reflections
Platforms such as blogs, wikipedia, and online social networks that change the way people connect and share information are often built by programmers. It is rare to see a media designer using these platforms as opportunities to explore communication design. Designers may not be able to transform into coders smoothly, but they should be able to envision and advance these platforms to other levels which are not new to designers. In one of her talks, Lisa Krohn reviewed how designers advanced the use of machines in the Industrial Revolution to benefit everyday life. Krohn’s project, Manual Fax, transformed a fax machine into an object connecting personal thoughts in form of handwriting and drawings as well as transmitting data. Another more recent project, The Daily Monster, used a blog to invite its readers contribute stories for a monster created by the designer, Stefan G. Bucher. The outcome of this activity became a book that was co-created through the interaction. The designer used the blog to create a process combines. As Thackara suggests in his book, In the Bubble — Designing in a Complex World, designers are not designing a typical form of design but a framework, blueprint and interaction that aims beyond just consuming products.(5) In similar fashion, Shuffle Space presents a new genre of communication among location-based cultural groups.
To change the way people connect, designers must participate and start to experiment. The barrier of technology should not intimidate designers. It is a lack of patience or courage to take risks that limits an understanding of the changing nature of the mediascape. Moreover, visual presentation should not be the only contribution a designer makes. It is necessary to practice various roles to enrich this emerging design. A Shuffle Space project can be used as a research probe for revealing voices in a local community, as well as a creative leap for interactive products or spaces.