Return to search

Making make-throughs : documentation as stories of design process

Thesis: Ph. D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Architecture and Planning, Program in Media Arts and Sciences, 2016. / Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (pages 151-159). / Much of what we design today is mediated by digital processes, from digital tools and software used to create tangible and virtual artifacts, to online resources and communities that enable people to exchange design knowledge. Encapsulating information about how we design into shared digital formats introduces opportunities for democratized education, where people contribute to and use shared digital resources to support their learning. In this dissertation, I introduce a style of design documentation called make-throughs in which people construct personal narratives of their design process, enabling new opportunities for capturing effort, connecting with other like-minded creators, and reflecting on process. I analyze make-through documentation in the context of two platforms I created: Build in Progress and Spin. Build in Progress is a web-based platform for visualizing how design projects are developed, while Spin is a photography turntable system for creating animations of design projects over time. Through these platforms, I investigate the following questions regarding capturing and sharing design process: (1) How can tools be designed to motivate and support the creation of process-oriented documentation?, and (2) What role can make-through documentation play in enabling reflective practice? Through an analysis of shared documentation created using both platforms, interviews with select users, and observations of spaces utilizing the tools, I reveal opportunities for integrating documentation into design practice and re-thinking documenting as an expressive and creative activity. I show how make-throughs support a range of motivations for sharing process, and based on these insights, I provide a set of design principles for learning environments, physical and virtual, championing documentation as a tool for learners to communicate their growth as makers. / by Tiffany Tseng. / Ph. D.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:MIT/oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/106764
Date January 2016
CreatorsTseng, Tiffany
ContributorsMitchel Resnick., Program in Media Arts and Sciences (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), Program in Media Arts and Sciences (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
PublisherMassachusetts Institute of Technology
Source SetsM.I.T. Theses and Dissertation
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeThesis
Format159 pages, application/pdf
RightsMIT theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed, downloaded, or printed from this source but further reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission., http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Page generated in 0.0021 seconds