Proposition and Brief

By Nathan Cunial

Proposition

Through discussions with my peers and though experimentation such as the mapping exercise, a greater understanding of my issue has been realised. Although I predicted the outcome, I am pleased with where it has lead me. What started as a curious exploration into the world of AI and big data, has ironically given me less technical information and more of an ethnographically or sociological insight into the issues. I have been slowly following the development of certain technologies over the last few months but also have been able to question a lot of people about their fears and understandings around it , both at university and in social scenarios. Everyone seems to have a somewhat fictional view of technology and where it is going, even though their lives are so deeply entrenched with it. So much of the necessity and ease of our first world lives is dictated by this technology but it is primarily ignored. I wonder if the diversity of technology and its many uses and applications is what makes it hard to really look at many different types of technology as essentially the same. The idea of a computer chip or board with programming under a multitude of various outer shells, built for a purpose. With these purposes becoming more and more complex and the divide between the sentient and insentient closing, how long will it be before more broader problems of humanity become deeply complicated by machines. Can a positive future be achieved by looking now at how we design machines and how we can make them work with us.

Brief
In order to take the audiences apparent bias away from my studies and try to re-imagine a different outlook, I have chosen to create a digital narrative. Using popular mediums such a video and photography and the personal approach of a blog style webpage. This web page will be somewhat futuristic and somewhat nostalgic. It is set in the future and has been created by a person who lives in a time where AI is a positive and normal part of society. Employment, art, education and other normal parts of the blog makers life are intertwined with AI and technology. But the goal of the site is to show a normal fun/positive life that has this technology, almost to the point of being boring. Main stream movies and other sci-fi’esqe mediums have for a long time created a sense of a distopian future of robots and cyborgs, this blog aims to undermine this with a vision of a normal and functioning future. Using a single page website, with movement of imagery and font (parallax etc), as well as audio cuts and film to create the “feeling” or “day to day” happenings of a desired individual. This person may or may not have some small resentments to parts of the AI future, but ultimately they will only be petty things to show the normality of the “AI” future. Art and other emotional creations by AI are accepted and loved by the general public, and many jobs are worked by AI type bots etc.

I have chosen this style and medium as i feel it could be done quite well with our current constraints. I think science fiction has given so many ideas to science but generally it seems to have a negative spin to it, such as a military purpose. With a simple but interesting blog style artwork/design viewers can interact and engage in a world where the idea of the mundane is actually pretty amazing in context. Its sometimes quite easy to forget how much amazing technology we have around us.

Final Proposition & Brief

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 Blog Post 10 – Final Proposition and Brief

By Jade Grayson

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Preposition 

After reflecting on the lecture in which the importance of values was explored, I felt compelled to reinterpret my design solution. In particular, the specific emotions I want to elicit from my audience has been reconsidered. My focus remains to bring about awareness and encourage transparency on data collection, however my approach in achieving this sense of awareness has shifted. The notion that embedded intrinsic values ultimately generate a better outcome allowed for a more considered framework in my preposition. I have decided that the idea of disrupting the audience in a purely frightening and involuntary way is not the best way to shape their perspective and understanding of the issue.

I intend to expose people to the ‘holes’ in their understanding of online data collection, however the method in which I do so will encourage participation and delve into their intrinsic values of freedom, responsibilities and privacy. It will be a more playful approach that will then ultimately provide education on the issue. Each person will have an individual experience and interaction, with a personalised profiling demonstrating where issues exist, and how they can combat these problems.

By allowing voluntary active participation, I am allowing the user to take the first step in their willingness to learn and to gain genuine interest in the issue. Perhaps people who think their privacy is completely opaque may be surprised to learn what information is available on them. Ultimately this process will demonstrate a transparent vision for the relationship between users and companies collecting their data, thus emphasising how the existing relationship that is fundamentally one sided. This will hopefully allow people to feel more aware of how and why their data is collected.

Brief 

I aim to demonstrate the existing concern about data collection and privacy through both the digital and physical realms. By taking the intangible and bringing it into a physical space, I hope to create a sense of understanding and awareness amongst participants. I want to create transparency by emphasising how the exchange needs to be shown in a way that the users can digest. I feel that by seeing how their data is used, by creating a tangible publication in which identifies the ‘holes’ in their online privacy and how this information is distributed would allow for greater understanding and the visual aspect will elicit a more considered response. I want them to see that there can be a sense of freedom in information and increase their desire for privacy by showing that only they can be responsible for their own data.

As this issue exists in the online digital sphere, I will use this as my platform for communication. I will have an interaction that users choose to participate in, in an open and public space. I intend for it to be an interesting object that peaks their interest and curiosity. This device will then take an image of their face and with the analysis of this image as well as with the person entering their name, any or all information connected to the person will surface. Essentially a profile will be generated in which any information connected to their name and image, e.g. all facbook information will be displayed in a simple yet captivating way. There will be physically ‘holes’ in the publication that draw attention to the areas that are public information. This may not be surprising to the user, however the aim is for them to realise how accessible this information is, and to understand how one-sided this exchange of information is. There will be an opaque layer in which all their information is presented, and a transparent layer that explains how this information may be used, and ways to limit or control your data sharing. This will be printed immediately for the users, with the entire process taking very little time, whilst they gain both insight and a greater awareness into the issue. As individuals are increasingly time efficient, I see this method as an effective way to bring about understanding in a playful, informative and tangible way.

Blog 10: Proposition and Brief

Blog 10: Proposition and Brief

By Laura McLean

 

Proposition

Project title: A name needs to be decide upon, it needs: distinctiveness, brevity, appropriateness, easy spelling and pronunciation, likability, extendibility and protect-ability.

Emergent Practice: Service innovation

Issue: Economic Security

Question:  How can I as a visual communicator shift the mindset of complacency in young people so that they understand what is currently happening in the global economy and how it relates to them, so that they can make more informed decisions, in order to achieve economic security?

The possible change: Create an understanding in young people about how their personal bubble connects to the giant bubble of the global economy. Change begins at the individual level, if change occurs in  the mindsets, values and attitudes of young individuals it will spread and slowly change their network then potentially the collective whole. This service innovation will connect with the values of self-respect, curiosity, helpfulness, responsibility, wealth, success and intelligence.

The design action to the support change: an app which collects information about the users “bubble” and global big picture to then create visualisations which are efficient in communicating complex information effectively to the user. There will insights and analytics from economists, economic news writers and other professionals which will then be translated into easy to comprehend interactive visualisations so that the user can understand how they connect to the bigger picture and how global events outside of their “bubble” effects them.

 

Brief 

Through the emergent practice of service innovation use visual communication design to contribute to change for 18-26 year olds in the issue area of economic security. Specifically to change the mindset of complacency in young people so that they understand what is currently happening in the global economy and how it relates to them, so that they can make more informed decisions in order to achieve economic security. This is to be done through the medium of an app, apps are interactive, almost always with the user, easily accessible and simple to update information on, this is why it is the idea platform to communicate with the target demographic . The app will take information from the user and get information/ data/ insights from economists, data analysts and the writers of economic news about the global economy. This will then be turned into simple, engaging and understandable visualisations which will be interactive to show four things: individual’s data, economic data and trends, how the big global events effect the individual and how the individual sits within the broader landscape. The visualisations will have strong metaphors to make it more engaging. Everything in the app will be customisable for the user and algorithms will learn what the user cares about therefore the information will become more tailored to the individual with time. It will track where the users money goes, how much to the sale assistant, how much to the company and how much the manufacture (approximately), so that they understand how they fit into the bigger picture. How detailed and tailored the app becomes will depend on how much the user puts in, there will be a guiding structure which will then evolve with the user.  This will educate the user, open their eyes to the bigger picture and give them an understanding of the economy so that they can make better more informed decisions in order to achieve economic security in their future. The outcome will be an app interface/ prototype as well as an accompanying advertisement to be created to explain to young people why they need this app. This will follow the structure: What is it? Why should I care? persuade and proof.

Blog Post 10 – Final Proposition & Brief

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 Blog Post 10 – Final Proposition and Brief

By Jacquie Halloran

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Proposition

At the crux of my design intent is to support change in the ‘misplaced patriotism’ consumers have developed towards claimed “100% Made In Australia” fresh fruit and vegetables. As uncovered over the duration of this research project, the 100% made in Australia label has been utilised by major league supermarkets such as Coles and Woolworths to mislead Australian consumers. It is the uncovered realisation that these ‘100% Made in Australia’ labels may actually in fact only mean that the fresh produce is packaged, rather than grown, in the country. Developing research came to expose the February 2015 health scare, whereby such mislabelling caused the contamination of Hepatitis A to just under a dozen consumers. It is such research that, has overtime, led my desire to orientate this project around shifting the industry’s treatment of consumers to that of citizens. How can I add value back into the relationship between the Country’s supermarket Industry and its driving force, the Australian citizen? In targeting such a broad entity of supermarket consumers, it is necessary to execute my project as a social / printed campaign to educate consumers on the origins of their ‘fresh’ fruit and vegetables. Although, therefore, this project does not culminate in the production of a design object or outcome that is usable by the audience, it does give them the knowledge to make their own decisions by building awareness and elevating their awareness of the value and power they hold in Australia’s food industry.

Brief

The following proposed brief serves a primary purpose to challenge convention through design. Entitled ‘The proof was in the imported pudding’, I am proposing a campaign whereby a variety of exposing visuals reveal the mislabelling issue in current Australian Supermarkets as the real and concerning security breach that it is. The following proposed visuals include – a hypothetical ‘made in Australia’ aisle that is essentially depleted, empty, and worn down, a series of infographic posters entitled “We’ll find it no matter where it is”, that reveal the honest percentage of fruit that is made in Australia (when claimed to be 100%), and the potential to explore a third outcome that encourages the purchasing of ‘ugly’ fruit and vegetables that are genuinely produced and grown in Australia. All collateral for this campaign will exist in a tight and easily identifiable design style so that no matter the interchangeable visuals, the connection between each will remain clear. It is my intent to have these visuals both in printed and digital forms so that it is accessible to all Australians. However, of most importance, is the situation of my project nearby supermarkets so that consumers can be readily aware before any immediate purchases.

Blog 9: Draft Proposition and Brief

Blog 9: Draft Proposition and Brief

By Laura McLean

 

Draft Proposition

Project title: EcVisApp

Emergent Practice: Service innovation

Issue: Economic Security

Question:  how can I as a visual communicator shift the mindset of complacency in young people so that they understand what is currently happening in the global economy and how it relates to them, so that they can make more informed decisions, in order to achieve economic security?

The possible change: Create an understanding in young people about how their personal bubble connects to the giant bubble of the global economy. Change begins at the individual level, if change occurs in  the mindsets, values and attitudes of young individuals it will spread and slowly change their network then potentially the collective whole.

The design action to the support change: an app which collects information about the users “bubble” and global big picture to then create visualisations which are efficient in communicating complex information effectively to the user. There will insights and analytics from economists, economic new writers and other professionals which will then be translated into easy to comprehend interactive visualisations so that the user can understand how they connect to the bigger picture and how global events outside of their “bubble” effects them.

 

Draft Brief 

Through the emergent practice of service innovation use visual communication design to contribute to change for 18-26 year olds in the issue area of economic security. Specifically to change the mindset of complacency in young people so that they understand what is currently happening in the global economy and how it relates to them, so that they can make more informed decisions in order to achieve economic security. This is to be done through the medium of an app, apps are interactive, almost always with the user, easily accessible and simple to update information on, this is why it is the idea platform to communicate with the target demographic . The app will take information from the user and get information/ data/ insights from economists, data analysts and the writers of economic news about the global economy. This will then be turned into simple, engaging and understandable visualisations which will be interactive to show four things: individual’s data, economic data and trends, how the big global events effect the individual and how the individual sits within the broader landscape. This will educate the user, open their eyes to the bigger picture and give them an understanding of the economy so that they can make better more informed decisions in order to achieve economic security in their future.

Draft Proposition and Brief

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 Blog Post 9 – Emergent Practice: The design action to support change

By Jacquie Halloran

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Draft Proposition

The aim of my design outcome for this project is to essentially provoke thought, confront, or as titled, support change in the food labelling industry. The packaging and labelling of food has undoubtedly become part of the consumer experience, with the actual physical touch or interface between consumer and product understood now as emotional consumption. Consumers have an almost blinding trust in what they see to be true, believing labels to provide the health intelligence of each product. However as has been realised over the past few weeks, this trust has bred a culture of sameness, whereby (in an Australian context) the supermarket is dosed in false promises, the most notable of these in current media, the ‘100% made in Australia’ label. Consumers have overtime therefore come to, as analysed through such a national context, develop a ‘misplaced patriotism’ when it comes to their purchases. Despite being exposed in a recent hepatitis A scare earlier in February this year, the majority of the Australian public have still agreed to the printing of the still ambiguous ‘50% or less’ or ‘50% or more’ made in Australia labels. What does this achieve for the health conscious consumer? What does this achieve for creating greater transparency between consumer, product, and origin? The answer is sadly still that consumers are driving, or rather allowing, this ‘culture of sameness’ that leaves one uninformed and in the dark when it comes to the origins of their food.

Although not the instigators of this mislabelling issue, it is clear that consumers and their willingness to be mislead by major food companies and the government have essentially bread this breach in food security. As the majority market that supports this billion-dollar industry, my design proposition seeks (as previously discussed) to provoke, confront and activate the average consumer into wanting greater awareness, and information, about the origins of their daily food purchases. It is a design action to support change.

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Draft Brief

To achieve such provocation, I therefore propose to re-purpose local and imported food as a consumer confrontational piece. As such, my outcome will act more as an instillation, rather than a object or design that can be used. The reason for this is that the ultimate goal will be to bring greater awareness to consumers how little choice we actually have regarding food sources.

To achieve such provocation, I therefore propose to re-purpose local and imported food as a consumer confrontational piece. As such, my outcome will act more as an instillation, rather than a object or design that can be used. The reason for this is that the ultimate goal will be to bring greater awareness to consumers how little choice we actually have regarding food sources.

The realisation of this aim is still in rough frameworks, however there is certainty in a final physical form. I desire to either manipulate food packaging, or food itself, so as to create ambiguity, confusion or even concern in a consumer’s eyes. This may be achieved by: painting familiar products or produce in one colour, making their identity / freshness ambiguous, removing all labels from one food type so that similarly the brand, labels, information are removed and the consumer is as much as in the dark about the origin as they would be even with such information, or creating a hypothetical ‘made in Australia’ aisle where the shelves are essentially depleted and empty. These ideas are currently still at draft stage but it can be seen of a commonality in wanting to firstly intrigue an audience, followed by confusion and provocation.  In saying this, there is a second aim in my design realisation in that it is to evoke an emotive response from the audience. On an emotional level, the audience will be able to re-assess their nonchalance with supermarket manipulation. There is also intent to bring the developing idea of ‘supermarket patriotism’ and creating play with the common, yet untrue label of ‘100% made in Australia’. By manipulating real and existing objects, the medium chosen to express my outcome will most likely be photography, as a medium able to best mimic reality.

In manipulating familiar / recognised labels, foods and packaging to resemble opposite truths, I ultimately hope to challenge common convention that consumers have all the information and knowledge about their produce in the palm of their hands. By exposing such, I hope to create greater understanding, but more importantly, create a reason for consumers to care about their produce to such a level that they may be able to, (by power in numbers) create social change and break this ‘culture of sameness’ of labeling in local supermarkets.

In manipulating familiar / recognised labels, foods and packaging to resemble opposite truths, I ultimately hope to challenge common convention that consumers have all the information and knowledge about their produce in the palm of their hands. By exposing such, I hope to create greater understanding, but more importantly, create a reason for consumers to care about their produce to such a level that they may be able to, (by power in numbers) create social change and break this ‘culture of sameness’ of labelling in local supermarkets.

Draft Design Proposition

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 Blog Post 9 – Draft Proposition & Brief

By Jade Grayson

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Draft Proposition
I have chosen to pursue a social action avenue for the realisation of my design concept. This is primarily because I want to disrupt the current understanding of data collection and expose this issue in a way that the public can actively participate. The issue that I am addressing is the lack of transparency present in the exchange between users of the Internet and companies collecting the data. Moreover how and why their data is collected. Currently there is little understanding around this issue, and through my research I have established that users are often confronted with a sense of confusion, and this makes them feel like they are in the dark. I want to bring about change in the way that this relationship is constructed. I aim to make users feel a sense of assurance through increased transparency and understanding. In creating clarity in this exchange, I hope to bring about awareness so that ultimately users feel that they are in control of their sharing online. The design action I will implement in order to support this change is largely connected to the emotional side of this fundamentally one-sided exchange of information. I intend to exploit the fear and confusion of Internet users and then use this attention to increase their interest in how and why their data is collected.

Draft Brief
The way in which I intend to realise my proposition lies predominately in the digital landscape. I will possibly draw upon mobile media to bring about a sense of fear and give shock value. Alternatively I will use public spaces e.g. digital billboards to convey a way privacy can be violated, based on existing available data, or the type of information companies would have on an individual. By putting this personal information in a new context, I hope that users will have an increased interest in the issue and reconsider the perspective that ‘no-one cares about my personal information’. I then intend to harness this interest and demonstrate privacy laws in a visually simple way so that there is an increase in understanding. As this issue exists in the online digital sphere, I will use this as my platform for communication. I want to increase transparency and simplify information around the issue of online privacy so that people feel a sense of awareness of why and how their data is collected. I feel that by generating an element of shock, not by violating any exiting laws or restrictions, just using personal data in the way companies are known to use it, individuals will feel an eagerness for education and understanding. I want to compliment this element of fear with a way to assist their understanding. In an engaging and simple way, perhaps through an app, I want people to have access to clear facts. I may not be able to change privacy laws but I aim to open up the relationship and transparency between users and online data collection companies.

Reflecting & Directing Brainstorm Developments

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 Blog Post 8 – Reflecting & Directing findings from the brainstorm

By Jacquie Halloran

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After my brainstorming session and following reflection, I have found myself particularly interested in this idea of ‘misplaced patriotism’ or rather as I informally phrased it in my previous blog, ‘supermarket patriotism’. Although discovered that the ‘Made in Australia’ label has, overtime, become further from that reality, perhaps it is not the government that needs provoking, but rather the nonchalance of the Australian consumer. Broadly, in pairing two stereotypical Australian stereotypes of ‘rooting for the underdog’, but also contrastingly the notion of a ‘lazy’ lifestyle/ country/ population, it could be concluded that this particular issue of food security and mislabelling is in effect a product of our own culture. How might placing the blame back into the public hand provoke greater awareness of this breach in food security and rouse greater attention to consumer food choices?

This development got me thinking of design as rather than a product, but a public service announcement or scenario that is embedded into the ‘housing’ of this issue, the local Australian supermarket. Once jokingly suggested in my interview of an ‘Australian made’ aisle, perhaps there is potential to explore an exhibitionist piece whereby audiences / consumers could interact in an isle with a realistic (and confronting) placement of the actual 100% made in Australia products. Such an empty isle as juxtaposed against the often overflowing shelves of a supermarket could potentially be enough to tap in emotionally with the mindset of the consumer, more aware of their blind mistrust in a label that once did reflect the honesty of the Australian food industry.

100% Made In Australia Isle – The Reality

Another design proposition that I had begun to consider was also the potential to wrap / package all foods so that their actual contents and origin was unknown. This again could act as a metaphor to the ‘blinding trust’ Australian consumers have with their produce and how such has led to a breach in food security.

Uncertain Food Labelling – A Potential Design Outcome

Although these ideas are still quite rough, I have found some direction in the sense that my designed outcome will most likely end up acting as a socially exposing piece/instillation rather than an actual object or service to be implemented.

Design Actions & Possibilities

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 Blog Post 8 – Reflecting & Directing findings from the brainstorm

By Jade Grayson

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Examining my issue further, I have determined that social action is the way in which I intend to conceive my concept. I want to generate a response in exposing and tackling my issue in a particular area, something that was identified as being explicitly linked to social action earlier in the semester. A key notion I verified through my design probe was that the way in which privacy content is presented is confusing to the user.

In generating design possibilities for my project I have selected my main intention and design question “how might anyone who uses the Internet increase their awareness of how and why their data is collected so that they feel as sense of assurance and clarity” I feel that there are two main components that I need to address in my social action. Firstly I need to create awareness, and I intend to do this through the exploitation of their fear around the issue. This will show that there is a lack of transparency and understanding, ultimately increasing desire for understanding as well as interest into how and why their data is collected. I want to then harness this interest in order to create clarity, bring about awareness, and to achieve assurance in the public.

In order to achieve this I have developed some design actions that I can use as a starting point. Ultimately I want to emphasise an existing issue in order to inspire a change in perspective.

Exploiting Fear	Inspiring Action
I am intrigued by the idea of making what is already available – Public. Using existing ‘free’ data in new context Individuals receiving personal information on their devices Need to identify biggest fear for users – is it location based, access to emails/messages, predictions	Presenting information in a way that isn’t as confusing Creating a visual way for people to understand terms and conditions

Blog 8: Reflecting and Directing the findings from the Brainstorm

Blog 8: Reflecting and Directing the findings from the Brainstorm

By Laura McLean

 

“Our love of problems runs deeper than just the joy of complaint being right or escape from responsibility. The core beliefs from which we operate is that an alternative or better future can be accomplished by more problem solving. We believe that defining, analyzing and studying problems is the way to make a better world. It’s the dominate mind-set of Western culture. This context – that life is a set of problems to be solved- may actually limit any chance of the future being different from the past.” This quote from Peter Block’s Community: The Structure of Belonging enlightened me and caused me to stop and think about how to approach design actions and possibilities to cause change within the issue of economic security. My aim is not going to “solve” the “problems” surrounding young people and their lack of understanding about the economy and their future security, but rather create design possibilities which shift the mind-set, thinking and understanding around the issue. This in turn will allow young people to be more aware, hence make better decision which in turn will improve their economic security. “Collective change occurs when individuals and small diverse groups engage one another in the presence of many others doing the same… This is the value of a network, or even a network of networks, which is todays version of a social movement.” The economy is a giant network of networks of transactions, which means everything is linked, so starting really small will in turn ideally make a difference on the larger scale as well.

Some of the initial ideas on design possibilities include:

– a short video which explains the chain of how things that are typically understood as economic stuff on the news effects young people’s daily lives, i.e.. crude oil to price of fuel

– a data visualisation of figures in recent news articles displayed in a relatable way for young people

– interactive ‘game’ which shows the cycles in the economy

– app that translates economic news headlines into relatable quick, fun, interactive visualisations

– a multi media webpage which takes the other ideas and puts it all together

– an app that looks at your spending habits and tells you how much of a house you could have bought for that