Reflective design documentation

REFLECTIVE DESIGN DOCUMENTATION

PETER DALSGAARD & KIM HALSKOVAARHUS UNIVERSITY

torsdag den 14. juni 12

AARHUS UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF ARTS CENTER FOR DIGITAL URBAN LIVING

CENTER FOR ADVANCED VISUALIZATION AND

INTERACTION


AARHUS UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF ARTS CENTER FOR DIGITAL URBAN LIVING

CENTER FOR ADVANCED VISUALIZATION AND

INTERACTION




Experimental design research can be a messy affair comprising multiple levels of wickedness

How can we capture what goes on in design and use this data to inform and generate design research insights?

Which issues and implications emerge when we do so?


TWO STORIES


TWO STORIES AN ONLINE DESIGN DOCUMENTATION TOOL

The Project Reflection Tool (PRT), developed by a team of design

researchers with the intent of documenting design projects and

prompting reflection about design events as part of doing research

through design - first and foremost a tool for design researchers


TWO STORIES AN ONLINE DESIGN DOCUMENTATION TOOL

The Project Reflection Tool (PRT), developed by a team of design

researchers with the intent of documenting design projects and

prompting reflection about design events as part of doing research

through design - first and foremost a tool for design researchers

CHALLENGES AND BENEFITS OF SYSTEMATIC DOCUMENTATION

Using the PRT tool as a catalyst to generate insights into the potentials

and challenges of a structured and systematic approach to design

documentation as part of design research





DESIGN PRINCIPLES AND INTENTIONS



Capturing events, discussions and thoughts as they occur makes the

design process observable, provides a better platform for analysing the

process, and gives us backing for our findings






A collaborative online system for capturing ongoing events, discussions

and considerations, intended to:

- Provide a simple and open way for project participants to enter

information

- Invite comments and reflections about events as they unfold









information


Major source of inspiration: Schön’s work on the intertwined nature of

action and reflection









information


Major source of inspiration: Schön’s work on the intertwined nature of

action and reflection

Also inspired by parts of design rationale: A systematic approach to

documenting the design process, including ongoing thoughts about

specific decisions


STRUCTURE



ADMIN


ADMIN

NAVIGATION + FUNCTIONS


ADMIN


EVENTS + NOTES


ADMIN


EVENTS + NOTES

OVERVIEW LINKS


ADMIN


EVENTS + NOTES

OVERVIEW LINKS

TIMELINE


SIMPLE EVENT


COMPLEX EVENT


EVENT


EVENT SUBEVENT


TIMELINE


CASES


DANISH PAVILION AT EXPO 2010Large-scale media architecture

HOLGER THE DANE3D projection mapping on statue

TANGIBLE 3D TABLETOPNovel interface

REFLECTIVE DESIGN PRACTICUMProject based design education


FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONCHALLENGES AND BENEFITS OF

SYSTEMATIC DESIGN DOCUMENTATION


CHALLENGE:

SYSTEM LIMITATIONS

Information capture and entry must be rapid and straightforward

The system should not interrupt the task at hand

It should also provide benefits related to the current task


CHALLENGE:

RESOURCES, ROLES, AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Documentation and reflection is time consuming

> the design agenda often prevails over the research agenda

Neglecting documentation efforts can undermine the accuracy and validity of research

New routines must be established in the design research work practice

> clear roles and dedicated time slots can support the process


CHALLENGE:

DOCUMENTATION FOCUS AND DETAIL

Determining what to document

Finding the right level of detail

Unless you want to capture everything, you must determine a focus when you start

documenting in order to generate usable data

> use methods for easily collecting complex data that may later be explored in depth

(e.g. video)


"…In that Empire, the Art of Cartography attained such

Perfection that the map of a single Province occupied the

entirety of a City, and the map of the Empire, the entirety of a

Province. In time, those Unconscionable Maps no longer

satisfied, and the Cartographers Guilds struck a Map of the

Empire whose size was that of the Empire, and which coincided

point for point with it."

- Jorge Luis Borges, On Exactitude in Science

"... we now use the country itself, as its own map, and I assure

you it does nearly as well."

- Lewis Carroll, Sylvie and Bruno Concluded


BENEFIT:SUPPORTING SHARED REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION IN ONGOING PROJECTS

Having data constantly at hand invites reflection and discussion among researchers and practitioners

Strengthens ongoing communication among distributed design partners - if they use the system

Maintains focus on research agenda


BENEFIT:DEVELOPING, REFINING, AND REFLECTING UPON RESEARCH QUESTIONS

Researchers use the system not just to document data, but also to discuss research questions and

underlying assumptions

The initial strategy for capturing data influences how research discussions unfold

- strong initial focus: discussions of specific issues

- weak initial focus: discussions of general research questions and issues

Previously documented projects become a resource for new research questions


BENEFIT:SCAFFOLDING LONGITUDINAL AND CROSS-PROJECT STUDIES

Allows for studies of similar issues and research questions across a range of projects

Data and details in a project are lost and forgotten over the course of time

- a shared system goes some way to preventing this issue

Retrospective reinterpretation:

Accounts of what has happened during a design process, and why, has a tendency to

change over the course of time


INSIGHTS AND QUESTIONS FROM THE DESIGN DOCUMENTATION WORKSHOP HERE AT DIS 2012

What are the consequences of reflection?

The timeline as organizing principle has clear implications

- offer alternative modes of representing and exploring

Providing immediate benefits is key

- automating data capture

- provoking input (e.g. formulating posts as stubs and questions)

Human mediators / documentation professionals

Personal project space vs shared project space

Supporting design narratives through documentation


CONCLUSIONS

We have empoyed the Project Reflection Tool as a catalyst to generate insights into the issues of

creating and using tools to support design documentation:

+ it supports shared reflection and discussion in ongoing projects

+ it helps us develop, refine, and reflect upon research questions

+ it scaffolds longitudinal and cross-project studies

! system must enable easy data capture, integration w/ other systems, provide benefits to task at hand

! documentation is time consuming, we need to develop strategies to cope

! finding out what to document is a wicked problem

A good tool becomes a natural part of the work process and provides continuous benefits to the user

- we are not there yet, and the nature of design research makes this hard to attain


THANK YOU!

PETER DALSGAARD & KIM [email protected] & [email protected]

CENTER FOR DIGITAL URBAN LIVING WWW.DIGITALURBANLIVING.DK

CENTER FOR ADVANCED VISUALISATION AND INTERACTION

WWW.CAVI.DK

And thanks to our partners and design students who have taken part in our real life experiments with the system


mailto:[email protected]




http://WWW.DIGITALURBANLIVING.DK

http://WWW.DIGITALURBANLIVING.DK

http://WWW.CAVI.DK

http://WWW.CAVI.DK

Date post:	15-Apr-2017
Category:	Design
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Reflective design documentation

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