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Oulun yliopiston väitöskirjat

EXPERIENCING AND EVALUATING DIGITAL AUGMENTATION OF PUBLIC URBAN PLACES, ACTA UNIVERSITATIS OULUENSIS H Architectonica 5

ISBN-13:	978-952-62-1330-9
Kieli:	englanti
Kustantaja:	Oulun yliopisto
Oppiaine:	Arkkitehtuuri
Painos:	Osajulkaisuväitöskirjan yhteenveto-osa
Painosvuosi:	2016
Sijainti:	Print Tietotalo
Sivumäärä:	118
Tekijät:	LUUSUA ANNA

26.50 €

The integration of digital technologies into urban life and environments has accelerated rapidly over the past few decades. It has been well established that this digital augmentation is changing the way we use and experience urban places; however, more studies, especially at the micro-level and from an architectural point of view, must be conducted in order to increase our understanding of the phenomenon. In this thesis, I examine the experience and evaluation of digitally augmented public urban places through four case studies, analysing participants’ experiences of adaptive lighting pilots and urban displays deployed in real world settings. Digital augmentations were found to be able to alter the genius loci significantly; furthermore, findings from these case studies demonstrate and explain how co-design, existing use patterns and user groups in urban places, climate and weather, and sense of place affect digital augmentations. The thesis makes a methodological contribution in the form of evaluation probes. This method was developed by modifying the cultural probes method for the purposes of evaluative research of design artefacts. The proposed method allows for the emic evaluation of design artefacts without direct researcher presence. In other case studies, I have used ethnographically inspired methods to gather research materials. In analysing research materials I make a theoretical contribution by introducing the concept of emplacement into architectural research. This concept highlights the importance of place in our experience as embodied individuals. Based on my empirical results, I argue for the design of meaningful emplaced experiences through digital augmentation. I also chart the design challenges that have emerged from my studies, utilising them to develop a holistic model that aims to describe experiences of digital augmentation in public urban places. Overall, the thesis proposes participatory design evaluation as a new approach in the field of architecture. It refers to the examination and utilisation of research participants’ intersubjective accounts in the evaluation of design artefacts from an experiential point of view. I argue for the benefits of this approach for the further inclusion of research knowledge in design and planning processes.

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