Agents, artifacts and environment together constitute an interconnected, and interdependent socia... more Agents, artifacts and environment together constitute an interconnected, and interdependent social system beleaguered with complex palimpsest of concerns. How can design thinking visualize the contradictory and controversial nature of matters of concern, where perspectives and stakes are unequal, contesting and conflicting, but with inter dependencies, not all of which are entirely predictable? Prompted by advancing technology and increasing complexity of the design inquiry, role of the user in negotiating such contestations has lately been in flux. Increasingly, the user is perceived not as a mere consumer driven by immediate self-serving gains, but as an inter-dependent actor negotiating for an empowering and equitable solution for all. This necessitates the exploration of how blurring of strict boundaries between user, designer, and a social agent is diluting dichotomies between user/designer, social-worker/capitalist, consumer/producer, use/profit, or need/desire. Hence, this paper is an epistemic inquiry into the trajectory of user participation in responsible decision-making through the analysis of six design frameworks holding different kinds and extents of social accountability. Thereby seeking, twofold objectives: (a) to establish the theoretical antecedents of user participation in design for social responsibility, and (b) to assess the future of responsible design decisions in discourse and practice .
Harsh consequences of social inequality and unsustainable practices are responsible for altered l... more Harsh consequences of social inequality and unsustainable practices are responsible for altered local landscapes, and an unbalanced global system challenging designers to resolve inter-linked problems of mammoth complexity, that are more than just wicked. These problems are extremely volatile and uniquea nexus of interconnected vicious loop of complex local actions exerting changes in global patterns of vast magnitude in scale as well as impact, that insist upon urgent action to ensure 'collective survival'. To sustain and save the social and environmental fabric, we need adaptable and self-sustainable systems with equitable prospects of contestation for harnessing collective actions. We recommend stigmergy-a naturally evolved phenomenon for collective survival, as a possible approach for harnessing collective intelligence and action to achieve a common global goal, and argue for the characteristics that make it appropriate for resolving complex concerns of high magnitude.
Harsh consequences of social inequality and unsustainable practices are responsible for altered l... more Harsh consequences of social inequality and unsustainable practices are responsible for altered local landscapes, and an unbalanced global system challenging designers to resolve inter-linked problems of mammoth complexity, that are more than just wicked. These problems are extremely volatile and uniquea nexus of interconnected vicious loop of complex local actions exerting changes in global patterns of vast magnitude in scale as well as impact, that insist upon urgent action to ensure 'collective survival'. To sustain and save the social and environmental fabric, we need adaptable and self-sustainable systems with equitable prospects of contestation for harnessing collective actions. We recommend stigmergy-a naturally evolved phenomenon for collective survival, as a possible approach for harnessing collective intelligence and action to achieve a common global goal, and argue for the characteristics that make it appropriate for resolving complex concerns of high magnitude.
a glimpse inside the Banarasi mind: What do linguistic categories reveal about Banarasi toys? abs... more a glimpse inside the Banarasi mind: What do linguistic categories reveal about Banarasi toys? abstract This study focuses on the design of Banarasi Khilona, which are wooden lacquer toys from Banaras, India. The study presents a category-based approach to elucidate how these craft-based artefacts are designed for acceptability and for novelty. For this purpose, the study traces the community perceptions of Banarasi Khilona by examining the expression of linguistic categories that both shape and are shaped by the Khilona. This vocabulary, which reflects how Banarasi people structure their world, suggests a system of categorization in which objects have multiple ways of being categorized. It further suggests that it is at the communityacceptable common intersection point of multiple categories that the Banarasi craftspersons produce a Khilona. This study shows that although the community-acceptable combinations of multiple categories appear fixed, they are yet open to deviant members in the fuzzy boundary of the categories where the hold of myths, taboos and traditions is relatively weaker. Thus there is a potential space for occurrence and sometimes acceptance of deviant members in an otherwise tradition-bound craft practice.
This study attempts to understand how expert knowledge is transmitted in the absence or lack of e... more This study attempts to understand how expert knowledge is transmitted in the absence or lack of explicit and formal means of knowledge acquisition, with particular interest in the evolved relationship of a master-apprentice, observable in pockets of traditional communities of practice. An ethnographic study based on content analysis of the transcriptions of members of a craft community from Varanasi, India has been used to strengthen the undermined pedagogical role of observation and emulation in the transfer of inexplicit knowledge. It is argued that in-situ observation and emulation foster situations for facilitating co-production of knowledge, further implying co-authorship. Gaining community membership in craft communities is not merely a matter of gaining a professional degree; instead, it is a slow process of enculturation.
While several design studies have used prototypes as test-instruments to validate the success or ... more While several design studies have used prototypes as test-instruments to validate the success or failure of design outcomes, only a few have touched upon the role of prototypes as learning agents for a designer during the design process. Prototypes, according to these latter studies, are considered more than mere evaluation tools; they are the means by which designers organically and evolutionarily learn, discover, generate, refine, and communicate their design ideas. This study attempts to enumerate such roles of prototypes during an iterative prototyping process adopted for the design of spatial-based learning tools to fostering number sense in young children. The designer has employed the process of prototyping as a vehicle for inquiry during the design of these tools. The study revealed that the features of a prototype that designers decide to retain or filter during each iteration cycle, enable them to traverse the design space, besides acting as a decisive factor for the success of the prototype. The study also illustrated the pivotal role of both the users and the prototypes in shaping the designer’s thinking process. Based on this, some of the known models of prototypes are also revisited to be more inclusive of users
This chapter explores toys as ‘gatherings’ of players that communicate a sense of the player’s wo... more This chapter explores toys as ‘gatherings’ of players that communicate a sense of the player’s world and its concerns to other players and non-players The examination of Banarasi toys illustrates the quintessential property of Play-things to gather, negotiate, and communicate matters of concern. These Things (Dincs) gather players into rituals and ceremonies, as well as for assembling and negotiating concerns as manifested in canons, conventions, and beliefs for embodying in the Play-thing. This perspective broadens the definition of Banarasi toys from a ludic expression alone to a cultural representation. In this sense, Play-Things communicate not only what they are, but also the mind of the players.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is prevalent globally, yet it lacks cost-effective treatment appro... more Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is prevalent globally, yet it lacks cost-effective treatment approaches. Deficits in executive functions occur frequently in autism spectrum disorder and present a target for intervention. Here we report the design and development of five smartphone-based games for training working memory in autistic children. These open-source games, available free of cost to the community, were designed to match the behavioral preferences and sensorimotor abilities of autistic kids. We then conducted a preliminary trial to test the effectiveness of a month-long intervention using these games. Although we did not see a significant change in the working memory of all children with a month-long training, children who performed better on the games also showed more improvement in their working memory, suggesting that a longer intervention with the games might be useful in improving working memory. Using a Hindi translation of the Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATE...
This study attempts to understand how expert knowledge is transmitted in the absence or lack of e... more This study attempts to understand how expert knowledge is transmitted in the absence or lack of explicit and formal means of knowledge acquisition, with particular interest in the evolved relationship of a master-apprentice, observable in pockets of traditional communities of practice. An ethnographic study based on content analysis of the transcriptions of members of a craft community from Varanasi, India has been used to strengthen the undermined pedagogical role of observation and emulation in the transfer of inexplicit knowledge. It is argued that in-situ observation and emulation foster situations for facilitating co-production of knowledge, further implying co-authorship. Gaining community membership in craft communities is not merely a matter of gaining a professional degree; instead, it is a slow process of enculturation.Keywords: Observation, Emulation, Inexplicit learning, Master-apprentice. Communities of Practice
From the perspective of design, Latour's cycles of inscriptions and mobility promises to be o... more From the perspective of design, Latour's cycles of inscriptions and mobility promises to be of significance to the future exploration of self-organizing tendencies, as well as distributed cognition in decentralized decision making between heterogeneous team members scattered across time and space. Of particular relevance is the role of the artefact in the absence or lack of communication as an object- to-think-with, as well as to negotiate design decisions over time and space. Artefacts, as in this study- Banarasi toys, acting as probes not only accumulate design decisions, but also inscribe the worldview of the members on themselves. Their mutability and mobility endows on them the promising role of gathering members and eventually an entire community around them. On completion of the cycles, they become a microcosm of the worldview, similar to Latour's map encapsulating the earth.
Harsh consequences of social inequality and unsustainable practices are responsible for altered l... more Harsh consequences of social inequality and unsustainable practices are responsible for altered local landscapes, and an unbalanced global system challenging designers to resolve inter-linked problems of mammoth complexity, that are more than just wicked. These problems are extremely volatile and uniquea nexus of interconnected vicious loop of complex local actions exerting changes in global patterns of vast magnitude in scale as well as impact, that insist upon urgent action to ensure 'collective survival'. To sustain and save the social and environmental fabric, we need adaptable and self-sustainable systems with equitable prospects of contestation for harnessing collective actions. We recommend stigmergy -a naturally evolved phenomenon for collective survival, as a possible approach for harnessing collective intelligence and action to achieve a common global goal, and argue for the characteristics that make it appropriate for resolving complex concerns of high magnitude.
Agents, artifacts and environment together constitute an interconnected, and interdependent socia... more Agents, artifacts and environment together constitute an interconnected, and interdependent social system beleaguered with complex palimpsest of concerns. How can design thinking visualize the contradictory and controversial nature of matters of concern, where perspectives and stakes are unequal, contesting and conflicting, but with inter dependencies, not all of which are entirely predictable? Prompted by advancing technology and increasing complexity of the design inquiry, role of the user in negotiating such contestations has lately been in flux. Increasingly, the user is perceived not as a mere consumer driven by immediate self-serving gains, but as an inter-dependent actor negotiating for an empowering and equitable solution for all. This necessitates the exploration of how blurring of strict boundaries between user, designer, and a social agent is diluting dichotomies between user/designer, social-worker/capitalist, consumer/producer, use/profit, or need/desire. Hence, this paper is an epistemic inquiry into the trajectory of user participation in responsible decision-making through the analysis of six design frameworks holding different kinds and extents of social accountability. Thereby seeking, twofold objectives: (a) to establish the theoretical antecedents of user participation in design for social responsibility, and (b) to assess the future of responsible design decisions in discourse and practice .
Harsh consequences of social inequality and unsustainable practices are responsible for altered l... more Harsh consequences of social inequality and unsustainable practices are responsible for altered local landscapes, and an unbalanced global system challenging designers to resolve inter-linked problems of mammoth complexity, that are more than just wicked. These problems are extremely volatile and uniquea nexus of interconnected vicious loop of complex local actions exerting changes in global patterns of vast magnitude in scale as well as impact, that insist upon urgent action to ensure 'collective survival'. To sustain and save the social and environmental fabric, we need adaptable and self-sustainable systems with equitable prospects of contestation for harnessing collective actions. We recommend stigmergy-a naturally evolved phenomenon for collective survival, as a possible approach for harnessing collective intelligence and action to achieve a common global goal, and argue for the characteristics that make it appropriate for resolving complex concerns of high magnitude.
Harsh consequences of social inequality and unsustainable practices are responsible for altered l... more Harsh consequences of social inequality and unsustainable practices are responsible for altered local landscapes, and an unbalanced global system challenging designers to resolve inter-linked problems of mammoth complexity, that are more than just wicked. These problems are extremely volatile and uniquea nexus of interconnected vicious loop of complex local actions exerting changes in global patterns of vast magnitude in scale as well as impact, that insist upon urgent action to ensure 'collective survival'. To sustain and save the social and environmental fabric, we need adaptable and self-sustainable systems with equitable prospects of contestation for harnessing collective actions. We recommend stigmergy-a naturally evolved phenomenon for collective survival, as a possible approach for harnessing collective intelligence and action to achieve a common global goal, and argue for the characteristics that make it appropriate for resolving complex concerns of high magnitude.
a glimpse inside the Banarasi mind: What do linguistic categories reveal about Banarasi toys? abs... more a glimpse inside the Banarasi mind: What do linguistic categories reveal about Banarasi toys? abstract This study focuses on the design of Banarasi Khilona, which are wooden lacquer toys from Banaras, India. The study presents a category-based approach to elucidate how these craft-based artefacts are designed for acceptability and for novelty. For this purpose, the study traces the community perceptions of Banarasi Khilona by examining the expression of linguistic categories that both shape and are shaped by the Khilona. This vocabulary, which reflects how Banarasi people structure their world, suggests a system of categorization in which objects have multiple ways of being categorized. It further suggests that it is at the communityacceptable common intersection point of multiple categories that the Banarasi craftspersons produce a Khilona. This study shows that although the community-acceptable combinations of multiple categories appear fixed, they are yet open to deviant members in the fuzzy boundary of the categories where the hold of myths, taboos and traditions is relatively weaker. Thus there is a potential space for occurrence and sometimes acceptance of deviant members in an otherwise tradition-bound craft practice.
This study attempts to understand how expert knowledge is transmitted in the absence or lack of e... more This study attempts to understand how expert knowledge is transmitted in the absence or lack of explicit and formal means of knowledge acquisition, with particular interest in the evolved relationship of a master-apprentice, observable in pockets of traditional communities of practice. An ethnographic study based on content analysis of the transcriptions of members of a craft community from Varanasi, India has been used to strengthen the undermined pedagogical role of observation and emulation in the transfer of inexplicit knowledge. It is argued that in-situ observation and emulation foster situations for facilitating co-production of knowledge, further implying co-authorship. Gaining community membership in craft communities is not merely a matter of gaining a professional degree; instead, it is a slow process of enculturation.
While several design studies have used prototypes as test-instruments to validate the success or ... more While several design studies have used prototypes as test-instruments to validate the success or failure of design outcomes, only a few have touched upon the role of prototypes as learning agents for a designer during the design process. Prototypes, according to these latter studies, are considered more than mere evaluation tools; they are the means by which designers organically and evolutionarily learn, discover, generate, refine, and communicate their design ideas. This study attempts to enumerate such roles of prototypes during an iterative prototyping process adopted for the design of spatial-based learning tools to fostering number sense in young children. The designer has employed the process of prototyping as a vehicle for inquiry during the design of these tools. The study revealed that the features of a prototype that designers decide to retain or filter during each iteration cycle, enable them to traverse the design space, besides acting as a decisive factor for the success of the prototype. The study also illustrated the pivotal role of both the users and the prototypes in shaping the designer’s thinking process. Based on this, some of the known models of prototypes are also revisited to be more inclusive of users
This chapter explores toys as ‘gatherings’ of players that communicate a sense of the player’s wo... more This chapter explores toys as ‘gatherings’ of players that communicate a sense of the player’s world and its concerns to other players and non-players The examination of Banarasi toys illustrates the quintessential property of Play-things to gather, negotiate, and communicate matters of concern. These Things (Dincs) gather players into rituals and ceremonies, as well as for assembling and negotiating concerns as manifested in canons, conventions, and beliefs for embodying in the Play-thing. This perspective broadens the definition of Banarasi toys from a ludic expression alone to a cultural representation. In this sense, Play-Things communicate not only what they are, but also the mind of the players.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is prevalent globally, yet it lacks cost-effective treatment appro... more Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is prevalent globally, yet it lacks cost-effective treatment approaches. Deficits in executive functions occur frequently in autism spectrum disorder and present a target for intervention. Here we report the design and development of five smartphone-based games for training working memory in autistic children. These open-source games, available free of cost to the community, were designed to match the behavioral preferences and sensorimotor abilities of autistic kids. We then conducted a preliminary trial to test the effectiveness of a month-long intervention using these games. Although we did not see a significant change in the working memory of all children with a month-long training, children who performed better on the games also showed more improvement in their working memory, suggesting that a longer intervention with the games might be useful in improving working memory. Using a Hindi translation of the Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATE...
This study attempts to understand how expert knowledge is transmitted in the absence or lack of e... more This study attempts to understand how expert knowledge is transmitted in the absence or lack of explicit and formal means of knowledge acquisition, with particular interest in the evolved relationship of a master-apprentice, observable in pockets of traditional communities of practice. An ethnographic study based on content analysis of the transcriptions of members of a craft community from Varanasi, India has been used to strengthen the undermined pedagogical role of observation and emulation in the transfer of inexplicit knowledge. It is argued that in-situ observation and emulation foster situations for facilitating co-production of knowledge, further implying co-authorship. Gaining community membership in craft communities is not merely a matter of gaining a professional degree; instead, it is a slow process of enculturation.Keywords: Observation, Emulation, Inexplicit learning, Master-apprentice. Communities of Practice
From the perspective of design, Latour's cycles of inscriptions and mobility promises to be o... more From the perspective of design, Latour's cycles of inscriptions and mobility promises to be of significance to the future exploration of self-organizing tendencies, as well as distributed cognition in decentralized decision making between heterogeneous team members scattered across time and space. Of particular relevance is the role of the artefact in the absence or lack of communication as an object- to-think-with, as well as to negotiate design decisions over time and space. Artefacts, as in this study- Banarasi toys, acting as probes not only accumulate design decisions, but also inscribe the worldview of the members on themselves. Their mutability and mobility endows on them the promising role of gathering members and eventually an entire community around them. On completion of the cycles, they become a microcosm of the worldview, similar to Latour's map encapsulating the earth.
Harsh consequences of social inequality and unsustainable practices are responsible for altered l... more Harsh consequences of social inequality and unsustainable practices are responsible for altered local landscapes, and an unbalanced global system challenging designers to resolve inter-linked problems of mammoth complexity, that are more than just wicked. These problems are extremely volatile and uniquea nexus of interconnected vicious loop of complex local actions exerting changes in global patterns of vast magnitude in scale as well as impact, that insist upon urgent action to ensure 'collective survival'. To sustain and save the social and environmental fabric, we need adaptable and self-sustainable systems with equitable prospects of contestation for harnessing collective actions. We recommend stigmergy -a naturally evolved phenomenon for collective survival, as a possible approach for harnessing collective intelligence and action to achieve a common global goal, and argue for the characteristics that make it appropriate for resolving complex concerns of high magnitude.
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