Exploring Boundary Objects in Artefact Based Probes in Capturing Tacit Knowledge

Workshop Goals

In this workshop we will explore the use of boundary objects in prototyping in the broad arena of public transport in India. Our goal is to gain insights and reflect upon the use of artefacts as boundary objects for research that bridges gaps in knowledge and experience of diverse groups of participants, in the specific context of gender and public transport. We want to gather travel insights of women from different parts of the world to help us reflect on female participation in public transport. We wish to explore the use of artefacts as probes in identifying and bringing to fore the complex issues underlying the low usage of public transport in India by females.

Background

The efficacy of visualization and prototyping tools in facilitation of communication with both self and peers has been well established (Sanders & Stappers, 2013). These tools have also been found efficacious in designing speculatively for future needs. The process of ‘making’ aids participants in expressing tacit knowledge and surface assumptions that are often difficult to identify, at the very cognitive level. The act of making and hands-on participation has also been found to mediate in power dynamics of participant groups and contribute to social learning (Edwards et.al., 2017). The collaborative process of making and creating together gives agency to excluded voices and promoted socially inclusive practices (Sanders et.al., 2018).

Modelling and prototyping are an essential tool in the designerly ways of problem solving (Cross, 1982). Prototyping is an iterative process that helps draw out intuitive insights, create a suspension of judgement and enables exploration of multiple tangible and intangible possibilities (Edwards et.al., 2017). Participatory design has acknowledged and harnessed the value of artefacts and prototypes in eliciting deep user insights in conceptual, procedural and emotional probes, bringing out preconceptions and assumptions (Akama et al. 2007). Artefacts may be very specific or abstracted versions of the concepts they represent. Artefact based participatory workshops are meant to take participants through ‘stages of a path of expression’ (Sanders & Stappers 2013). The aim is to provoke a discussion on the uses, abuses and affordances of the concept in question. The discussion itself brings to fore insights on attitudes, needs and tacit knowledge held within the participants.

Making artefacts also helps participants and groups of participants in communicating closely-held perceptions and ideas that may be difficult to articulate. In diverse groups with people from different fields of experience, artefacts may act like ‘boundary objects’ that bridge gaps in knowledge, perception and experience with a tangible form of expression (Marheineke, Velamuri, Möslein 2016). A boundary object can be concrete, theoretical or abstract. It serves as a tool to create a shared knowledge and understanding of participants from different backgrounds and experiences. It forms a point of reference to start discussions and may help build consensus in the group. These artefacts help not just in clarifying viewpoints but also as a form of documentation of the group interaction process and how it develops (Marheineke, Velamuri, Möslein 2016).

We hope to organize the findings from the workshop through context mapping and write them up as a research paper. We will finalize the post workshop outreach plans collaboratively with our participants.

How to Participate

We invite interested female participants to submit their interest through the form below. We hope to engage with a diverse range of participants, including academic researchers and industry practitioners in participatory design. We want to gather travel insights of women from different parts of the world to help us reflect on female participation in public transport. We will shortlist a maximum of 15 participants, focusing on diversity of experience and background.