Multimodal Semiotics and Collaborative Design

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Texts and images are often used together to inform the users about various features, functions and/or ideological content within the overall designs. Use of sound as mode is definitely more apparent in PAL, as the division of space and design of almost every component within the sim aims to afford an authentic virtual music-listening experience. The experience of movement within various forms of streaming content (music channels) is visually supported with the purposeful use of different colors in different functional areas, while colors also serve as interpersonal signifiers (signs of virtuality). Interactivity (affordances of virtual objects to respond to user comments/actions) is mentioned as a powerful tool in getting visitors/users engaged in the designs, while learning and using scripting languages require considerable investment. Although it is possible to collect and reuse scripts from within SL, inexperienced content creators often find it challenging to use scripts as functional elements. This was most apparent in the workshop groups, as none of the students were experienced in SL. In brief, it was observed that designing virtual places and artifacts in SL requires handling a plurality of modes and their affordances/constraints as semiotic resources. Textual semiotic choices on selection and organization of various modes as multimodal arrangements lead to construction of both experiential (i.e., direction, functionality) and interpersonal (i.e. genre, ideology/message) features in design. 8.5. Synthesis of the systemic functional analysis in the three case-studies I will summarize my findings and empirical inspirations from multimodal analysis of three case studies before the overall conclusion to the analysis in reference to theoretical and methodological frameworks. As outlined in Table 8.3, the three cases demonstrated various similarities in terms of the semiotic resources and the appropriation of their meaning potentials. On the other hand, the contexts and the social actors (both the co-designers and potential visitors) have a shaping affect in the orchestration of multimodal discourses. In all of the projects inworld communication environments are constructed for avatar-mediated interaction. The designs also represent particular discursive and practical choices made by the co-designers in order to utilize available semiotic resources and generate new meaning potentials –affordances and constraints - , or transform resources into experiential, interpersonal and textual meaning potentials. In this perspective, the experiential meta-function describes the affordances and constraints for movement, presence and interaction inside the virtual places. The analysis of these aspects has shown that the primary purpose which defines the overall function of places and artifacts in the case-studies also determines certain visual and structural elements. The multimodal signifiers to certain locations, as well as the placement and positioning of various design elements serve the experiential meta-function; at the same time, they generate interpersonal meaning potentials and social affordances for avatars to meet and interact with each other. 233
The interpersonal meta-function focuses on the meaning potentials on a more conceptual level, and reveals the ways in which the visual languages in the design of virtual places have been generated in reference to other meaning systems through visual metaphors. As some of these metaphors refer to the fictional genres and real-world urban styles in Metrotopia and the workshop projects, PAL’s design emphasizes a relatively more open-ended visual experimentation with the building blocks. The organization of visual and structural elements also determines the various ranks of scale in the design of virtual places. In different situations within the three cases, different areas were often reserved for specific social actions, such as fighting, chatting or dancing. The signification of these social places is often supported by the use of multimodal design elements, such as posters or scripted objects which inform the visitors about the possible activities. In my comparative analysis, multimodality is foregrounded as a common shaping feature of the designed environments, in which user-avatars can experience the VW’s various affordances for navigation, interaction and digital content creation. I have shown that the co-designers frame and materialize their rhetorical processes as designed objects, as they modify three-dimensional geometrical units (prims) and supplement their affordances for user-interaction with auxiliary modes (i.e. interactivity, animations, light and brightness effects). In most projects, verbal components, images, video and 3D interactive objects are used as interconnected textual elements of the overall multimodal arrangements, and various combinations of audio-visual elements such as colors, textures, geometric forms and spatial organizations are used to express certain interpersonal meanings. Following this logic, it is also possible to revisit the notion of layout as mode (Kress and van Leeuwen 2001, van Leeuwen 2005, Kress 2010). Context-bound methods of appropriating and organizing these design elements are considered as both inwardly and outwardly productive dimensions of sign-making (Kress 2010). Users’ actions in physical spaces are translated to the language of the computer via several user-interface devices, and attention is divided between multiple frames of interaction. It is possible for users to be in multiple ‘places’ at once, or traverse between various virtual platforms, often transgressing limitations of synchronicity in time and in their interactions. This ties back to Lemke’s (2005, 2009a , 2009b) phenomenologically-guided social semiotic theory on chronotopes and heterochrony as framing of virtual experiences. Therefore, I revise existing models of frequently occurring spatial categories (ranks of scale) in accordance to multimodal analysis of co-produced designs in the three case studies, and propose a state-of-the art analytical model for systemic functional analysis of virtual places and artifacts. The analysis shows that the categorization of virtual places and artifacts in a rank-scale format is helpful in determining the potential meanings on different levels, whereas it is possible for any meta-functional category to surpass the boundaries of scale and reveal different potentials in different situations on different scales of interaction. One example of this is the 234
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Prologue ‘So it isn’t the origi
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Multimodal Semiotics and Collaborat
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CHAPTER 3. Social semiotics, multim
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Official and third party viewers
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List of Figures Figure 4.1 Domains
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List of Tables Table 2. 1 Theories
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1. Introduction Virtual places and
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technologies introduce new social w
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innovation studies researchers have
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contextual factors of collaborative
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creative collaboration, and creativ
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In a multimodal and multi-method ap
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three case studies. This chapter al
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2. Perspectives in virtual worlds r
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making. In fact, it is possible to
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virtual world technologies, it sign
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collaborative actions that span qui
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mediated social interaction with ot
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their perceived effects on networke
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ackdrop for the understanding of us
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multidisciplinary working (Gu et al
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Socio-cultural perspectives on co-d
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innovation differs from Bonsu and D
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In a place-centric socio-semiotic v
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Theoretical Categories Concepts and
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3. Social semiotics, multimodality
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3.1. The social semiotic approach t
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structures and analyzing the contex
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designers’ purposeful orchestrati
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communication as an essential semio
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aspects of multimodal entities for
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and-paste logic of online media, th
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from the meaning-making practices,
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and Turner 2004). Social Informatic
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From this perspective, to build (an
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human action unfolds in ‘three-di
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genius loci idea to virtual places,
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Michael de Certeau’s (1984) analy
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semiotic practices, in all kinds of
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follow similar considerations of ex
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comparatively analyzing the multimo
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Here, the relevant question for pos
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3.6. Conclusion: social semiotics a
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Theoretical Categories Concepts and
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4. Theory and practice in design re
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elations. One example of the formal
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traditional distinctions between de
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Research for design aims to provide
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potentially offers to our senses. D
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In sum, I consider affordances and
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It is certainly important that desi
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A solely production-based account o
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design problems, while its variatio
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user-driven innovations. Von Hippel
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institutional contexts (Grossen 200
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Meaning-oriented design theories
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As explained in the Introduction ch
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The multimodal social semiotic appr
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them, and (b) experiential and inte
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From multimodal analysis, I draw ce
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phenomenology of time and space (an
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My analytical framework includes a
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characteristics of design in virtua
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6. Methodology Introduction This ch
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multimodal analysis in virtual worl
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sensibilities, and methods of analy
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are contextualized by the socio-tec
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perspectives as the primary source
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‣ Communication and Design in Vir
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perspectives and methods. The evolu
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designers are not necessarily geogr
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material resources either by visiti
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and selection of participants in co
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also the reason why this case study
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within each consequent case study,
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created/constituted in the situated
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than make overall statements and ge
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in-depth qualitative understanding
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7.1. The social actors and configur
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The core design team consists of Ca
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Curiza as the owner of the sim and
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and appreciation. He says “if you
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For Curiza, the hardest part of bei
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context 5 . On the other hand, this
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interviews, combined with findings
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Comparisons with game experiences a
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modification, combination and appro
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Shaggy, who recommends designers to
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he often used the Internet for “f
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The variety of comments from the wo
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technological developments but also
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the four Moons group, a few members
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esource for inspiration. Such inter
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inworld discussion about the costum
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“reminds the sounding of the word
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Although Shaggy’s perspective abo
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For Caitlyn, the major advantage of
Page 196 and 197: PAL’s design. According to AmyLee
Page 198 and 199: shared or collaborative edited by m
Page 200 and 201: collaborative practices in order to
Page 202 and 203: 8. Analyzing multimodal discourse i
Page 204 and 205: these places, their elevations and
Page 206 and 207: (Rank-scale/ EXPERIENTIAL / INTERPE
Page 208 and 209: Superheroes. Caitlyn, whose needs a
Page 210 and 211: Figure 8.1. View from Metrotopia: T
Page 212 and 213: Although Metrotopia was specificall
Page 214 and 215: The Fight Club Dojo is designed to
Page 216 and 217: Caitlyn: [W]e wanted to advertise,
Page 218 and 219: of expression and reception of digi
Page 220 and 221: In Curiza’s comment the introduct
Page 222 and 223: textual functions of the content (m
Page 224 and 225: their interest in such metaphors fo
Page 226 and 227: Synthesis of the findings on experi
Page 228 and 229: Caitlyn: [L]ooking at what makes up
Page 230 and 231: Curiza: I told Xavier “Xavier I w
Page 232 and 233: 0 Figure 8.22. (left) Metrotopia Pa
Page 234 and 235: and posters with positive political
Page 236 and 237: Synthesis of the findings on interp
Page 238 and 239: Figure 8.26. (left) The draw-bridge
Page 240 and 241: Use of prims as semiotic units is m
Page 242 and 243: Modes and multimodal design element
Page 244 and 245: Xavier: It was very, EXTREMELY colo
Page 248 and 249: placement of various interactive lo
Page 250 and 251: 9. Conclusions and discussions 9.1.
Page 252 and 253: and the lack of prior experience, p
Page 254 and 255: in flux in inworld collaborative de
Page 256 and 257: potentials, and aim to reinforce th
Page 258 and 259: Although not all of the co-designer
Page 260 and 261: As mentioned in the literature surv
Page 262 and 263: Drawing on this point, I also consi
Page 264 and 265: (Kress, 2010). The analysis of the
Page 266 and 267: although he also acknowledges the r
Page 268 and 269: creative activities and reduce the
Page 270 and 271: Further directions for research The
Page 272 and 273: Bakhtin, M.M. (1986). Speech, genre
Page 274 and 275: Charmaz, K., (2002). Qualitative in
Page 276 and 277: Fischer, G. and Giaccardi, E., (200
Page 278 and 279: Halliday, M.A.K. (2007). Language a
Page 280 and 281: Jones, J.C., (2009). What is design
Page 282 and 283: Lemke, J.L. (2005). Place, pace and
Page 284 and 285: Norman, D.A. (2008). The way I see
Page 286 and 287: Reinhard, C. D., & Dervin, B. (2010
Page 288 and 289: Thackara, J. (2005). In the bubble:
Page 290 and 291: Summary in English Computer-generat
Page 292 and 293: Dansk resumé af afhandlingen Compu
Page 294 and 295: Interview Guide (Metrotopia and PAL
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Multimodal Semiotics and Collaborative Design

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