Elena gardelli smp porfolio

Goldsmiths University

2015 | SHARED METHODS AND PROCESSES PORTFOLIO

Methods and processes in practice

Research, Analyse, Ideate, Make, Test, Improve

Elena Gardelli

Research

Preferred approach

Dialogical- Hermeneutic (knowledge depends on the context) based on a pragmatic paradigm mixed with constructivism for various aspects.

Ontological assumption

Relativism.

Epistemological assumption

Subjectivism/ real-world practice oriented.

Methodology

Hermeneutical - Understanding of structures of meaning given by the context.

Methods

It depends on the research and especially on the purpose of it. Qualitative and/or quantitative. Most of the times a mix of them.

Aesthetic point of view

Functionality is essential. Aesthetic is important only if the user benefits from it when using the object1.

Otherwise it is only an extra that it is not necessary. Aesthetic is often taken as a primary concern of design to convince people that they need another object to perform an action and this object is so aesthetically appealing that we can’t resist buying it.

Always remember to question everything

1

Aesthetic benefits, used in this sense, include thinking or reasoning in front of a critical object.

Ethics point of view Ethics vs Sustainability

Design is for people to be able to perform more and more actions in the world. I believe that ethics and sustainability are two terms that have a direct and proportional link. What differentiate them is that ethics is the theoretical base for sustainability.

In fact it is a consideration of human and social impact whether sustainability is related to the impact that certain tools and material have on the world.

As a designer I want to be able to: Always respect and take care of people involved in the whole design process; from research to testing.

Useful design

Ideate and make useful design objects without trying to make people think that they have needs that they actually don’t.

Invisible design

Develop an “invisible design” that doesn’t concentrate on beauty, but it is rather instinctively easy to use or read.

Design for users and not for companies.

Sustainable design

Make the right considerations when ideating and projecting in order to reduce ecological impact as much as possible.

Technology: apocalyptic but integrated

Make the right use of technology exploiting the advantages it offers (cutting space and time, creating a collaborative way of acting in the world, making information available to everyone and giving voice to everybody.)

Without curtailing progress too much, even if this becomes sometimes very scary (i.e. microchips implanted into the body). However progress cannot stop and sooner or later we will get to a point where we will probably turn ourselves into something else, not completely human. Perhaps when we think the world is ours, it is worth considering that dinosaurs were extinguished, but at least they were not responsible for their own extinction.

Examples of tools used in my projects at Goldsmiths Libraries Internet Museums

To discover history, understand the context, find out the causes that generated the present phenomenon, how this happened and which actors were involved.

Interviews

To collect subjective statements on the phenomenon; very much case based.

Questionnaires

Primarily multiple choice questions to collect some “big data”, more structured, standardised and based on variables.

Observation

To describe the present phenomenon and its context independently from actors’ point of view. Usually written reports.

Video/Audio recordings

As part of observation to keep visual/audio records of the phenomena.

Analysis

Considerations

Analysis means interpreting and understanding data.

Data are objective facts.

Analysis will always have a component of subjectivity (it depends under what light data are analyzed, which aspects, from which philosophical perspective. Depending on this, outcomes can be very different).

Analysis is separating and putting things together again.

Tools

Mapping and diagrams to analyse existing realities and unfold new realities

I especially used maps and diagrams which allowed me to see and analyse actors and objects involved in a specific network, understand their function, functioning, action and interaction between them.

THE THING

Communicating information on social activities

POSSIBLE OBJECTS Paper poster Interactive display Electronic message

Vocal notice Flayer Online post

Word of mouth Paper post Text message

Fax Hologram Carrier pigeon

Message in a bottle Written in the sky by plane

MAPPING A POSTER LAYOUT

THERE IS NO SCHOOL LOGO FONTS ARE NOT CORPORATE

LOW RESOLUTION IMAGE NO ALIGNMENT IN THE PAGE

PRODUCTION AND USAGE

STEP 0

Wait for Activity Programme organiser to write full month calendar of activities

STEP 1

Produce poster

STEP 2

Print 40 copies in colour

STEP 3

Proof read

STEP 4

If wrong print again

STEP 5

Put on noticeboards with pins (they are always different colours - messy look)

STEP 6

Remove and bin every Friday

NOTICEBOARDS

TOO MANY POSTERS - ONE ON THE OTHER TURE ON NA USION CONF N IO RMAT F INFO OP MIX O RMATION OT ST O CANN OF INF DENTS E STU R E H -W ITION G POS DISORGANISATIO WRON N OF POSTERSPOSTERS ARE NOT STRAIGHT COLOURS OF NO TICEBOARDS NOT CORPORAT MATCHING CO E/NOT EVEN LOURS OF COMM ON AREAS OR CLASSROOMS

NOT BIG ENOUG H TO INCLUDE ALL SOCIAL ACT POSTERS ORIZO IVITIES NTALLY ON THE SAME LINE SIGNS OF USE

(MASSIVE HOLES

) BECAUSE OF

PINS

Ideation

Considerations An idea can change everything

Great ideas are new connections between existing things Good research can help with formulating sensible ideas, but the truth is that an idea is a “spark”.

Ideas are utopias. Not because they can’t be transformed into reality but because they are always different and less specific than their realization.

This is only because an idea doesn’t imply a specific process of realization.

Ideas allow evolution.

The opposite of an idea is leaving things as they are, but evolution is inevitable even if it means extinction.

Tools

Again maps and diagrams are fantastic ways of finding new possible connections and so generating new ideas.

Brainstorming - I find this tool very useful to gather a great deal of spontaneous ideas without judegment, then analyse the pros and cons of each idea.

Ideational drawing - A way of bringing an idea into reality - An excellent tool to organise and visualise concepts and ideas and explore different design possibilities.

INSTRUCTIONS

t Lang ou

Laugh

e uag

Making

Considerations

Making means putting ideas and material together to get a final object.

It is the making process on which the “shape� of an idea depends.

Things are still ideas.

Objects are ideas + a specific building process.

Tools

Ideational drawing - I used that again in the making phase as a way of reasoning on the feasibility and adequacy of an idea.

This, I believe, is the first step of making.

The making tools I have used really go from my own hands to advanced software, going through all kinds of tools that allow and streamline the process of making.

Test

Considerations

Testing means measuring the success of an idea with a specific “shape� (in a specific form) and specifically making sure that the theories previously formulated correspond to users’ real actions, reactions and interactions.

Testing is the phase where a pure object2 is immersed in a real context and it is used. Here is where all theories and ideas behind that object are answered and become true or false (or relative!).

Testing can also add uses and benefits as well as disadvantages or harm that we didn't think about when designing the object. These can be better analysed and taken into the improving phase.

Testing signage

2

pure because it is not still a thing, but not yet a full object. In fact its environment is still theoretical and its applications are still hypotheses

Improving

Considerations

Once our design has been tested we have a difference between initial hypothesis and effective results. That difference is what we have to change in order to make the object better for people to use, because design is all about people3.

3

In a broad sense I believe that animals and plants design too, exactly like humans do, as they find ways to adapt to the world and at the same time shape the world to adapt it to their needs

it never ends...