MEDIA AND METHOD

Monday, 12 October 2015

Theme 4 : comments

Sunday, 11 October 2015

In this week,we emphasize on the design research,combining with media technologies.Before the first lecture,there are several questions related with the theme.Such as how can media technologies be evaluated? What role will prototypes play in research? However,we talked about what is idea,how to select idea for research design and how to construct idea.In philosophy,there are generally two forms of idea in our mind.The one is consist of several mental images of some objects.But there should have some preconditions before the idea occurs.If we cannot perceive the world and the external changes of the world,nothing would happen.From another point of view,the idea should be from our specific experiences which are acquired through other studies to some objects.Because of the deep research or description of these objects,We can easily build up the framework of related knowledge system of these ideas,at the same time,to connect other previous cognition.So these ideas mostly could be described in the great details. It could be seen as the extension of the prototype we already have.

For another type of idea,it will be abstract concepts that do not present as mental images.I think it should be based on certain perspectives of us to some objects or theories.In the academic research,it could be treated as the evaluation or criteria to the methodological or theoretical aspects.In a popular sense, an idea arises in a reflexive, spontaneous manner, even without thinking or serious reflection, for example, when we talk about the idea of a person or a place. A new or original idea can often lead to innovation.

In the second lecture,we discussed the importance of the prototype and knowledge contribution in the design work.In our knowledge system,prototype plays the role to gain the new knowledge easily.On the other hand,it should have the same contribution in the design research.And we talked about the proof of concept prototype,Which could be evaluated with several aspects- finding answers,solving problems and testing in practice. There are other discussions I got in the lecture.Gaining the new knowledge could be regarded as the principle to know the difference between interview and research.I think it really advises and reveals the methods to set the questionaires in our academic research.Go back to the concept prototype,in some way,the research might rely on some evaluations and criteria of the prototype we use.However,for the interview process,we generally emphasize and analyze the phenomenon of the results to get the data we expect ,which should be a part of the design research.

Wednesday, 7 October 2015

Theme 6: Qualitative and case study research(before lecture)

The paper I choose is Eckel, G., Pirrò, D., Sharma, G.K. (2009) "Motion- Enabled Live Electronics", ed. Fabien Gouyon, Álvaro Barbosa, and Xavier Serra, Proceedings of the 6th Sound and Music Computing Conference, Porto, Portugal, pp. 36-41

Which qualitative method or methods are used in the paper? Which are the benefits and limitations of using these methods?

In the paper,the author tied to start the research in the deeper perspective of studying the current forms and limitations of the music performance.So there are many cases and specific phenomena which are utilized as the ancillary references to support author’s view.For instance,the author argues that the performer’s body extends into the instrument that he is playing.He wanted to use the seeming unit or interaction as the base to explore a method called “MELE” for letting the body to affect the sound processing.Consequently,it can access the more creative and multivariate effects.As the author says ”sound processing and projection may rather be enacted than operated by the musicians, which is one of the goals of our approach. ”I think the phenomenon analysis gives a explicit shape to people understanding the differences between the traditional performance and the new way of music interpretation.At the same time,the technical problems are utilized to illustrate the actual puzzles or limitations for the performers and musicians.

What did you learn about qualitative methods from reading the paper?

In this paper,the researchers demonstrate a complete experiment which is actually a performance for the audience to prove the results that they expect.There is a preparation before the composers and performers come.They all have the conceptual framework or ideas that are probably from their past experiences.Initially,most performances are just in the term of exploring the new interfaces.But at the end of each test,most performers are totally accustomed this way and even request more complicated interfaces.I think the results of the methods prove the worth of the interfaces based on the MELE in some way.

Which are the main methodological problems of the study? How could the use of the qualitative method or methods have been improved?

It is worried of communication and technical supports between the composers and the performers at the beginning.They should work together on a piece.Actually,the performers deeply get involved in the electronic parts to compose their original ideas in the process.Hence,the composes and performers should be equally involved in the collaborative ways. Consequently,most performers play the more active role in the composition with expressing their ideas and decisions.Composers give the guide and support for the performers,considering the general idea and audience immersion on the presupposition of needs and limitations of performers.In the end,both of participants feel acceptable and very rewarding from each other.Meantime,it shows the possibilities of the novel interface to be used in the live performance.

Briefly explain to a first year university student what a case study is.

The case studies should be based on the contextual conditions and involved an up-close, in-depth, and detailed examination of the subjects.It always appear with popular works.Meantime,it could be conducted by following a formal research. The "case" being studied may be an individual, organization, event, or action, existing in a specific time and place.The data of case study should be collected from a sustained period of time.There are several types of case studies: Key cases ,Outlier cases,Local knowledge cases.Decisions about the case selection need to be made about purpose, approach and process in the case study. A critical case allows the following type of generalization: "If it is valid for this case, it is valid for all (or many) cases."

Use the "Process of Building Theory from Case Study Research" (Eisenhardt, summarized in Table 1) to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of your selected paper.

From the perspective of case study,I think the author gets started with a definition of research questions.He emphasizes the “METE” which increases the degree of the performers’ embodiment in shaping the sound processing.The weaknesses in my way should be the Analyzing data.Because the data collected mostly is for supporting the new interfaces that the author always argues.I don’t think it could be used in a Cross-cases pattern.

Saturday, 3 October 2015

theme 3 - comments

Wednesday, 30 September 2015

Theme 4: Reflection

I think this week our topic is more practical and straightforward for our own studies.Initially,I red a paper that is from my study area and attempted to review it in the structured and methodical aspect.I tried to understand what theoretical and technical framework the research is based on and what the approaches are applied to demonstrate the main ideas and test process.Meantime,I just gave some possible ways to improve the value of the test or tinker the empty of the whole framework.I think the process is quiet hard. Because of the lack of past experiences of quantitative methods in my own projects.there is not a systematic and accurate scheme to follow author’s mind why he need do like that and experimental platform which is based on some specific principles.

In the seminar,Our discussion inspires me with two related questions.The one is about the benefits and the limitations for qualitative methods and quantitative methods respectively.

Another we talked in the end of the seminar is how we could make a proper choice and plan to utilize these methods in different cases. In some degree,I think the thoughts is based on the different situations.For the humanities research.Probably, it is quiet hard to collect the accurate data and details.At the beginning,I think there is a contrast in the nature of the prototype design between the humanity and natural science research.Generally,the prototype we assume is more abstract or theoretical stuff. So we might not need a clear answer to indicate the certain expectations from us.Certainly,it depends on characteristics of the objects for the research.- whether the researchers or readers need a exact response.

For the natural science research.there are more prototypes we need claim at the beginning.For some reasons,it might be crucial way to facilitate the extensions of mind.Meantime,it is more feasible to collect the data from the objects and analyze the results with more accurate and systematic way.For the limitations,it’s obvious to figure it out according to the basic principle of them.The qualitative methods are probably more appropriate for the preliminary research or some preparations which is based on the superficial cognition.I think if we let the quantitative methods to lead the research design at the start.It might be influence and even change the emphases of our works in some way.However,the quantitative methods could enhance the authenticity and systematicity and reveal the problems in the practices which is more acceptable to inspect.Sometimes we need them all and emphasize one side at whiles.Anyway,they should be a system to benefit our projects.

Theme 5: Design research (before lecture)

How can media technologies be evaluated?

In total,the paper introduces the kind of streaming media application to combine the traditional media patterns with the interactive media technologies.I think there are many accesses to evaluate the media techniques.In this paper,the authors sets up several experiments in the authentic and systematic ways to conduct the charts and statistics.Through analyzing the results,author gives the objective and critical conclusions.Meanwhile,the research designs a complete and specific part to support the technical application as the crucial element to reveal the usability,efficiency,trainability.

What role will prototypes play in research?
I think the prototype of the research play a key role to make the objects or results we expect more concise and logical.It is like the root of the tree to control and provide the energy to our constant minds.Meantime,it’s generally simple enough so that it can facilitate the divergent thinking though using our experiences which are most familiar and usual surroundings of us.In this research,the author just uses the simple mind that makes the user experience of streaming media more interactive as the prototype to build up the questionaire for developing the possibilities.

Why could it be necessary to develop a proof of concept prototype?
From the logical aspect,when the author comes up with the concept prototype,usually,it should be assumed or ideal comparing with the practical methods.Hence,I think we need find several methods or specific conditions which design with certain principles to indicate the possibilities we assumed.As I said above,the research should be based on the original prototype.In some way,there is a decisive process to verify the authenticity for the system design.

What are characteristics and limitations of prototypes?
Prototypes is always concise and vivid for the research design to deal with some complexly technical issues.For the reader,It’s easy to make sense either.Meantime,there are more possibilities to connect another knowledge systems related because of its catholicity .It is effective way to grasp the main factors of the theoretical and technical framework.On the other hand,the design process of the prototype should be participated by certain numbers of individuals and dialectic under the objective scientific background.The individual’s experience usually have the potential illusions and even errors of common cognition.

How can design research be communicated/presented?
Initially,the structure of the research should be start at the superficial and common view as the leader to get itself involved in the deep and specific ways to probe.At the same time,some refine graphs and statistics are necessary for demonstrating the conceptions or prototypes.As a whole view,the charts could be a factor of constituting the complete and structured study as the quantitative methods.

What is the 'empirical data' in these two papers?
I think these two papers reveal some common situations and issues for the tangible interfaces and driving range respectively that mentioned in the text.It’ could be a starting point to launch the study in depth and give the feasible solutions.Meantime,because the research pattern is based on the exploration in some way,some ’empirical data’ also is used in the background brief and testing part.

- Can practical design work in itself be considered a 'knowledge contribution'?
I think it should be a kind of achievements from the practical design.Generally,we always set up several patterns to design the structure and explore the possible results in uncertain conditions.That probably is a new trial to conduct the research in different framework.We cannot simply see it as the acquired experiences.In this way.It causes the new technique or framework.

- Are there any differences in design intentions within a research project, compared to design in general?
In the research,we generally have some expectations or predictions with our previous knowledge before we design the structure.In other word,we already stand in the overall situation to plan our minds to indicate our thoughts of specific issues.So,we might pay more attention to the quantities we care and filter other properties so that the authenticity and systematicity of the research can be maintained though the process.However,the designing in general usually is more random and explorative as the current states or the object of short term.
- Is research in tech domains such as these ever replicable? How may we account for aspects such as time/historical setting, skills of the designers, available tools, etc?
These things are the parts of the whole process as the preconditions to influence the results.I think we could use a brief in the background instruction or a characterizing of experimental platforms to bring out these details.The certain tests or statistics always quote them or have a special requirements for the design process.

- Are there any important differences with design driven research compared to other research practices?
Maybe the differences appear in the aspect of real-time data and variability.Meantime,probably,we draw the driven research which is more focused the some components of the cars,not a complete object.

Monday, 28 September 2015

Theme 2 - comments