A Chronicle of Work So Far
This post is meant to outline the steps I’ve taken so far in developing my thesis, from the conceptions and rejections of many ideas, through some small amount of research, to the plans I have to bring this ship to port. Bask in the schadenfreude!
First Stabs at Research
I had plenty of experience with using maps, and I had seen plenty of examples of people who had done interesting things with them. (It seems that my newsreader is continually full of the next map mashup or information visualization or whatever.) There existed a gap in my knowledge around the behavior of a map owner—especially the small interactions and intangible qualities that define the experience.
The first step in this for me was a survey of some of the literature on the topic. I read a number of books which covered topics like embedded interaction in architecture, psychogeography, and writing. These books gave me a sense of the overall landscape of contemporary cartography, specifically as it relates to interactive services. While monstrously helpful, the more I read, the more material there was. This concerned me: had I taken on a topic too large and too crowded?
Interviews
I wanted to know what a map was and what it afforded (and denied) those who used it. Maps have an agenda—what they do and do not show can have great influence—but I needed to fond out from others what that agenda meant to them. So I decided to ask around.
I spoke with about ten people walking in or around New York City’s Madison Square Park, asking them what they were using their maps for. The answers I received by and large confirmed what I had known in regards to the maps’ agenda: people would pull out the map when they needed information the map could provide, and unnecessary information on the map seemed to fade away, as if focus of the mind was tied to vision. It seemed to me that maps serve us in a strange duality: at once they present the constraints of the terrain and the available methods which one may use to surmount them.
In addition to talking with the general public, I also had the chance to interview Île Sans Fil co-founder Michael Lenczner. We talked about his goals for the Montreal-wide wireless community and the tactics involved in getting thousands of people to engage in the service.
I also have plans to speak with members of the interaction design team at Google working on the Maps product.
Plans for The Future
There is much to be done.
Primarily, I need to focus my work. I need to find a way of cutting through such a large and crowded space with an idea that is grounded and attainable. To do so, analysis must be done to identify the places where I can have an impact.
I’d like to use this analysis as an opportunity to move into a place where I can begin to build. I’ve talked before about using small prototypes & experiments to sketch out ideas, and it’s time to make good on that.
