OPPOSING PERSPECTIVES
Rationalism VS Phenomenology
What is Rationalisim
Rationalism, as the name suggests, is a perspective of the world that favors the reliability and consistency of products, as opposed to creativity and variability. Rationalism prioritizes a systematic order or sequence of events, that provide a more streamlined outcome to the intended goal, without bloating the experience with unnecessary features. As such, the designers focus on optimizing the essential components of a design or product, in order to increase its efficiency. An example of this would be a drawing tablet as apposed to using an iPad or smart tablet (both products that will be explored deeper in my next task). A drawing tablet simply uses the existing architecture that is assumed to already exist in order to accomplish its goal. As such, drawing tablet manufacturers can put their efforts into aspects such as, pressure sensitivity, or a zoom button, which are essential and necessary features for a digital artist to have in their arsenal
What is Phenomenology
Phenomenology is a philosophical view of the world, that is much more focused on the experience, and overall feeling of the product. Phenomenology aims to provide the user with the most satisfying working experience, as apposed to the most efficient. For example, using an iPad as opposed to using a drawing tablet is an example of a phenomenology. Whilst you could simply use a drawing tablet, that connects directly to a computer, the iPad offers a much more interactive experience, with touch screen capabilities and the ability to use it on the go. These features are not necessary to a drawing device, but they do make the experience much more intuitive and fun for the user. They do have their pros an cons, such as reducing battery life and causing unnecessary interactions on the display, but the design allows for much more versatility than that of a drawing tablet, because it is relying on unique hardware architecture and software design.
So... which one is actually better?
Neither viewpoint is more valid than the other. Each perspective has its merits and disadvantages. Rationalism results in extremely polished designs, that focus purely on efficiency and optimization, such as the Xbox series X. Whilst phenomenology focuses more on creating an interesting user experience that captivates the mind, and embraces creativity and abnormality, such as the Nintendo switch. Both these consoles could be said to be better than one another, as could a drawing tablet be seen superior to an iPad, but essentially boil down to whether the individual wishes to adopt a phenomenological or rationalistic perspective on the world.
REFERENCES
Seamon, David, and Robert Mugerauer. 1986. Dwelling, Place and Environment : Towards a Phenomenology of Person and World. Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands. http://public.ebookcentral.proquest.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=3109526.