Category: Interaction Design

During the World Usability Congress 2023 I attended a talk by Ben Anyasodo, who is Principal Research Consultant of Redrock Consulting. the topic immediately interested me, as I am generally interested in AI and new technologies, namely how they can be implemented in classic areas of design, such as UX research. It should be noted at once that the topic is quite ambiguous, it conceals a lot of pitfalls: the ethical side of the issue, privacy issue and so on.

During his presentation, the speaker gave several different examples of AI implementation to conduct UX research in the field. I would like to dwell on one example in more detail. One coffee shop had a video surveillance system that was connected to AI and recorded the work of the employees. It counted the number of cups that were dispensed by a particular barista. On the one hand, this seems like a good tool for measuring the efficiency of employees, but the work of a barista includes not just making coffee, but creating an atmosphere, communication, and just a friendly smile, which can be valued even more than the coffee itself. This is something that AI cannot measure in any way. I was so interested that I found a discussion on the Internet about this innovation and most users found the idea terrible. In fact, I tend to share this opinion, in my opinion, such an application of AI is more likely to harm the efficiency of an organization.

Anyway, the presentation was really entertaining, and gave me quite a few insights that I can use in my master thesis.

Dynamic Women Podcast

For my last impulse blog post, I decided to listen to two episodes of a “Dynamic Women” podcast. It is an Award-Winning action-focused lifestyle and leadership podcast full of stories and strategies to help women design their success.

In the first episode, which was about strategic planning for success, they talked about how it is important to not blindly follow trends, emphasizing that what’s popular might not necessarily align with a personalized, effective strategy for an individual. Additionally, listeners of a podcast get an insight into Diane’s (Professional Certified Coach) personal experiences with strategic planning.

Another episode was about gender equity in the career fields, which had a podcast quest Sophie Warwick, Co-Founder of the Thoughtful Co. She revealed the story of how her passion turned into business and how she employs data analysis to develop in-house gender equity policies and drives the mission of building gender-inclusive workplaces. Sophie also raised an important topic of how women usually hesitate to negotiate for better compensation and promotions. The conversation from there goes to strategies for moving women into senior positions.

The topics discussed in this podcast are important and offer valuable insights for my research topic. By analyzing the gender pay gap, and negotiation challenges, and proposing actionable strategies, Sophie’s and Diane’s expertise aligns seamlessly with the core focus of my investigation.

Podcast Links:

• Strategic Planning: Mapping Out Your Successful Year Ahead with Diane Rolston
• Gender Equity: Get Paid What You Deserve with Sophie Warwick

This impulse is dedicated to a movement that is taking place directly on Instagram. This should show that positive movements are also taking place on the app itself, that people are recognizing the problems, taking initiative and trying to make the platform a better place. After all, it is important not to forget that you can also reach many people via Instagram and make a positive impact. Nevertheless, it should be added that many of the problems that Instagram draws attention to are created or extremely amplified by the app itself.

The hashtag #BodyPositivity has become an influential movement on social media that promotes acceptance and love for diverse body shapes and sizes. This campaign aims to break unrealistic beauty standards and encourage people to love and accept their bodies of all shapes and sizes. By creating a platform for self-love, the hashtag provides a space for authentic stories, personal journeys and positive images that celebrate the diversity of human bodies.

In the context of my research #BodyPositivity plays a crucial role. The movement not only offers a counterpoint to harmful beauty ideals, but also provides valuable insights into the power of social media to promote positive change. The impulse from the #BodyPositivity movement thus supports my research topic by providing insights into the positive potential of Instagram.

Hashtag on Instagram

Artikel über Body Positivity

In this public radio show from WBUR, listeners call in and share their third places and what they mean to them. After that, the host discusses the history of the third place, the state of third places in The United States post-pandemic, why we should rebuild third places, and how to make that possible. Professor Danielle C. Rhubart, assistant professor of biobehavioral health and demography at Penn State University, explains the importance of third places:

“When the people who coined the term first described it, these places where places of sociality and now we look at coffee shops and they can also be places where you get work done. Right? And you’re not actually engaging with other people. And there’s evidence to suggest that even when we go in a more passive way and are on our laptops, there’s still some benefits in sort of building senses of belonging and identity.

But when we actually engage with people and have conversations that can also yield benefits along measures of mental health and wellbeing as well.”

Below are some excerpts from listeners who called in to the podcast:

ELIZABETH: I would say my third place is the dog park. It’s a great place to meet other people from other neighborhoods, economic situations, jobs, races, religions. It just brings everyone together. And I find myself spending a lot of time there, especially at the start of the pandemic, it seemed like that was the only place where I could see people and life seemed to be normal.

DAVID: My third place is one of four or five local taverns that I tend to frequent. That’s where everybody knows my name. I’m greeted with a smile. They know the drink I want, and sometimes engage in terrific conversation, either with regulars or entirely new faces.

SUSANNA: It’s a cold water swimming group, and it really took me by surprise to find how engaged I was because I love these people so much and it is a head clearing oasis. At the start of my day, three times a week.

SULE: I’m a percussionist, and most Sundays there’s a group of five to 10, sometime up to 15 drummers and musicians out in Piedmont Park. That’s where I go to make friends and absorb good energy and music from other people.

Citations

Chang, Jonathan, and Anthony Brooks. “‘third Places’ Strengthen Community. Here’s How We Can Rebuild Them.” On Point, July 26, 2023. https://www.wbur.org/onpoint/2023/07/26/third-places-strengthen-community-heres-how-we-can-rebuild-them.

In Mina Le’s video essay, “third places, stanley cup mania, and the epidemic of loneliness”, she discusses isolation, loneliness, friendship, and community in our modern, technological age. Le dedicates a large portion of the video to the “third place”. First described in the 1980s by American sociologist Ray Oldenburg, a third place is a space for informal, free social interaction, essential to democracy. Exemplified most clearly by the coffeehouse, a third place is neutral ground where friends and neighbours are regulars, but strangers are just as welcome. Third places are inexpensive, unstructured, and local. Conversation is the main activity. In this video, Le speaks specifically to the American condition, where third places have all but disappeared. Although the situation isn’t quite the same in Europe, the digital space has largely replaced the physical third place, and we still don’t yet know what the consequences of that might be. Le ends the video by discussing the importance of communities and in-person friendships/relationships. She notes that, over the phone, we completely miss the facial cues from others’ expressions. We feel less of a communal responsibility, and we lose the culture of generosity without expectation of reciprocation or compensation.

Citations

Le, Mina. “Third Places, Stanley Cup Mania, and the Epidemic of Loneliness.” YouTube, January 22, 2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqjpuUJQFcM&t=1632s.

Oldenburg, Ray, and Karen Christensen. “Third Places, True Citizen Spaces.” The UNESCO Courier,
March 22, 2023. https://courier.unesco.org/en/articles/third-places-true-citizen-spaces.
the third place

Women at Work (Podcast): Ever Considered Joining a Board?

In the recent podcast that I listened to created by Harvard Business Review, the discussion with women in leadership positions about how they got there, gender discrimination, and their difficulties. Eight women who work in the board service share their experiences, challenges, and how they secured their seats.

One prominent figure contributing to the discussion is Lindsey Shorts, who has been on the board of directors at the Center for Excellence in Assisted Living for 10 years and was its chair for 7. She was honest about how it is sometimes difficult to deal with a lot of people, especially if the field is male-dominated, and how sometimes she had to make people listen to her and her ideas in order to be taken seriously. Lindsey shared that it was difficult for her to have a word in because of that. Because of this, she was feeling confused for a long period of time about her tone of voice (if she sounded not nice), if she said the right word, etc. What helped her was finding a mentor and having a person she could always go to If she wasn’t sure about something. What I liked is that she said that being in a board position is about understanding what people need, and what needs to be done, whereas many people see this only as an opportunity to do what they want.

Podcast Link

In the song “Dear Society” by Madison Beer, which was released in 2019, the singer deals with the social pressures that are amplified by social media. The song explores the negative effects of social media on self-perception and the general worldview, and the lyrics show the narrator’s frustration with unrealistic standards and expectations of society, which are reinforced by social media. It describes how these pressures can affect mental health and self-esteem as we try to live up to these standards. Additionally, the song highlights how social media can distort reality. It suggests that these digital platforms can aspire to a toxic cycle that strives for perfection, which is ultimately harmful to wellbeing.

Madison Beer’s song “Dear Society” provides important insight into the negative effects of social media on self-image and well-being, showing how present the issue is in society and that everyone struggles with it.

Songfacts