It has come to my attention that not everyone has received their workshop training. This is something that ALL students should have done by now, and if you haven’t done so you MUST enrol in the workshop next trimester.
In the meantime, please immediately identify yourself to Dave in the workshop and let him know exactly what you want to do for Project 3 and he will help you as needed.
Thanks and have fun!
Hi everyone!
It seems that some of you have been given incorrect information about next week’s hand-in. As your project handout clearly states, you are required to present your work in your regular tutorial group on Wednesday and you have until 4pm that day to make sure the presentation you give is saved to the R drive.
A few things to remember for the presentation:
You don’t need to bring in anything you have designed, but you do need to photograph all material samples, physical prototypes and/or finished objects, provide technical drawings (materials, dimensions, etc.) for any objects not yet made, and visual mock-ups for any graphic design elements that you will produce for the final hand-in. The precise combination of these elements will be different for everyone, but each of you needs to demonstrate what you will be making and how you will make it.
As for the presentation itself, just be sure to dedicate one slide to showing us the clear and concise question that you’re exploring and all the other slides to visually representing the planned container and its contents. The maximum length for each presentation is 7 minutes, so it wouldn’t hurt to do a run-through of it before class to make sure you can cover it all in that time.
By now, everyone should be working on Project 3. You can get all the details you need from the assignment handout (pdf), but here’s a quick look at our schedule for the rest of the trimester, including *due dates:
18 May (lecture) “Best of Project 2 – Sketches” + Project 3 intro
19 May (tutorial) Work on projects / Studio time
25 May (lecture) Informal presentations + Work on projects / Studio time
26 May (tutorial) Work on projects / Studio time
1 June (lecture) Informal presentations + Work on projects / Studio time
*2 June (tutorial) Work in-progress presentations – 10%
*24 June (9am-1pm) Final presentations & hand-in – 30%
In yesterday’s lecture we covered a lot of philosophy with which you might not be familiar, or want to go over again, so here’s a pdf of the relevant slides. If you have any questions at all, please just ask!
And here’s a recap of the cultural probe discussion:
What’s a cultural probe?
- a qualitative method or tool developed by designers for conducting culturally focussed research-by-design and research-for-design.
What does a cultural probe contain?
- the actual contents of a cultural probe depend on the area of research and design interest being explored
- regardless of focus, a successful cultural probe contain well-designed and aesthetically refined artefacts, activities and instructions
- depending on what you are exploring, you might design artefacts that participants can use and keep, or use and return to you
- these artefacts can be real or fictional; historic, contemporary or futuristic
- alternatively, you might provide raw materials for participants to create a particular artefact, or an artefact of their choice
- probes also provide activities for participants to do, and ways for them to record and share with you what they did
- all probes require clear instructions for use, including a brief introductory statement about what you are exploring and why.
What kind of design is involved?
- cultural probes involve combinations of graphic/media design, product/object design and interaction design
- ultimately, you will design a set of objects, activities and instructions, as well as a portable container for them
- the materials you use are up to you, but they should be consistent with your research and design interests.
Hi everyone!
I trust that you’re back in Wellington after the holiday and getting back into Project 2.
Remember that you need to come to class next week with your ideas about what you want your cultural probe to explore. Just keep in mind that a relevant research question can be as serious or playful as you want. Take these examples from our last tutorial:
“How can young people be encouraged to become more politically active?”
This is a concrete, instrumental question that could lead to the design of a cultural probe containing activist tools or props that the designer wants to test or refine.
“Do dogs in different countries speak different languages?”
This is an abstract, open-ended question that could lead to the design of a cultural probe containing pet toys or activities for pet owners that the designer would use to inspire further research and design.
Both questions are culturally relevant because they help us understand something about people’s lives – or what we think and do. Both questions are relevant to design because they could gather the necessary information and inspiration to create more meaningful products or services.
We’ll go over people’s questions in the lecture, and we’ll spend this week’s tutorial drafting the research statement – or what you want to explore or understand and how that’s relevant, as well as how you think your cultural probe could best accomplish that. If you already have some probe concepts or sketches, bring those along too. They should help you identify what needs to be articulated and explained in the written component of the project!
Hi everyone – hope you had a good weekend!
As you know, in this week’s tutorial we’re going to discuss design research ethics so please don’t forget to fill in the last page of your handout (Towards a Code of Ethics for Design – pdf) and submit it, along with two examples of professional design ethics, to your tutor.
We’ll also be discussing your first assignment, which is due next Tuesday, March 30th. Each of you will be required to informally report on your progress, and it would be very helpful if you could bring an outline of your essay and/or any specific questions you might have.
See you in tomorrow’s lecture!
Just a quick note to say that many of the issues we discussed in class last week came up in a beautiful and moving documentary I just saw, called Contact.
Contact is constructed around one of the most extraordinary pieces of footage in Australian history: the moment when a group of Martu women and children walk in from their nomadic existence of millennia into modernity…
For anyone interested, the final showing at Reading Cinemas is this Thursday at 7:05pm.
In yesterday’s tutorial you were asked to come up with “Top Ten” lists of Kiwi culture, and here are some links to Kiwiana online that you might find interesting:
Kiwianarama
Godzone Sheep
Wikipedia: Kiwiana
YouTube: Billy T. James
Blokes ‘n’ Sheds
Ta Moko
Kiwiana
These New Zealanders
Mana Wahine
Revolution
Flight of the Conchords
New Zild – The Story of NZ English
The Real New Zealand
Lyn of Tawa – In Search of the Great NZ Male
40 Years of Country Calendar
YOUR HOMEWORK
Please come to next week’s tutorial with:
1) one object that embodies Kiwi culture or screams “Kiwi as” to you;
2) one aspect/example of Kiwi culture that you like and want to preserve;
3) one aspect/example of Kiwi culture that you dislike and would like to change.
PS. In your next tutorial please don’t forget to give your tutor a copy of your top ten lists so that we can compile them here!
Hi everyone – we’re working on getting everyone registered, so thanks for your patience!
This week we’re going to split into two tutorial groups that meet at different times. The first group meets in VS 221 at 12:40, just like last week. The second group should include everyone who is taking 271, and meets in LT2 at 13:40. (This means you won’t need to leave your other lecture early.) Note: If you are registered in 271 please join Tutorial Group B. If you are not on the list below, just be sure to tell Jerad that you need to join that group.