User:Max Lehmann/MA Concept
TRANSCRIPT MA RESEARCH:
12. July 2020 Thoughts:
Abstract Language VS Science Language Abstraction vs knowledge (Both important!)
-> Simple language translator (Simplífy - already exists) -> Barrier-free browser, plug in, website (-> WIKI ?) - remove distraction - simplify, explain text - add illustration - bigger, simpler layout - Typography
——> Approach: - Start with people involved (Agencies, sheltered projects, my mum/PARTicipation) - Fieldstudy - How would the system need to change? - Utopia - Speculative thinking - What information is crucial to understand for participation (Who decides?) (Texts of law, politics, philosophy?, science, culture, news, history, general knowledge, stuff related to personal situation) -> End product/output - Solution/technology/product - speculative experimental collection of approaches - critical examination - publication -> software/hardware/publication? -> research part of it?
Language as a weapon Language as protection Language as segregation
11. August 2020 Thoughts:
What is normal? Or How we are being manipulated by our ancestors.
A publication about the emergence of our norms as a society / societies around the globe (compared), individual norms / conformity (also: technological norms and their implications? Queer technology)
Interactive (game) website using 2D animation explaining what normal is and where that meaning comes from
Barrier-free calibration for setup to differently abled users (no „normal“ website, but a super dynamic website, always changing depending of the user -> Speech recognition, text to speech, visually clear/simple interface, complexity of content/ language, speed (pace), complexity of visuals, color, fonts, fontsize, … etc … Critical examination of the meaning of „normal“ and the problems of that. Is normal an individual reflection or an average of a society? What is the connection of sense and norm?
Is there a definition of „normal“ that is nor segregative/problematic for minorities? What will future norms be and how can we influence/change them?
19. August 2020 Thoughts:
Reading: Allen Frances - Normal - Gegen die Inflation psychiatrischer Diagnosen (Against the inflation of psychiatric diagnoses)
Notes: Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM) defines where normality ends and psychological disorders begin (Normal vs Ill)
Normality vs Illness affects decisions like: Treatment, incapacity for work, special care, jobs, adoption of kids, insurances, being able to fly a plane, if a murderer is criminal of psychologically ill and who gets claims for damages
Defining norms = Power
>>> Read: Foucault - Wahnsinn und Zivilisation (Madness and civilisation)
Session 1 with Steve, Natasha, Marloes PREPERATION:
In my thesis I want to question the term of normality in its relevance for our society. As every human being is different I believe that this term cannot apply to certain individuals while it doesn’t for others. Also I want to look into who defined what is considered normal over the history of our(?) culture and nowadays. This thought results when applied to technology in need for a different approach in designing/developing technology as there is no normal user, but just a broad variety of differently abled users. Some of these (many) might gather around the vertex of a bell-shaped curve, but there is no reason other than technical limitations to only focus on these while developing e.g. software interfaces.
I want to create a „dynamic“ webpage/app/.. that has no „normal“ shape but is always generated according to the needs of a specific individual. Contents of this could be an examination of the concepts of normality in relation to its past and present as well as the question of legitimatization for defining it (and the relation of normality to time and location).
To do this I need to get a deeper understanding of Java Script and other possible code languages to facilitate this as well as Wikimedia generated webpages (wiki2html). I need to get in contact with people with limited capabilities for field studies, figure out needs, interfaces.
Use of animated illustrations, audio, text, …. Fontsize, imagesizew, spacing, type of language, … could be „game-like„
Thoughts:
Feeling of belonging to a group / overcoming separation
(Not) normal ⁃ as in psychiatric / medical diagnosis ⁃ as in an individual feeling (of belonging to) in a group or society ⁃ as in a reference for developing/designing products/tech/infrastructure/knowledge ⁃ and the political dimension
Get back to Simon Dogger !!!
Session 1 with Aymeric
PREPERATION:
I want to investigate what relevance the concept of „Normality“ has in society, technology, politics, as an individual feeling, what consequences it has when used to define groups of people, who is in the position to define it as well as its history.
I would like to test an approach to software interface development, that speculates, that there is no normal user, thus is always adjusting to the user, instead of the user having to adjust to the interface.
- are you planning for an individual work or a collaboration (as in with another XPUB2)? Individual
- what are the theories, concepts, frameworks you would like to engage with during the second years? (less is more) The concept of „Normality“ in: psychiatry - technology - software- & hardware interfaces - society, as a reference in design, and as an individual feeling, historical examination of normality, (utopia), Political dimension
The concept of „Normality“ in its many different appearances, but manly as a reference when designing software interfaces (websites), as a term to describe the default set of abilities of members of a society, as well as an individual feeling of belonging. Accessibility of information as a basis for participation in a society. The concept of individual approaches to learning, that differ in effectivity from individual to individual.
- what are the practices, techniques you would like to focus on? (same) Inclusive-, Barrier-free-, Universal-design Webdesign, webcoding, javascript, (python?), field studies, usability testing, illustration, 2d animation, text writing (simple, easy language), wiki to html, Wikimedia, speculative thinking, audio,
I want to create a program that collects informations about the abilities and preferences of a user and then generates an individual barrier-free website, according to these informations, using different sets of content stored on a wiki. I want to cooperate with test groups to investigate functionality.
- how do the last two relate to, inform, complement, or conflict with each other in a meaningful way?
I will implement a website generator that is generating a website according to the users ability, thus assuming there is no normal user, while informing about the concept of Normality and questioning its relevance.
- what is the issue you want to deal with (and/or damage, check again the queering damage questions, try answering them)
As every human is different, I do not beliefe that the term of „normal" should be applied to certain individuals (average?), while it isn’t to others. I want to inform about how what is being conceived „normal“ emerged and who was and is in a position to define it and what it does to an individual to not be part of the „normal“ group. A website that is individually generated, according to the preferences of an individual would demonstrate, that rather than a „normal“ user, a broad variety of users should be considered when developing websites.
As every human is different, I want to investigate if the term of „normal" can be applied to certain individuals (average?), while it isn’t to others (and how to draw the line in-between those). I want to inform about how what is being conceived „normal“ emerged, who was, who is in the position to define it and what it does to an individual not to be part of the „normal“ group. A website that is individually generated, according to the preferences of an individual spaculates/tests, if rather than a „normal“ user, a broad variety of users could be considered when developing websites/software interfaces and if the learning effect can be made more effective for individuals by adjusting the appearance of content to their preferences.
- what is the preferred medium or the media you are inclined to use next year?
Website, web app, game
- what kind of public do you intend to create?
The end product should be accessible for as many different people as possible. Particularly people with any set of abilities that differs from the default / average(learning disabilities, trouble focussing, blindness, deafness, old people, people who don’t speak a language well, kids, …)
- why is it relevant? (maybe overlapping, duplicate with the queering damage questions)
Because every human should be treated equally, given equal access to information and thus be enabled to participate in society.
FEEDBACK:
⁃ Standarts in web / Who is defining? ⁃ Accessibility and the web ⁃ Commercial is a problem ⁃ Mastodon ⁃ Bots describing images ⁃ What to people want the web to be? Empower and educate ⁃ noosphere ⁃ History of physiognomy ⁃ Pre cop / Statistics and normality -> A tool of policing becoming a mainstream tool ⁃ Normal = Size of a market ⁃ Kinship vs Normality ⁃ Economics vs Empathy = tension ⁃ Blind people ⁃ User agent ⁃ Look at what’s there & get depressed ⁃ Heidegger Failure ⁃ Look at what’s not working ⁃ twine
Thoughts:
Game of trying to make the Web inclusive??
-> Douglas Rushkoff -> What was the vision when it was created vs what is it now? -> Criticism of the web infrastructure looking at inclusiveness
„How societies treat the ones, that are the most vulnerable is ultimately gonna shape what kind of society we are gonna be.“ (Pod save the world 23.09.2020 „Assassin-in-chief“ 00:18:22
23.09.20 Individual tutorial with Michael
⁃ Distraction free / reader-mode ⁃ Look at history of accessibility ⁃ Adaptive tech ⁃ How different has the content to be ⁃ Lockdown > online learning > specific problems ⁃ research learning platforms ⁃ Development of ergonomics industry ⁃ Statue of average woman ⁃ Represent ideas as visual relations ⁃ Visualize different views of the world (thinking types) ⁃ Development of thoughts through animation
Thoughts:
AGB (Terms and conditions) - Complexity as a weapon (how long does it take to actually read?) Amazon > a world that is prepared in a way to exploit you
Simple & Emotional VS Complex & Elaborate -> as control/guidance system in commercial / political internet
Biased Marketing = „the exploitation of human biases for advertising purposes“
Epistemology /Theory of Cognition
Epistemic inequality = not everybody has the same access to information = knowledge inequality = power inequality
Knowledge = Understanding = Learning ???????
Power lies in those who have the means to produce meaning - data is power (data that will be profitable in the future // data that can be used to make predictions)
Access to knowledge - an examination of history - an explanation of the necessity - an analysis of the current situation - a plea for.... Ideas for solutions?
Where are human cognitive limitations being used to gain financial or political benefits? - biased marketing - targeted advertising - complexity vs simplicity in the web - law/ political / medical texts / Academia
25.09.20 Podcast: 99percent invisible - On average
„In many ways, the built world was not designed for you. It was designed for the average person“
Adolph Quetelet (1796 - 1874) - defined the average man first (?) / averages human features
The average = The ideal???? NO
BMI = Human average „Normal suicide rate“ ??
„If everything is average, can there be free will?“ ??!!
„civil war study“ // Airplane cockpit design // Gilbert S Daniels // ergonomics
Average fits nobody!!! Adjustable elements!!!
„Nowadays we take it for granted, that adjustable elements will fit a wide variety of users“ >>> Is this the case with digital interfaces e.g. The Internet ???????
Ergonomics -> Digital ergonomics
Still today military measurements are the most widely accessible and thus influence ergonomics a lot. Military is on average more fit than the rest of the population >>> Makes the world harder for „heavier“ people (Military is trying to be more inclusive with these measurements nowadays)
Captain Camble, Kim (heroic small, thin pilot in heavy machine, being able to operated perfectly)
EQUAL FIT AS A FOUNDATION FOR OPPORTUNITY IN SOCIETY EDUCATION STILL TRIES TO FIT AN AVERAGE PERSON
NO ONE IS AVERAGE
Reading: Todd Rose - The end of average
Thoughts:
Accessibility. Usability. Inclusion. > entanglement
How can I create an online learning platform that adjusts to the user to match her/his preferences?
The „Inclusive-Web“ is (if even) integrative, as the average user is always the one put first, whereas the „non-average“ user is the one who has to adjust by using plugins/Extensions to be able to have „equal access“ The choice on which preferences / abilities you have and what adjustments you need should be the very first step (Not an afterthought or hidden in a sidebar or burger menu)
Thoughts:
Informational exclusion & The need for mental ergonomics in digital information infrastructure
Problems: 1. The education system which is still referring to an „average“ student when generating / providing informational content as well as assessing students. 2. Web-interfaces and accessibility- / inclusive- / usability-standards are not inclusive but integrative at best as people in need for adjustment have to got through extra effort to get them und thus are treated as a secondary class 3. Methods that use (abuse) human cognitive limitations to gain financial/political benefits, like utilizing human biases in targeted adds or biased marketing or limited abilities to precess and understand complex language/ systems like terms & conditions, algorithms, predictive tech, complexity vs simplicity..)
These trends can and should be addressed and counteracted
These create inequality in relation to access to information -> Epistemic inequality in the digital realm
Access to information = equal chances for opportunity, fulfillment, growth, participation
Content for the publication?
• Analysis of the „inclusive web“ • Analysis of accessibility of information, problems, consequences • proposal for a truly inclusive approach • emergence of average (historical examination)
Todd Rose - The end of average Notes: Individuality matters
Ergodic switch Averaging error Principals of individuality: 1. Jagendes principal 2. Context principal 3. Pathways principal
Session 2 with Aymeric
PREPERATION:
Equal access to information is an urgent necessity to provide individuals with equal access to personal growth, fulfillment, opportunity and thus participation in society. In my first analysis of this matter I have found most interfaces on the Internet do not provide equal access to information for some individuals, sometimes even purposely utilizing access to information in order to gain (political, financial) benefits, thus resulting in epistemic inequality/ violence. Individuality matters and no one is average, whereas in the development of digital (mainstream) informational infrastructure it seem the „average man“ is still predominant. I want to further analyze these issues, their consequences for individuals and propose a better way of incorporating also marginalized user groups into the design and development process.
Just as the design practice of „ergonomics“, which makes products equally available for a broad variety of individual as an oppose to a „one-fits-all“ solution, there is a need for omnipresent, easy adjustability throughout digital information distribution systems, which I call „cognitive ergonomics“. This concerns: ⁃ so-called „Inclusiveness-, accessibility and (concluding from this) Usability-Standards of the web, which are at best integrative. (Segregative: all different parts of a system are being treated differently. Integrative: the majority (equal parts) integrates a few parts with differences into their group and integrates them, which means the unequal parts will over time adjust to the group. Inclusive: All different parts of a system are being treated equally and contribute to the system, while profiting of the systems diversity.)These well-meant standards put users second, that do not correspond or at least come close to the average, as they are the ones having to go through an extra effort of adjustment in order to gain access. If the web would be truly inclusive that would mean, that everybody had to go through steps of adjustment, which can also be of benefit to people with „average sets of abilities“. ⁃ methods, that utilize human cognitive limitations to gain financial or political benefits, like abusing human biases to gain more political influence through targeted advertising or financial benefits through biased marketing, as well as deliberately exceeding the capacities of human cognitive processing abilities to exclude users from understanding e.g. the terms and conditions of services or algorithmic predictions of their behavior. ⁃ the educational system, which is still referring to an „average student“ when generating, providing informational content and assessing the students, whereas they are not utilizing as they should be the technical possibilities of digital supportive tools and online learning to facilitate a more individualistic approach to learning that adjusts itself to the students individual strengths, weaknesses, preferences and pace.
I want to develop a website/web-app, that tries to extend the limits of the technical and social framework of the web by experimenting with an interface, that adjusts itself as much as possible to a users abilities and preferences. This experiment aims to find out to what extent it is functional to design interfaces in such a way that all users, even those who differ significantly from the average, have equally easy and pleasant access to information.
For this I want to work individually, conduct field studies and at best find a constant test group. I will look into the concepts of Inclusion and Inclusive-Design, Ergonomics, Inclusive-/ Accessible-Web Standards, the Principals of Individuality, as well as Epistemic inequality & Epistemic violence. For the practical part I want to a make use of Webdesign, coding (HTML, CSS, JS), Wikimedia & Wiki_To_Html, 2D animation.