Below is an outline for what you should cover in your Presentation. You and your partner(s) will have 6 minutes to present. Based on the object/artifact/system you have been exploring and analyzing, consider what forms of documentation would work best. For example, if your object involves manipulation or kinds of interaction like flipping, twisting, opening/closing, you may want to use a time-based medium as part of your presentation.

In the most simple terms, SMUs are any elements that contribute to meaning-making.

SMUs may include:
+ Visual and compositional structures (layout, type hierarchy, color use, etc.)
+ Temporal forms (linear, non-linear, or circuitous pacing, etc.)
+ Spatial or environmental elements (placement, orientation, physical scale, etc.)
+ Medium-specific affordances (e.g., tactile qualities, sound, motion, interactivity, etc.)
+ Audience dynamics (passive, active, or participatory engagement, etc.)

Deliverables:

+ A 6 minute group presentation: Your presentation should have a Title Page, and approximately 4-6 pages.

+ A visual diagram showing affordances, constraints, or SMU logic (i.e., map a feedback loop, highlight
access points, trace a meaning-unit path)

*All Presentations must be uploaded as PDFs to our shared Google Drive to this folder — If This Were A Medium Presentations – before the start of class. (Note: If you want to use a different format than a PDF, that is fine as long as you can add a direct link that is easily accessible, and doesn’t require logging in, to the Presentation folder.)

Your Presentation should address:

+ What kind of meaning could it shape?
— What does this structure do/offer in terms of its physical properties and afforances for meaning-making?

+ What kind of associations do you have for the object/artifact/system?
— What does the object mean culturally and/or symbolically?

+ Look at the object as a whole and each element it is made of (SMUs)
— What does it afford (or allow), and what does it limit or (disafford)?
— If this were a medium, what are its smallest meaningful units?
— What do those units do — trigger, invite, constrain, express?

+ Are there any values, behaviors, or biases baked into its design?
+ Who might find this structure accessible and/or intuitive, or alienating?
+ Is it one-way, or does it invite dialogue and participation?

Resources:

+ If This Were A Medium Project Brief + Post
+ Example Diagram: Elevator