Author: benjamindavidfrancis

Problem Solving via Social Design

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At their core designers are problem solvers. We seek out problems and offer innovative solutions in the form of objects, graphics, spaces, buildings or imaginings. Where great design separates itself from good design is in its ability to encompass a plethora of problems, be they social, political, economical or environmental. Through a discussion of speculative and critical design and the Micronation/Macronation Project, this post aims to discuss our future, OneWorld, and our Speculative object, Echo.

Respectively, Matt Malpass defines speculative and critical design as; future scenario development, the construction of a narrative [our timeline] and any designs that result from this narrative, and, design that challenges a conventional approach to designing the human-object interaction, where objects are situated in context and exist as a result of this context. Our speculative object aims to combine and blur the distinction between these two concepts, where Echo exists in our narrative, however was designed as a result of the human condition in our future scenario.

Extending these definitions, Barab et al. describes the relationship between critical design and ethnography, a process that involves participatory designs aimed at transforming a specific context. Critical design ethnography sits at the intersection of research, critical ethnography and socially responsive instructional design, resulting in design structures that facilitate learning and empowerment [Barab 2004]. Successful design aims to inspire groups and individuals, thereby accelerating social change.

Micronation/Macronation Democratizing the Energy is an example of critical ethnographic design for a specific context. The project was a collaboration, between HONF and many other Indonesian communities and institutions, to address the relationship between climate change, fossil fuel dependency and increasingly erratic food production. The project attempts to offer users an alternative to fossil fuels, while simultaneously offering information on how to make this a sustainable practice.

HONF-Micronation/Macronation Project 2012 from HONF Foundation on Vimeo.

The sustainable design prototype consists of 3 parts; 1, the fermentation/distillation machine to process the raw material into alternative energy sources [as a substitute for fossil fuels], 2, a satellite data collator to obtain data related to agricultural production, and 3, a super computer to process and collate the raw data into relevant information, for example, where to plant crops, when to water or how to deal with waste [Fremantle 2012].

IMG_2579[Supriyanto 2012]

Superficially, the project is a response to a political and economic situation involving the 2012 Indonesian governments attempts to cut subsidies on fossil fuels, resulting in a substantial price hike [Supriyanto 2012]. However, fundamentally the project comments on societies reliance, or one could argue, complete dependence, on non-renewable energy sources. The project blurs the distinction between science, art and technology, creating an innovative design solution to a social, political and economic problem.

Like Micronation/Macronation, Echo exists as a reaction to the context where it survives. Our group conducted an ethnographic investigation into the social, cultural, political, economic and technological climate of the time, providing enough relevant information to identify problems, and create subsequently design solutions.

‘Bad design is smoke, while good design is a mirror.’

– Juan-Carlos Fernandez [2011], Architect

Bibliography:

Barab, S, Dodge, T, Newell, M, Squire, K & Thomas, M.K. 2004, ‘Critical design ethnography: designing for change’, Anthropology and education quarterly, vol. 35, no. 2, pp. 254-268.

Fernandez, J 2011, ‘Juan-Carlos Fernandez’, AIGA, viewed 9 October 2015, <https://eyeondesign.aiga.org/design-quote-architect-juancarlos-fernandez-bad-design-is-smoke/&gt;.

Fremantle, C 2012, ‘Micronation/macronation: democratizing the energy’, eco/art/scot/land, viewed 10 October 2015, <http://ecoartscotland.net/2012/09/03/micronationmacronation-democratizing-the-energy/&gt;.

Malpass, M 2013, ‘Between Wit and Reason: Defining Associative, Speculative, and Critical Design in Practice.’ Design and Culture, vol. 5, no. 3, pp. 333-356.

Supriyanto, E 2012, ‘Micronation/macronation 2012’, The house of natural fiber, viewed 9 October 2015, <http://www.natural-fiber.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=282:micronationmacronation-curatorial&catid=63:latest-projects&Itemid=65&gt;.

Designing a Space for Technology

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Design, and by extension design technologies, allow users to understand their environment via thoughtful, innovative interactions. Technological advancements provide a more comprehensive understanding of our environment, while simultaneously allowing for the development of more complex, socially integrated and culturally specific design ideas. Drawing on an interview with architect, Katie Hubbard, this post aims to discuss how technological advancements have increased our ability to create engaging, relevant and innovative design outcomes.

Technology, as discussed by Folletee et al. [2004], has expanded the definition of design. In an industrial design context the physical product no longer exists in isolation, but is surrounded by supporting systems. Digitally, in tech support, websites and online forums, and socially in how the product effects its environment, and visa-versa. This is most evident in the advent of social media technologies and how it has impacted all levels of society.

This notion was reinforced and extended by Katie Hubbard [2015, pers. comm., 20 October], where she inferred that via the emergence of new technologies, specifically augmented reality, we can create a more unified connection between design and its environment. Hubbard continues, noting that we must grow past our capitalist obsession with financial gain if we are to make any great developments in design, for it is only once we remove the prospects of profits that we can truly appreciate, understand and explore the context for which we are designing. This is most evident in the recent Barangaroo development and the transformation of the project from a subtle, sympathetic community level development, into an elitist, restrictive and controversial venture.

Hubbard’s [2015, pers. comm., 20 October] primary interests lie in contextual research, and developing innovative projects that respond to these situations. This is most evident in her work regarding the mobilization of public spaces, incorporating art, user interaction and fostering thought provoking designs.

Park Common [Hubbard 2014] is a proposed redevelopment for Flinders Street train station, in Melbourne, Australia, where she suggests the transformation of an urban space into a ‘public park’. The design itself is a public experiment, a space where events and movements converge into a larger system. The project facilitates inclusion and social interaction on a myriad of levels.

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The design opens access to the currently inaccessible landmass, by providing users with a ‘chewy-pink-hillside-of-happiness’ [Hubbard 2014] canopy, an expanse of memory foam propped over the current site to enable users to play and interact with the site.

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Hubbard [2015, pers. comm., 20 October] notes that good design attempts to cater for interactions between people, adding a sense of connectivity to a series of otherwise distinct modes, where the collective drama of city life can unfold.

Other projects by Hubbard [2014] include Green is Gold, an environmental initiative to repurpose non-recyclable, disposable, takeaway coffee cups. The interactive installation invited users to plant herbs into the cups and place them inside the installation. The projects foundations lie in reclaiming under utilised spaces, the creation of engaging and creative spaces, engendering public participation, and producing a platform to voice environment, political, social and cultural aspirations.

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Design technologies have facilitated an environment in which anything is possible. Now, it is the responsibility of the designer to ensure that we create innovative, relevant, culturally sympathetic and socially exciting designs, that intelligently respond to their environment.

Bibliography

Hubbard, K 2014, ‘About’, Katie Hubbard, viewed 22 October 2015, <http://www.katie-hubbard.com&gt;.

Hubbard, K 2014, ‘Park commons’, Katie Hubbard, viewed 22 October 2015, <http://www.katie-hubbard.com/park-common/&gt;.

Hubbard, K 2014, ‘Green is gold’, Katie Hubbard, viewed 22 October 2015, <http://www.katie-hubbard.com/green-is-gold/&gt;.

Folletee, M.S., Ostroff & E Tauke, B 2004, ‘Good, better, best: using universal design and digital technology to develop great products’, The technology teacher, vol. 63, no. 8, pp. 13-15.

Interview Transcript with Katie Hubbard

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LAB A 85202

Assessment 1: Research Portfolio

[primary research | interview transcript]

30 September 2015

 Completed by Benjamin Downey [12021705]

 

Understanding the social responsibility of design, and by extension how design technologies, play a role in social development.

 

  1. Name? Place of work? Why design?

Katie Hubbard, Bachelor of Architecture, University of Sydney

Place of work: Tzannes Associates

To explore designs potential to help the human condition. Design is integral to how we live our lives and I want to be apart of that, and more importantly, discover how design can impact how we live our lives.

  1. Future study? Why?

Currently undertaking a Masters of Fine Art at UNSW

Will complete a Masters in Architecture at the University of Sydney in 2016.

Design is not limited to one field, having an understanding of all facets of design can help in understanding the myriad of ways design can effect its environment and society.

  1. Since you’re first foray into the design industry, how have you seen the technology develop?

Design technology has developed greatly since I started studying in 2009. Firstly the transition from 2D to 3D representation, where currently 3D is the norm. 2D presentations are out of date, and generally only used in conjunction with a 3D format.

The next technology that has started to emerge is Augmented Reality, or virtual reality. This technology provides users with the opportunity to ‘experience’ the building, design or object in real time. This new technology has taken the form in virtual reality glasses and digital applications.

  1. Where do you see the future of design technology?

The future of design technology has its roots in the digital environment. This will occur because of the comparatively cheap production costs of digital production compared to that of creating physical prototypes. Methods of digital design development and presentation is an area I find increasingly exciting, primarily because it will allow architects, industrial designers etc to become better designers. We will have the ability to explore design concepts in greater detail and resolve problems with greater accuracy and vigor.

  1. Where do you see design sitting in society?

Design, and by extension design technologies, are an integral part of society.

Design should integrate itself into its existing environment [social, environmental, political, economic]. Good design is subtle, the best design is when users are unaware they are even being aided by a particular design. Poor design is a result of a lack of understanding of the wider context of a design.

Design is integral to helping the human condition, it is a part of everything in our environment, both at an individual and community level.

Moreover, modern design technologies have begun to influence live on an individualistic level, specifically in regards to creating and maintaining a sense of identity through social media.

  1. What do you consider the greatest strength of design?

Designs greatest strength lies in understanding context, and solving problems based on this understanding.

There are two branches of design, regionalism and globalization. Regional design focuses on one specific context, addressing issues that exist in that environment. Materials are sourced locally and the design process is a collaboration between local communities and institutions.

Global design has its roots in the global community, where projects have a global reach. Designers have an overarching understanding of the global situation, however the designs are often unsuitable for smaller, regional contexts.

  1. Where do you think design doesn’t live up to its potential?

Big scale [global] developments, such as Barangaroo, where the projects are too focused on profit and have lost sight of their context. Often these projects turn a public situation into a private one, in which the final design is not accessible to the entire population.

An increased focus on profit leads to a loss of contextual understanding, leading to a loss of detail, ultimately resulting in an inherent loss of social relevance.

  1. Where do you see design sitting in the future?

I have a rather pessimistic view of design in Australia at the moment. Design firms are too focused on profit, and have lost sight of their context and the reasons they are being created.

Unfortunately the capitalist system we survive in will not change in the near future and so a profit focused design industry will no doubt remain.

What I hope to happen would be an increased importance placed on society and how the design interacts and exists within the societal context. Long-term outcome needs to take precedence over short-term profit.

  1. What are you most excited for in regards to design technologies? Why?

The merging of art and design, specifically, the great benefits of combining art and architecture. Mobilising art in public spaces as means to bring together different aspects of life, including social, economic, political and environmental.

When art and design are removed, what remains? The modern environment cannot survive without design, and great design cannot survive without the context in which it exists.

I am particularly excited to explore how design can approach social issues, such as the current problems involving Indigenous Australians. By understanding their historical context, we can begin to design objects or spaces that touch on the existing social issues. This may be in the form of solving specific problems, paying respect to certain event/traditions or people, or educating the wider public about the current conditions.

Furthermore, design has the potential to make life better, from day to day activities, to making cities easier to live in. City planning plays a pivotal role in how inhabitants live, survive and thrive, and can be used as a mechanism for solving some city specific problems [for example, the current rental crisis in Sydney]. Designers should look towards understanding why these problems exist and imagining innovative solutions with the help of newly developed design technologies.

Finally, the normalisation of augmented reality in the design industry will force us to start a new conversation on how we live our live, introducing questions such as ‘what is reality?’ or ‘what is designed?’.

OneWorld, STEEP Analysis

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What follows is an investigation into our future scenario, OneWorld, in preparation for our upcoming blog posts Extending Scenario Design.

We also generated a timeline, that is to be viewed simultaneously, in order to gain a more comprehensive understanding of why our future developed and the Social, Technological, Environmental, Economic and Political situations of the time.

SOCIAL

2050 sees a more rigid, structured routine, where activities are more controlled by the government and leisure time is not as prevalent. The collective need and want to help rebuild is a driving factor in this, where everyone is now more aware of the Earth’s situation and are willing to help.

Medical advancements have reduced poverty, through the abolishment of disease and accessibility of clean water and food, helped to bridge the economic gap, via cheap technology, and have solved past respiratory problems resulting from dense air pollution. There is also less importance placed on social media and mobile phones, as people are more concentrated on work.

The family unit is still in existence, where people live in individual spaces with their immediate family, however, community living plays a large role and people tend to live in large apartment blocks, as opposed to stand alone houses.

The fashions of 2050 are functional, multi-purpose, weather proof, durable, recyclable, protective, self-cleaning and androgynous. Fashion trends and features include integrated facemasks for pollution and a ‘garment generator’ that controls the physical and aesthetic form such as removing sleeves and thickening or thinning fabric depending on the climate. This new fashion is a response to the lack of resources in society, the need for protection from the elements and the importance of reusing. It is now imperative to use objects to their full potential rather than owning excessive, superfluous possessions.

TECHNOLOGICAL

Technological advancements have addressed many of the issues facing third world countries, where once impoverish communities have been assimilated into the modern environment. This global consciousness has seen more widespread accessibility and freedom of information and knowledge, bridging the gap between the first and the third world.

Transport technology has been adapted to the current environmental state. All trains are above ground to utilise solar energy, there is an abundance of individual and community solar vehicles, and people are walking and riding bikes more.

There are also new forms of energy being developed and tested in order to repair the Earth’s atmosphere. Examples of this are using waste as an energy source and the conversion of sewerage into clean, usable water. Surfaces have been converted to environmentally friendly materials such as solar panel and magnetised roads that allow modes of transport to travel safely and also generate and store energy. Antiquated petrol running vehicles have been turned into scrap due to a growing focus on community travel and have been re-used in building a modern future.

ENVIRONMENTAL

Due to the high levels of air pollution from fossil fuel and carbon emissions, there has been a ban on fossil fuel consumption. Various technologies have been used to overcome these environmental problems, such as large suction ducts to reduce air pollution. 2050 sees society utilising the Earth’s existing environment for cheap, clean and accessible energy, including water, wind and solar energy. Examples of this include electroplated glass spheres used to convert wind into usable energy. These spheres are built to withstand the Earth’s unpredictable environment and the glass and mirror used for materials minimises aesthetic impact.

There are also new ways of disposing waste such as mass recycling and as mentioned before, using waste as an energy source. Due to the past destructive actions of people, the climate is now warmer and temperamental due to storms. As a result of this climate, structures have to be stronger and durable to withstand the unpredictable weather, technologies will have to be adaptable and systems need to be in place to regulate the disposal and/or storage of rainwater.

ECONOMICAL

2050 is a non-consumer based society, centred on notions of shared consumption. There is no unnecessary spending, where everything has a practical function, such as multipurpose fashion items. In this society, everyone needs to work together. Community groups and organisations facilitate action in moving forward and making progress, environmentally and socially.

The government has enforced stringent energy restrictions, resulting in a heavy surveillance culture.

2050 is a borderless society where free immigration is granted within participating countries of the OneWorld Government. Immigrants are now dealt with more humanely and have developed the multicultural nature of society. The initial influx of migrants from Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates after the World Citizen Committee abolished fossil consumption resulted in temporary housing constructed for migrants. Back streets and alleyways within the city have been converted

into simple refugee villages containing semi-permanent ‘pods’ for habitation. They are made from recycled timber and metals and each pods houses 2 people with access to communal bathrooms and kitchens.

POLITICAL

OneWorld Government is a global, democratic government whereby each participating country elects a representative and all countries vote together to elect a Governor General. The collective social consciousness means the government is well respected and understood. Workers of OneWorld receive no special treatment and dress the same as everyone else in society.

This government was created for the need to change the world’s climate crisis. Society reached the peak of fossil fuel consumption and immediate action was needed. The democratic leadership by OneWorld and also the World Citizen Committee guides the 2050 society on how to work towards a better future, environmentally, socially and economically.

The interconnectivity of politics and the media result in an intense surveillance culture with limited privacy due to the constant monitoring of people’s behaviour and consumption for the good of the planet, ensuring everyone is pulling their weight.

Our 2050 future scenario presents a world trying to fix past wrongs. It demonstrates that if we work together, creating innovative solutions, we can strive to repair the damage to the Earth.

The future is only daunting if we remain to ignore it.

Social technologies: a cautionary tale

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From our collective understanding of what it means to be social, to individualistic notions of one’s sense of self and identity, this post aims to highlight the complicated, multi-faceted human-technology relationship. I will draw on the Aldous Huxley’s fictional work, Brave New World, as a precautionary tale of how the human-technology interaction may evolve.

Techno- what?

Don Ihde (1993) defines technology, stating that technology must have some material element, an interactive component and must take part in the relationship between humans and their environment. Continuing, Ihde references the ability for technologies to control our environment as the ‘transformative power of humans enhanced by technology’ (Ihde 1993, 51), where our environmental and social frameworks are effected by technology, and visa-versa.

Creating Social Order Through Design 

The door, as noted by Latour (1992) is a designed object created to enable humans to pass through walls without having to destroy and rebuild every time they wished to leave or enter a building. This deceptively simple concept is expanded, where Latour highlights how this simple design has created social order, and how design delegate’s social conventions, such as closing the door behind you, or holding the door open for the next user. The human-technology relationship is intrinsically linked and co-dependent to a point where we must ask ourselves can either exist without the other? Have we become too reliant on modern technologies?

Moreover, Latour (1992) alludes to the emerging fields of social technologies, where once technology only mimicked humans’ physicality, the field has expanded to replace some forms of our social environment.

Social Learning with Technology

Sherry Turkle (2012) explores the potential social implications of the human-technology interaction, where she warns that we may be compromising our capacity for self reflection and social learning. In a society where we expect more from our technologies than each other we need to be weary of the path we are travelling. Turkle (2012) suggests that our heavy reliance on technology has evolved from an illusion of control, where we think we are in control of how we exist in our environment, but in reality we have entered a co-dependent relationship where we don’t know our own worth outside of our technological interactions.

Extending this precautionary dialogue, Aldous Huxley tells of a future in which citizens have become so dependent on technology they simply could not exist without it. Huxley (1931) constructed a society where every aspect of your being, your social, economic, professional, political, and cultural life, is dictated by The World State. The foundation of this framework lies in social conditioning and a heavy consumer based lifestyle. Through this, the behaviour of the citizens is controlled so to provide the necessary qualities to ensure life can remain.

This framework begins to fall apart when protagonist, Bernard Marx, begins to question this structure, questioning his own existence, sense of self, and his environment, an entirely alien concept at the time.

“But I don’t want comfort. I want God, I want poetry, I want real danger, I want freedom, I want goodness. I want sin.”

(Huxley 1931, 102)

Here, Huxley alludes to the complete loss of freedom and self worth that has evolved as a result of this human-technology relationship.

A Cautionary Tale

There is no doubt that technology has helped us grow, develop and flourish as a species, however with new technologies mimicking, and often replacing, humans on a social level we must remain cautious and critical of this new road we are travelling.

Bibliography:

Huxley, A 1931, Brave New World, Longman Literature, Sydney.

Ihde, D. 1993, ‘Technology,’ Philosophy of Technology: An introduction, New York: Paragon House, pp.47-64.

Latour, B 1992, ‘Where are the missing masses? The sociology of a few mundane artifacts, Shaping technology/building society : studies in sociotechnical change, M.I.T Press, Cambridge, Mass.

Trusting technology 2012, image, viewed 03 September 2015, <http://www.t-systems.com/news-media/trusting-technology-/804712&gt;.

Turkle, S 2012, Connected, but alone?, YouTube, viewed 28 August 2015, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7Xr3AsBEK4&gt;.

Future Scenario Development [the middle]

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After brainstorming areas of interest and settling on our axis we ventured into the quadrant exercise, where we imagined 4 different scenarios based on Hi-Tech versus Low-Tech, and Resource Abundance versus Resource Scarcity. The scenarios are outlined below:

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Group work in progress [above]

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Following this we decided to focus our attention on the future scenario with Hi-Tech and Resource Scarcity as we thought this quadrant would produce some interesting, innovative and exiting design solutions to their social/cultural/environment problems.

Future Scenario Development [the beginning]

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This was the first step in envisioning our future scenario for assessment 2.

We began by making a list of all the area’s of interest, these are outlined below:

  • public transport
  • internet
  • education
  • fashion
  • occupation
  • leisure
  • privacy / surveillance
  • health
  • medicine
  • psychological health
  • politics
  • capitalism
  • population
  • economy
  • location
  • environment
  • climate
  • technology
  • culture

We concluded this step by creating a mind map, further fleshing out area’s of interest in preparation for our scenario quadrant exercise.

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To finalise, we settled on the conditions for our two axis, these are:

  • hi-tech vs. low-tech
  • resource abundance vs. resource scarcity