Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
'design-society' cycle as a framework for further enquiry into these processes, to
understand their influence on:
• developing the soup of knowledge and experience triggered in the societal mind
by a product
•
subsequent transformation of this knowledge and experience to form new
product requirements, and
•
further transformation of this knowledge, experience and requirements to form
new products.
Experience of individuals and valuation of experience are seen as keys to the
development of this knowledge, with the background of the individual, including
her myriad identities, as a major influence in forming this experience. The chapter
deconstructs the design-society cycle to propose a series of more detailed questions
that could form an agenda for further enquiry into the triad formed by design,
pre-design and post-design phases of the Design-Society Cycle.
9.2 Terms
We define several terms for the discussion to follow.
An experience is an impression created by an event undergone by an individual.
An experience has two components: a description of the event and its context, and
its effect on the individual, i.e. how it is valued. For instance, an individual may
have visited a medieval festival in Landshut—a medieval town in Germany where
its inhabitants enacted the festivities from a wedding that took place in this town in
1475 (description), and found this to be a unique, refreshing and enjoyable expe-
rience (value).
Social norms are rules expected to be followed by individuals in a society or
societal fragment. For instance, one is expected not to belch in public in many
societies in Europe, but is expected to blow her nose in public, even while taking
food in a group. The opposite is true in India: especially in the context of taking
food, one is expected to belch, but not to blow nose in public. Social norms can have
various levels of value, e.g. as to how strongly one is punished for not abiding by
these. Some of these norms are enshrined in the laws of the society, e.g. right to
one's own life.
Social motives are aspirations of a societal fragment—i.e. a collection of
individuals within a society). Many social motives are enshrined in incentives
and resources for those who buy into the motive. For instance, to increase popu-
lation can be a social motive in Europe (as can be to decrease population, or
provide education for all,
in India), and special
incentives are devised to
encourage each.
Requirements are statements about expected or aspired levels of experience
(in the context of a product or solution), and their perceived value for an individual
Search WWH ::
Custom Search