Multimodal Semiotics and Collaborative Design

Whether the unit of analysis is an individual, a program or a process, the caseworker focuses on
“how” and “why” questions, covering the contextual conditions by exploring the blurry
boundaries between the phenomenon and its context (Baxter and Jack 2008). One way of limiting
the scope of study is to place artificial boundaries to the research framework, such as limiting
certain variables (time/place, time/activity, definition/ place etc) to define what will and will not be
studied within the project. In my analysis, the limitations are drawn by the previously mentioned
contexts of using SL as collaborative platform, considering the use of SL as a limitation of media as
well as place (Bartle 2004, 2008). As collaborative design activities in SL can occur both as
synchronously and asynchronously, case studies often unfold in various time-scales adopting the
contextual limitations of each project. As Lemke (2005) emphasizes, social semiotic research on
mediated social action cannot simply consider time as a linear or cyclical entity, but requires
special attention to how collaborative spatial practices unfold in different temporalities, resulting
in different experiences of time, space and movement in different contexts.
Credibility, validity and scientific value of case study methods are also common topics of
discussion. Stake (2005) describes case-study as a small step toward grand generalization. Even
though there is a possibility to produce generalizations and empirically grounded over-arching
theories from case studies, the essential purpose is to make an in-depth and reflexive observation
of a social situation to pose foreshadowed problems about the subject matter (Stake 2005,
Flyvbjerg 2006). In that respect, generalizations are not necessarily seen as the ultimately desired
end-result, but possibilities to ground empirical findings on previously established theories on
human activity to explain similar phenomena in larger contexts. Within the constructivist
paradigm, what is expected from a case study approach is pluralism in voices towards social
construction of reality, since the nature of the empirical focus allows close connections and
dialogue between researcher and participants, allowing participant to describe their views of reality
for researcher to understand (Baxter and Jack 2008).
Selection of cases and strategies for sampling
During the 3-year research process, I have been involved in SL’s co-design environments, and I
have been in close contact with the VW’s creative communities for the sake of analytical integrity of
ethnographic findings from various inworld/RL sources. In terms of collaboration, SL offers a wide
range of user practices, whether these are on content creation, sharing, trade or
education/knowledge-sharing. A number of specialized design professions have emerged,
including avatar clothing, furniture and decoration, custom design islands, freebies, vehicles,
texture-workers, scripters; and they have the chance to share their products with other residents
through the inworld economy. SL designers collaboratively give shape to virtual world and its
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