See fully annotated map at Chickpet Field Visit - HCD Sem 7 — Felt The essence of our exploration lies beyond just human-centered design; it delves into the rich, often overlooked narratives of spaces where humans and non-humans converge.
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The goal was to explore the process of learning from, existing within, and crafting within gathering spaces. We used metaphors from these environments to shape a practice focused on Human-Centered Design (HCD). Students engaged in diverse activities such as site visits, mapping, reading, crafting, and collaborative work with peers.
The Brief
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Adopt a method of learning to be, see and make in the spaces of gathering. Aim to understand the dynamics of human positioning within these environments. By employing auto-ethnographic design, immerse ourselves in these spaces, documenting what we perceive and what remains unseen. Through this process, we’ll unravel key questions:
Our focus will be on cultivating multiple practices of situated making, leveraging the inherent qualities of gathering-spaces to inform our creative endeavors.
By critically evaluating the metaphors extracted from these environments, we aim to enrich our design practice while contributing to a deeper understanding of our relationship with space and its constituents.
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Vibes:
Student Projects:
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Designing for Gathering Spaces is a course that moves beyond the confines of conventional Human-Centered Design (HCD) to consider the wider environment in which humans and non-human elements interact. It emphasizes on situated making and is taught in an interactive format involving active student engagement with diverse gathering spaces. The course takes a broad view of gathering spaces, incorporating both physical locations such as parks, urban environments, and workplaces, as well as digital spaces and ecosystems. Its approach acknowledges the co-presence of human and non-human actors, encompassing technology, animals, and natural features, among others.
Modes of Engagement
- Reading and Annotating: Students gain understanding of various histories, current scenarios, and narratives.
- Mapping and Seeing: This mode involves discovering and mapping distinct perspectives across various dimensions.
- Participating and Being: Encourages students to understand and experience various roles within a space.
- Making and Bridging: Focuses on the creation of artifacts as a means of communication and collective thinking.
- Archiving and Exhibiting: Students create archival artifacts that capture their engagements.
- Participatory and Collaborative: Students participate in shared decision-making and actions.
- Co-creating and Co-learning: This mode involves collaborative creation of artifacts or knowledge.
Capabilities
- Speculate: Constructing from concepts in the face of complexity, risk and limited information.
- See & Connect: Uncovering and synthesizing diverse experiences and forms of knowledge.
- Be Honest: Being self-aware and transparent in expressing one’s position.
- Make: Creating new artifacts, things, and relationships as tools of critical inquiry.