Friday, July 24, 2009
What is Social Networking now?
One of the issues we may need to discuss when we meet is what we now mean by Social Networking. I don’t think this need be a problem, but we may need to clarify the difference between Social Networking as an idea (which I think is what we are about) and Social Networking systems which are increasingly being used for anything and everything including business, political campaigns, CSCW and so on.
An interview with the father of social networking
With Facebook, 25 year-old Mark Zuckerberg, turned a dorm-room diversion into a cultural phenomenon. His next goal? To finally turn the company profitable.
Read here
Read here
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Using Provocative Conceptual Designs to Foster Human-centred Innovation
Came across this recent PhD which might be useful in considering how to support participatory design without ending up with the lowest common denominator.
"A Critical Artefact Methodology: Using Provocative Conceptual Designs
to Foster Human-centred Innovation"
available online at http://www.simon-bowen.com/?page_id=40
Chris Rust at Sheffield Hallam writes:
Simon's work explores some practical implications of the critical design methods developed by Dunn and Raby, Bill Gaver and others. He has synthesised and evaluated ways for designers to use provocative concepts, "Crazy Ideas" as he describes them, to stimulate stakeholders to engage in productive speculation about aspirations and needs that might not be revealed by more conventional user research techniques. In particular he positions the designer at the centre of his methods, tacitly "processing" the insights from stakeholder workshops into new, more relevant design concepts to stimulate further rounds of stakeholder thinking, rather than relying on explicit analysis.
To support this Simon has developed a description of such processing based on Michael Polanyi's theories of tacit knowledge in action. I find this a most useful building block in the body of work being done here at Sheffield Hallam by myself and Nicola Wood with more to come from Rizal Rahman and Cigdem Kaya whose PhD studies are extending it in different directions. You can find this description on pages 171-173 of the thesis: 6.2.4 Designing as ‘processing’ and Polanyi’s indwelling
I've developed a short account of how Simon's work has stimulated my own thinking on how Rittel and Webber's work on wicked problems might be a basis for design methods, prompted by members of this discussion list who have suggested that wicked problems might be interesting but don't seem to provide help with methods.
http://chrisrust.wordpress.com/2009/03/02/an-argumentative-process/
Best wishes from Sheffield
Chris
...............................................................
Professor Chris Rust FDRS
Head of Art and Design
Sheffield Hallam University, S1 2NU, UK
+44 114 225 6772
chris@chrisrust.net
http://chrisrust.wordpress.com/
Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the
future of the human race. - H. G. Wells
"A Critical Artefact Methodology: Using Provocative Conceptual Designs
to Foster Human-centred Innovation"
available online at http://www.simon-bowen.com/?page_id=40
Chris Rust at Sheffield Hallam writes:
Simon's work explores some practical implications of the critical design methods developed by Dunn and Raby, Bill Gaver and others. He has synthesised and evaluated ways for designers to use provocative concepts, "Crazy Ideas" as he describes them, to stimulate stakeholders to engage in productive speculation about aspirations and needs that might not be revealed by more conventional user research techniques. In particular he positions the designer at the centre of his methods, tacitly "processing" the insights from stakeholder workshops into new, more relevant design concepts to stimulate further rounds of stakeholder thinking, rather than relying on explicit analysis.
To support this Simon has developed a description of such processing based on Michael Polanyi's theories of tacit knowledge in action. I find this a most useful building block in the body of work being done here at Sheffield Hallam by myself and Nicola Wood with more to come from Rizal Rahman and Cigdem Kaya whose PhD studies are extending it in different directions. You can find this description on pages 171-173 of the thesis: 6.2.4 Designing as ‘processing’ and Polanyi’s indwelling
I've developed a short account of how Simon's work has stimulated my own thinking on how Rittel and Webber's work on wicked problems might be a basis for design methods, prompted by members of this discussion list who have suggested that wicked problems might be interesting but don't seem to provide help with methods.
http://chrisrust.wordpress.com/2009/03/02/an-argumentative-process/
Best wishes from Sheffield
Chris
...............................................................
Professor Chris Rust FDRS
Head of Art and Design
Sheffield Hallam University, S1 2NU, UK
+44 114 225 6772
chris@chrisrust.net
http://chrisrust.wordpress.com/
Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the
future of the human race. - H. G. Wells
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Age concern group Hornsey Vale
I picked up a leaflet at my local library that Age Concern has regular meetings on Tuesday mornings. There was a telephone number, but I thought before I make my visit too official, I just go and have a look.
The woman at the reception was very friendly and introduced me to the group of older people with: "This is Marianne, she studies for a PhD and she would like to ask you some questions about the Internet"
There were about 8 people in the room - 7 women, 1 man – there was mix of ethnic backgrounds, age ranged from over 65 to 80 (am guessing here). Only one woman (around 66 years) uses the Internet. She used to work in testing software programs and that's why she started using the Internet already in 1995. She also organises India volunteering trips. For this she uses email, but only for communication. She mentioned how people sometimes miss out because they don't have an email address. She has just installed Skype and has already tried out the "online typing" with a friend in Canada. The other people in the room nuttered how they really don't need the Internet. There would be no reason - no point, don't need it, we have telephone. They don't have relatives far away, so they don't need to send pictures over the net. And you don't have to learn how to use the Internet. (I'm wondering if there is a notion of as long as the 'authority is not telling us to do so, we don't need to it' - how would it be if the government 'forces' people to go online? Like the digital switch over?)
One woman briefly explained how she tried to learn, but then didn't know what to do on the Internet. I mentioned things such as checking opening hours, telephone numbers - others liked the idea. The discussion changed (initiated by one of the women) to owning a mobile phone and using it. Most had a mobile because everybody expects you to have one and when something happens everybody expects you to call from your mobile. The man told me how he didn't have a phone for the last 65 years, and he lived happily using only the phone boxes.
The woman at the reception was very friendly and introduced me to the group of older people with: "This is Marianne, she studies for a PhD and she would like to ask you some questions about the Internet"
There were about 8 people in the room - 7 women, 1 man – there was mix of ethnic backgrounds, age ranged from over 65 to 80 (am guessing here). Only one woman (around 66 years) uses the Internet. She used to work in testing software programs and that's why she started using the Internet already in 1995. She also organises India volunteering trips. For this she uses email, but only for communication. She mentioned how people sometimes miss out because they don't have an email address. She has just installed Skype and has already tried out the "online typing" with a friend in Canada. The other people in the room nuttered how they really don't need the Internet. There would be no reason - no point, don't need it, we have telephone. They don't have relatives far away, so they don't need to send pictures over the net. And you don't have to learn how to use the Internet. (I'm wondering if there is a notion of as long as the 'authority is not telling us to do so, we don't need to it' - how would it be if the government 'forces' people to go online? Like the digital switch over?)
One woman briefly explained how she tried to learn, but then didn't know what to do on the Internet. I mentioned things such as checking opening hours, telephone numbers - others liked the idea. The discussion changed (initiated by one of the women) to owning a mobile phone and using it. Most had a mobile because everybody expects you to have one and when something happens everybody expects you to call from your mobile. The man told me how he didn't have a phone for the last 65 years, and he lived happily using only the phone boxes.
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