February 2012
Intermediate to advanced
208 pages
8h 23m
English
Content preview from Universal Methods of Design
04 Artifact Analysis
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RESEARCH METHOD
04 Artifact Analysis
A systematic examination of the material, aesthetic, and interactive qualities of objects contributes to an understanding of their physical, social, and cultural contexts.
The emphasis of artifact analysis is on the object itself. Artifact analysis asks: what do objects have to say about people and their culture, time, and place? The researcher is attempting to understand the substance of the object and what it says through its material, aesthetic, and interactive qualities.
Material analysis addresses the quantitative inventory of artifacts in the environment under study, and such defining characteristics ...