Royal College of Art

About: Royal College of Art is a education organization based out in London, Westminster, United Kingdom. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Universal design & Design education. The organization has 476 authors who have published 736 publications receiving 14578 citations. The organization is also known as: Government School of Design & Metropolitan School of Design.

Design: Cultural probes

Abstract: A As the local site coordinator finished his introduction to the meeting, our worries were increasing. The group had taken on a glazed look, showing polite interest, but no real enthusiasm. How would they react when we presented them with our packages? Would disinterest deepen to boredom, or even hostility? Cultural Probes Homo ludens impinges on his environment: He interrupts, changes, intensifies; he follows paths and in passing, leaves traces of his presence everywhere.

Ambiguity as a resource for design

Abstract: Ambiguity is usually considered anathema in Human Computer Interaction. We argue, in contrast, that it is a resource for design that can be used to encourage close personal engagement with systems. We illustrate this with examples from contemporary arts and design practice, and distinguish three broad classes of ambiguity according to where uncertainty is located in the interpretative relationship linking person and artefact. Ambiguity of information finds its source in the artefact itself, ambiguity of context in the sociocultural discourses that are used to interpret it, and ambiguity of relationship in the interpretative and evaluative stance of the individual. For each of these categories, we describe tactics for emphasising ambiguity that may help designers and other practitioners understand and craft its use.

The persona effect: affective impact of animated pedagogical agents

Abstract: Animated pedagogical agents that inhabit interactive learning environments can exhibit strikingly lifelike behaviors. In addition to providing problem-solving advice in response to students’ activities in the learning environment, these agents may also be able to play a powerful motivational role. To design the most effective agent-based learning environment software, it is essential to understand how students perceive an animated pedagogical agent with regard to affective dimensions such as encouragement, utility, credibility, and clarity. This paper describes a study of the affective impact of animated pedagogical agents on students’ learning experiences. One hundred middle school students interacted with animated pedagogical agents to assess their perception of agents’ affective characteristics. The study revealed the persona eflecr, which is that the presence of a lifelike character in an interactive learning environment~ven one that is not expressive— can have a strong positive effect on student’s perception of their learning experience. The study also demonstrates the interesting effect of multiple types of explanatory behaviors on both affective perception and learning performance.

Rethinking Design Thinking: Part I

Abstract: The term design thinking has gained attention over the past decade in a wide range of contexts beyond the traditional preoccupations of designers. The main idea is that the ways professional design...

Cultural probes and the value of uncertainty

Abstract: When reason is away, smiles will play. --- Paul Eluard and Benjamin Péret