DOCUMENTATION

Erin Jia
Oct 25, 2022
3 min read

DESIGN 231 ARTEFACT DOCUMENTATION

IDEATION PROCESS

STORYBOARD

MOODBOARD

FORM AND CONTENT

VISUALIZATION

PLOT BRANCH-MAKING PROCESS

REFLECTION

Reflection on Artifact

My final artifact is an interactive video where the viewer can experience the shopping process as a customer who selects an emotional first-aid kit. The background sets in the near future of 2055, with almost 90 percent of physical illnesses like cancer becoming treatable. Human in 2055 will shift their focus on health to the psychological and spiritual aspects. Emotional well-being has become the primary concern of the global population. Severe emotional lows and psychological disorders can have serious negative impacts on people’s life. Under such a social context, the artifact reflects a trend of this speculated future scenario. And it also posted a question to its viewers: Would we choose to feel pain if products existed that could make us emotionally stable?

Reflecting on the creation process of the artifact, overall, it was a challenging yet enjoyable process. I felt I had incorporated the research insights and scenario into the final artifact and developed something related to my precedented work. I believe that the artifact's interactive nature maximizes the users' immersive experience. However, there are several aspects that I wish to improve if I had the chance. In my initial planning, the final artifact would have a wide range of products that the users can choose from, and the different choices that the users make would have a hidden impact on the result, which will be displayed at the end of the video. But unfortunately, I couldn’t deliver that conception in the final artifact due to time constraints and technical shortcomings.

If I had a second chance to work on this assignment in the future, I would develop the final artifact in more depth. To achieve this, I would need to expand my technical design skills in animation, 3D modeling, and video editing. I will be working on these goals during the semester break.

Reflection on Framework

The contextual framework serves as a guideline for scenario creation as well as my final artifact. In my contextual framework, I explored the possibilities of creating a pluriversal worldview using speculative design.

The speculative design approach was the design approach that I adhered to during the whole process. This approach was helpful because it did not limit my ideation and conceptualization of how I created my final concept. I was able to explore a range of possible solutions in different aspects as how to design something that is human-centered and how future scenarios can impact our lifestyle in the exact moment. And based on the pluriversal worldview, I was able to create something that is diverse in context and not become too detached from reality. Nonetheless, the contextual framework I created cannot fully reflect my final design. When creating my framework, I did not have a clear image of what I was creating at the end; I could not set a specific worldview in the framework.

The interviews and research that I did under my framework also aided my design process. The interview with Professor Tsai allows me to incorporate the idea of digital well-being into the final artifact. And case studies like Sputniko’s the red silk of fate and Iwabuchi’s the purpose of life in Kyoto both inspired my final design not only on the formality but also on how to iterate a pluriversal perspective and to post my own critical insight into the creation.

In general, I liked how speculative design has led me through my framework and final creation. This method allows me to explore creative thinking in depth. And I was also able to peak into how other designers incorporate their worldviews using speculative design. And I will continue to explore speculative design as well as other creative design methods in future studies.