--On Saturday, January 8, 2005 3:52 PM +0100 Ken Friedman
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> I have two particular questions --
>
> 1) What research topics are you pursuing ?
>
> 2) What kinds of methods are you using ?
As I am in the early stages of writing and research, my "elevator pitch" is
still rough, but .
The research topic I am pursing is the problem of agency and design.
Broadly speaking, my research is concerned with discovery the kinds of
agency evidenced in and through products.
I am situating my research in the domain of robotics (I have been funded
for the past 4 years by a NSF grant exploring the design of assistive
robots), though hopefully my research extends beyond robots to all
products. That is, my research is not about robots per se, as much as
robots provide a convenient and interesting place to situate my research.
As for methods, my research is qualitative in nature. I draw heavily from
ethnographic practices (specifically participant observation, interview, &
autoethnography) and artifact analysis. I am influenced by recent work in
science and technology and material culture studies, but am struggling to
find the unique voice for design research and scholarship and not simply
(and inappropriately) copy the techniques of other disciplines.
I am also using more "designerly" methods, particularly cultural and
technological probes.
Finally, my research has, and will continue to include, making. One of the
conundrums is how this making fits into the dissertation (text) itself. The
process and activity of making has been extremely valuable. But my
intention is not to evaluate what I have made, rather the making is for
understanding. It may manifest in a series of "proposals" similar to (and
greatly influenced by) the work of Dunne and Raby, which may be included as
an appendix or some other supplemental manner. I would be interested to
hear how other PhD students integrate the activity and outcomes of making
with the written text of the dissertation.
Carl
Carl DiSalvo
Ph.D. Candidate in Design
Carnegie Mellon University
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