The definition of technology may have changed quite a bit over the years, but people have been bringing technology to remote, natural locations since long before concepts like recreational hiking or national parks existed. Nowadays, "digital" is usually implied before the word technology, and discussion of technology and trails often revolves around smartphones and GPS systems. However, a wide variety of hiking gear has benefited from precise engineering and product design.
Even with more digital products hitting the shelves, many hikers go out on the trail to get away from or limit their use of technology, however they may define that word. Before any technology for the trail can be designed, the diverse perspectives of hikers must be explored rather than taking them for granted. Polling hikers through digital means or even delivering prototypes for research through design seems disingenuous when part of the target audience has negative attitudes towards technology. For this reason, cultural probes stood out as a useful method for understanding hikers and inspiring future directions for Technology on the Trail. The heart of the matter is indeed a question of culture, so probes are a logical choice for teasing out a variety of viewpoints.
The goal of this study is not to design new technology. Rather, the goal is to find a way to make technology and nature more harmonious in the context of hiking. This could end up requiring new designs, but it could also be a matter of shifting perspective instead. No device or gear will ever be for everyone, and that's natural. Technology on the Trail can still seek to support both users of technology and the bystanders who are affected by the technology use of others. / Master of Science / Technology is nothing new on the trail. People have been bringing various “technologies” to remote, natural locations long before recreational hiking or national parks existed. The definition of technology, however, has changed quite a bit over the years. Long ago, the stars were an important aspect of wayfinding, and devices to track star positions were innovative. Nowadays, people tend to see smartphones and GPS systems as technology. Hiking technology has been growing more advanced in recent years, including many digital technologies.
However, many hikers go out on the trail to get away from or limit their use of technology. Hikers have a diverse range of perspectives on how technology should and shouldn’t fit into outdoor settings, and designers should listen to these perspectives before creating new technologies. This study aims to create a dialogue with hikers that explores their usage of and opinions on technology for hiking. Several activities were created that would allow participants to creatively engage with us researchers, such as a scrapbook activity and a scavenger hunt. These methods follow a style of research called “cultural probes” in which researchers use creative prompts and activities to explore the culture of a target audience.
By listening to the diverse perspectives of hikers, this study hopes to find a way to make technology and nature more harmonious. No device or gear will ever be for everyone, and that’s natural. Technology on the Trail can still seek to support the people who do want to use technology, and it can seek to make those technologies minimally invasive for people who don’t.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VTETD/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/78726 |
| Date | 21 August 2017 |
| Creators | Fields, Sarah Grace |
| Contributors | Computer Science, Harrison, Steven R., McCrickard, D. Scott, Kelliher, Aisling |
| Publisher | Virginia Tech |
| Source Sets | Virginia Tech Theses and Dissertation |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | ETD, application/pdf, application/pdf |
| Rights | In Copyright, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
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