forced to reflect through (created) problematic situations



Provoking reflections

Suggesting designs

• Participants could use design artefacts to manifest design suggestions

• Resolve problematic situations through using the material design artefacts in a generative role



Provoking reflections Suggesting designs

Design materials in the Living Blueprint Workshop

• Tools for specific inquiries

• Constrains and enables specific kinds of inquiry

• Keeping collaborative inquiry on track

• Highly detailed and updated design space

• Kept constant focus on the combination of bodies, building and future use of the library

Material design artefacts in the Living Blueprint Workshop

• Very specific future scenarios

• Insights into previously undiscussed subjects

• Specific and engaged understanding of the projected library

Summary• Material design artefacts and their productive qualities • Pragmatism in a generative role:

• Rapid transformations • Documenting design moves • Aligning collaboration • Provoking reflections • Suggesting designs

The demoscene• Computer art subculture

• Creating ‘demos’ running 3-4 minutes

• Multidisciplinary efforts

• Attracts both musicians, graphicians programmers, and a legion of hangers-on, organizers and the likes

Blunderbuss by Fairlight

Creating a demo

Demo framework

Graphics Music Routines / effects

Finished demo

Demosceners Demosceners Demosceners

Design materials

A prototypical design process


• Music setting the mood



• Graphicians and programmers in close collaboration




• Musicians kicking in now and then




• Musicians kicking in now and then

• Pictures of music (?), code and graphics WIP all of them.

Collaboration flow

Programmer

3d software

DropboxDemo-engine

Graphician

3d object transformer

script

Amiga ftp

3d object

GNU Rocket

GNU Rocket

Candystall - the making of

Creativity, collaboration and frameworks

Programmer

3d software

DropboxDemo-engine

Graphician

3d object transformer

script

Amiga ftp

3d object

GNU Rocket

Generative design materials

More?

• http://www.designmaterials.dk

• [email protected]

• http://pit.au.dk

• http://cavi.au.dk

Materials and imagination virginia tech

Design

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