Category Archives: conversations

Week 03: The power-plays behind definitions

This week, following the concept of definitions and taxonomies discussed in symposium 02,  I had a conversation with my friend about the politics of definitions. These are some of the things we said:

There is always someone, or a group of people, who choose what a definition is.

For everything that gets included in a definition, there is something that is excluded.

Maybe it’s dangerous for us to always categories things to fit perfectly into clear-cut definitions. The fast-paced world we live in is fluid by nature – things are always changing. Definitions can be counter productive and restrict these changes and innovations.

I like taxonomies because they have boundaries and let me know how to think about something.

Adrian mentioned in the lecture that definitions and taxonomies are always problematic. It it not always the case that things can be pigeon-holed in the way that definitions demand. Adrian says that taxonomies are artificial, because the probabilistic world we live in is not a binary world that can be classified into black and white. Even though humans have an inherent need to coral and domesticate things in order to make sense out of them, perhaps definitions are not the most productive way to go about this.

(Image via flickr)

 

Week 02: What is a sketch?

This week I spoke to my friend who studies Arts at Melbourne University. One of her hobbies, and a great talent of hers, is painting, drawing and illustrative arts. I asked her what the word sketch meant to her, as an artist. This is what she said:

Sketching is getting rough ideas down on paper in order to develop them further, so they reach their full potential.

During class, Seth spoke to us about the fact that these sketch tasks we are currently doing are exactly that – sketch tasks. Seth mentioned a resource by Bill Buxton called ‘Sketching user experience’. I found his book in the library and read about how he attempts to explain what sketches are to him. For Buxton, sketches:
– are quick
– are timely
– are inexpensive
– are disposable
– are plentiful
– use a clear vocabulary
– use a distinct gesture
– have minimal detail
– have an appropriate degree of refinement
– suggest and explore rather than confirm
– are ambiguous.
I personally identify most strongly with Buxton’s penultimate point that sketches suggest and explore rather than confirm. I think this is a powerful way to think about what we are being asked to do in this IM1 course, and I will try and embrace this over the coming weeks.
I told my friend about Buxton’s attributes of what a sketch is, and she seemed interested to hear what he had to say. I wonder if our conversation has made her think about the act of sketching in a different light.