I am Maliheh Ghajargar from Malmo University, and I present Synthesis of forms,
integrating practical and reflective qualities in design)
on behalf of my co-author Jeffrey Bardzell from Penn State University.
In the design process, we often synthesize different kinds of forms and meanings in a
single product. So, most objects do not have a single, simple meaning,
but rather a layered and complex set of them.
In this research, we were interested in how this complex layering of meanings
might apply in contexts of reflective design. Everyday use objects for reflection seem to
require a synthesis of two very different forms, conventionally practical forms,
since they are everyday use objects, and evocative forms, since they make users think.
We formulated the following research question:
how objects synthesize a multiplicity of meanings and forms, and more specifically,
how a single design form (e.g., an artifact, or a feature of an artifact) might achieve
a synthesis of design qualities that we tend to view as logically exclusive
(e.g., practical functionality vs. evoking critical reflection) and yet which we argue are
not exclusive when manifest in actual designs.
question of the relationship between practical and critical design. Throughout design theory,
pragmatic and critical design are often presented as though in opposition.
And although at a level of logic, the distinction feels correct,
we could not square this theoretical distinction with our own design practice.
We present the design process that led to two reflective designs, S le and Kucheh.
Both designs synthesize practical and evocative forms and qualities of design.
S le is an interactive table lamp for home environments.
It also provides light-based ecofeedback intended to trigger sustainable urban mobility behaviors.
During sketching, I explored the forms that can represent Schultz theory of implicit connections
with nature, a theory that modeled connection in three parts (myself, my community, and my planet).
So, I envisioned the lamp structure in three distinctive yet interconnected parts.
As functioning lights, the units reinforce their structure
using light in two different modes: to arise and to accumulate.
Kucheh is an interactive key hook, designed for home environments,
specifically the home entrance. It also uses a mobile application to collect behavioral data.
I used sketching to help me visualise forms that represent inclusiveness.
In the final design the inner circle represents the self;
the middle circle represents the community; and the largest circle represents the planet.
The object s behaviors reflect those of the user. As the user attains sustainability goals,
the circles rotate to reveal the marked (dotted) portion of the circle, not unlike progress bars.
Reflecting upon the forms of two prototypes we return to the question that animated the project:
how does the design act of form-giving help resolve
the apparent contradiction between practical and evocative qualities?
Both prototypes are examples of useful everyday objects.
Their familiar physical forms make them intuitive and easy to use.
The practical and functional forms, such as hooks and neutral white light, were borrowed
from already existing and meaningful objects within the familiar context of home environment.
Both are also designed to prompt user reflection about their behavior.
While physical forms such as hooks are mostly concerned about everyday use, temporal forms call
attention to themselves in ways that contribute to the evocative character of those objects.
As we stepped back and reflected upon the final forms of the two prototypes described
in this paper, we were able analytically to identify two modes of this synthesis.
One such mode is seamless synthesis, in which practical forms and evocative
forms are not distinguishable and they create one coherent functional whole, like in Sole.
The other is complementary synthesis, where the forms are functionally independent,
but they together shape the ultimate form of the object as a whole, like in Kucheh.
This project also pursued knowledge embodied in designs, that is,
reusable design patterns, or design forms that fit the contexts for which they were designed.
In this case, those contexts required simultaneously to meet
everyday practical household needs and to call attention to how those needs are
connected to environmental sustainability. If Alexander s theory of forms is right,
a designer will need to craft some highly irregular forms to fit into them. S le and Kucheh
both introduced such forms, though in both cases they were drawn from existing design patterns.