When I was reviewing my notes, I found sort of a list of things, concepts and ideas I've learned so far in my research journey (probably not complete : ) ). T: stands for theory and W: for workshops.
T> Material qualities are important, they shape perception/action and are usually ignored.
T> Abstractions that are context-free yet context-sensitive are the ones more valuable and relevant.
T> Seams might be useful to develop sensitivities in design (and possibly design process) by making the invisible visible.
T> Designing for design-in-use is a very useful approach.
W> In the first two workshops, I facilitated the creation of new situations and network of relations. They can be called temporary assemblages between man-machine-environment.
W> Does design need an existing situation or context or concern to be described as design?
TW> Motivation as replacement of purpose or goal.
W> This is an investigation of new human-machine-environment assemblages and the ways actants negotiate or tune their relations to construct and de-construct these assemblages.
TW> The advantage of working with performers is that not everything needs to be negotiated in such a novel body-technology-space setting.
W> Agency is different, so what? what does this mean? why is it important?
TW> The midpoint between top-down and bottom-up approaches. use of enabling constraints.
TW> Don't define any interaction or way of usage, support open interpretations, appropriation and design-in-use! let people negotiate. embodied negotiation of space and of relations by technology.
W> How can we let people to tune the relations between human and non-human actants.
W> ha-ta, ha-ta-ha is common type relations, ha-ta-ta is novel. however the link between ta-ta should be reasonable.
W> How to separate production and use phase. no clear boundaries. may be there is no need to do separate.
TW> production phase: awareness of different values, recognition of network relations and varieties of agency and its relationality and material agency.
use: transparency, explication of interaction, providing proper feedback
T> Recognizing agency through its effects.
T> Agency sensitiveness: being sensitive to different ways of being, perceiving, acting, knowing and viewing. giving options for negotiations.
W> all of these relations are always happening. you are making it explicit and dealing with them specifically.
TW> An approach for understanding/exploring designing for agency. in this respect it can be considered as a research methodology rather than a design method. A close up way to look at agents and their dynamic relations. In fact, this is a facilitation for design and design-in-use.
TW> This is how you go about designing for agency; you can look at it in different ways and come up with different design methods and highlighting different aspects/values that are important for agency and design in a practice-oriented way.
T> idea of co(a)gents. e.g. stuvidpi and visible actants.
W> idea of assemblage is useful and critical. it is not a solution but a way of understanding. you can strengthen some links in the assemblage while weakening the some others (i.e. designing).
