Reshaping communication design tools. Complex systems structural features for design tools

gaia.sca — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 01:09:18 +0200

Dear all,
this is the paper my colleague Donato and I presented at the IASDR 2007 Conference in Hong Kong Polytechnic.

During the last thirty years the level of interest in Complexity Science has been constantly increasing. Combining the opportunity offered by the findings of the Complexity Science with the framework of the multi-disciplinary debate on the meaning and use of diagrams, we propose a design methodology to help designers support their interventions in complex environments. The structural features analysis of Complex Systems has been our key point to outline this methodology to offer designers a new mindfulness in the use of design tools. This methodology is based on five phases: analysing, representing, pinpointing, timing and telling. It provides a theoretical framework that incorporates many tools suggesting a different use of them with a special attention to improve the designer's consciousness of the system he is designing in. When design is addressing complexity, diagrams could become generative tools that can be used to produce metadata relevant to the design process.

here you can download the paper
and our presentation slides

Some other reflection about this topic could be found at Density design blog

gaia

How Communication Design tools can facilitate social integration processes?

gaia.sca — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 00:12:46 +0200

Dear researchers, designers and designer-researchers,
this contribution aims to present my PhD research results and to open the discussion about how design can provide tools that can facilitate social integration processes between complex systems.

RESEARCH TOPIC:
The interest in integration processes is actually increasing not only because of its wide applications - from the implementation of new infrastructure to the isolation in inner city communities - but also for its role in preventing situations of chronic conflict that can arise from an unsuccessful or bad designed integration process. I refer to process of integration as the process of relating two systems to one another and, out of these, forming a new structure, adding single elements or partial structures to an existing structure to form an interconnected whole and maintaining or improving relations within it.

But if different attempt to tracing the evolution of sociological theories about integration and community has been made and very much attention has been paid on the process of integration between individual and society, it seems there is a lack of studies providing tools for designing interventions in social integration processes between systems.
It has been argued that in industrial society a specific agency for integration is not necessary any longer because integration would come about of its own, by means of something like Adam Smith's hidden hand. Even if undoubtedly time by itself could eventually end up in a state of integration, a deeper knowledge about how to facilitate the process will lead to a more sustainable intervention model.

Combining the opportunity offered by the findings of the Complexity Science, that has provided a theoretical framework to understand and study Complex Systems, with the empirical and theoretical knowledge about integration processes, this research investigates where Communication Design tools and artefacts can intervene to help and facilitate integration processes.

DRAFT VISUALIZATION OF MY RESULTS
An integration process between two systems (system1 and system2) can be synthesized in four main phases:
_The structural integration phase in which systems1 approaches system2 creating relationships among their elements. The information flow has a stated direction and communication moves mainly from system1 in order to introduce new actors and groups into system2.
_The cultural integration phase in which the two systems overlap. An accurate exploration of communication dynamics has led to the definition of Communication belt, that indicate the area of overlapping between the two systems. This area identifies a space – dense of exchanges, connections and interactions - where the design intervention can play a key role in facilitate the integration process. Design intervention in this area is needed to enable negotiation and create consensus in order to prevent critical situations. Communication happens primarily in this area.
_The interactive integration phase in which the two systems interaction results in a whole inclusive dialog and communication flow goes from the overlapping area to both systems. The generated knowhow reverberates within the systems themselves producing collaboration and co-evolution.
_The identification phase in which the two systems form a new structure and produce knowledge that can be communicated outside. In this phase the two systems can be considered successfully integrated.

these results will be presented in the Changing the change conference in Turin

looking forward to see your comments and ideas
Gaia

gaia.sca's thoughts

Reshaping communication design tools. Complex systems structural features for design tools

How Communication Design tools can facilitate social integration processes?