PLAY PROBES - AS A PRODUCTIVE SPACE AND SOURCE FOR INFORMATION
Year: 2016
Editor: Erik Bohemia, Ahmed Kovacevic, Lyndon Buck, Christian Tollestrup, Kaare Eriksen, Nis Ovesen
Author: Sjřvoll, Vibeke; Gulden, Tore
Series: E&PDE
Institution: Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences
Section: Emotions
Page(s): 342-347
ISBN: 978-1-904670-62-9
Abstract
Playful behaviour involves exploring, questioning, risk-taking, altering and mastering an activity.
Thus, playful behaviour may elicit new thoughts and actions. This paper explores how such thoughts
and actions can be elicited when gathering research data by gamified design probes. A close up
investigation of product design student’s use of play and game elements as part of their data-gathering
makes the origin for the study. This practice, which is close to what is known as gamification differs
from it by that the focus is on playfulness as a productive attitude for the respondents that makes the
emphasis of the activity rather than the establishing of game structures and rewarding systems. The
study suggests that gamified design probes opens up for a playful and autonomous environment for
data-gathering which involve learning about individual and shared social practices.
Keywords: Design probes, play, game, constraints. data-gathering.