GKL 1263 Visual Studies for Designers Lecture#8

Managing Visual Studies

How Do Designers Go About Collecting Visual Data?

Drawings: Representation of society

Drawings For designers, drawing has been characterized as an emerging dialogue between the individual and the drawing (Schön, 1983). Self-generated sketches are defined as extensionsof mental imagery, from which meanings and new insight are “excavated” (Goldschmidt,2003). Architectural design drawings do not always depict the physical shapes to be built(Suwa & Twersky, 1997). They may explore other designerly or aesthetic functions, such as:people flow and the navigation of space; the ambience of natural and artificial lighting; potential ventilation; the experience of the textural environment; and the use of interior or exterior spaces. Studies in Material Thinking, www.materialthinking.orgVol. 10 (February 2014), ISSN 1177-6234, AUT University

The aim of the drawing was not the production of a stand-alone representation of the complex system, but to serve as a trigger for discussions and questions that would not have emerged without them. Data collection with this method calls for a processing method that directly links the drawings and the spoken explanations. In fact, neither the drawings nor the interviews are understandable without one another, as they refer to each other constantly.

A like creative, pragmatic approach drawing can be used to review old questions and to explore new questions, the only limits being the creativity and the imagination of the researcher. Merriman & Guerin (2006)

Collages: Representation of society

Collage The method of collage is rarely as straightforward as presented in journal articles. It is messy and full of preconceptions and sticky ideas and sometimes the researcher needs help to move beyond the obvious. Cutting to pieces and putting back together is one way of helping the researcher to let subconscious observations come forward as it did in this case. Creative research methods can help ideas to flow by allowing research to be out of control. In common with other arts-based methods, cut-up and collage are particularly valuable in those research projects that call for emotional as well as cognitive engagement, attention to process and openness to multiple meanings (Leavy, 2009). None of the things in this process are creatively demanding and the methods are widely applicable. However, it takes a little bit of courage to sit down with a tube of glitter and call it research. Bager-Elsborg, A., & Loads, D. (2015). Cut It Up and Put It Back Together: Cut-up and Collage as Tools to Overcome Academic Deadlock. Journal Of Perspectives In Applied Academic Practice, 4(1). doi:10.14297/jpaap.v4i1.169

The collection of visual data varies according to: who produces them – the researcher, participant alone or with input from the researcher whether they pre-exist the research, are created for the research, are enduring or temporary (Gibson & Riley, 2010)

instruction given to participants – structured (e. g instruction given to participants – structured (e.g. Copeland & Agosto, 2012) or open (e.g. Bagnoli, 2009) when the image is produced – before, after, or during the interview whether the interview focuses on the topic of interest (e.g. Guillemin, 2004) or is centred on the image (e.g. Radley & Taylor, 2003).

References Bagnoli, A. (2009). Beyond the standard interview: The use of graphic elicitation and arts-based methods. Qualitative Research, 9(5), 547–570. doi: 10.1177/1468794109343625. Copeland, A. J. & Agosto, D. E. (2012). Diagrams and relational maps: The use of graphic elicitation techniques with interviewing for data collection, analysis, and display. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 11(5), 513-533. Retrieved from: ejournals.library.ualberta.ca/index.php/IJQM/article/view/10259. Guillemin, M. (2004). Understanding Illness: Using Drawings as a Research Method.Qual Health Res, 14(2), 272-289. doi: 10.1177/1049732303260445. Radley, A. & Taylor, D. (2003). Remembering one’s stay in hospital: A study in photography, recovery and forgetting. Health: An Interdisciplinary Journal for the Social Study of Health, Illness and Medicine, 7(2), 129-159. doi: 10.1177/1363459303007002872. Zweifela, C., & Van Wezemaela, J. (2012). DRAWING AS A QUALITATIVE RESEARCH TOOL AN APPROACH TO FIELD WORK FROM A SOCIAL COMPLEXITY PERSPECTIVE. Tracey Journal: Drawing Knowledge, (05), 1-16. Merriman, B., & Guerin, S. (2006). Using children’s drawings as data in child-centred research. The Irish Journal of Psychology, 27(1-2), 48-57.

Class Activity Scenario: An international student from Japan recently visited UNIMAS. The student requested to go to CTF 4, BS5. Task: You are required to draw a journey map that explains the journey from Guard House to CTF4, BS5. You can add information on the journey map to show process, places etc.

Class Activity Time Given: 30 minutes (you can take photographs or walk to the places along the journey).

What can you learn from the activity?