Basics

1. Basics What is aesthetics? What is aesthetics of interaction? Ideals. Issues. Problems. Possibilities. Ideas.

3. First issue: What is aesthetics?

4. Aesthetics… The word ”aesthetics” was coined by German philosopher Alexander Baumgarten in his book ”Aesthetica” in 1750. • The word is a combination oftwoGreekwords: • Aisthanomai= (to) sense (as in: becomeawareof) • Aisthesis = toexperiencethrough the senses • --> dual meaning: knowledgevs experience via the senses

5. Aesthetics in Philosophy 18th Cen. • Hume, Kant & others redefined Baumgarten’s original meaning…aesthetics = a matter of taste • Defines what is beautiful in a “measurable” way • Can be learnt by studying canon at concerts, exhibitions and play • ”Beauty is such an order and construction of parts, as either by the primary constitution of our nature, by custom, or by caprice, is fitted to give a pleasure and satisfaction to the soul.” • David Hume, A Treatise of Human Nature, Volume II, Book II, Part I, section VIII ”Of beauty and deformity”

6. Aesthetics in Philosophy: 18th Cen. • Kant: the aesthetic judgment • The aesthetic judgment of taste is not a cognitive judgment, and therefore not logical, but aesthetical • It is individual and sincere, based on emotional response and esteem (not feelings, moral considerations etc.): pure • The aesthetic judgment is applied on the beautiful only, and it is disinterested • Not on the pleasant/satisfying- we have an interest in it • Not on the good - since we want to attain it so we have an interest in it. • Pure judgments of taste are in a sense universal

7. Aesthetics in Philosophy 20ieth Cen. • Analyst aesthetics • objects can/should be analyzed from an aesthetical standpoint regardless of context • “…it is necessary to consider what things are such that, if they existed by themselves, in absolute isolation, we should yet judge their existence to be good” • G. E. Moore, Principia Ethica, 1903, § 112.

8. Aesthetics in Philosophy 20ieth Cen. • Pragmatist aesthetics • John Dewey: the aesthetic experience • Several followers in interaction design • “An experience has a unity that gives it its name, that meal, that storm, that rupture of friendship” • John Dewey in ”Art as Experience” 1934, p. 38 • Somaesthetics (Shusterman and others) • Soma = body, involving the bodily experience in one’s appreciation of the aesthetic; what is sensed by the senses but also how the body moves and operates

9. Aesthetics in Philosophy • Baumgarten: knowledge through the senses • Hume: Beauty is a matter of taste, which can be trained. ”Beauty [is what] gives a pleasure and satisfaction to the soul.” • Kant: The aesthetic judgment is universal, disinterested, based on emotional response and esteem • Analyst aesthetics: The properties of the artifact alone are what matters • Pragmatist aesthetics: the aesthetic experience, a ”whole” • Somaesthetics: Involving both mind and bodily sensation in the aesthetic experience

10. Aesthetics in art • What is considered beautiful and ”à la mode” in art changes with times and places… • … so-called art-movements or ”schools” or ”ideals” define what is ”good” or ”beautiful”

11. De Stijl: white, black, yellow, red, blue, straight angles. • Piet Mondrian, Composition with yellow

12. Romanticism: Nature as drama • Caspar David Friedrich, The Abbey in the Oakwood

13. Abstract expressionism: color, shape, creation Jackson Pollock, Convergence

14. Ideals… • Think of aesthetic ideals as ”beauty ideals” • There are many, co-existing • They are not stable – change over time and place… • Self portrait by Raphael, Bathers, by Renior, press picture of Robert Pattinson

15. Aesthetics in IxD • There are a some aesthetic ideals that surface again and again, in different disciplines… and that reappear in interaction design too… • Coherency • Emotion & Pleasure • Pragmatism • Somaesthetics & Tangibility • Provocation & Criticism • Functionalism & Usability • Playfulness, Intrigue & Challenge • (Coherency) • (Emotion) • (Sensing) • (Criticism) • (Efficiency) • (Playfulness)

16. Aesthetic Ideals in Ixd • We will spend considerable time on these, but here’s a quick run-through: • Ideal: Efficiency • Nielsen • Norman (in the early days) • HCI in general • Rooted in functionalism (”form follows function”) • Industrial design ideal… • …in turn rooted in older ideals from art & religion

17. Ideal: Coherency • Coherency in IxD • Hallnäs & Redström: expression logic • Coherency in design also strong HCI-ideal • Old, reoccuring ideal • Ancient Greece & Ulm industrial design school (1950ies): Coherency by numbers • Alberti (15th cen.): Coherency by ”istoria” • Industrial design ideals: Semantics, gestalt

18. Ideal: Emotion & Pleasure • Emotion in IxD: • Donald Norman (2003); Emotional design; why we love or hate everyday things • Overbeeke et al (2002): ”interfaces should be surprising, seductive, smart…” • Strommen (1998): When the interface is a talkning dinosaur; AIBOs • Evoking emotions has always been important in art

19. Ideal: Criticism • Criticism in IxD • Dunne & Raby • STATIC!-project (Backlund et al 2006) • Slow Technology (Hallnäs & Redström 2002) • Rooted in art and literature • Avant garde art • Memphis Group • Performance art

20. Ideal: Sensing • Sensing in IxD • Tangibility; Dajajdiningrat, Frens, Vensveen • Pragmatism; Graves Petersen et al • Somaesthetics • Rooted in philosophy & ergonomics • Dewey & Shusterman • Gibson • Laban • (Lecture week 3)

21. Ideal: Playfulness • Playfulness, ambiguity, reflection • Playfulness: The whole game industry! • Reflection/intrigue: Dunne, Gaver • Intrigue, entertainment: Lundgren • Rooted in game design but also in art • Games are an ancient pastime • Intrigue in art: Escher, Arcimboldo • Playfulness in industrial design: Mendini, Alessi

22. Ideals: Pros • Ideals work well as aims for design • Aims = a certain usefulness • Strong ideals • Inspiration, tools & techniques can be found in other disciplines • They help de-mystifies the ”aesthetic issue”; aesthetics is not One Truth • Allows for switching ideal(s) between projects

23. Ideals: Cons • The list is by no means final • Sustainability, security, social… • Morethanone ideal in a design • E.g. wheelchair for kids; efficient and playful • AIBO dogs feature equalamounts emotion and playfulness? • Coherencyalways present?! • No clearbordersbetween ideals • Ideals in a design canstrengtheneachother and be unseparable; e.g. criticism & design

24. Summary: What is it • There are several different views on aesthetics of interaction: Coherency Efficiency Emotion Sensing Criticism Playfulness We will discuss all of the except Efficiency in this course • They can serve as aims for design • They exist in other disciplines too, so inspiration and tools can be found there

25. Second issue: Where ”is” it?

26. Where ”is” it? • Analyst aesthetics: in the object’s properties alone • Pragmatist aesthetics: In the experience of using the object; i.e. object properties, user’s mind, use context… it all matters.

27. Where ”is” it • IxD-views on the ”location” • Hallnäs & Redström: only in the object • Landin: In the object, but we aim to design an experience • Lim et al: Appears in interaction • Löwgren: Appears in use • Graves Petersen et al: In the experience of use • Djajadningrat et al: In the bodily experience of use • No consensus here either; we leave it out of the course for now

28. The ”location” has consequences • What do we need to consider when desiging the aesthetic(s)? • The shape, the materials, the color(s) • How it feels, looks, smells, tastes, sounds, moves... • What it ”does”, how it behaves? • Context; when and where it is to be used • The user’s mindset, creating the experience Analyst aesthetics Common designer stance Pragmatist

29. Third issue: Is it ”good”

30. Discuss! Does the aesthetic have to be ”good” or positive? (and for whom)

31. Homework! • Thisafternoon: Read papers! • Literaturegroups: As follows • Wednesday: Exercise 1: Expressions ofInteraction • Don’t be late!!!