Skillnad mellan versioner av "Affordances"

Versionen från 21 november 2015 kl. 23.32

Affordances

The term “affordance” was coined by the perceptual psychologist J. J. Gibson (1977, 1979) in order to refer to the properties of the actions between the world and an actor (it can be a person or an animal). According to Gibson, affordance is “an action possibility available in the environment to an individual, independent of the individual’s ability to perceive this possibility” (McGrenere and Ho, 200). A chair can have the affordance of “comfortable” (its affordance relative to the actor) but can be painted, hidden so it is not available the information which specify its affordance to the actor. To Gibson, affordances are a relationship in an special environment.

While much of the framework for “affordances” was put forth by Gibson, extensions, elaborations and refinements can be found in writings regarding to TEL education. Donald Norman introduced the concept of affordances into the context human - machine interaction and evolved further the term, writing that “…affordance refers to the perceived and actual properties of the thing, primarily those fundamental properties that determine just how the thing could possibly be used […] Affordances provide strong clues to the operations of things. Plates are for pushing. Knobs are for turning. Slots are for inserting things into. Balls are for throwing or bouncing. When affordances are taken advantage of, the user knows what to do just by looking: no picture, label or instruction needed” (Norman 1988).

Hence, Norman describes an affordance as something whose properties are both actual and perceived. A ball is round, bouncy etc. These perceived properties suggest us how the ball should be used. A combination of actual and perceived properties creates an affordance as the relationship between the object and the actor . McGrenere and Ho article (2000) provides an illustration of the term affordance according to Gibson and Norman:

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Gibson’s Affrodances

- Action possibilities in the environment in relation to the action capabilities of an actor

- Independent of the actor’s experience, knowledge, culture, or ability to perceive

- Existence is binary - an affordance exist or it does not exist.

Norman’s Affordances - Perceived properties that may not actually exist

- Suggestions or clues as how to use the properties

- Can be dependent on the experience, knowledge, or culture of the actor

- Can make an action difficult or easy.

Gibson’s and Norman’s insight of affordances are based on the notion of the utility of an object and the way it should be used. We create affordances according to the use should have, enhancing the utility by designing the information that indicates the affordances.