Chapter Review of Thoughtful Interaction Design by Jonas Löwgren, Chapter 1: Introduction

Having taken User Centred Design and User Experience & Interface Design while in exchange in the states, and Design Thinking now in ADM, it has become increasingly apparent that as Designers, we hold a kind a power and that power comes with responsibility.

The chapter is interesting as it not only touches on the possibility of human-machine interfacing but also how interaction can be traced into a multidisciplinary approach to design.

As the book describes more profoundly, “This leaves us with a situation where the designer wields significant power, and with such power comes responsibility.” Designers are essentially the creators, the guides and the craftsman of ideas that change the future but after reading the first chapter, it seems the author’s emphasis is not on what we wield or could possibly wield, but in the perhaps, more ethnical aspect of how we as Designers should approach our solutioning from a more thoughtful understanding.

Being thoughtful seems to resonate closely with the common design process of empathy for users, but I think without reading beyond the first chapter, it seems that being thoughtful is understand there is no right way or correct answer and that we need to always put our users in mind and accept feedback, critically.

To become thoughtful, it seems the author feels is something that is sensed, not taught or followed. As an advocate for the sprint rapid prototyping process by Google(even bought the book), I find this book sort of teasing me in sort of a Forbidden Fruit kind of way. I’m curious to purchase this book and continuing the read and see how prototyping methodologies, design thinking processes and the inherent ability to hone a design sense differs.

(Also found myself enjoying the read a lot more after knowing the author of the book is from MIT, my dream graduate school. Kind of stuck in the Roland Barthes theory.)

The Third Paradise is a symbol, a philosophy and some might argue, a way of life. I will be discussing three instances of his work showcased in NTU School of Art, Design & Media.

Brilliant Ideas: Michelangelo Pistolleto (Oct 4 2017), Bloomberg
iDome, ADM Library

The documentary talks about Pistolleto’s rise to artistry, his craft, his inspirations and his final manifesto. The documentary was informative in showing us his past which I found intriguing especially his connection to his father and how we was one of the first artist that was inspired to use play in his work in the post modern art scene. His Arte Povera was an interesting idea on how art can be made for anybody which I advocate strongly, even starting the term HDB Artist with a few of young artists in Singapore during my practice. However, I did find that the Documentary being show cased at the iDome was a terrible idea. Having created multiple works for the dome, it was preached multiple times to us about the intricacies of handling such a fragile and immersive medium. The documentary was clearly not optimized for the dome and as a result, took away the experience for many who were not in the “sweet spot” and hindered the information delivery.

SCIENCE MEETS ART: HOW TO SHAPE THE FUTURE OF HUMANITY: Panel dialogue between Maestro Michelangelo Pistoletto and Nobel Laureate Ben Feringa – moderated by Prof. Em. Helga Nowotny, Nanyang Visiting Professor
ADM Auditorium

The panel discussion was skewed, not because of what was discussed but because of the nature of my work. I am in the arts industry, arguably the computer science and engineering field too, but I was very much more interested when Pistoletto was taking the mic. The moderator had difficulties transitioning out of Pistoletto’s deep philosophies and that made me feel that the talk was rushed and became a buzzkill a lot of time. I understood the limitations of time but it would’ve been more fruitful to hear about what Pistoletto had to say about the Third Paradise implanted above our building. Overall the talk gave insight into some philosophies that Pistoletto wanted the Third Paradise to uphold and the values of it. I would have liked to ask about how the Third Paradise has changed the world and how it can change the world moving forward from now.

The Third Paradise
ADM Rooftop

Pistoletto’s work carved into the roof protecting us in our educational institution. Clearly it has received some controversy from the residents, mainly citing it’s out of the world foreign appearance, the lack of understanding of it and the pure and simple reason that humans are usually not very happy with change. After the talk, I decided to see the Third Paradise from the perspective that Pistoletto preaches. Upon further research, the symbol to me, is no different from a religious or scientific icon to represent something. For now, it’s belief and philosophy has not resonated with mine and I choose to respect it for what it is. I do hope that through this, we will be more open to allowing landscaping art be approved on campus grounds and as residents of this space, be more respectful of iconography, art and philosophies even if we do not understand them.