GPS: Tracking Love

Project One is part of a larger continuum of "alternative" portraiture that was seen in such projects as The Text Wall, Doormat with Attitude and The Telescope. After collecting and synthesizing this data, it is my intention to design an object reflective of this couple and their relationship.

As a designer, it is important to ask "What does it mean to design an artifact you can live with?" Moreover, how can my design be updatable, add something to new to the conversation, and expressed in both an internal and externalized way?

While these questions reflect broad generalizations, they nonetheless are reflective of the synthesis stage of the design process. Pictured above is a rough draft of the book.

While the first project will create a design object, the second provides a more speculative approach towards GPS. Using data from the first case study as well as more in-depth look at the affordances of the GPS technology, this project offers scenarios on building a smarter, more personalized GPS system.

The first step in imaging a "new" GPS system is to understand the affordances of the medium. For example, GPS provides a variety of information including but not limited to directions, location, speed and total mileage.

One strategy is to link inversely about these affordances and create a device that does the exact opposite. For example, if a GPS gives you directions, what are the advantages (if any) for advice that got you lost. By thinking in extremes may produces a more interesting "gray" area that may propel design innovations.

It is also important to examine the language specific to GPS systems. For example, a GPS Tracker is heavily associated with surveillance (although this is only one of its functions. Instead, is it possible to create a Romance Enhancer? A silly example, but it nonetheless underscores the importance of understanding the unique affordances of both the technology and its language in developing innovative solutions.

When creating innovative design, I believe it is important to consider the historic and cultural metaphors of previous desing. For example, if I am designing an object that adds something to new to the conversation in the bedroom, I should be aware of such metaphors as "pillow talk" and those conversations that take place "under the covers."

This duality of under and above, outside and inside, micro and macro reflect the larger themes that emerged in this study. The include but are not limited to:

False Summits: What is that place that you think you are home, but you know that the journey is actually quite longer? What are those experiences in your own life?

Off the Map: What are those places that are not definable physically?

Drawing the Line: Where are the lines of communication drawn? When does calling someone you love become annoying. How do you define your personal space in a city.

Money under the Mattress: The joy of discovering surprise.

Turnaround Point: At what point are you willing to make a sacrifice (time, money, physical health) to repeat (something)?

Imagine, if you will, that the above picture exists. In this scenario, you could send text messages to your pillow or under the covers. Your GPS Tracking device would be connected to your blanket, updating your path in real-time.