Images and reporting by Ciara Taylor
There was much conversation about tools for design researchers during the first day of talks at the Design Research Conference, held at the Spertus Institute last Tuesday. The day consisted of twelve twenty-minute talks broken down into four subject groups: Cultural Implications of Design Research, How Social Implications Guide Our Use of Technology, Collecting Research, and What is Our Data. Two speakers that explored common themes were Jay Melican from Intel and Tom MacTavish from IIT.
Jay Melican is a research scientist in the Interaction & Experience Research (IXR) lab at Intel. IXR investigates the future of computing power ten to fifteen years out. His talk, "Stories of Tomorrow's Users," touched on the ways that technology has changed the stories designers tell about the user, the means by which we collect that information and the retelling of those stories. Melican reminds us that stories connect design research. He introduces three user storylines or groups: Makers, Machine Interlocutors and Cyborg Superheroes. Makers are a user group that creates their technology with resources such as app developer programs, open source development environments, and online maker communities. Machine Interlocutors are a user group who want their technology to be a smart or informed assistant. Cyborg Superheroes are a user group who want to extend their capabilities through technology. The key takeaway from this talk is knowing the users relationship with technology allows the researcher to know how to engage that user group. He closes by asking the audience: "Imagining 'users' of tomorrow's consumer technologies as Makers, Machine Interlocutors, and Cyborg Superheroes... What are their stories?"
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