Methodology

(DRAFT)

The practical work within the PhD and the methods I use to interrogate the concepts of the PhD are an integral part of the process and thus the documentation and strands undertake need to be secured and documented in a much more robust manner of collection. The concept is to produce a system that captures on a regular basis the activities being undertake. This capture will take the form of micro blogs, micro casts, longer form journal style reflective posts, shared notebooks and conversational longer podcasts. This documentation will also form a type of Ethnography1 of the process and will inform the writing up stage within the PhD as well as provide the opportunity to open the project to participation.

In doing so this process and not just the source code approach an opensource ethos

• Working open?
• Redhat BOOK
• Greenpeace open design

The PhD will involve a series of prototypes and outputs however the main interface planned is one constructed around the principle of sharing two type’s of learning material, the slidedeck and the text document. These two types of document are core to Design teaching. Projects run within a HE Art School use this simple structure.

What I am going to use and do

media ethnography

• participant observation
• focus groups
• open-ended interviews (face-to-face or online)
• visual ethnography (photography, video)
• auto ethnography
• virtual ethnography

Participatory Action Research (PAR) paradigm. As stated by Alice McIntyre (2008) ‘the three characteristics of PAR are: the active participation of researchers and participants in the co-construction of knowledge; the promotion of self and critical awareness that leads to individual, collective and/or social change; and the building of alliances between researchers and participants in the planning, implementation and dissemination of the research process.’

Design speculation within the sessions to test concepts and theory out with students.

Design today is concerned primarily with commercial and marketing activities but it could operate on a more intellectual level. It could place new technological developments within imaginary but believable everyday situations that would allow us to debate the implications of different technological futures before they happen. Anthony Dunne and Fiona Raby

• See more at: http://www.nesta.org.uk/blog/speculative-design-design-niche-or-new-tool-government-innovation#sthash.AY0d3xGG.dpuf

Keywords

Agile / Modular design / Atomic Design

Bibliography

Pink, S., (null) & Lanzeni, D., 2016. Digital Materialities, Bloomsbury Publishing.

Anon, 2009. Rocket Surgery Made Easy, New Riders.

Anon, 2011. 100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People, Pearson Education.