PROJECT 01.01.01
Corporeal Culture Probe Part 1
Analyze your original proposal: Identify your assumptions in setting up "a contract" with participants, and in your expectations for the responses and results.
Rethink the Cultural Probe
What contextually natural behavior is the probe utilizing? What behavior is it attempting to enforce?
It is utilizing the behavior of beverage personalization. It is hidden, so it is not necessarily enforcing a behavior. (?)
How much agency does the probe allow the participant?
Currently hidden, there is no agency on part of the participant.
How compelling is the probe? How unavoidable? How encouraging?
Currently hidden, the probe is not compelling at all to the participant. Do the researcher it may be more compelling. The probe is unavoidable for those who personalize their beverages with the non-packeted additives. The probe has zero level of encouragement in it's current hidden state.
What are the specific motivations that compel a participant to engage with the probe?
Currently hidden, there is no motivation on the part of the probe for engagement. Adding a visual response to the probe and possibly some form of direction / prompt may entice participants to be more engaging and willing for that matter.
Would a participant desire to repeat the activity?
Currently hidden, they would not know they participated in the first place. Introducing live visual stimuli may provoke greater response and possibly repetitive actions; although, I am not sure the repeating of personalization will benefit the users beverage. The user may find themselves compelled to play with the probe once they realize their using it creates a visual message / output (yet to be determined).
How elegant is the process of engagement? How elegant are the artifacts in relation to the process?
Being hidden within a predetermined form, the probe blends in seamlessly with the environment.
User buys beverage.
User personalizes beverage with non-packeted additives via picking up and shaking / squeezing the container (will this probe work in honey?). At this point the processor has been activated and has begun recording movement and force.
User returns the container to the counter; after 3 seconds of being idle the processor stops recording. Each bit of returned information is in short bursts—what does this look like? (what if the harder someone shakes the container the output to the visual display would be more aggressive; harder edges/lines, comic book bubbles displaying BANG!
If this is the process, is the outcome / artifact created by the user elegant? Sure, what if the data was used to create a series of posters displaying the 3 times of day and the various amount of 'emotion' pertaining to each interaction.
How complex is the process of engagement? How complex are the artifacts in relation to the process?
The process of engagement is not complex at all. The complexity comes from the output information. The simplicity of the process is correlated to the visual display of received info. The user shakes the container and the output is visually displayed on a monitor as simple forms and various colors. Colors and form will correlate to non/aggressive action.
How explicit are your aims?
When hidden, not explicit at all. Adding the visual output, a user could make several assumptions about what is happening. If a prompt is introduced the explicit nature of the probe will become more evident, but I do not think this is the way I want to move. The idea of use as prompt could possibly more intriguing to the users. It won't seem like some social / scientific experiment.
How explicit are the terms of engagement?
When hidden, not explicit at all. Adding a live visual output, a user has a clearer idea that they are interacting with something and may assume several reasons for this happening.
How are you using DESIGN to motivate, provoke, inspire, represent, deliver?
Motivate: live visual output - this could demonstrate to a user their mood and possibly inspire them to change or become more self-reflective in this moment.
Provoke: live visual display - may get the user to play, pay greater attention or at the least wonder
Represent: live visual display - through form and color the live output of a users interaction is displayed.
Thoughts:
The probe is inside everyday containers. When used the action is displayed on a visual display directly next to the user. The reason for it being so near is; 1. to allow the immediate connection for the user to the object, 2. so the form and color can be interpreted immediately by the user. During the personalization of a beverage the user exerts some force upon the object, this force is output to a live visual display in the form of shape and color: red and hard for aggressive, blue and soft for gentile. At the same time all the information from the object is recorded and sent via the internet to a website. On the site the all output information is organized into numerical data, time of day, amount of force, duration, type of additive, and the visual display. A researcher is able to access this information at anytime and make assumptions about users possible attitudes, emotional status, choice of additive in relation to time of day, etc... Many assumptions can be made by viewing the output.
Is this moment too small to return any useful information? Should I expand the moment? How?
What about removing the sensors from the addtivies and placing them within markers or something. Maybe the probe becomes a counter that allows people to interact with it via one of those pens that records writing, drawing, sounds... This could be much more interesting.
Say I leave a large format drawing notebook at the waiting area with a few modified LiveScribe Pulse pens and paper. They will record what people are writing / drawing and the sounds surrounding the moment. All of this information will be stored within the pen. Ideally, when the pen is idle it would wirelessly upload the recordings to a website, allowing a researcher to download or view the returned recordings.
What is the prompt, motivation, inspiration to get someone to interact?
How about the first page of the drawing pad is full of writing and drawings.
Should be explicit directions posted? What will they add?
New Considerations:
What contextually natural behavior is the probe utilizing? What behavior is it attempting to enforce?
in a coffee shop: the process after purchase of waiting (?)
How much agency does the probe allow the participant?
allows total agency on part of the participant: it will record their writing, doodling and sounds (conversation, ambient noise, etc...)
How compelling is the probe? How unavoidable? How encouraging?
it may be completely avoidable, as it will require a want / desire to participate (this is where the designer has room to inspire / motivate)
What are the specific motivations that compel a participant to engage with the probe?
boredom, other's messages, free expression, curiosity
Would a participant desire to repeat the activity?
they might. others who aren't in the waiting process may also find themselves interacting with the probe, especially if they like to draw or write. (maybe the medium / paper should be different than a simple notepad—more elegant. what about a wall, or vertical surface. the coffee shop is a creative and eclectic environment, this may inspire people to interact with something that appears to be an art project.
should i frame this as an interactive art project wall? an analog message board or forum?
what kind of prompt would inspire people to add to the art project? a line of text: "Cup A Joe would like to know... please tell / show us."
How explicit are your aims?
to investigate or pry into the moment of waiting
what kind of things are they thinking about?
the ambiguous nature of their illustrations and what may be implied
ambiguity regarding sound in relation to illustration or writing
How explicit are the terms of engagement?
if framed as an art project, the conditions of interaction with the probe are clear,
users write / draw on the surface
How are you using DESIGN to motivate, provoke, inspire, represent, deliver?
Motivate: designed as an art project: idea that the user can participate in an art project
Provoke: designing a prompt / call to action by the coffee shop
Inspire: be a part of Cup A Joe
Thoughts:
if recording people is illegal, should i include it in the prompt?
how will i motivate the users to participate?
what kind of questions would illuminate ritual or behavior?
excerpts from peoples thoughts
ambiguity of writing / drawing in relation to sound recording
how can drawing / writing combined with sound reveal something about a person, group or place?
the timeframe could be short / long
people other than those waiting could interact, so it is not entirely about waiting anymore, it is about coming together (?)
depending on what is written or drawn, the output could demonstrate attitude towards service, an emotional rollover from another moment, tell a story about the user, their experience, a day in the life of a coffee shop, nothing...
Thoughts after discussion w/Denise:
It's not what they do, it's that they do it.
Probe: Future LiveScribe Pen and Activity Book
records line, movement in relation to a reference point, sound in relation to pen activity
Prompts provoke response
abstract shapes and patterns to respond to
games
grids of varying sizes
maps
dots
line art of different objects
What do these prompts tell?
movement
direction
Depending on the prompt type: it may reveal varying degrees of personal value, personality, duration of break / play
What if the prompts were VERY direct?
two wheels spaced the distance of those on a vehicle
a plate with a few circles on it
a laptop with a blank monitor and keys
bottle shapes
people shapes / family
juxtaposed objects: a man & ______.
a word: ritual, community, jack, x-ray vision, etc...
suggestive lines: straight line with a half circle on it, triangle on top of a square, diagonal line and parallelogram, etc...
suggestive lines inspired by a coffee shop: basic cup shape, circles