An initial project to investigate the use of computational media in the role of design and learning in the domain of environmental design, the first instantiation of Mr. Rogers' was an exploratory computer simulation that allowed players to navigate their neighborhood and presented them with community design situations utilizing the WWW to provide background and argumentation.
Subsequent develoment pursued the creation of a physical version of the game to provide insights into the strengths and weakness of the different media for the collaborative decision-making processes.
Advantages of virtual material:
The models can be dynamic
Visualizations of behavior can be created
Automatic feedback can be provided
The realism of a physical model can be augmented
Alternate realities can be modeled
Relevant information can be brought to bear on the task; process and outcome information can be captured
In addition, domain-oriented approaches:
support human problem-domain communication by bringing task to the forefront and by reducing the conceptual distance between the world to be modeled and the modeling world.
increase in the "back-talk" of the situation by incorporating that represent the knowledge and insights of Virtual Stakeholders
make argumentation serve design by allowing critics to lead designers to design rationale that is relevant to their task at hand.
provide access to contextualized information by retrieving cases in a catalog that come closest to the ongoing design activity.
Limitations of virtual material
Computational systems are often opaque. The whole environment
is "inside" the box.
Users are often forced to "work the computer" rather than being able to focus on the task.
Usually, constraints are placed on interaction: The now-predominant mode of interaction is single-user, often resulting in one person being "in control."
(when separated from the physical) "Switching to the computer" interferes with continuity of argument.
Last Updated: 4/15/99; 2:59:00 PM
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