by madeleine.hurst -

Ontology and epistemology for UI design pattern

When researching established workflows and user interface (UI) patterns, my assumptions are that familiarity often leads to same solutions. People often tend to stick to existing methods simply because they have become accustomed to them. The same appens with changing User Interfaces. This aversion to change something is a known phenomenon.

By investigating this further, I want to find out why certain approaches are been still used and if there are mor efficient alternatives. The basic questions that intersts me are: Why do we cling to established norms? Could there be a better way to accomplish tasks?

Moreover, this universal resistance to change, also in the context of UI modifications, adds another layer. The aversion to alterations in UIs and workflows might be a recognized aspect of human behavior. But, I think that this reluctance could bereduzed if the suggested changes are beneficial or more user-friendly. Similar to the adoption of innovations such as the social login feature.

My research is going to be mostly based on existing studies and will be pretty theoretical. Maybe I can have a more philosphical approach to it and approach and interviewing different types of users to understand what they think about specific UI patterns. To find out which patterns are known and what people think about them. To get some reliable data on a pattern it has to be tested and maybe compared with an alternative with a high amount of users to find out if the pattern is just useful because it is known or because it is realy intuitiv without explanation.

Recognizing that this study takes a highly theoretical stance, I plan to draw extensively from existing research while infusing a philosophical dimension to enrich the discourse. To gain a comprehensive understanding, I aim to conduct interviews with colleagues, power users, and individuals less experienced with the system. This approach should show the prevailing patterns, feelings and attitudes towards established UI norms.

To really understand a pattern, I’ll test it and maybe compare it to another approach with a lot of users. This will help me figure out if people like a pattern just because it’s familiar or if it’s genuinely easy to use without needing much explanation.

I’m not just interested in what UI patterns are out there, but I want to know why we use them and if there might be better ways of doing things. It’s all about understanding why things look the way they do on our screens and get a broader understanding of design pattern and user behavior.

by Kris Van Hout -

Blog #10 – Topic assignment Master‘s thesis

Central Research Question
What is the best way to make a social media campaign a question that a lot of marketing teams are asking themselves but still don’t have quite clear answer to. Why is a social media campaign valuable for brands? How does a campaign communicate? What is a social media campaign and what does it include? This thesis will mainly focus on short-form-video in social media campaigns and want to find out why do they preform so well and what is the secret behind it.

Goal
The goal of this master thesis is to investigate the impact of design elements (trends, storytelling, camera techniques) in short-form video on social media platforms (Instagram and TikTok), with the aim of providing insights and recommendations for optimizing engagement in social media campaigns. with the focus of the target group Gen Z and Gen Alpha.

Hypothesis:
The use of design elements, such as visual aesthetics, narrative and trends, in short-form video on social media notably influences audience engagement, including views, shares and comments. By understanding these design elements, media designers can enhance the effectiveness of social media campaigns for brand promotion and communication.

Classification in the field of Media Design
This master thesis would be relevant for the field of media design for several reasons:
– Media trends: Short-form content with focus on video is becoming more and more popular on social media platforms. Understanding the role of short films in social media campaigns can provide valuable insight into the media field.
– Engagement and attention: Maintaining audience attention is very important. Short-form video is designed to brief and engaging. Which could be a media design strategy to hold audience interest.
– Visual storytelling: an important element in the field of media design is visual storytelling. Short-form video rely strongly on visual storytelling techniques to deliver a narrative within a short amount of time.
– Brand image and Communication: Social media campaigns are aiming to build and promote a brand. Short-form video can convey a brand’s message in a creative way.

Status of the art in research
Since short form video is quite new, there are not a lot of scientific papers about it. There are a lot of papers and books about traditional marketing where the essence of marketing can be taken from and put those findings in the new form of marketing. Also interviews and best practice will be done about this topic to figure out what the real reactions/results are of certain social media campaigns.

Theory reference
This master thesis can use theoretical references theory in narrative, visual communication, digital media, user engagement, advertising and branding and social media.  

Method
The method will be based on three pillars:

1. Theoretical Framework,
– Conduct literature to establish strong theoretical foundation.
– Identify key theories relevant for short-form video, media design and user engagement on social media.

2. Best practice, Interviews and User feedback
– Case studies on successful short-form video campaigns on social media
– Conduct interviews with professionals in media design and digital marketing
– Collect user feedback through surveys and analyse existing user interactions on social media platforms

3. Implementation to own campaign and analysis
– Design and execute own campaign for Cycling race Acht van Bladel
– Gather and analyse data, Performance, engagement and user interactions
– Compare findings with theoretical framework, best practice and user feedback to draw conclusions

Material and sources
Material that can be used for this master thesis are:
– Academic Journals, for insights into user engagement, visual communication and media theories
– Books, by experts in media design, digital storytelling and social media
– Case Studies, successful social media campaigns that use short-form video
– Interviews and Expert opinions, with professionals in the fields of media design, advertising and digital marketing
– Social media platforms, they often release reports and analytics that can be valuable of understanding user behaviour and engagement.
– Surveys and User feedback, to gather data on user preferences and responses to short-form video on social media.
– Other theses, this can help me with a base for my own research and highlights where I can contribute new insights.

Literature (temporary)
Brown, R. E., Jones, V. K. & Wang, M. (o. D.). The new advertising: branding, content, and consumer relationships in the data-driven social media era. Volume 1 Traditional advertising transformed (Volume 1).

Brown, R. E., Jones, V. K. & Wang, M. (o. D.). The new advertising: branding, content, and consumer relationships in the data-driven social media era. Volume 2 New Media, New Uses, New Metrics (Volume 2).

Coker, K. K., Flight, R., & Baima, D. M. (2017). Skip it or view it: The Role of Video Storytelling in Social Media Marketing. Researchgate.

Structure (temporary)

  1. Title
  2. Abstract
  3. Introduction
    – Background
    – Research Problem
    – Objectives, the specific goals
    – Significance of the study, why is this thesis relevant?
  4. Literature Review
    – Relevant theories such as narrative, visual communication, digital media, user engagement, advertising and branding and social media
    – Identify gaps in the literature that this thesis aims to fill.
  5. Theoretical Framework
  6. Method
    – Theoretical Framework
    – Best Practice, Interviews, User Feedback
    – Own campaign implementation and Analysis
  7. Results/ Data analysis
    – Evaluate
    – Present and analyse the data
    – Interpret the findings
  8. Discussion
    – Compare findings in relation to existing literature.
    – Address any limitations of this study and suggest directions for future research
    – The potential impact of the findings on the field of media design
  9. Conclusion
    – Summary of findings
  10. Recommendations
    – Practical recommendations for media designers, marketers
    – Suggest strategies for optimizing short-form video in social media campaigns
  11. References
  12. Appendices

Timeline[1]
February – March
Weeks 1-2: Refine topic
– Finalize topic, align with interests and goals
– Refine research question
Weeks 3-4: Conduct first literature review
– Begin a literature review, identify key theories related to short-form video, media design and social media campaigns.

April – May
Week 5-6: Develop theoretical framework
– Build theoretical framework based on the literature
– Define key concepts and theories that will guide the research
Week 7-8: Plan best practice analysis and Interviews
– Identify relevant case studies
– Plan and prepare of interviews with industry professionals

June
Week 9-10 Conduct Best practise analysis and interviews
– Analyse successful short-form video campaigns and extract insights
– Conduct and transcribe interviews with industry professionals
Week 11-12 Collect user feedback
– Develop surveys to gather user feedback on short-form video
Week 13-14 Design and implement own campaign (achtvanbladel)
– Develop detailed plan for own short-form video campaign
– Implement the campaign

July – September
Week 15-16 Analyse campaign data
– Analyse data collected from own campaign
– compare them with theoretical framework, best practices and user feedback
Week 17-18 Write draft chapters
– Begin writing thesis chapters, Introduction, literature review, method
Week 19-20 Refine and finalize thesis
– Edit end refine Thesis
– Ensure arguments are well-supported and structure is cohesive.
Week 21-22 Finalize and submit
– Make final revisions and polish thesis.
– Submit the final version of thesis.

[1] ChatGPT is used to create a guidance for a timeline for Topic assignment Master‘s thesis, February 03. 2024

by edwin.lang -

Blog Post – Master Topics Feedback #2

In this blog post I will summarize my conversation with Mr. Martin Kaltenbrunner who is the head of the Tangible Music Lab (University of Arts, Linz) and gave me feedback on my previously discussed ideas for my master thesis. Mr. Martin Kaltenbrunner provided me good insights into conferences and researcher working in the field of embodiment and tangible interaction design.

Conference

The International Conference on Tangible Embedded and Embodied Interaction (TEI) delves into the realm of human-computer interaction, pioneering tools and technologies, interactive art, and user experience. At TEI, the spotlight is on merging atoms and bits to create seamless interactive systems.

Professors

Furthermore, he mentioned Prof. Dr. Eva Hornecker who is currently teaching at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar in the field of Human-Computer Interaction. According to Mr. Martin Kaltenbrunner, one part of her research is about the Tangible User Interfaces and Education.

Books

Lastly, he mentioned the following book to me as I was released in 2022 and summarizes the entire research field of embodiment and tangible user interfaces very good.

Weaving Fire into Form: Aspirations for Tangible and Embodied Interaction can be found under the following link: https://dl.acm.org/doi/book/10.1145/3544564

by edwin.lang -

Blog Post – Master Topics Feedback #1

In this blog post I will summarize my conversation with Mr. Orhan Kipcak who gave me feedback on my previously discussed ideas for my master thesis.

1. Framing Skepticism Towards Digital Media in a Positive Light

Highlighting the advantages of an analog focus without criticizing digital components.

– Reduction of complexity
– Multisensory experience

Concealing technical components is a notable unique selling point when expressed positively.

2. Defining Users

In the first step, define potential users and their motivations.

“Information measures for politics and large companies”

Potential target groups:

– Museums / Festivals

– Research projects (dissemination and communication to the public)

– Communication for political decisions

3. Establishment

Research funding opportunities and possibilities for establishing a company or a design studio.

4. Biography Tips

My technical studies provide a unique selling point that I can highlight even more. Express how much I enjoyed or gained from the experience.

5. Tips for the Master’s Thesis

Explore usage scenarios for Tangible User Interfaces and Data Visualization.
Make an inventory to identify what is needed – “Starting from the beginning and not the end.”

by daniil.ivanov -

Change of direction in Master Thesis

In the last week of the 3rd semester, I received a huge amount of insights related to the topic of my master’s thesis. Therefore, I decided to change the vector a little. I would like the practical part to prevail in my work. I compared feasibility, my own desires and interests, my skills and decided to focus on practice.

Recently I have spoken with Mrs. Lagger, Mr. Kipcak, Mr. Baumann and Mr. Kaltenbrunner about the framework for my future work.

Therefore, now in the near future I will take the following steps:

  1. I will compile all the information that I received from the professors into one document, which also includes a mood board for a future potential exhibition.
  2. I will formulate the exact purpose of the exhibition and what topic it will be created on.
  3. I will accurately formulate the topic, title of the work and question.
  4. I will rewrite the Expose in accordance with all the changes that my topic has undergone.
  5. I will explore all the opportunities that the city of Graz provides for such independent art exhibitions, be it art venues, museums or Leerstand.

All these steps will certainly be completed by me in the near future, so that I can begin the theoretical part of the study as soon as possible.

by daniil.ivanov -

Impulse #8 – Exhibition at ESC

At the end of the 3rd semester we organized our final exhibition in the ESC Kunst Labor space. This event had quite an impact on me, so much so that I was able to decide on the exact direction of my Master Thesis. I got great pleasure from the process of preparing and creating complex technical exhibits, from all the difficulties that this brought.

It was very inspiring to see how visitors came and interacted with real interest with the exhibits that we created with our own hands, how our ideas came to life and really brought some emotions to real people.

I came to the exhibition every day 20 minutes before the opening to launch the main exhibit “Portfolio machine” and every time small difficulties arose and were constantly different, which was especially interesting. Sometimes during the exhibition my colleagues had difficulties and then I always responded to help. I really enjoyed this work and would be very happy to do this in the future.

by daniil.ivanov -

Impulse #7 – The use of AI-based image generators.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I am the organizer of the LARP games. For this activity, I decided to use AI image generators to visualize the rules more clearly.

I created a page on the Notion platform and created different sections, for rules, for character descriptions and so on. The only question was which neural networks to use. We used three and I will describe my experience below.

Lime Wire

Lima Wire is a free neural network that can generate pictures based on promt. It is worth noting that the quality of the generated content is not that high at all, this is due to the fact that the service is free and still in the active development stage.

Artbreeder

Artbreeder uses a slightly different model. We used it to generate character portraits. It doesn’t use promts, rather it generates images based on existing ones, can compile multiple ones, and offers to change parameters, allowing for unique results.

Midjourney

Midjourney is perhaps one of the most famous image generators. For a subscription it allows you to generate images of quite high quality, although some things the neural network still doesn’t understand. For example, I needed an image of a drakkar, the platform didn’t understand the word at all and drew me a dragon. Anyway, we used this very service to design the rulebook.

by nadja.pirchheim -

Ontology & Epistemology

Ontology:

If I reflect on the nature of reality as it pertains in my research topic I assume, that teenagers often don’t know what they want to become nor where their professional journey is heading. One reason for this is the lack of opportunities to gain insights into different professions. This is also been examined in a survey conducted by Zukunft.Lehre.Österreich.(1)

I definitely view this assumption as objective facts as they were asked and examine in a broader field.

Epistemology:

The primary sources for my study are mainly from the WKO (chamber of commerce) as they conduct studies and surveys every year about apprenticeships in Austria. As well as other institutions in Austria which work for the Ministry of Education, other job seeking platforms or have any relation to education and employment. Also personal experience and subjective experience from people in my surroundings play a major role and give insights into for instance the change over time. The understanding is mostly empirical based on data and observation throughout the years as well as the material which is provided by the WKO.

Possible limitations could be that I have already delved too deeply into the topic and do not see other relevant information or my own biased interpretation of certain aspects.

Source:

(1) https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/1229681/umfrage/hinderungsgruende-fuer-eine-lehre-in-oesterreich/

by daniil.ivanov -

Exposé

Working title

Meaningful application of high technology in design

1. the problem (Starting point, problem description)                                             

Which theoretical, practical, social, etc. problem is the starting point of your thesis?

What do you think is the real cause of the problem?

In the last few years, technology has made huge leaps and we are on the verge of a technological revolution comparable to the advent of the steam engine. This cannot but affect various fields of labor, and some professions may cease to exist in the next decade. Some fear that the design profession (in various iterations, from graphic designer to product designer) may be replaced by Artificial Intelligence. This is a topic of great interest to me, as I myself am studying towards Interaction Design and plan to continue my career as a UX Designer. That’s why I wanted to explore this topic.

2. state of research

What is the state of research on this problem? What findings are available? What has not yet been (sufficiently) addressed, clarified or contradicted? How does your own work relate to the existing research?

At this point, I wouldn’t say there are a lot of different studies regarding this topic. Many papers are appearing right now, as the topic became relevant just a couple of years ago. So I keep my finger on the pulse and check to see if new research is emerging.

3. the question

Which question(s) should be answered in your master thesis? What is the main question?

Consequences of AI on the traditional UX/UI design

4. the hypothesis resp. the objective                                               (max. ½ page)

What do you want to prove, disprove or design, programme, … in your Master’s thesis?

Target catalogue

I’d like to answer the question of how much the latest technology will affect the design field. I will probably consider two scenarios: utopian and dystopian.

5. the reference to theory

Which explanatory approaches or theories are referred to?

What is your point of view? What is your position?

I also want to look at previous cases of technological revolutions, how they occurred in a historical context, and what input they had on disappearing or highly changing fields of labor. I would also like to look at how AI works, what it can do, and what the potential outcome of its development might be.

6. the method

What is the methodological procedure (work steps, approach)? Which methods and instruments do you want to use in the project? What does a possible solution path or procedure methodology look like? How should the problem be solved, the question answered, how should the sources be analysed?

Speculative design, expert interviews

7. the material

What material and sources are available on the topic?

Which sources (data, videos, comparative material, …) are available, which need to be identified, collected?

There are many interviews with famous visionaries (Ilon Musk, Bill Gates and others) about AI and its possible impact on the industry, many designers share their opinions and experiences on various portals, there are already some statistics on layoffs from large companies. All this is to be collected and analyzed for relevance. I also want to do some interviews with experts and process them.

8. (preliminary) bibliography in compliance with the rules of citation

I can’t give a preliminary list of references yet, as the topic is quite specific and evolving dynamically

9. (preliminary) structre

Which aspects should be dealt with and in which order?

I would definitely like to include a historical overview, the nature of AI, how it works and what it can do, expert interviews and 2 scenarios at the end, a utopian and a dystopian.

10. the timetable (project phases and duration)

How much time is needed for the most important work steps (research, data collection, data evaluation, creation of the work piece, writing the raw text, revision, layout, final correction)? – Milestones

When should the work be finished?

During spring I would like to collect all the theoretical material, in summer I am going to process it and conduct expert interviews. By the end of August I would like to finish it.

by helena.opower -

Impulse #8 Article about potential harms & benefits of social media for children & teenagers

As the start of my Master’s thesis is now getting closer and closer, I am now looking more closely at existing literature and studies in this area. I came across a very interesting paper that covers many of the areas relevant to my research. It also refers to many studies that support the statements and I intend to make a note of these for a more detailed analysis in the psychological field. This paper is therefore a good starting point and an overview of important points that need to be considered and examined in more detail.

It is about the growing challenges in the area of children’s and young people’s mental health. It emphasizes that the use of social media and online platforms could play a potential role in these problems. The paper emphasizes the long-term effects of children’s interactions with social media on mental and physical health. I think the parts that deal with neuroscientific principles, the behavior of children and adolescents in social media and the effects this has on brain development are particularly exciting. Various areas and features of social media are highlighted here and how they affect a teenager’s brain. This is definitely a very exciting point and my plan is to delve more into studies in this area so that I can use this data as the basis for my master’s thesis.

Testimony

APA article