Word cloud of thesis

http://www.tagxedo.com/app.html

Summary Academic pioneer!

− Very timely and relevant research area!− Interesting research question!

Comprehensive theoretical background− Comprehensive and systemic overview of relevant theories

and concepts− Touches on other relevant concepts/theories as well

Noteworthy methodology− Use of multiple data sources and multiple perspectives in

data analysis is noteworthy− In-depth view of collaboration in virtual spaces

Fascinating and rich findings and implications− Fascinating insights into design of virtual world places− Implications for many areas both theoretical and practical

Today’s discussion

MotivationTheoretical backgroundResearch questionMethodologyAnalysisFindings and implicationsSummary

Today’s discussion

MotivationTheoretical backgroundResearch questionMethodologyAnalysisFindings and implicationsSummary

Isn’t Second Life dead?

http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=1447613

May 2006

July 2007

Research Question

“How do the VW users co-produce multimodal meaning potentials in virtual places and artifacts through collaborative design, as exemplified by the social semiotic analysis of the three case studies in SL?”

Research Question

“How do the VW users co-produce multimodal meaning potentials in virtual places and artifacts through collaborative design, as exemplified by the social semiotic analysis of the three case studies in SL?”

But how would you explain this

to your grandmother?

Today’s discussion

MotivationTheoretical backgroundResearch questionMethodologyAnalysisFindings and implicationsSummary

Theoretical background

Virtual Worlds

Social Semiotics

Design Research

Research gap?

Theoretical background

Virtual WorldsSocial SemioticsDesign Research

Why not….Affordances?Power?Group theoryOrganizational behavior?

Research question revisited

What is the level of analysis?− The group of co-producers?− The co-production/collaboration process among individuals?− ?

What is the focus of analysis?− Interplay among individuals co-producing?− Interplay among co-producing group, places, and practices?− Nexus of multimodal meaning potentials?− The actual texts and objects co-produced?− Affordances and constraints of SL: Experiential,

Interpersonal, Textual?− Power relations and division of tasks?

“How do the VW users co-produce multimodal meaning potentials in virtual places and artifacts through collaborative design, as exemplified by the social semiotic analysis of the three case studies in SL?”

Your approach

In order to study the co-production of meaning potentials in SL, I use the multimodal social semiotic approach to communication, and a methodological blend of multimodal analysis with the methods borrowed from socio-cultural analysis of mediated social action. (p.6)

Why do you use this approach? −Why not Social psychology, Organizational

behavior, Innovation studies, other?

Today’s discussion

MotivationTheoretical backgroundResearch questionMethodologyAnalysisFindings and implicationsSummary

Methodology

Grounded Theory and Abductive

Case Studies1. Metrotropia project and interdisciplinary

collaboration in the design of a virtual laboratory

2. Pop Art Lab and the role of inworld relations in collaborative design teams, Power relations and the division of tasks in the Metrotopia project

3. The virtual world workshop and learning through collaborative design

Methodology

Grounded Theory and Abductive−Why grounded theory?−What else did you consider?

Methodology

Case Studies−Why all in SL?−Why these three?−Overview of data collection?−Which data did you really use in your

analysis?−Why did you decide to bring in power

relations and division of tasks?−What about avatar design?

Analysis

1. Social actors and power relations in groups

2. Meditational means and affordances for co-design

3. Collaborative processes in and with SL

4. Multimodal semiotics and design of virtual places

Today’s discussion

MotivationTheoretical backgroundResearch questionMethodologyAnalysisFindings and implicationsSummary

Findings

A complex nexus in co-production practices, and a semiotic flux in the social negotiations of meta-functions, as well as identities, places, tools, affordances and methods, which are also co-produced along the process. (p.244)

Findings

1. The implications of analyzing virtual worlds as places

2. The methodological and conclusions on combining the analysis of multimodal place-making with the nexus analysis framework

3. Social semiotics of design as construction of a sense of place

4. Affordances as meaning and action potentials

5. Implications for platform and content developers

6. Implications for designers

Three kinds of affordances

Gaver, W. 1991. Technology affordances. Proceedings of the CHI 1991, ACM Press: New York, 79 – 84.

X

How would your findings differ if you had studied co-production in a physical

setting?

Figure 9.1 Framing of RQ after empirical analysis

Theoretical contributions?

?Concept

AConcept

B

Theoretical contributions?

Can you draw a model of your findings?

Places

Actors

Practices

Collaboration

process

Avatars

Affordances

Objects/Texts/Scripts

Semiotic resources

PowerExperiential

functionInterperson

alfunction

Textualfunction

Task division

What is your most surprising

finding?

What do your findings mean…..Methodologically

−For VW researchers? Other researchers?Theoretically

−For communication research?−For design research ?−For co-creation research?−For other research?

Practically−For designers/producers of virtual world spaces?−For platform providers, eg Linden Lab?−For designers of physical spaces?

What do we know

now that we did not

know before?

Generalizability?

Limitations?

Today’s discussion

MotivationTheoretical backgroundResearch questionMethodologyAnalysisFindings and implicationsSummary

What is your headline?

RQ: “How do the VW users co-produce multimodal meaning potentials in virtual places and artifacts through collaborative design, as exemplified by the social semiotic analysis of the three case studies in SL?”

http://www.recycledminds.com/2009/08/insert-your-headline-here.html

Summary Academic pioneer!

− Very timely and relevant research area!− Interesting research question!

Comprehensive theoretical background− Comprehensive and systemic overview of relevant theories

and concepts− Touches on other relevant concepts/theories as well

Noteworthy methodology− Use of multiple data sources and multiple perspectives in

data analysis is noteworthy− In-depth view of collaboration in virtual spaces

Fascinating and rich findings and implications− Fascinating insights into design of virtual world places− Implications for many areas both theoretical and practical

Overall

Major strength of the thesis −Provides a very insightful (and most

likely the first) picture of the complex socio-cultural dynamics that emerge in the mediation and co-production of virtual places and artifacts.

It achieved its goal!