Amended Brief. Memory: Hiding In Plain Sight

This brief has been edited to incorporate the emerging concept of memory and objects. Initial understanding of memory has been developed through academic research (Memory in the real world, cognitive psychology). Insight into current developments into interventions and the incorporation of new technologies has been incoporated as have references to academic text.

Memory: Hiding In Plain Sight

Project Deadline: 17 December

Context:

This project is an exploration of the unnoticed and the overlooked within the process of human interaction with objects. Human memory is a complex system, with massive loss occurring on a daily basis. Some of this information may form an invaluable insight into things such as personal understanding and development, but it is lost. Sharing and communicating this information with the individual themselves or others forms a critical part of this brief.

 Designers are often devising ways to ‘notice the unnoticed’ through techniques such as data mining via the quantified self to see how interventions can be created to enrich understanding of both their own and other people’s lives. This project challenges me to gain a solid academic understanding of how human memory works which is related to every aspect of design; from the design of new interfaces for maximum acceptance to the development of timesaving tools. This project will require the development of existing research techniques and the incorporation of existing psychology techniques into the investigation.

Developing technological understanding to cope with potential informational streams is massively important during the course of this project, as is an appreciation for how to analyse and represent these effectively. Time should be allocated to understand and develop skills within related technologies that emerge throughout the course of the research process, even for experimentation purposes.

Insight:

Memory is a critical process which guides people through their lives, and it is important in determining how individuals interact with the world and each-other. Of particular interest within this project is the way in which we retain information through contact with objects and conversely an examination of what and why we lose information.  There are a group of designers who explore the concept of ‘the quantified self’ who form design interventions based on data collected about themselves and others. Vast arrays of successful interventions have been developed through this process. Attention or analysis is often drawn to information that is overlooked, forgotten or ignored, but the ‘why’ has not been  examined within a design context. Designers who engage with the concept of the ‘quantified self’ collect and collate data streams for various purposes.  What is special about the concept is that even non-designers can get involved i.e. ‘Curetogether’ which is a quantification of the effectiveness of various medical treatments. ‘Pachube’ is one example of mass data collection where anyone can contribute to or use the API to form their own software and often hardware.

The first part of this project is to gain a deep academic understanding of cognitive psychology theory, in particular that of memory. The next stage is to investigate different ways that individuals lose information, what this information is, how it affects them and how it could affect them if it wasn’t lost. It is also of interest to investigate how and what information is saved and what they use it for. Memory that the individual might not notice is being received/retained/accessed (subliminal) through objects is also of interest. What is and could be learnt from the memory hidden in objects, and how it can be extracted and used? The final stage is to be determine a mediating lens within memory in relation to objects, develop a community (whether this is existant or currently non-existent) and starting to work towards an intervention.

Everyone will be regarded as potential test subjects; whether they are aware or unaware participators. An example of this could be the introduction of an object into a space to test the acceptance of it. Creating parallels between subjects, observing parallels and commonalities is extremely important. Perception and recognition also plays a part and will be investigated through the course of the research.

Objectives:

Understand memory in relation to objects then break it down into critical areas of interest. To then research, design and test an intervention. A part of this is to also develop research techniques, analytical skills and technical skills. Researching and implementing techniques from academics i.e. ‘verbal protocols’-Gillian Cohen ‘Memory in the real world’ or ‘self reports’. Appreciation of criticism for various techniques i.e. that verbal protocol can potentially slow/change processes and the validity of them is extremely important. This project will examine user’s engagement with objects and spaces around them and to how they interact with their environment. A community or spatial area will be identified in the course of this project, once parallels between individuals have been established. Understanding the importance of the individual is just as important as understanding the community as a whole, and respecting their differences. A wide range of different people will be engaged with during the course of this project.

Reading:

Cognitive Psychology: Christopher C. French & Andres M. Colman. Chapter 1: Memory

Memory in the Real World: Gillian Cohen.

Cognitive Psychology; Mind and Brain: E. Smith & S. Kosslyn

Interface Fantasy-A Lacanian Cyborg Ontology: Andre Nusselder

Cognition and reality: Principles and implications of cognitive psychology.

Further Reading:

 A cognitive psychology of mass communication - RJC Harris