My presentation from ATTW's annual conference. I talk about how we can better design for experiences if we first understand the context in which we are building products and services. This simple mapping system helps visualize these contexts. Want more? Check out my book on social media and disaster, filled with more information on how to map networks using actor-network theory http://www.amazon.com/dp/0415817412

1. Mapping Posthuman Experiences
Liza Potts | WIDE Research | Michigan State University | @LizaPotts | lpotts@msu.edu

2. mapping for experiences
mapping systems help us understand uses, flow, states
several types of mapping systems exist
UML, basic flowcharting, activity theory diagrams, etc.
we map before building apps, changing processes, etc.
with a major focus on activities (verbs)
often missing: actors (nouns) who/what participate in activities

3. UML
Unified Modeling Language
traditional diagramming to design products, services, & processes
drives the approach of systems design, software design, and process
improvement
use cases, activity diagrams, state diagrams, etc.

4. use cases
UML | action-oriented, verbs, single-participant / single-activity

5. activity diagram
UML | activity-oriented, flow, single-participant / single-activity

6. sequence diagram
UML | system-oriented, actions, two or more systems/ relaying activity

7. missing component: context
how can we map for experience w/o knowing who/what is there?
need to know who participates before we can build for participation
what people are involved?
what technologies are available?
what organizations are involved?
what locations are involved (physical or virtual)?
what events are occurring to spur action?
what other people, places, things are part of the network?

8. actor network theory
actor-network theory (ANT) originated from Latour, Law, and Callon
working in the field of STS, Latour shook up then-current theories in
sociology by suggesting all participants (actors), whether they are
human or nonhuman, have equal agency to affect any given situation
actors come together to form temporary networks anchored by
another actor, creating assemblages of relations specific to an
individual act or broader event and forming a collective (an “actant”)
an actant is a network comprising any actors—cell phones, blogs,
people, etc—that have the ability to act and do act within the network

9. ANT mapping
a method for understanding
the context of workplace
technologies, organizations,
and people before
documenting tasks,
processes, and workflows
a way for researchers to
visualize their field-based
research (whether offline
or online) as assemblages of
people, organizations, and
technologies

10. why mapping
provides a strong strategic view of the research spaces that technical
communication scholars often explore
diagramming the people, places, organizations, events, and
technologies can empower design teams to know their audience’s
context, relationships, and distribution before they attempt to create
innovations
diagrams can help teams reach common ground more quickly by
collaboratively developing a shared understanding of the
implications of their proposed product designs, policies, and services

11. when to map
when you want to know who is participating
when you are trying to understand context
before building any products, services, processes
examining actors and networks provides a broader understanding of
the people, organizations, technologies, groups, places, and events
important to mediated systems

12. how to map
start on paper, whiteboard
move on to some kind of digital tool for ease of sharing
powerpoint / keynote
omnigraffle / visio
inkscape / illustrator
find stencils
Noun Project, clip art, etc. (basic = better)

13. what to map
look for actors who are active in the networks you are analyzing
document only nouns - not verbs (use UML for that)
nouns such as...
people: moderator, commenter, poster, anchor
organizations: CDC, Red Cross, MSU, EFF
technologies: iPhone, Google Doc, Nexus7
objects: tweet (noun, not verb), blog post, video comment

14. nouns
human and non-human | people, places, things

15. patterns
using stencils or similar placeholders to identify similar objects

16. relationships
using stencils or similar placeholders to identify similar objects

17. thank you!
Obligatory book plug:
First book in our new
ATTW series from Routledge
Coming Late Summer 2013
http://attw.org/publications/boo
lpotts@ msu.edu | @LizaPotts

18. references/recommendations
Callon, M. (1986). Some elements of a sociology of translation: Domestication of the scallops and the fishermen of St. Brieuc Bay. In J. Law (Ed.),
Power, action, & belief. A new sociology of knowledge? (pp. 196–229). London: Routledge.
Latour, B. (1987). Science in action: How to follow scientists and engineers through society. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Latour, B. (1996). Aramis. Or the love of technology. (C. Porter, Trans.). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. (Original work published 1993).
Latour, B. (1999). Pandora’s hope: Essays on the reality of science studies. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Latour, B. (2005). Reassembling the social. New York: Oxford University Press.
Law, J. (1992). Notes on the theory of the actor-network: Ordering, strategy and heterogeneity. Systems Practice, 5, 379–393.
Mol, A., & Law, J. (1994). Regions, networks and fluids: Anaemia and social topology. Social Studies of Science, 24, 641–671.
With thanks & attribution to the awesome artists of my icons:The Noun Project: http://thenounproject.com/using-symbols/
Bird designed by Thomas Le Bas from The Noun Project. Bomb designed by Adam M. Mullin from The Noun Project.
Building designed by Nate Eul from The Noun Project. Calendar designed by Marcio Duarte from The Noun Project.
Camera Phone designed by Roy Milton from The Noun Project. Circle designed by Thomas Le Bas from The Noun Project.
Coastal designed by Iconathon from The Noun Project. Community designed by T. Weber from The Noun Project.
Desk designed by James Thoburn from The Noun Project. Explosion designed by Renee Ramsey-Passmore from The Noun Project.
Fax Machine designed by Braden Stranks from The Noun Project. Gears designed by Dima Yagnyuk from The Noun Project.
Hash designed by P.J. Onori from The Noun Project. Hurricane designed by The Noun Project.
India designed by Satheesh CK from The Noun Project. Information Technology designed by United Nations OCHA from The Noun Project.
London Underground designed by Viktor Hertz from The Noun Project. Network designed by The Noun Project.
Notebook designed by Brendan Lynch from The Noun Project. Picture designed by mooooyai from The Noun Project.
United States designed by James Keuning from The Noun Project. User designed by Denis Chenu from The Noun Project.