Meta-Design: Expanding Boundaries and Redistributing Control in Design

Speaker: Gerhard Fischer

Affiliation: University of Colorado at Boulder

Time: Monday 31/05/2010 from 11:00 to 12:30

Venue: Access Grid UWS. Presented from Parramatta (EB.1.32), Campbelltown (26.1.50) and Penrith (Y239).

Abstract: Meta-design ('design for designers') is an emerging conceptual framework aimed at defining and creating socio-technical environments as living entities. It extends existing design methodologies focused on the development of a system at design time by allowing users to become co-designers at use time. It extends boundaries by supporting users as active contributors who can transcend the functionality and content of existing systems. By facilitating these possibilities, control is distributed among all stakeholders in the design process.
The presentation will describe and discuss different design methodologies and will identify the unique challenges and opportunities for meta-design. It will illustrate the challenges, opportunities, and impact of meta-design with examples in specific application domains. Assessments of our developments are used to identify some future implications and challenges for meta-design and its impact on cultures of participation.

Biography: Gerhard Fischer is a Professor of Computer Science, a Fellow of the Institute of Cognitive Science, and the Director of the Center for Lifelong Learning and Design (L3D) (http://l3d.cs.colorado.edu/) at the University of Colorado at Boulder. He is a member of the Computer Human Interaction (CHI) Academy and a Fellow of ACM. His research is focused on: (1) design and meta-design; (2) learning, working, and collaborating with new media; (3) human-computer interaction; (4) cognitive science; (5) assistive technologies; and (6) transdisciplinary collaboration and education.