Design Noir: The secret life of electronic objects

Dunne, A. Raby, F., 2001. Design Noir: The secret life of electronic objects. August/Birkhauser. Section 05.

The placebo project is an experiment that focuses on taking conceptual design into everyday life. Eight prototype objects were created and used, these were, Parasite Light, Compass Table, Nipple Chair, electro-draught excluder, Loft, Electricity drain, GPS Table and Phone table. They were designed to test people perceptions on electromagnetic fields in the home. They were designed to be open-ended and to prompt people to have a personal attachment and story with the object.

The object was to find each individuals experience with each object in their own environment. Each individual has a unique individual experience with each object.

A lot of people took on the objects openly and willingly. They allowed them into their lives. Many people found that they didn’t really have much purpose and struggled to utilise them. Others however have found the objects have become part of their lives, due to their intriguing nature and their use has become part of routine.

Emotional design : why we love (or hate) everyday things

Norman, D.A. 2004. Emotional design: why we love (or hate) everyday things. Prologue, Chapter 1. p3, 33.

In this book, it suggested that all things or objects that we keep we are emotionally connected to in one way or another. Even if we consciously do not believe this to be so subconsciously we are emotionally invested in the object. Looking at the teapots in the prologue they illustrate product design. These components are ‘usability (or lack thereof), aesthetics and practicality’ (Norman, D. 2004, p4). This leads us on to look at three aspects of design. Visceral concerning itself with appearance, behavioural concerned with pleasure and the effectiveness of its use and finally reflective. The reflective aspect considers rationalisation of the product. These are shown by the three tea pots in the prologue.

Norman also goes on to suggest that attractive things work better, we see this in the study conducted by Masaaki Kurosu and Kaori Kashimura, they found that in Japan an more attractively laid out colourful ATM was easier to use than the unattractive one. They then tested this in Israel and were surprised to find that even with the difference of cultural the same result was found.

Science is then applied to the three aspects of design to explain how the brain uses them everyday. The brain also has these three layers ‘visceral level; the part that contains the brain processes that control everyday behavior, known as the behavioural level; and the contemplative part of the brain, or the reflective level. Each level plays a different role in the total functioning of people’ (Norman. D, 2004, p21). Finally Norman tells us that when focused you are more likely to be creative. Giving ourselves deadlines allows us to be creative more efficiently and create a better design in a shorter amount of time.

Cultural Probes and the value of uncertainty

Gaver, W.W., Boucher, A., Pennington, S., Walker, B., 2004. Cultural probes and the value of uncertainty. interactions 11, 53.

The article highlights the importance of collecting a wide range of information to shape and enhance design. When designing to please and give someone else an experience a different approach is required. This is better done from being a part of the situation. A greater knowledge is found when being part of what you are trying to convey. This text highlights that by being a part of what is being researched a more informed experience is created. The text goes on to say “Probes are collections of evocative tasks meant to elicit inspirational responses from people—not comprehensive information about them, but fragmentary clues about their lives and thoughts.”

By probing we allow a more qualitative and personal response. In the case of the study conducted within this text this was done in the form of taking photographs, being asked open-ended questions and through recording dreams immediately after the participant woke up. As designers we need to allow our research to not be constrained to closed questions, which push towards a certain answer. To embrace the different, unusual and elaborate answers we gather from the conducted research. This will then allow us to use the probes and uncertainty of the answers to create a more rounded response, and overall more inspired experience.