Design, Change & Conflict
How can design be used to communicate personal identity? Examine with reference to an example of graphic, interactive or animated design.
Introduction
Today’s society varies in what is right and wrong. This tends to complicate for people to create a personal identity. Learning environments are hence under immense pressure to exploit identity. This paper looks to focus how design can be used to uphold personal identity. Technology is applied in the creation of designs. The paper discusses how design is used in learning more about the inner self. The beneficiaries are: the designers of the learning environment more so in collaborative learning and human computer interaction (Smedberg, 2011). This group is able is to model the identity construction setting. Secondly, educators are able focus on moral and character education and education in moral understanding. These groups are able to acquire skills of new design methods that can be applied so as to change the curriculum for learners and society. The design focuses on the methods that new technological tools can be applied so as to acquire knew identity. It focuses on how design and personal identity communicate.
Theory
Zora’s design is a constructionist philosophy of education. It states that people are able to learn better if they get involved in the creation of meaningful artifacts and sharing them with other people (Smedberg, 2011). In the creation of an external object to focus on, people are able to design an internal knowledge. Papert focuses on design as a way of altering the way people see things. The computer changes the way people think and behave (Smedberg, 2011).
In constructionism, research shows the computer design can uphold personal and cultural values. It is through this that people are able to acquire respect and collaboration, a high level of freedom, inner consciousness and self-confidence. For instance, Cons-science project used by children using LEGO Mind storms robotic kit so as to design objects that communicate values in culture, religion and personal aspect.
Zora is a design that has been used to evoke personal identity through the creation of role models, narratives and values. Learners are able design virtual cities that form complex identities. It is through the designing process that people take part in the reflection and communication of their inner and moral values.
The tenets of construction are vital for the learners to share ideas with others. Through this, learners are able to come up with expressions, content production and a support network (Smedberg, 2011). Zora uses this opportunity to include learners in the formation of a community where personal values are created and applied in social interaction.
Theories of identity formation
The influence on personal identity through design like Zora is acquired from varied research. The process of forming an identity in the research is critical in adolescence. Here is where a person’s identity is being formed (Burke, 2006). The research further states that identity is described by tension of differentiation and identification: there is a desire to get the connection between the self and others, as well as the composition of the family, culture and society.
Zora is able to develop this through designing virtual auto topography (an identity of objects). It is comprised of personal and public spaces. Zora design accords material value to intangible aspects. For instance, personal homes are used to mean a sense of self; this is a ‘differentiation’ form of identity (Smith, Terry & Hogg, 2007). While the public temples show composition to the culture.
It is necessary while designing Zora, that the environment where the learners could involve in reflection while forming their virtual auto topographies and involvement of the community.
Tools
Identity design is enabled by tools applied in educational and therapeutic programs that understand identity as a complicated model. In the US, there is a big difference between these two. First education tools focus on multicultural elements; that restrict identity to ethnicity or character formation; that restricts identity to morality and personal aspects. As for therapeutic tools, they are not attributed to as learning processes that every person acquires any form of value (Smith, Terry & Hogg, 2007). Therapy is used as a learning process that is valuable to the participants. The general belief is that it is used to set right. However, this belief does not take into consideration that it focuses on identity as a general issue an offers ways to engage in a learning process of self. Zora, as an identity construction tool is used to design the connection between education and therapeutic methods.
Figure 1: Zora Interface Design
Source: Bers, 2012
Role in identity formation
The Zora identity building is motivated by the story telling in varied forms of psychotherapy. More so, the Zora design uses narrative with the help of therapy which appreciates identity as formed in stories told and offers interventions that create alternative stories to acquire new meanings. In this design, identity is created by objects that in virtual environments and the characteristics given to them (Burke, 2006). As innovative objects and stories are generated, new perceptions of identity arise.
Narrative additionally develops morality. Hence there is long and extended tradition in programs that are focused in moral advancement. Stories like fairy tales and biographies are applied to create global human values and role models to the young ones.
There are certain cases that story telling has been made possible by computation. For instance, Kaleidostories, a web-based identity construction setting that explores role model over the internet. Users are guided as they create personal portraits using narratives regarding the present and future and stories of personal role models. (Smith, Terry & Hogg, 2007) However, kaleidostories’ design was not able to meet the connection between expressions of an identity to its construction.
Objects to introspect with
Objects are able to instrumental and evocative. This is the reason why objects are important materials. For instance, therapy focuses on the role that several objects have in exploiting children’s identity. Here, puppets may be used, toys and similarly marionettes that enable children to enact what they feel and explore the self. Due to this, learners are able to construct objects that are meaningful (Smith,Terry, & Hogg, 2007). Zora is a good example of work that is inspired in its study of the objects that people use in their houses. In addition to decorating the place, the objects speak volumes about people’s personal identity. These objects are associated with the inner and moral values.
Education helps people think. As an example, Montessori and Frobel designed presents for children to make them acquire inner awareness of mathematical elements in size and number (Smith, Terry & Hogg, 2007). Similarly, ‘digital manipulative’ are keen to develop the range of an element that enable children to explore through computational ability in children’s toys.
Zora design looks into the ability of using objects to assist people think and acquire new methods on identity and values. It is comprised of virtual objects and narratives through programming. It is through this model, the computerized objects after real objects that have features and behavior that enable them to communicate with the external world.
The object-based aspect is precisely useful in modeling the manner that people think regarding values. For instance, it states the connection that exists between identity and personal and values, flags, ball and cakes shows identity and the value of recognizing the ancient people through the flag (Smith, Terry & Hogg, 2007). For learners to get a good picture of the objects they would use, they have to reflect on themselves. It is through this that they are able to acquire meaningful pictures.
Conceptual Foundation
In the object-oriented system, Zora is a setting that allows users to created new designs. They are able to copy real life objects and issue features and characteristics. Similarly, be personalized with stories and values. The features of the object help to define them. For instance, for objects to be in motion the creator will have to think about speed and direction (Bers, 2012). Zora can also allocate personal identity and values; the like designing money to a person is a show of wealth. Design has been used to offer the creators new ways of thinking. Inheritance is passed from one generation to another. However, they acquired different meanings in all.
Figure 1: Interface to design a value connected to an object.
Source: Bers, 2012
Conceptual Foundation: exploring values as an aspect of identity
Considering that narratives are useful in the creation of identity and advancement of personal values, the attributes that frame Zora objects are stories (Bers, 2012). The ground of this design is to enable thinking in regard to what they mean and the connection to personal values and identity. For example, a story written by a girl about heroes communicates the meaning the hero is to her and how what they feel makes them feel proud (Burke, 2006). They end up acquiring such traits, more so boys, this has hence applied design in the modeling of a child’s identity.
Figure 2: Five properties of heroes are shown on the left pane.
Source: Bers, 2012
Conceptual Foundation: Need of a community to develop a sense of identity
The idea in designing a multi-user environment is to offer a social setting that motivates self-assessment and community building. Involvement has been used to so as to learn and advance personal attributes (Bers, 2012). Personal identity develops through regular connection with other people in the community. A multi-user setting enables people to acquire traits that they did not have or mould attributes that they did not have.
Users are able to develop participatory micro-community that allows thinking and behaving that is acceptable in a community. For instance, Zora system used the City Hall template and decided the issues that they would focus on (Dickey, 2005). Children created laws that would enable them live easily.
Conclusion
This paper focused on the connection that exists between design and personal identity. Additionally, it looked into the community and how it affects the personal self through designs. The feedback that we get from the society influences our perception. Every person is seen as a view-point of their design, with the society, policies, tools and results that motivated them. These designs a created a common, identity that intensely affected the values, social conventions and morality of the designer. Due to this, every person has created an identity that can operate independently of others. Additionally, the main identity at a specific time relies on the design.
A vital attribute of personal identity and design is the subject’s sense of self- the things that encourage us, in terms of beliefs and imagery. To most people, the communication between design and personal identity is the capability to visualize themselves as the main person. The ability to take part in design progressively, use tools to create the virtual world and carry oneself as a person in three dimensions, stands out from one who is involved solely in text. Persons that visualize themselves in their design affect their personal self. This is through altering their beliefs professionally and creating an area of interest that is acceptable to the community.
Reflectively, the self-influences people that interact with it in various ways and it may be recurrent in others for the better. The cognitive process that operates in 3-D setting could solve complex social problems. There is a possibility that in the future designs will be used to model the character of a person for the better.
References
Bers, M. (2012). Identity Construction environments: developing personal and moral values through the design of a virtual city. The Journal of the Learning Sciences, Vol 10 No. 4 : Lawrence Erbalm. pp. 365-415. Retrieved on 25th July 2013 from: http://ase.tufts.edu/devtech/publications/ice-values-design.pdf
Burke, P. (2006). Identity change. Social Psychology Quarterly, 69 (1), 81-96.
Smedberg, S. (2011). E-Health Communities and Online Self-Help Groups: Applications and Usage. London :Idea Group Inc (IGI).
Smith, J. R., Terry, D. J., & Hogg, M. A. (2007). Social identity and the attitude-behavior relationship: Effects of anonymity and accountability. European Journal of Social, 37(2), 239-257.
