According to Gaver et al., a cultural probe is a medium used to “to provoke inspirational responses” from a given subject. For this assignment the goal was to design a probe that might give you insight into the life/identity of your peer.
I was paired up with Imogene Yijun Liang, my classmate who is studying Communication Design. The only information I knew about her was that she recently adopted a dog called DingDing. I decided I wanted to learn more about Imogene’s personal style. Taking into consideration the digital environment of our course, I wondered what tools could be easily used as probes. I was immediately driven to social media, a digital tool that can share a lot about one’s personal life. I thought our smartphones would be the most accessible probes. So I thought about what features on a smartphone could be utilized: camera and microphone.
Probes
Camera: I asked Imogene to use her smartphone to capture photos of her personal style, including clothing and decor, this would help me visualize her style.
Audio: I asked Imogene to use audio recording to express herself using describing words.
Moodboard/Collage: I asked Imogene to moodboard some of her favorite items, colors, and textures.
Analysis
Based on Imogene’s submissions I could gain some insight into her personal style and therefore draw some conclusions about her personality.
Imogene likes natural colors, there are many shades of whites and nudes, however, she is not afraid of playing with colors, textures, and patterns. There are outfits that are all white or nude with a pop of color or a fun accessory.
Imogene is versatile, she likes to be comfortable in streetwear, but also can dress up in a dress and heels. She definitely likes an oversized street look with baggy sweats and statement sneakers. I imagine she has a great t-shirt collection! Based on her inputs I can tell she keeps up with the latest designers and trends. Virgil Abloh’s Off-White collection is really popular in streetwear and high fashion.
It was interesting to get a peek into someone else’s personal style and wardrobe. These probes were essential to finding out about Imogene’s style without actually asking questions. We collaborated with each other using slack and figma, which facilitated this design process. I am definitely inspired by Imogene’s style.
References:
Bill Gaver, Tony Dunne, and Elena Pacenti. 1999. Design: Cultural probes. interactions 6, 1 (Jan./Feb. 1999), 21–29. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1145/291224.291235
