The role of appropriation in the design of engaging artefacts

Flint, Tom; Turner, Phil

Abstract

Creating engaging artefacts is a key objective for anyone involved in the design and implementation of interactive media. This is particularly true for those artefacts that comprise, complement and enliven modern museums. While recognising that engagement can take a number of different forms, appropriation appears to be the most pertinent here. By appropriation we mean people making an artefact their own, an observation we illustrate with details from an ethnographic study conducted at the Public (http://www.thepublic.com/). We conclude by observing that by empowering people to make artefacts their own is not merely an effective means of creating engaging artefacts but lies at the heart of user-centred design.

Citation

Flint, T., & Turner, P. (2011, May). The role of appropriation in the design of engaging artefacts. Paper presented at Re-Thinking Technology in Museums 2011

• Presentation Conference Type: Conference Paper (unpublished)
• Conference Name: Re-Thinking Technology in Museums 2011
• Start Date: May 1, 2011
• End Date: May 1, 2011
• Publication Date: 2011
• Deposit Date: May 31, 2011
• Publicly Available Date: Dec 31, 2011
• Peer Reviewed: Not Peer Reviewed
• Keywords: Interactive media; artefacts; museums; user-centred design
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/id/eprint/4421
• Contract Date: May 31, 2011