Be a designer
The technology that you are using doesn’t work the way you want it to.
***
Rapid changes in technology make it almost impossible to keep up to date with new techniques and applications.
Future uses and problems of technology cannot be completely anticipated at by designers at the time when it is developed (Nardi, 1993 cited in Fischer, 2005).
You are not interested in the technology per se, but in doing your work.
Your work plans break down if the technology is mismatched to the task.
***
Therefore, contribute your own visions and objectives to the technology design.
Breakdowns serve as potential sources of new insights, new knowledge, and new understanding…and better technology.
You can modify technologies as the need arises.
Control and ownership of the problem shifts from the designer to you - a significant and demanding shift that requires you to adopt “a new mindset” (Fischer, 1999) towards learning and teaching.
***
Informed participation (Brown & Duguid, 2000) is a form of collaborative design in which participants of all backgrounds (not just skilled computer professionals) go beyond the information given, slowly acquire ownership in problems and contribute to the design.
Lifelong Learning design pattern map. Click to enlarge.
The “be a designer” pattern was originally published April 25th, 2005 on The Common Loon.
25 Apr 2005
