Digital Ground: Architecture, Pervasive Computing, and Environmental Knowing (Paperback)

Description:

Digital Ground is an architect's response to the design challenge posed by pervasive computing. One century into the electronic age, people have become accustomed to interacting indirectly, mediated through networks. But now as digital technology becomes invisibly embedded in everyday things, even more activities become mediated, and networks extend rather than replace architecture. The young field of interaction design reflects not only how people deal with machine interfaces but also how people deal with each other in situations where interactivity has become ambient. It shifts previously utilitarian digital design concerns to a cultural level, adding notions of premise, appropriateness, and appreciation.

Malcolm McCullough offers an account of the intersections of architecture and interaction design, arguing that the ubiquitous technology does not obviate the human need for place. His concept of "digital ground" expresses an alternative to anytime-anyplace sameness in computing; he shows that context not only shapes usability but ideally becomes the subject matter of interaction design and that "environmental knowing" is a process that technology may serve and not erode.

Drawing on arguments from architecture, psychology, software engineering, and geography, writing for practicing interaction designers, pervasive computing researchers, architects, and the general reader on digital culture, McCullough gives us a theory of place for interaction design. Part I, "Expectations," explores our technological predispositions -- many of which ("situated interactions") arise from our embodiment in architectural settings. Part II, "Technologies," discusses hardware, software, and applications, including embedded technology ("bashing the desktop"), and building technology genres around life situations. Part III, "Practices," argues for design as a liberal art, seeing interactivity as a cultural -- not only technological -- challenge and a practical notion of place as essential. Part IV, "Epilogue," acknowledges the epochal changes occurring today, and argues for the role of "digital ground" in the necessary adaptation.

Malcolm McCullough is Associate Professor of Architecture and Design at the University of Michigan.

 

Table of Contents:

Preface	ix
	Acknowledgements	xi
	Introduction	xiii
I	Expectations
1	Interactive Futures	3
2	Embodied Predispositions	27
3	Habitual Contexts	47
II	Technologies
4	Embedded Gear	67
5	Location Models	97
6	Situated Types	117
III	Practices
7	Designing Interactions	147
8	Grounding Places	171
9	Accumulating Value	193
IV	Epilogue
10	Going Native	211
	Notes	215
	Further Reading	253
	References	255
	Index	267

描述：
《Digital Ground》是建築師對普遍計算所提出的設計挑戰的回應。在電子時代的第一個世紀，人們已經習慣了通過網絡間接地進行互動。但是現在，隨著數字技術隱藏地嵌入到日常物品中，更多的活動變得中介化，而網絡不是取代建築，而是擴展建築。交互設計這個年輕的領域不僅反映了人們如何處理機器界面，還反映了人們在互動環境中如何相互交流。它將以前的實用數字設計關注點提升到文化層面，增加了前提、適當性和欣賞的概念。

Malcolm McCullough提供了建築與交互設計的交叉點的描述，他認為無處不在的技術並不消除人們對場所的需求。他對“數字地面”的概念表達了對計算中任何時間任何地點相同性的替代方案；他展示了上下文不僅塑造了可用性，而且理想情況下成為交互設計的主題，並且“環境知識”是一個技術可以服務而不是侵蝕的過程。

借鑒建築、心理學、軟件工程和地理學的論點，為實踐交互設計的設計師、普遍計算研究人員、建築師和對數字文化感興趣的一般讀者提供了一個關於場所的理論。第一部分“期望”探討了我們的技術傾向，其中許多（“情境互動”）源於我們在建築環境中的具體存在。第二部分“技術”討論了硬件、軟件和應用，包括嵌入式技術（“砸桌面”），並圍繞生活情境建立技術類型。第三部分“實踐”主張設計作為一門自由藝術，將互動性視為一個文化挑戰，並將實際場所的概念視為必不可少的。第四部分“結語”承認當今正在發生的時代性變革，並主張“數字地面”的角色在必要的適應中。

Malcolm McCullough是密歇根大學建築與設計學副教授。

目錄：
前言
致謝
引言
第一部分：期望
第二部分：技術
第三部分：實踐
結語