Embodying Technology
Our technological devices are often tools which we use the most to express our identities, but do the devices reflect our individual needs?
So much of our identities are expressed through our technological devices and the platforms within them, but how much do these devices reflect our personal identity? We found it ironic that although our technological devices are practically an extension of our bodies, they are merely generic, homogenized, objects, that don’t reflect our identities or personalities at all.
In order to investigate this further, we created a three-part workshop which included:
survey - reflect on your identity and select your device
crafting - create lo-fi prototype, pairing your device to your identity
embodiment - enact scenarios of using your new device and becoming your new device (being used by another participant)
Lo-Fi Crafting
The crafting was intentionally kept low-fi in order to keep the focus on the concept and less on the materials. The participants were encouraged to craft within a time limit and communicate their design choices afterwards.
Embodiment
In the embodiment phase, we asked the participants to use their bodies to act out two different scenarios — using their device and as their device — while using the device they crafted in the previous phase. In the second and more abstract prompt of becoming the device, a second participant was brought in to “use” the device. This embodiment exercise allowed the user to become the used, and gain perspective from the opposite point of view.
Key Insights
The questions on identity opened up the participant to reflect on themselves and was helpful in the following phases of the workshop
Limiting the materials available in the crafting phase allowed participants to be more creative with application and how they used them
The embodiment phase was the most difficult for participants to get into
Most participants experienced a barrier in acting as an object or piece of technology, but reported they found it insightful to the design process
Identity Mapping Survey
We created a series of personal questions that asked general questions about the participant’s identity and led into more specific questions about a piece of technology or gadget in which they are frustrated with. At the end of the survey, the participant was encouraged to draw an ‘ideal device’ which would solve their frustrations.
