In late November I travelled up to the University of Strathclyde to give a talk on the Physical Digital Affordance Index – a project I’m currently working on in collaboration with the Digital Catapult. In addition to giving the talk, the purpose of the visit was to connect up with other design researchers at the department of Design, Manufacturing and Engineering Management, and also discuss future collaboration opportunities with Dr. Tripp Shealy, who is currently a visiting Associate Professor at Strathclyde.
My talk introduced the motivations for the physical-digital affordance index, and the initial roots in the roles the brain hemispheres play in human cognition as per the theories of Iain McGilchrist. These concern not what the hemispheres do, but how they do it with their interrelations being critical in how we perceive and interact with the world. This is equally true in the context of design where, I believe, we can see similarities between hemispheric function and the role of prototyping in digital and physical design domains.
It was great to have the opportunity to discuss the work with other design researchers as well as exploring further collaboration opportunities between the DMF lab and DMEM. Exciting opportunities to come! Thanks to Tripp, Prof Anja Maier and all at the DMEM department for the hospitality and the invitation.
