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Timeaxis Design of an Email System for Sustaining and Deepening "KIZUNA"

Authors:
Kei Matsuoka
Shuntaro Matsui
Koichiro Sato
Yoshiyuki Matsuoka
Tetsuro Ogi

Keywords: Email; Timeaxis Design; Multi-time scale; Bio-inspired Design; Self-organizing

Abstract:
In this research, we developed an email system designed to sustain and deepen “KIZUNA,” by which we mean the precious bonds that exist between individuals and human relationships as one element of spiritual richness, based on a design concept of a KIZUNA Visualizer, intended to satisfy the user’s need for spiritual richness, in response to the growing importance placed on KIZUNA by contemporary values. In the design process, we introduced a timeaxis design approach based on multi-time scale and a value growth process, as the design viewpoint to deal with the changes undergone by KIZUNA over time. We also introduced into the email system a self-organizing form-generation system based on bio-inspired design, which is one of the methodologies of timeaxis design. These design developments resulted in us determining to visualize KIZUNA through self-organizing, transforming icons as a design concept. We therefore created 6 functions to show changes in the state of KIZUNA through changes in the shape and color of icons made in correspondence to the exchange of emails. In addition to the proposal of the KIZUNA Visualizer, a new email system that visualizes KIZUNA, which resulted from this design process, we also produced a prototype of the KIZUNA Visualizer. After considering the effects of the system and its prototype from the viewpoint of value growth process, the potential of this system in maintaining and deepening KIZUNA was indicated.

Pages: 10 to 17

Copyright: Copyright (c) IARIA, 2012

Publication date: June 24, 2012

Published in: conference

ISSN: 2308-4227

ISBN: 978-1-61208-206-6

Location: Venice, Italy

Dates: from June 24, 2012 to June 29, 2012