Culture coding - a method for diversifying artefact associations in design ideation

Figures & data

Figure 1. Culture code ‘blurrifier’ performed with participants in Pixelache media-art festival, in Helsinki, Finland.

Figure 2. Image of culture code 1 performed with participants in design case 1.

Figure 3. Culture code 5, provided to participants in design case 1.

Figure 4. Culture code 6, provided to participants in design case 1.

Table 1. Methods used in the design cases.

Design Case	Method	Participants	Data format
Design case 1	Culture Coding pre-filled template for design	12	Photo documentation of participants’ Culture Codes
	Observation	12	Notes from the session
	Questionnaire	7	Digital documentation of the textual data
Design case 2	Simulation of an app with Culture Coding	18	Digital documentation of the instruments through a social media channel.
	Group discussion	15	Notes from the reflections after the session

Figure 5. Snapshot of whatsapp with culture code on the bizarreness effect provided to participants in design case 2.

Figure 6. Image from a participant and his process in the workshop from design case 2: prototyping experiences.

Table 2. A guideline for creating culture codes.

CULTURE CODING METHOD
Step 1	Choose a contextual artifact such as an object, or an element of it.
Step 2	Challenge its’ a – function, b – purpose, c – form or d – meaning to you by Mental interaction: Give a different a, b, c, d to the artifact or Physical interaction: Guide the attention by selecting one or more senses to limit/expand the perception of the artifact
Step 3	Recognize the newly formed association(s)
Step 4	Revisit its function, purpose, form or meaning to you
Step 5	Place new artifact in the design context