Remediating Interaction

The concept of interaction is foundational in technology interface design with its presuppositions being taken for granted. But the interaction metaphor has become ambiguous to the extent that its application to interface design contributes to misalignments between peoples' expected and actual experience with computer-enhanced actions. This chapter re-examines the presuppositions governing human-computer interaction with the motivation of strengthening weaknesses in their foundational concepts, and contributing a theoretical framework to designing for artistic as well as mundane experience. It argues for abandoning the interaction metaphor to refocus design discourse toward the intermediation and mediation roles of technology interfaces. Remediation (i.e., representation of one medium in another) is proposed as a conceptual model that more precisely describes the human-to-computer actions.

A Collective Consciousness Model in a Post-Media Society

During the twentieth century, the modern media was born and viewed as an industrial factory-model machine. These powerful media such as film, radio, and television transmitted culture to the passive masses. These art forms were divorced of ritual and authenticity and were reproduced to reinforce their prowess. In the twenty-first century post-media condition, a process of convergence and evolution toward a social consciousness, facilitated by a many-to-many social network strategy, is underway. Web 2.0 technologies are a catalyst toward an emergence of a collectivist aesthetic consciousness. As the prophecy of a post-industrial society becomes fulfilled, a post-media society emerges whose quest is for knowledge dependent upon economy that barters information. This chapter identifies a conceptual model of this recent paradigmatic shift and to identify some of the possibilities that are emerging.

Mobile Learning

As a consequence of the technological advances and the widespread use of mobile devices to access information and communication in the last decades, mobile learning has become a spontaneous learning model, providing a more flexible and collaborative technology-based learning. Thus, mobile technologies can create new opportunities for enhancing the pupils' learning experiences. This chapter presents the development of a game to assist teaching and learning, aiming to help students acquire knowledge in the field of geometry. The game was intended to develop the following competences in primary school learners (8-10 years): a better visualization of geometric objects on a plane and in space; understanding of the properties of geometric solids; and familiarization with the vocabulary of geometry. Findings show that by using the game, students have improved around 35% the hits of correct responses to the classification and differentiation between edge, vertex, and face in 3D solids.

Rapid Product Development and Application in Ceramics Production

This chapter practically investigates how rapid prototyping technology can be effectively adopted to enhance ceramics production. The researcher used an experimental approach that analysed the conventional methods used in ceramics production and then introduced computer-aided design tools (CAD) and rapid prototyping technology into the development process. After that, four ceramic products were developed to test the viability of the rapid production process. Finally, the process was evaluated and compared to the conventional methods. The findings revealed that the introduction of CAD and rapid prototyping technology into the development process reduces the development time and also helps to ensure the accuracy of the prototypes produced. Besides, visualising and validating the design digitally (CAD models) also helps to identify possible faults at the early stage of the development process. Therefore, the ideas explored in this chapter will give insight to ceramics designers and artisans on how they can effectively eliminate bottlenecks in the production process.

Experiencing Commercial Videos for Online Shopping

Although online shopping has become a popular and convenient instrument for companies to buy and sell products, the design of these web-shops does not always offer the rich multisensory experiences that physical retailing offers. In the chapter, the authors argue that introducing audio-visual contents in the design could provide dynamic multisensory information to offer more engaging experiences to the consumer. Despite existing controversies regarding universalism of the emotional experiences induced by perceptual processes, the authors present evidence that suggests cultural modulations of videos experiences. Spanish and Finnish participants interacted with audiovisual products depicting videos of a culturally loaded brand design. Content analysis of participants' verbalizations helped to identify categories and subcategories that defined the representation of the video elements and their relative weight depending on the cultural background of the viewer. Although results indicate common elements affecting viewers of the two countries, they differ in the relative weight to global aesthetics features.

Experience-Centred Design and the Role of Computer-Aided Tools in the Creative Process

In this chapter, the author examines the levels of a cognitive process (visceral, behavioural, and reflection design) in experience-centred design and their applicability in developing effective products. The study further explores the role of computer-aided tools (CAD) in engaging users as the fundamental participants in the creative process. This was achieved by developing two products digitally (CAD models) based on Norman's three design levels, and evaluated using a semantic differential scale to test the emotive response towards the designs. The findings show that CAD is a viable tool for gaining insight into users' perceptions towards a design idea. Also, the results revealed that the process of supporting or sustaining cultural values through design also enhances the affective quality (reflective level) of the design.

On the Transformation of Social Movements

As social entities, people could come together and create regular relations and institutions. Concepts such as group, community, society, social movement, etc. are about the social dimension of man. However, according to the conditions of the social, political, religious, and physical environment in which the person lives, their needs and problems can change. As a natural consequence of this, social characteristics of social movements can change. It is inevitable to value new social movements in this respect. Because new social movements in the West are born from a critical intellectual atmosphere against modernity. This situation has developed in an economic system based on the service sector rather than economic-order-based on heavy industry. On the other hand, the Eastern world, especially the Islamic world, has a repertoire of social movements that brings different problems to the agenda because it has different conditions. In this respect, new observations and analyses of Turkey and its surrounding will provide important contributions to the theory of social movements.

Culture Industry

This chapter examines some of the ideas that Theodor Adorno elucidated around the term culture industry, compiling mainly the ideas published in the text Aesthetic Theory of 1970. The term culture industry is also contextualized in the chapter with the reflections that Adorno previously exposed in 1947. A dialog is created with the proposal of the North American theoretician and artist Martha Rosler to understand the chronological development of art before, during, and after Adorno. Regarding the relation between art and autonomy, the ideas of Adorno offer elements to understand contemporary art production. This way, the author also discusses contemporary new media art manifestations, which are analyzed in key terms such as autonomy/culture industry in relation to the proposals of the Brazilian theoretician Arlindo Machado. Lastly, the chapter offers an approach to the artistic institution analyzing the museum in relation with Adorno's ideas.

Soundscaping

In this chapter, the author presents how he developed different processes for collectively producing a series explorative soundscapes through interface creation and mechanical artifacts using specific constraints influenced by theories of art, design, and architecture. He shows how he worked with a design methodology that brought together an editor and the final expression of the artwork into one surface of interaction and execution using a virtual cityscape as an iterative ground for sound and music explorations, and gives some examples of different prototypes and iterations. The author also discusses how he tweaked/iterated with the parameters of the framework, the sounds, and the final visual expression to match his artistic intention, and finally to bring some noise.

A Vitruvian-Inspired Theoretical Framework for Architecture in Virtual Worlds

Virtual worlds are an environment for the realization of multiple social activities ranging from entertainment to education, economics, or even medicine. Such activities require virtual spaces and buildings for their development and are inhabited by avatars that stand in place of the user. The architecture of these virtual buildings is, for the most part, a replica of architecture in the real world, and yet the realm of the virtual is replete with opportunities to develop novel and imaginative forms of buildings. It is possible to better meet the requirements and needs of the users if they use formulas adapted to the potentialities of this world of information. In this emerging field of architectural design, there is still no theoretical framework that can guide the creators of virtual buildings. For this reason, the authors propose a possible starting point as it was done in classical times with the real-world architecture, following the example of Vitruvian triad, firmitas, utilitas venustas, which is complemented by the virtual and exclusive domain of virtual architecture.