Postphenomenology focus
As I’ve done more reading on what postphenomenology is as a philosophical
orientation, and what it offers to my research focus, which is a viable phenomenological
exploration of MRDTs, I am becoming more convinced of its strengths.
However, I am finding myself in the middle of the current debate of whether the
focus on technology is either at the level with the individual or broadly, on a
societal or cultural level. Ihde acknowledges that there are at least two perceptions,
he calls them ‘microperception’ (on the individual level) and ‘macroperception’
(on a broad, cultural level). He does not deny their interdependency on one
another but has been criticised for artificially separating them.
My position is that while I acknowledge the significant
impact of broader societal and cultural forces on technology, as Ihde discusses
in Program Two (Ritter, 2021), my research takes a more
focused path, centering on the individual's direct experiences with MRDTs. I
believe this emphasis is crucial because a detailed understanding of these
micro-level interactions is vital for potentially shaping the very design and
development of MRDTs. By carefully examining how individuals perceive,
interpret, and interact with this technology in specific situations, I aim to
build foundational knowledge that can potentially lead to the creation of MRDT
applications that are more intuitive, designed around the user, and ethically
sound.
Full Research Proposal
Assignment for Research Strategies Module
"Assessment 2: An
overview and critical justification of your chosen/proposed methodology.
(1,500-2,000 words or equivalent if not submitting in written format)."
Introduction
My PhD research methodology is a qualitative inquiry fundamentally
grounded in a phenomenological approach. My research undertakes a
phenomenological exploration of user experiences with dynamic Mixed Reality
Digital Twins (MRDTs). Drawing from the philosophy of technology, which posits
the deep integration of technology into our lives, this research employs a
qualitative methodology designed to investigate how MRDTs, as a specific form
of technology, mediate human experience—a central concern within this
philosophical field. Consequently, this research adopts Don Ihde’s postphenomenology.
This framework, rooted in classical phenomenology, blended with pragmatism
to specifically address technology, aligns well with my research question(s).This
specifically relates to the four techno-human relations (embodied, hermeneutic,
alterity and background relations) (Ihde, 1990).
Phenomenology, as a philosophical approach, seeks to
understand phenomena as they appear to consciousness, prioritizing the study of
lived experience. This is a vast topic and one can take a myriad of avenues
because there are potentially an infinite number of phenomena that can be
observed and studied. My objective as a researcher is to adopt a
phenomenological approach to explore the subjective experiences of users
interacting with MRDTs, focusing on the "what" and "how" of
their perceptions and interpretations. This aligns with the broader concern of
the philosophy of technology, which prompts us as humans to examine how
technology influences our experience of this world. Thus, my methodological
approach, grounded in phenomenology, will specifically utilize the framework of
postphenomenology. A crucial consideration for my chosen methodology is
that it must address not only the user or the technology in isolation, but the
dynamic, co-constitutive relationship between them. The four conceptual “lenses”
as it were, are the four human-technology relations that formed the basis for
my research questions and consequently my methodology. Crafting this methodology
involves exploring the various methods of data collection that other
researchers and phenomenologists have employed that have yielded relevant and
insightful information as well as the analyses that enabled the interpretation
of the data gathered. I break these down in the following sections:
phenomenological approach, theoretical framework, research design, data
collection and data analysis. I also provide a critical justification for each
of these.
Phenomenological Approach
I have settled on the phenomenological approach, primarily
because this is my PhD supervisor’s area domain. But aside from that, I have
come to develop my own appreciation for this whole new world (to me) of
phenomenology. Coming from an engineering background, both in education and profession,
I am used to developing technology and conducting empirical experiments where
assessing and evaluating data from more of a quantitative perspective is
typical. So, phenomenology was a good introduction for me to look at technology
in a different way.
This phenomenological approach which is a philosophical
tradition fundamentally concerned with the direct investigation and description
of consciousness as well as the lived experience from the first-person
perspective. The central aim is to gain a deep understanding of the subjective
experiences of individuals interacting with complex Mixed Reality Digital Twins
(MRDTs). Phenomenology provides the theoretical grounding to move beyond purely
technical descriptions or objective performance metrics, focusing instead on
how this interaction appears and is felt by the user. This emphasis on lived
experience makes phenomenology uniquely suitable for investigating the core premise
that technologies like MRDTs are not passive instruments but actively mediate
and shape human perception, action, and understanding of the world.
Theoretical Framework
The primary theoretical framework guiding this research is
Don Ihde's postphenomenology which builds directly from the phenomenological
grounding. Ihde's work emphasizes the crucial role of technology in mediating
human-world relations. Ihde's insistence on empirical investigation into how
particular technologies mediate our experience of the world is important.
Instead of treating technology as a neutral tool, Ihde's framework analyses the
active role technologies play in shaping human perception, action, and
understanding. Key to this analysis are Ihde's concepts of human-technology
relations, which include: embodiment (technology as an extension of the body),
hermeneutics (technology as a tool for interpreting the world), alterity
(technology as a quasi-other) and background relations (technology forming an
unnoticed context). I believe that these relations provide a valuable framework
to analyse how users engage with and experience MRDTs because I can
systematically investigate their interaction through this conceptual toolkit.
I like the fact that I can use this framework which delves
into the relationship between a particular technology and the individual (Ritter, 2021) and do not concern itself too
much with the essence of technology as a whole or focusing too much on its
societal impact.
Furthermore, I think this approach is deemed more
appropriate for investigating MRDT interactions than other phenomenological
offshoots. Psycho-phenomenology, for instance, primarily focuses on the
subjective experience of psychological states (Hogan et al., 2016), while neurophenomenology
seeks to correlate first-person experiential data with neuroscientific findings
(Head & Helton, 2018). While valuable in their
respective domains, postphenomenology's direct and specific focus on the
structure of human-technology relations and technological mediation makes it
uniquely suited to analysing the user's interaction with MRDTs. Postphenomenology
adopts a pragmatic approach that facilitates a focused investigation of the
phenomenon in question—the human interaction with MRDTs—and how this
interaction co-constitutes experience.
Research Design
A purely qualitative research design is proposed to
facilitate an in-depth exploration of the nuances and complexities of user
experiences with MRDTs. This approach prioritizes rich, descriptive data and
interpretive analysis to capture the subjective meaning-making processes
involved in this interaction. I believe that this the most appropriate research
design for this investigation because it facilitates an intensive, holistic
examination of the phenomenon - user interaction with a MRDT within its
real-world context. In order for me to understand what it is like for a user to
perceive and interact with a physical object or system simultaneously through a
digital overlay, to experience this fusion of physical and virtual i.e. blended
realities, it would demand a focus on the user’s first-person, lived experience.
Using a case study approach means that I can zoom in on just
a few participants, or a particular way the technology is used. This allows me
to extract detailed and rich information which is needed to apply Ihde’s
framework. This would help me see exactly how the technology is mediating the
user’s experience, rather than trying to get broad, statistically general
answers.
Data Collection Methods
The data collection method chosen will be a combination of various
methods, hence a multi-method data collection strategy. This strategy comprise
of semi-structured interviews, supplemented with video-cued recall along with
multiple perspective recordings (first- and third-person video recordings)
Semi-structured interviews will be the primary data
collection method. These interviews will allow for detailed exploration of
participants' lived experiences, perceptions, and interpretations of their
interaction with the MRDT. The open-ended nature of semi-structured interviews
facilitates the elicitation of rich narratives and the exploration of emergent
themes, which is essential for capturing the "experience accounts"
relevant to this research. This method is also one of the most used in postphenomenology
in order to cover relevant themes while also keeping an open mind to the
participants' answers and facilitate in-depth conversations (Frennert et al., 2023;
Funderskov et al., 2019). Semi-structured interviews are appropriate to
use due to their capacity to elicit detailed narratives and explore individual
interpretations, particularly that of the MRDT interaction.
I had thought about including the think aloud protocol, but
this method imposed on the subject, might affect their cognitive overload. Furthermore,
this observation is not primarily on the usability of the mixed reality
application but rather on the relationship perceived between the user and the 3D
holograms.
Multi-perspective video recording (first person from the MR
headset and a separate camera) will be employed to capture the embodied aspects
of user interaction with the MRDT. This method will provide valuable data on
non-verbal cues, physical gestures, and the dynamic interplay between the user
and the technology, which is crucial for understanding how the MRDT mediates
their experience.
Multi-perspective video recording is crucial for capturing
the embodied nature of this interaction, providing valuable data on how users
physically engage with the system.
Participant observation may be used to provide contextual
understanding of the user's interaction within a broader setting. This method,
if employed, will involve the researcher observing and documenting user
behaviour and interactions over a period of time to capture the subtleties of
their experience. All in all, the methodological triangulation, strengthens the
study by providing a more comprehensive and validated understanding of the
phenomenon.
Data Analysis
Finally, the analysis of data directly through Ihde's
postphenomenological concepts is the most appropriate because it ensures
theoretical coherence from start to finish. It involves using the specific
framework chosen for its suitability to MRDTs (the four relations, mediation,
etc.) as the interpretive lens for making sense of the rich, multi-modal data.
This approach allows for a systematic and theoretically grounded examination of
how the MRDT specifically structures and mediates user experience, perception,
and action. It moves beyond generic thematic coding to provide a nuanced,
philosophical interpretation of the human-technology-world relationship as
co-constituted by the MRDT, directly addressing the research aims in a way that
a less theoretically integrated analytical approach could not.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this qualitative methodology, grounded in
phenomenological principles and guided by Ihde's postphenomenology,
provides a robust and appropriate framework for exploring the lived experience
of users interacting with dynamic MRDTs. Acknowledging the inherent nature of
qualitative research, the rich, interpretive depth it offers (a significant
strength) also necessitates careful consideration. For instance, the
interpretive role of the researcher will be managed through systematic
analytical procedures and reflexive practices to ensure the trustworthiness and
credibility of the findings.
Furthermore, the ethical dimensions of this study,
particularly given its focus on individual experiences and the use of video and
audio recordings, are paramount. Strict adherence to ethical guidelines, which
will be comprehensively outlined in the research ethics application, will be
maintained throughout the research process. This includes the implementation of
a robust data management plan to ensure the secure and responsible handling of
all personal data collected from participants. While qualitative inquiry often
involves an iterative process of refinement, the foundational approach offers a
coherent and justified pathway for this investigation. By focusing on the
mediating role of technology and employing methods designed to capture the
richness of human experience, this research aims to contribute valuable
insights to both the philosophy of technology and the practical design and
application of future MRDT systems.
References
Frennert,
S., Erlingsdóttir, G., Muhic, M., Rydenfält, C., Milos Nymberg, V., &
Ekman, B. (2023). ‘It
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https://doi.org/10.1111/scs.13099
Funderskov,
K. F., Boe Danbjørg, D., Jess, M., Munk, L., Olsen Zwisler, A.-D., &
Dieperink, K. B. (2019). Telemedicine in specialised palliative care:
Healthcare professionals’ and their perspectives on video consultations—A
qualitative study. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 28(21–22),
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Head,
J., & Helton, W. S. (2018). The troubling science of neurophenomenology. Experimental
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https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-016-4623-7
Hogan,
T., Hinrichs, U., & Hornecker, E. (2016). The Elicitation Interview
Technique: Capturing People’s Experiences of Data Representations. IEEE
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Ihde,
D. (1990). Technology and the Lifeworld. Indiana University Press.
https://iupress.org/9780253205605/technology-and-the-lifeworld/
Ritter,
M. (2021). Philosophical Potencies of Postphenomenology. Philosophy &
Technology, 34(4), 1501–1516.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s13347-021-00469-0
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