| Popis: |
The roles of Designers and Researchers are blending together and each one is trying to work in and improve on the other’s domain. This represents an important shift for both fields, but it is fundamental that the next steps are taken by studying and acquiring more knowledge across both fields.Thus, this study aims to adapt Experimental Design as a method to be used by Designers. The use of experiments as a method for Design Research is a relatively unexplored domain within the field of Design that has implications for positive and useful applications. With the application of rigorous methods of experimental study, results can be generalized to broader situations. Scientific methods address concern of bias, replication, and disclosure of the problem and findings. Experimentally-based findings will be well respected not only by Designers, but also by the Scientific community.The experiment consisted of interviews with ninety people who were asked to associate the presented smells with words. Quantitative analysis was done using statistical tests to understand whether people’s responses did or did not occur by chance. This helped support, scientifically, the findings. Additionally, qualitative analysis was done by creating different types of visualizations of the data. These visualizations helped to reveal patterns and to create unique “fingerprints” for the smells.The sense of smell was chosen as a medium for the Experimental Design. In Psychology or Neuroscience it is easy to find information about how the sense of smell works. It is a sense that hits us directly through the limbic system, which supports a variety of functions including emotion, behavior and long-term memory. Therefore, our associations with smells are incredibly strong, emotional, and cognitively bonded to memory, which shows opportunities for Design explorations. However, there are not a clear understanding about people’s psychological perceptions and associations to the odors. Understanding this will enable the use of smells in a more conscious way according to people’s perceptions. |
