- to introduce the principles of information visualisation
- to analyse the potential of information visualisation for creative design
- to analyse the potential of creative design for information visualisation
- to design and prototype a real-time data representation for architectural space
- to apply the principles of user-centred design and evaluation
- to experience a structured design process for group collaboration
description
concept
this studio explores the relationships between creative design and the field of
information visualization, with a focus on historical connotations and newest
developments that show great potential. empirical evidence shows how designers often employ information visualization as a creative concept capable of significantly determining the design outcome, and vice versa, how information visualization can be enhanced by exploring interdisciplinary concepts, such as design cognition, user engagement, aesthetics and art.
this studio is based on the assertion that information visualization should be enriched with the principles of creative design and art, to develop valuable data representations that address the emotional experience and engagement of users, instead of solely focusing on task effectiveness metrics.
it proposes the potential of conveying informational values as large, human-scale, spatial and architectural experiences that require insights of both design as well as computer science.
following the current developments in ubiquitous computing, data representations will be developed that will use the qualities of architectural space to inform users about real-world information in real-time.
novel hardware devices will be used in an original way that are capable of changing the spatial experience by stimulating multiple human senses.
theme: data addiction. the ubiquity of technology in the lives of many people and the always on phenomenon provokes a constant tension between productivity and freneticism. as people are mentally engaged and immersed within a continuously updated imaginative information space, they also acknowledge feeling something much more powerful: they are compulsively drawn to the constant stimulation of digesting fresh data, urging their desire for data foraging . laptops, PDAs, mobile phones, & other other high-tech toys enable people to be always aware of the most current information streams from various sources, such as email, news groups, chatting, forums, multi-user 3d spaces, and RSS feeds, although research suggests that such behavior might affect the attention span, creativity, and focus, resulting in a deterioration of human performance.
while more information-rich and miniaturized gadgets are developed that enter the organic space of the human body, the possibility to enrich the physical environment that surrounds us all with data in a meaningful but non-distracting way has been relatively received little attention,
outcomes
- an understanding of contemporary information visualisation issues and the potential opportunities for creative design to address these
- an understanding of the practical development and implementation of a large scale design installation, inclusive of group collaboration
- an understanding of user-centred design and evaluation
- a working data representation installation prototype that incorporates the concept of physical information spaces