Photography As A Research.
Photo by @fabrizioverrecchia on Unsplash
What’s happening in the photo above? It looks like an older gentleman is taking a picture of a river. He seems to be reasonably confident with the phone, holding it steady while using the zoom function. It appears that it is cold outside because he has gloves, a jacket, and a hat.
That’s my perspective of what’s happening in the photo. But, it’s probably not correct, at least not entirely. What if he’s frustrated because he’s trying to watch a YouTube video about the river, but can’t get out of the camera app? Or, perhaps he’s attempting to take a picture of a rare heron walking along the riverside? Maybe, he’s trying to take a selfie but can’t figure out change the direction of his camera lens?
A photograph is worth a thousand words, but it’s likely that not all of those words are accurate.
That’s what I learned from reading a pictorial pictorial I was asked to review for an upcoming research conference.
Before I go on, like me, you might be asking, “what’s a pictorial?”
“Pictorials are papers in which the visual components (e.g., diagrams, sketches, illustrations, renderings, photographs, annotated photographs, and collages) play a major role in conveying the ideas and contributions of a study in addition to the accompanying text.” [1]
In other words, it’s a research paper with a focus on images. They’re fantastic if you don’t like highfalutin academic research language.
In the pictorial I reviewed, the researchers captured photos of a religious ceremony of which they were considered outsiders. Meaning, they were not aware of the meanings behind the practices. Afterward, they collected their photos into themes and described what they believed was happening and why. The researchers then shared the pictures and descriptions with an insider. The insider was someone who identifies with the religious tradition and understands what’s happening at the ceremony. The insider shared their perspective on the photos and corrected the outsiders when they misinterpreted what was happening. According to the insiders, the researchers misinterpreted the meaning of what was happening in each of the pictures.
The purpose of the pictorial, as I understand it, isn’t so much about the religious event. Instead, the researchers aimed to demonstrate the power of research through design (RtD) through the use of photography. It’s hard to find a solid definition of RtD, but my understanding a combination of research and design where a designed artifact is placed in front of a user for immediate feedback (contrast RtD with a literature review or research interview). The RtD artifact does not have to be high fidelity (it’s probably better if it’s not). It can be a low fidelity paper prototype of an app, for instance. Or, in the case of the pictorial, a photograph. Either way, the artifact stimulates a response that can reorient the researcher or designer toward a more complete understanding of how to serve their audience. In the pictorial, the outsider researchers learned reasonably quickly from the insider that their perspective of the religious event was off.
What kind impact can early insights via photography have on a design or research process? I can imagine using photography as a method when I step further into my thesis work. At the moment, my interest is how to better connect younger generations of designers to older audiences. What if I walked around the house of an older person taking pictures of their electronic devices? Afterward, I could write a description of how they are used. Then I’d could and compare my perspective with the older persons? I have no doubt that I’d learn my lens needs to be refocused, but at least I’d have an insider to help move in the best direction forward.