Observations & Experiences, 24.03

 Pre-Presentation

I found the RAW method interesting, using audio in combination with images. This approach puts an emphasis on the audio aspect compared to a regular video format where audio is treated of lesser importance than the visual aspect. This audio was being recorded one minute before and after the shot. This is a lot of time where something unpredictable could happen. The inability of post-editing leads to raw experiences which cannot later be influenced. 

The researches mentioned, that they were often mistaken as anthropologists rather than technology researchers: "We made a specific point of telling them we were not anthropologists coming to their country to document aspects of their culture. Rather, we described ourselves as technology and design researchers on a field study, hoping to investigate how a variety of different kinds of people in different cultures use a new tool that we are developing."  And I wonder why this isn't seen as a branch of Anthropology as well? Isn't design ethnography and cultural anthropology trying to understand systems of humans as a whole, studying their behaviors and understanding people in natural context?

 

Image: RAW: Conveying minimally-mediated impressions ofeveryday life with an audio-photographic tool by Joëlle Bitton, Stefan Agamanolis, Matthew Karau , 2004

In the other texts I've realized the growth of interaction design. Traditionally interactive devices have been constructed isolated, but nowadays interconnectivity is more important  than ever. Apps and devices act as a part of a bigger body rather than separate bodies. The new upcoming additional challenge (and playground?) will be the incorporation of unpredictability. Interaction Design most of the time relies on being able to predict the user (*), but with the expansion of AI we enter a new era of unpredictability within technology.

(*)Side notes:  People can be interpreted in different ways (consumers, humans, users..)

 

 Post-Presentation

Notes during the presentation, exercize and discussion

My largest takeaway is the awareness of my own blindspots. I completely missed the incorporation of personal memory within my association for the Playdough clump. Instead I associated abstract themes such as expiration and uselessness.

Talking to other people about findings is important to realize  if we omitted important aspects. Diverse teams can be valuable to learn about different viewpoints and cultural understandings.