short lecture given at "Urban Environment Reading and Design" course, AAlto Design Factory Tongji University, Shanghai

1. social & immaterial
aspects
of system design
tips&tricks for communication
Urban Environment Reading and Design Workshop
城市环境阅读与设计
May 10th, 2012, Aalto Design Factory

2. 1.
x.
urban
environment
reading
1. 1.
& design
contents of
urban urban
environment environment
reading reading
& design & design 1. 1.
the presentation
urban urban
4. 4.
environment environment
4. reading reading
ethnography & design & design
2. 2. & field research
methodology methodology
4. 4.
ethnography ethnography
ethnography ethnography
2. 2.
2. & field research 2. & field research
2. 2. methodology methodology
& field research episthemology episthemology
& field research 2.
methodology 3.
creative
methodology
2.
episthemology episthemology 6.
tools
showcase
communities
3. 3.
creative creative
communities communities
7.
2. 6.
conclusions
/reference
themology 1. 1. episthemology
urban
environment
reading
urban
environment
reading
tools
& design & design
4.
1.
urban
environment
reading
1.
urban
environment
reading
5. workshop
* community & space
showcase
5. workshop
* community & space
ethnography * visualize results * visualize results
2. 2. & design & design
& field research
methodology methodology
4. 4.
3.
ethnography ethnography
2. & field research 2. & field research
2. 2. methodology methodology
episthemology episthemology
3.
creative
2.
episthemology
2.
episthemology 6.
tools
creative
communities
3.
communities 3.
showcase
creative creative
communities communities
7.
conclusions
/reference
7.
1.
urban
environment
reading
& design 1.
urban
1.
urban conclusions
/reference
4. environment environment 5. workshop 5. workshop
reading reading * community & space * community & space
ethnography & design & design
2. 2. & field research * visualize results * visualize results
methodology methodology
4. 4.
ethnography ethnography
2. & field research 2. & field research
2. methodology methodology
mology episthemology
2. 2. 6.
episthemology episthemology
3. tools
creative showcase
communities
3. 3.
creative creative
communities communities
7.
conclusions
/reference
5. workshop 5. workshop
* community & space 5. workshop
* community & space
5. workshop
* community & space
* community & space
* visualize results * visualize results * visualize results
* visualize results

3. 1.
within the course
urban environment reading and design
“Once the social space code
is deciphered,
the city can be read.
For designer, reading
has dual meanings
of both epistemology and
methodology.”

4. urban environment reading and design
* environment
includes notions of
people, immaterial
& community
* growing trend in
design thinking
* strongly related to the
idea of system

5. urban environment reading and design
* environment * when you think
includes notions of systemic & service
people, immaterial you have to think for
& community actors networks
* growing trend in (people/users/
design thinking participants/
* strongly related to the stakeholders/ etc.)
idea of system

6. urban environment reading and design
* environment * when you think / system
includes notions of systemic & service // social complexity
people, immaterial you have to think for /// sustainability
& community actors networks
* growing trend in (people/users/
design thinking participants/
* strongly related to the stakeholders/ etc.)
idea of system

8. 2.
urban environment reading and design
within the course
theory & practice
episthemology + methodology
deep observation (envision) system theory
capability sustainabilty framework
storytelling design tools
capability visual languages

9. 3.
theory
/episthemology:
sustainable
everyday
exploration
日常生活中的可持续
about representing people & community
Ezio Manzini, Ezio Manzini, Anna Meroni. François Jégou,
Francois Jegou, Ezio Manzini,
Scenarios of Creative
sustainable ways Sustainable Collaborative
everyday. Scenarios communities. services, social
of living. Local and 2007
global visions. of urban life. innovation and
2006
2003 design for
sustainability.
2008

10. findings of creative communities studies
* how design intervens * how people behaviour * design & scenarios
on the system + how de- change (inclusive
sign impact * how community is in- representation of
volved into the change space, time, relationship,
interaction, possibilities,
flows, transformation)

11. findings of creative communities studies
* how design intervens * how people behaviour * design & scenarios
on the system + how de- change (inclusive
sign impact * how community is in- representation of
volved into the change space, time, relationship,
interaction, possibilities,
flows, transformation)
“humanistic cities”

12. creative communities (examples)

13. 4.
practice
/methodology:
ethnography and
field research
hints about methodology
field research
to understand
the context
place + people
mapping psicogeography ethnography ergonomy

14. hints about methodology
field research field research field research
(verbal, visual,
data collection data collection data interpretation
quantitative, qualitative)
cultural probes
inspiration, investigation, participa-
tory, dialogue
http://flickr.com/groups/probes/

16. 5.
about your delivery

17. your episthemology framework:
space and community

19. colours
tools
medium
symbol
iconic values
cultural dimension
...

20. your methodology references:
workshop outputs need to go visual!

21. 6.
(possibly) useful
tools showcase
Short tools showcase
which aspects of
people engagement
we want to describe,
represent, or
communicate?

22. Short tools showcase
* complex elements formats to represent and
* relationships & visualize, at different
which aspects of
interactions stages of development,
people engagement
* intangible aspects a solution involving
we want to describe,
actors in a complex
represent, or
interaction process.
communicate?

23. Milestone tools for representation
* catch and inspire the observer’s attention at first glance
(system idea, moodboard, poster)
* topic and atmosphere of a story (storyboard)
* technical drawings for the system description in practice
(system map, customer journey)
* clarify people roles and interactions
(personas, actors map, motivation matrix, interaction table)
* system engine components (enabling solutions, evidencing)
* envision the experience (prototyping, mapping, tomorrow headlines, scenarios)

24. 7. remarks.

25. remarks.
the best
tool doesn’t exist

26. remarks.
the best
tool doesn’t exist
select what to communicate

27. remarks.
the best
tool doesn’t exist
select what to communicate
choose the better

28. remarks.
the best
tool doesn’t exist
select what to communicate
choose the better
system core
structure, mechanism, impact
consider culture

29. x.
some references
episthemology
Harry den Hartog
Shanghai New Towns. Searching for community and
identity in a sprawling metropolis. 2010
http://www.domusweb.it/en/book-review/shang-
hai-new-towns/
Christine Estève, Jérémy Cheval
methodology
Lilongs - Shanghaï, Collection Cartes des Architectures
Discrètes. 2010.
http://www.servicedesigntools.org
http://www.service-design-network.org/

30. thanks
谢谢
grazie
f.valsecchi@gmail.com
francesca valsecchi
* thanks Serena for discussion&help!
this work is distributed under
creativecommons licence by-nc-sa 3.0