In Class Exercise IV-B: Social Object Scavenger Hunt

tl;dr: Explore the design of interactive artifacts, and a social IoT, by collecting and examining a series of objects that already play a role in mediating social circumstances. Uncover practical issues and design considerations for the social IoT by investigating these objects, critically analyzing them and speculating on future possibilities.

Learning Objective

Dourish argues that by “augmenting objects with capacities for communication, such intimate designs recognize the significant role objects play in mediating interpersonal relationships between people, but also the ways objects are active participants in social relationships.” During this exercise, students will confront these issues directly by gathering examples of social objects as design precedents. We’ll reflect on these design precedents and speculate how they, and the socio-cultural considerations they raise, can inform the design of smart appliances. By the end of this exercise, students will:

• have gathered a series of design references that speak to the value and significance of everyday objects in mediating interpersonal relationships;

• have critically analyzed the material, functional, social and cultural considerations surrounding these objects;

• have speculated on how these considerations can inform the design of a more social IoT by applied investigation; and

• have reflected on how we can and should envision devices for domestic and social settings;

Time Required

1 hour - 1.5 hours

Materials

• Worksheet

• Objects

• Camera, smartphone and/or audio recorder

• Prototyping materials

Instructions

1: Scavenge

Go out into Pittsburgh and find three compelling and distinct examples of social objects (or everyday non-digital items that mediate/support human relationships).

For this phase

• You have 30 minutes.
• Work in groups of 5 or 6
• For each item, complete the worksheet and gather a story about the artefact. You must return with the artifact or a printed photo of it.

Criteria:

• You must collect a minimum of 3 social objects
• Each object must support human relationships in someway i.e. be a social object
• They must be everyday objects
• They cannot be digital/electronic objects
• The objects can’t belong to you
• Each object must be from a different person, place and context
• Each example should be distinctly different.

Some examples (that you can’t use):

• A business card - used both as a communicator of personal information but is a social gesture during times of greeting
• A friendship bracelet / ring - signifies and embodies a significant social relationship
• A wine glass - clinked to share/celebrate a significant moment with another person

Considerations

Find non-obvious examples. Go beyond low-hanging fruit and try to find examples that are less obvious mediators of social relationships.

Collection:

__You’ll need to collect either the object or a photograph of it. You must collect at least 1 collect a story from someone about an example and at least 1 observation of an object mediating social relationships. __

You will need to analyze and evaluate each object along the following dimensions:

• Describe the object itself, its material qualities and the context in which you found it.
• Note the functional aspects of the object (a wine glass for drinking, etc.)
• Describe the social and cultural factors surrounding it i.e. what does it signify and how does it represent more than a functional object. How and why does this differ from the social function. What the nature of the social coordination / mediation?
• Describe what individuals or social group(s) it relates to? Who is it help mediating relationships with? Are they in situ or elsewhere?
• Why is it an interesting, critical, significant example of a social object?

Interesting examples and unusual examples are strongly encouraged

Part 2: Report Out

Each group will quickly report out on their objects and their findings. Max 1 minute per object.

Once all groups have returned out (and if there is time remaining), reflect on the similarities and differences between the objects found

• What are the similatities between the objects uncovered?

• What are the different perspectives and what do they reflect or tell you about how we design a socially mediated IoT?

• What was left out / omitted? Why? Are there other examples we didn’t uncover?

• What do you think we need to consider in the design of social objects in the IoT vision?

Part 4: Design It

From our readings this week, Dourish discusses the following

The design of interactive artifacts, and a social IoT, needs to consider how objects already exist in established networks of relationships with people and how this sociality can be incorporated in situated, engaging, shared and meaningful ways. This raises practical issues, such as how to retrofit and transform existing everyday objects into computationally interactive things, and risks compounding the problems of building novel tangible interfaces, which are time consuming, complex, and require technological expertise (Mugellini et al., 2007).

Within your same group, and using the objects encountered, choose one and prepare a design concept for a smart social device based on it. Your design concept that amplify the social function of the object by embedding smart stuff i.e.

Brief: Design an Empathetic Interface: Better understand that person or for them to understand someone else

You should

• Make a rough paper/physical mock up of your device
• Be prepared to ‘demo’ your device by
  1. Acting out the interaction with it i.e. someone pretends to be the object.
  2. Wizard of Oz it
  3. Preparing a short digital slideshow showcasing it’s interactivity

Then present to the class

Submitting your work:

Capture your ideas with a photo and Post in the #projects channel on Slack. Include a write up/summary of your discussion and photos of your brainstorming work / process.