Critical design in the form of objects and devices may lack precision, but the results can be specific, idiosyncratic and poetic. Because product design exists in physical space, it forces participation, or at least a reaction, from those who encounter it. When Dunne and Raby inserted eight objects, that resembled furniture but that also contained various sensors, into eight different homes, they were able to monitor their new owners’ responses to them through photography, diaries and interviews. Observing peoples’ reactions and responses to a question posed in the form of graphic design, on the other hand, is much harder. So, as critical graphic design evolves, its inquiries broaden, and the conversation moves beyond the gallery, one of the challenges remaining for graphic designers is to find new ways to understand and incorporate the responses of their viewers.
Caryn's Design Research Blog
caryn's online journal for design research
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We started trying to organize larger sets of data yesterday by combining with some other groups. This is one of the frameworks we used and one thing that became apparent pretty quickly is that people have a lot of stuff that is pretty useful but they are not attached to it at all. So why do they have it? It’s not junk, necessarily, so does that make it just clutter?
While putting our storyboards together, I couldn’t help but notice how many contradictions these “extreme” field interviews revealed. Both of our interviewees claimed in their recruitment questions to be something that they definitely were not. Interviewee #1 did acknowledge this during the interview, expressing that it is something she is working on, however, Interviewee #2 seemed to lack a degree of self-awareness. She claims she is a minimalist who can’t stand her new husband’s clutter, but revealed during the interview that everything in the (very full) house was hers.
The Value of Empathy
This article discusses some of the issues I’ve been struggling with this semester in Design Research. I know what we’re doing isn’t quite as extreme, but I always feel weird assuming the role of “helper” or “simplifier” or “fixer.” There’s a level of presumption that I am uncomfortable with, for whatever reason. Believing that what you do matters just seems kind of tricky.
It’s so terribly trendy to care about the poor, the environment, and every form of ‘betterment’ that I begin to assume we must be selling more design by fetishizing social relevance.” — David Stairs, Arguing with Success
field interview
I know we are supposed to be unbiased and empathetic in our interviews, but I don’t understand why someone would invite strangers into her home and then just not speak to them. It is difficult not to think poorly of someone when they are so unhelpful and often rude.
On trends...
Designer Jack Bredenfoerder examines the influence of the economic crisis and predicts some significant directions design will take as a result.
Today I signed up for Dropbox, an online storage program. The free account gets you two GBs of storage, $10/month for 50, and then for 20 bucks you get unlimited online storage. This option is appropriately called the “Pack-rat.”
Even though it made me laugh, the idea of digital hoarding is very interesting. Extensions of our psychoses into digital spaces? And what is the parallel between digital and physical space?
PS - I love Dropbox
