Communication, Commitment and Community in Social Design

Author: Yoád David Luxembourg PhD

Introduction.

This article examines how the above concepts play an essential role within the four disciplines highlighted by the Social Practices program minors of the Willem de Kooning Academy, and discusses strategies in the practice and education of social practices that this concepts entail.

This subject emerges from the debate (on “what tools & attitudes do artists and designers use in order to have a transformative impact on society?”) that took place during Beyond Social Night: Redesigning the process (February 4th 2016, Het Nieuwe Instituut, Rotterdam). Building on from that debate, this article attempts to answer “what does ‘Social’ mean for social art and design education?” by presenting the three concepts above as essential and underlying factors to any culture activity - “the ensemble of social practices by which meanings are produced, circulated and exchanged” (Thwiates, Davis and Mules, 2002, p.1) - and subsequently of the social design and art activities which takes place within it.

Concepts and Etymology.

Community:

Dictionary.reference.com lists 17 definitions for the meaning of community. From these the following definition seems most suited to the lexical concept of community this article wishes to structure:

“3. a social, religious, occupational, or other group sharing common characteristics or interests and perceived or perceiving itself as distinct in some respect from the larger society within which it exists (usually preceded by the): the business community; the community of scholars.” (retrieved 28 February, 2016, from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/community)

Key phrases in this definition are “sharing common characteristics or interests” and “perceived or perceiving itself as distinct in some respect”. With these two phrases this article sets its key conditions of what community means to designers: a group of users, committed to (use) a certain artifact and perceived as distinct as a result of using that artifact (as a result of their commitment).

Commitment:

Dictionary.reference.com lists 20 definitions for the meaning of commitment. From these the following definitions seems most suited to the lexical concept of commitment this article wishes to structure:

“3. the act of committing, pledging, or engaging oneself... 5. engagement; involvement: They have a sincere commitment to religion.” (retrieved 28 February, 2016, from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/commitment)

This article will speak of commitment in the sense of engaging, as in: “1. to occupy the attention or efforts of (a person or persons)” (retrieved 28 February, 2016, from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/engaging).

In design commitment can be understood in two dimensions. The first is the commitment of users to the designed artifact. The second is the commitment of the designer to the designed artifact and its community users. Possibly, when designers become committed beyond a certain level to the success or adoption of their designed artifact within a community of users, they also become a part of that community, as long as it serves their goal – success of their designed artifact, etc.

In culture, a shared commitment between a group of people or users seem to be the basic requirement for a social unit such as community to form. People can choose to commit themselves to a set of values (like in politics, or religion), to an experience (like in sports, and hobby), or to a goal (like the realization or facilitation of an artifact, be it a product, system, or service). This last one is a choice that is linked or limited to a period of time. That is because most people enter such a commitment as a result of their profession or employment.

Another basic requirement for forming a community is a shared language between the group members. This article speaks of language not social-geographic terms such as the Japanese, Dutch, or Russian languages, but in terms of method, specific vocabularies and paradigm sets with which communities can coordinate and communicate both action and identity. For examples: the language of priests in theological seminary (commitment to a set of values), the language used by surfers and snowboarders (committed to an experience) and the language used by lawyers and notaries in court. These languages are context specific forms of communication.

Communication:

Dicionary.reference.com lists 15 definition for the meaning of communications. From these the following definitions seems most suited to the lexical concept of commitment this article wishes to structure:

“2. the imparting or interchange of thoughts, opinions, or information by speech, writing, or signs.” (retrieved 28 February, 2016, from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/communication)

The imparting of “thoughts, opinions, or information” is the essence of language. In design, an interchange of thoughts, opinions and information is an essential part of developing commitment between users and the designed artifacts, between designers and goals, between users and designer and values, and between the users themselves as a community.

Language is therefore the alpha and omega of design. When designers design, they speak; perhaps not in vocal sound, but with other physical material, visual or even virtual elements. Communication with users allows designers to understand not only the users' motivations, interests, and how an intervention or designed artifact can answer and address their needs, but also to understand the designers' own goals, roles, and values.

In framing these concepts this article structures a causal sequence of dependencies between these concepts. Community requires commitment and commitment requires communication - both in terms of dialog and in terms of technology (that is, technology that enables communication, whether it is spoken, conducted by exchanging letters, emails, and via the telegram, phone or Skype video).

Social Practices.

Now that the meaning of communication, commitment, and community has been framed, this article turn its attention to the context of social practices and what roles these concepts play in the practice of social art and design.

In design, social practices serve a play the same role as much as they do in culture. By participating in an ensemble of social practice humans are able to produce, circulate, exchange, and coordinate meaning within a given culture or community. Designers too. In the practice of social art and design the designers work to facilitate social change (and the creation of reality) by addressing the aspects of communication, commitment, and community in their intervention.

Looking at the Social Practices program minors of the Willem de Kooning Academy, which highlights four approaches in the practice of social art and design, this article will now exemplify how communication, commitment, and community play an essential role in cultural diversity, sustainability, gamification, and open design.

In cultural diversity, designers explore the commitments that bring communities together. In accessing these communities designers establish a dialog with community members with which they can form an understanding of the community, its values, and interests.

In sustainability, designers commit themselves to specific values and methods of action. In doing so they join a community of people with ecological concerns and act upon these concerns. Communicating with other community members helps designers both to engage in joint action and understand the values of their commitment.

In gamification, designers commit themselves to work with specific methods in order to communicate new possibilities to groups of users. Doing so, designers facilitate the adoption new commitments between users and designed artifacts, experiences, or values, an subsequently the coming together of new communities.

In open design, designers communicate with community members in order to form new commitments and design artifacts that answer the community's interests and needs.

In the education of social art and design.

In the context social art and design education, communication, commitment and community play very different roles. That is because communities of student are committed to personal goals and use communication to facilitate their own self development and training.

Further on students' commitment to projects and assignments is limited in time, usually about 11 weeks. In order to reach their communities of interest, that is, the context of their intervention, students must work very fast in establishing channels of communication. Quickly establishing these channels of communication will allow students to join or form their communities of interest, as well as form or develop an understanding the commitments that bring this group of people together.

Failing to establish channels of communication may as well mean that an intervention will not find a community of users to adopt its designed artifact, be it a product, system, service, or experience. That is because communication is essential for the development of a commitment between a group of people. Students will then end up, perhaps, with the right set of ideas, but not with right experience.

Quickly establishing their channels of communication, once students have constructed the community or the commitment for their intervention students will have more time to reflect on what they have learned, as well as more time to realize their intervention or designed artifact. However, the short nature of their goals and commitment will in many cases leave their communities of users and of partners high and dry as the students move to the next assignment.

This was very evident during the Beyond Social Night, where from the four projects that were presented, the three interventions involving, forming, or working with communities of interests (people using wheel chairs, pregnant women, and a charity organization) will most likely stop, since the person facilitating the project, that is, the student, is either no loner committed, or have no more time to commit to the project's goals.

The final act in the processes of social art and design education should therefore be directed at finding community members that are willing and are able to carry on the commitment which the students leave behind. Only then will their intervention be complete, and subsequently take its place in the ensemble the social practices that form culture.

References:

Commitment. (2016). Retrieved February 28 from: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/commitment

Communication. (2016). Retrieved February 28 from: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/communication

Community. (2016). Retrieved February 28 from: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/community

Engaging. (2016). Retrieved February 28 from: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/engaging

Thwaites A., Davis L., & Warwick M. (2002). Introducing Cultural and Media Studies; A Semiotic Approach. New York, NY: Palgrave.