256A Reading Response #2
Design principle 2.7: Design to lower inhibitions
This principle resonated so strongly with me I nearly exploded! How do I go from making it possible for someone to do something, to making it inviting? I feel like in pragmatic-focused design, especially in accessibility conversations, the emphasis is generally on possibility. In the I am T-Pain example, we can see certain forms of social inhibitions being calmed by placing an additional instrument into the performance equation, adding plausible deniability to the seriousness of the endeavor. Like a socially-accepted ejection seat.
The other side of lowered inhibitions/inviting access is popularity. Once something becomes popular, more people are also involved in it’s meaning making. For example, Spongebob’s meaning is not restricted to the show’s writers but is actively manipulated by the fan community as well as commercial off-shoots. Spongebob isn’t just a cartoon character, he is also that terrifying looking ice-cream and my second-grade back pack. While popularity is often an explicit goal, it is also a material. Performance artists like Marina Abramovic and Shia LaBeouf have explored this popularity as an art material and it’s designed into so many apps and games that are crowd-sourced or have an emphasis on multiplayer. The process of designing to lower inhibitions can often be a simple “selling out”, but it is also such an exciting place to actively invite folks into an experience. This is not to say that things can’t be deliberating challenging or abrasive, but that popularity itself is such a chaotic force that continually changes contexts and meanings. I don’t know how many times I’ve listened to Kanye West’s Jesus Walks thinking: “Wow this song just feels SO different now”. There are also the cult classics, like Rocky Horror Picture Show, with their popularity primarily driven by just a community of fans. And even local “popularity”, where the one poster at a conference gets a bit more attention and that immediate context having such an impact on the reception of that research.
“Lowering inhibitions” touches on so many things: Access, inclusion, authenticity, and meaning. Another complex, dangerous, and beautifully messy aspect of design that we get to grapple with.
This principle resonated so strongly with me I nearly exploded! How do I go from making it possible for someone to do something, to making it inviting? I feel like in pragmatic-focused design, especially in accessibility conversations, the emphasis is generally on possibility. In the I am T-Pain example, we can see certain forms of social inhibitions being calmed by placing an additional instrument into the performance equation, adding plausible deniability to the seriousness of the endeavor. Like a socially-accepted ejection seat.
The other side of lowered inhibitions/inviting access is popularity. Once something becomes popular, more people are also involved in it’s meaning making. For example, Spongebob’s meaning is not restricted to the show’s writers but is actively manipulated by the fan community as well as commercial off-shoots. Spongebob isn’t just a cartoon character, he is also that terrifying looking ice-cream and my second-grade back pack. While popularity is often an explicit goal, it is also a material. Performance artists like Marina Abramovic and Shia LaBeouf have explored this popularity as an art material and it’s designed into so many apps and games that are crowd-sourced or have an emphasis on multiplayer. The process of designing to lower inhibitions can often be a simple “selling out”, but it is also such an exciting place to actively invite folks into an experience. This is not to say that things can’t be deliberating challenging or abrasive, but that popularity itself is such a chaotic force that continually changes contexts and meanings. I don’t know how many times I’ve listened to Kanye West’s Jesus Walks thinking: “Wow this song just feels SO different now”. There are also the cult classics, like Rocky Horror Picture Show, with their popularity primarily driven by just a community of fans. And even local “popularity”, where the one poster at a conference gets a bit more attention and that immediate context having such an impact on the reception of that research.
“Lowering inhibitions” touches on so many things: Access, inclusion, authenticity, and meaning. Another complex, dangerous, and beautifully messy aspect of design that we get to grapple with.