University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Multilayer future system-mapping using decentered prototypes: A participatory tool for design of public infrastructure in complex social environments

De La Rosa, Juan Alfonso

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DELAROSA-DISSERTATION-2022.pdf

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/116202

Description

Title
Multilayer future system-mapping using decentered prototypes: A participatory tool for design of public infrastructure in complex social environments
Author(s)
De La Rosa, Juan Alfonso
Issue Date
2022-07-11
Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)
Ruecker, Stanley
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Ruecker, Stanley
Committee Member(s)
  • McDonagh, Deana
  • Pintar, Judith
  • Salamanca, Juan
Department of Study
Illinois Informatics Institute
Discipline
Informatics
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
  • Prototyping
  • Participatory design
  • Deliberative democracy
  • Systemic design
Abstract
The growth of design research, and the involvement of designers in the search for solutions to complex problems in the last decades, have led design to become a significant actor in the transformation of societies. A common practice for a designer now is to lead community-based workshops that seek for new alternatives for complex problems, such as the construction of cities and their infrastructure. This transformation of the common roles of designers, moving from the configuration of messages and objects to a new space of social activism and policymaking, comes with profound responsibilities about the practices and methods that designers implement as part of the design process. This project provides a critical perspective on this approach, leading to the proposal of a new viewpoint on traditional design models in the form of what I have defined as Multilayer future system-mapping using decentered prototypes. In this model, I start from the idea of design as a discipline that seeks to research the possible futures through action, using the tangible nature of objects like prototypes to encourage conversations towards the construction of an image of a deliberated preferred future. Based on this approach, the notion of ‘decentering the target’ of the prototypes emerges as a form of inquiry that seeks to provide more detail to those images of the future. The argument emerges based on an analogy from digital image theories, where an image can be sharpened by superimposing additional copies slightly decentered from the original. It proposes the use of prototypes intentionally aimed to the periphery of the intended result (or goal of the design process) and yet systemically connected to it. Through a collaborative process of critical analysis, these prototypes produce layers of systemic information about the intentions of the communities that use them. The overlapping of these layers creates a systemic map of a deliberated future that seeks to create a better alignment of the infrastructure being designed with the values and intentions of social transformation of the community. This form of decentered prototypes allows participants in design workshops to present individual interests and views, without moving too far from a possible action. By working on the periphery of the intended project of infrastructure, the prototypes and the conversations they generate allow the project leaders to see future ramifications of the project based on the intentions of the community. The prototypes can also provide a glimpse of a possible future system where the project has been implemented and becomes an actor that the community has connected with to generate change. In the tradition of Research Through Design practices, the model was both iteratively created and brought in touch with reality through its implementation in participatory settings of current real projects of infrastructure design. Therefore, in every implementation of the model, there was a process of growth and evolution that was a result of the collaborative effort of every researcher in the process, including the communities of each of the different projects that participated. The goal of the process was to produce a more accurate understanding of the proposed approach, and a contribution to design knowledge based on real experiences. The model was piloted with the participants of three projects: the 3er CIDI Design Workshop, the Tumaco TADIC, and the community of Villa Jardín, in Tumaco. The next full iterations were used by two other projects: Pescado para el Progreso in Florencia, Caquetá, and the Community Research and Innovation Center in the Humedal La Vaca. The leaders and community members of these projects trusted and allowed the full implementation of the model through participatory workshops. Their participation was vital to the evolution of this model and the knowledge produced in this document. As a result, this process model is not only presented from a theoretical perspective. It also engages reflective practices to bring light and knowledge to the model and to extract from experiences the results of success and need for improvement that made this tool a viable option for designing in complex scenarios. In my own growing belief as well as the words of the participants, the result was a successful model for participation and data collection in grass-roots initiatives of infrastructure design.
Graduation Semester
2022-08
Type of Resource
Thesis
Handle URL
https://hdl.handle.net/2142/116202
Copyright and License Information
Copyright 2022 Juan De La Rosa

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