Output details

Statement of Practice : Curating and creating design collections, from Social Mobiles to the Museum of Lost Interactions and Six Speaking Chairs

This peer reviewed paper describes a research method in which a collection of designed objects is used to seed discussion - a richer discussion than might ever be provoked by a single design.

The originality comes from identifying this research method (the author is obviously not the first to have created a collection) and applying it to new areas. Whilst the illustrative projects described are collaborations, the connection made between these projects is the sole work of the author.

Its rigour involves drawing on influential practice and research over ten years and relating to other influential design research projects by Dunne & Raby, IDEO, Goldsmiths Interaction Research Studio and the Royal National Institute for Deaf people.

Its significance may come from the application of this approach. For example, Six Speaking Chairs is a design collection that has provoked discussion about more expressive communication aids for people without speech - a profound but esoteric issue that goes undiscussed by experts and users alike, and as a result is overlooked in research in this field. Further publication includes PULLIN, G. & COOK, A. (2010). Six Speaking Chairs (not directly) for people who cannot speak, Interactions, 17: 5, pp. 38–42, ISSN:1072-5520, ACM, New York.

Evidence for the significance of this research is beginning to emerge in the form of invited keynote talks about this project. The author gave the keynote lecture at the AAC-RERC "State of the Science" Conference, Baltimore, MD, 28 June 2012. The AAC-RERC is the leading U.S. research grouping in augmentative and alternative communication. Other audiences have included the ACE North Network Day, Oldham (18 November 2010) and Communication Matters, University of Leicester (25 September 2011)¬–respectively the UK's leading clinical centre of excellence in AAC and the UK's leading forum for AAC, across users, practitioners, researchers and manufacturers.