Proceedings of the 2021 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 2021
In recent years, Sustainable HCI researchers have begun to investigate “noticing” as a design res... more In recent years, Sustainable HCI researchers have begun to investigate “noticing” as a design research method useful in efforts to decenter the human in design. Through an autoethnographic bird watching practice combining field observation, journaling, and making practices, we examine how noticing affects us and our way of relating to birds. We found that bird watching surfaces a feeling of abjection, or a simultaneous repulsion and fascination with a part of oneself one rejects in pursuit of personal growth. Along the way, we honed a practice of attunement through deep listening and field recording, which enabled immersive "ecological" experiences. We offer (1) an account of our method and process, (2) the framework of abjection as an approach to designing amongst the complexity of human/non-human interaction, and (3) reflections on how to design for ecological thinking in the push towards a posthuman design.
Online film, game, and book review sites typically feature two types of evaluation: user reviews ... more Online film, game, and book review sites typically feature two types of evaluation: user reviews and professional critic reviews. In this essay, we consider the differences between these two evaluations, that is, considering what user reviews give us that critics do not, and vice-versa. We observe that the same distinction appears to apply to HCI and interaction design, yet as a field we tend to emphasize only one of them: the experiences of relevant users. We propose that HCI and design would benefit from more professional criticism. We outline the purposes and qualities of criticism in the arts and humanities. We argue that as HCI and design emphasizes the ways that design artifacts embody or bear knowledge, it will benefit from a practice of criticism to explicate that knowledge. We develop these ideas through an analysis of a design, the Formoonsa Cup, which is a functional menstrual product and also a form of design activism. We offer a theory of the Formoonsa Cup, which exemplifies a role of theory in the humanities, that is, as a theory of a particular, rather than a more general phenomenon. And we conclude by showing how many theories of works would, over time, benefit HCI’s repertoire.
Proceedings of the 6th Nordic Conference on Human-Computer Interaction: Extending Boundaries, 2010
As virtual worlds evolve, so does the visual language of avatars inside them. In Second Life, an ... more As virtual worlds evolve, so does the visual language of avatars inside them. In Second Life, an emergent virtual fashion industry supports amateur fashion/avatar design. This fashion industry includes both emergent (i.e., user-created) social institutions as well as a network of technologies, including Second Life's virtual environment itself, which support a sophisticated fusion of technical and cultural practices. This paper
ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction, 2015
We examine the recent move from a rhetoric of “users” toward one of “makers,” “crafters,” and “ha... more We examine the recent move from a rhetoric of “users” toward one of “makers,” “crafters,” and “hackers” within HCI discourse. Through our analysis, we make several contributions. First, we provide a general overview of the structure and common framings within research on makers. We discuss how these statements reconfigure themes of empowerment and progress that have been central to HCI rhetoric since the field's inception. In the latter part of the article, we discuss the consequences of these shifts for contemporary research problems. In particular, we explore the problem of designed obsolescence, a core issue for Sustainable Interaction Design (SID) research. We show how the framing of the maker, as an empowered subject, presents certain opportunities and limitations for this research discourse. Finally, we offer alternative framings of empowerment that can expand maker discourse and its use in contemporary research problems such as SID.
Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 2013
ABSTRACT In this paper, we look at the prominent World of Warcraft machinima community as an expe... more ABSTRACT In this paper, we look at the prominent World of Warcraft machinima community as an expert amateur online com-munity and present a multi-part study of a canon of the most successful works (i.e., machinima videos) produced by this community. By focusing our study on its roughly 300 most successful examples, the determination of which we explain in the paper, we are able to highlight the evolv-ing visual practices, tools, and aesthetic sensibilities of the community. Chiefly, our study identifies how creativity support tools and visual practices are inextricably linked and mutually support the in-kind development of the other. For WoW machinima and its producers, the affordance of creativity tools and the cultivation of visual skill synced at key moments and in powerful ways to support the rapid growth, experimentation, and refinement of amateur exper-tise at the individual and community levels.
Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 2014
ABSTRACT Critical Design has emerged as an important concept in HCI research and practice. Yet re... more ABSTRACT Critical Design has emerged as an important concept in HCI research and practice. Yet researchers have noted that its uptake has been limited by certain lacks of intellectual infrastructure theories, methodologies, canons and exemplars, and a community of practice. We argue that one way to create this infrastructure is to cultivate a community adept at reading that is, critically interpreting and making reasoned judgments about critical designs. We propose an approach to developing close readings of critical designs, which are both evidence-based and carefully reasoned. The approach highlights analytical units of analysis, the relevance of design languages and social norms, and the analytical contemplation of critical aspects of a design. It is intended to be relatively easy to learn, to try out, and to teach, in the hopes of inviting more members of the HCI community to engage in this practice. We exemplify the approach with readings of two critical designs and reflect on different ways that a design might serve a critical purpose or offer a critical argument about design, society, and the future.
Proceedings of the 7th Nordic Conference on Human-Computer Interaction: Making Sense Through Design, 2012
ABSTRACT This work builds upon recent work investigating erotic life and HCI, taking seriously th... more ABSTRACT This work builds upon recent work investigating erotic life and HCI, taking seriously the influences of interaction design on our sexual wellbeing. In the present work, we critically analyze the ways that system design choices and emergent social behavior constitute an erotic social media platform and its concomitant expressions of desire. The site is called I Just Made Love, and it is used to share people's "love making" experience with others. We draw from continental cultural theory to analyze how the system and its users form arrangements of agency, which in turn lead to particular configurations of performed sexual desire. Based on our analysis, we argue that technosexuality is not just about using technology to fulfill an existing desire, but rather that novel forms of sexual desire come into practice because of particular constellations of design choices and social behaviors.
Executive Summary In-game advertising (IGA) refers to the use of computers, the Internet, and vid... more Executive Summary In-game advertising (IGA) refers to the use of computers, the Internet, and video games as a medium for the delivery of advertising materials. IGA is one of the fastest growing forms of advertising in terms of yearly spending and anticipated growth. PriceWaterhouseCoopers estimates total spending on in-game advertising to reach $1 billion by 2010. The increasing popularity of in-game advertising can largely be attributed to both the increasing popularity of video games in general and the desire to reclaim the 18- ...
Abstract: This guide is designed to help school communities make good choices about early literac... more Abstract: This guide is designed to help school communities make good choices about early literacy intervention. The guide distinguishes between" reading"(a process of learning to decode and comprehend texts) and a broader concept of" literacy" that includes understanding of the value of language and reading (emergent literacy), the ability to write making proper use of the English language (composition), and the ability to read for understanding across topics (critical literacy). Part I provides an overview of different types ...
Proceedings of the 2021 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 2021
In recent years, Sustainable HCI researchers have begun to investigate “noticing” as a design res... more In recent years, Sustainable HCI researchers have begun to investigate “noticing” as a design research method useful in efforts to decenter the human in design. Through an autoethnographic bird watching practice combining field observation, journaling, and making practices, we examine how noticing affects us and our way of relating to birds. We found that bird watching surfaces a feeling of abjection, or a simultaneous repulsion and fascination with a part of oneself one rejects in pursuit of personal growth. Along the way, we honed a practice of attunement through deep listening and field recording, which enabled immersive "ecological" experiences. We offer (1) an account of our method and process, (2) the framework of abjection as an approach to designing amongst the complexity of human/non-human interaction, and (3) reflections on how to design for ecological thinking in the push towards a posthuman design.
Online film, game, and book review sites typically feature two types of evaluation: user reviews ... more Online film, game, and book review sites typically feature two types of evaluation: user reviews and professional critic reviews. In this essay, we consider the differences between these two evaluations, that is, considering what user reviews give us that critics do not, and vice-versa. We observe that the same distinction appears to apply to HCI and interaction design, yet as a field we tend to emphasize only one of them: the experiences of relevant users. We propose that HCI and design would benefit from more professional criticism. We outline the purposes and qualities of criticism in the arts and humanities. We argue that as HCI and design emphasizes the ways that design artifacts embody or bear knowledge, it will benefit from a practice of criticism to explicate that knowledge. We develop these ideas through an analysis of a design, the Formoonsa Cup, which is a functional menstrual product and also a form of design activism. We offer a theory of the Formoonsa Cup, which exemplifies a role of theory in the humanities, that is, as a theory of a particular, rather than a more general phenomenon. And we conclude by showing how many theories of works would, over time, benefit HCI’s repertoire.
Proceedings of the 6th Nordic Conference on Human-Computer Interaction: Extending Boundaries, 2010
As virtual worlds evolve, so does the visual language of avatars inside them. In Second Life, an ... more As virtual worlds evolve, so does the visual language of avatars inside them. In Second Life, an emergent virtual fashion industry supports amateur fashion/avatar design. This fashion industry includes both emergent (i.e., user-created) social institutions as well as a network of technologies, including Second Life's virtual environment itself, which support a sophisticated fusion of technical and cultural practices. This paper
ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction, 2015
We examine the recent move from a rhetoric of “users” toward one of “makers,” “crafters,” and “ha... more We examine the recent move from a rhetoric of “users” toward one of “makers,” “crafters,” and “hackers” within HCI discourse. Through our analysis, we make several contributions. First, we provide a general overview of the structure and common framings within research on makers. We discuss how these statements reconfigure themes of empowerment and progress that have been central to HCI rhetoric since the field's inception. In the latter part of the article, we discuss the consequences of these shifts for contemporary research problems. In particular, we explore the problem of designed obsolescence, a core issue for Sustainable Interaction Design (SID) research. We show how the framing of the maker, as an empowered subject, presents certain opportunities and limitations for this research discourse. Finally, we offer alternative framings of empowerment that can expand maker discourse and its use in contemporary research problems such as SID.
Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 2013
ABSTRACT In this paper, we look at the prominent World of Warcraft machinima community as an expe... more ABSTRACT In this paper, we look at the prominent World of Warcraft machinima community as an expert amateur online com-munity and present a multi-part study of a canon of the most successful works (i.e., machinima videos) produced by this community. By focusing our study on its roughly 300 most successful examples, the determination of which we explain in the paper, we are able to highlight the evolv-ing visual practices, tools, and aesthetic sensibilities of the community. Chiefly, our study identifies how creativity support tools and visual practices are inextricably linked and mutually support the in-kind development of the other. For WoW machinima and its producers, the affordance of creativity tools and the cultivation of visual skill synced at key moments and in powerful ways to support the rapid growth, experimentation, and refinement of amateur exper-tise at the individual and community levels.
Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 2014
ABSTRACT Critical Design has emerged as an important concept in HCI research and practice. Yet re... more ABSTRACT Critical Design has emerged as an important concept in HCI research and practice. Yet researchers have noted that its uptake has been limited by certain lacks of intellectual infrastructure theories, methodologies, canons and exemplars, and a community of practice. We argue that one way to create this infrastructure is to cultivate a community adept at reading that is, critically interpreting and making reasoned judgments about critical designs. We propose an approach to developing close readings of critical designs, which are both evidence-based and carefully reasoned. The approach highlights analytical units of analysis, the relevance of design languages and social norms, and the analytical contemplation of critical aspects of a design. It is intended to be relatively easy to learn, to try out, and to teach, in the hopes of inviting more members of the HCI community to engage in this practice. We exemplify the approach with readings of two critical designs and reflect on different ways that a design might serve a critical purpose or offer a critical argument about design, society, and the future.
Proceedings of the 7th Nordic Conference on Human-Computer Interaction: Making Sense Through Design, 2012
ABSTRACT This work builds upon recent work investigating erotic life and HCI, taking seriously th... more ABSTRACT This work builds upon recent work investigating erotic life and HCI, taking seriously the influences of interaction design on our sexual wellbeing. In the present work, we critically analyze the ways that system design choices and emergent social behavior constitute an erotic social media platform and its concomitant expressions of desire. The site is called I Just Made Love, and it is used to share people's "love making" experience with others. We draw from continental cultural theory to analyze how the system and its users form arrangements of agency, which in turn lead to particular configurations of performed sexual desire. Based on our analysis, we argue that technosexuality is not just about using technology to fulfill an existing desire, but rather that novel forms of sexual desire come into practice because of particular constellations of design choices and social behaviors.
Executive Summary In-game advertising (IGA) refers to the use of computers, the Internet, and vid... more Executive Summary In-game advertising (IGA) refers to the use of computers, the Internet, and video games as a medium for the delivery of advertising materials. IGA is one of the fastest growing forms of advertising in terms of yearly spending and anticipated growth. PriceWaterhouseCoopers estimates total spending on in-game advertising to reach $1 billion by 2010. The increasing popularity of in-game advertising can largely be attributed to both the increasing popularity of video games in general and the desire to reclaim the 18- ...
Abstract: This guide is designed to help school communities make good choices about early literac... more Abstract: This guide is designed to help school communities make good choices about early literacy intervention. The guide distinguishes between" reading"(a process of learning to decode and comprehend texts) and a broader concept of" literacy" that includes understanding of the value of language and reading (emergent literacy), the ability to write making proper use of the English language (composition), and the ability to read for understanding across topics (critical literacy). Part I provides an overview of different types ...
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Papers by Jeffrey Bardzell