Collected Comments

Theme 1

1. It seems like you really grasped the concepts during this theme! Your post outlines what theme 1 has been about in a great way and if someone did not quite get the concepts after the theme your post would probably help them understand.
   I do miss some more of your own thoughts of the process during Theme 1 however, I for one found the texts difficult to read but the subject grew on me as the theme went along. For next time maybe you should think about incorporating your own experience more, but great job on theme 1!
2. Well written reflection on the reading in Theme 1! You are very clear when explaining your thoughts and ideas and to me you grasped the concepts well even before the theme had started. I especially like your thoughts on the Kant text, the most difficult one by far in my opinion, where your ideas are very thought provoking!
   It is interesting to read your short reflection on the reading in the beginning, I definitely shared your feelings after having read the two extensive and sometimes difficult texts on a subject completely new to me.
3. Your experience with the seminar is definitely different from mine! The seminar real helped me understand the reading better and look at certain concepts in a new light. I found the reading difficult and the subject matter unfamiliar and so the seminar helped clear some things up for me. So it is interesting to read that you didn't find that the seminar helped clear things up for you, you must really have understood the reading! It is interesting to read that one discussion during the seminar stuck with you more than others. My seminar group did not discuss paradigms, so it was interesting to read your reflection on your discussion about this.
4. Great post theme reflection! Your week was definitely similar to mine. It is nice that you have included quotes from both the reading and the lecture, this means that things really stuck with you which is nice. The fact that you took a concept from Theme 2 and applied it to the knowledge you gained this theme is also really nice to read! I hadn't made this connection, but as you say the concepts and Plato's text do fit together nicely!
5. Great post reflection! Like you I also found the topic hard to grasp during this week. But learnt a lot during the week! It is interesting to read about the discussions your group had at the seminar, they do differ from the ones we had in my group. The discussion about the baby being brought up dogs seems really mind-boggling! It is interesting that your group actually came to a conclusion during your discussion, many of the topics discussed in my group went unanswered as many had differing opinions. Like you I also feel intrigued, but perhaps a bit scared too, about philosophy after Theme 1! Keep up the good work :D
6. Seems like theme 1 was really interesting for you! I had a similar experience when reading Kant, it was a really difficult text. It is nice to read that the seminar discussion really helped you fill in gaps in your understanding of the lecture. The categories were a bit hard to understand for me as well, I specifically asked about them during the discussion in my group and one person had a very clear picture of it!
   Having to on one hand read and reflect on the texts, then go to a lecture about them and finally discuss them at a seminar is a very good way to learn in my opinion and seems like it has been beneficial to you as well.
7. Nice reflection! I can definitely relate to the issues you had when reading the Kant text. The entire process of the theme helped me get a better understanding of both text and it seems like you feel the same. It is interesting that you connect the quote from the lecture in such a direct way as an answer to one of Kant's concepts! I had not thought about it in such a direct way and it is an interesting approach. It would be interesting to also read about the seminar in your post-reflection! What did you discuss? How did discussing the concepts with the other students help your understanding?
   Good luck with the future themes! :D
8. Wow! Your experience with this theme is so different from mine! Yours is the first blog I have read where the person actually had read one of the texts before. As you say this must have contributed a great deal to your process during this theme. For me the Kant text was by far the most difficult one and I spent a great deal of time just trying to come to some sort of understanding of this text. But it is nice to read that you instead of simply seeing this theme as a piece of cake, so to speak, decided to try and focus on less general aspects of the reading and by doing that expanding your knowledge. It would definitely had been interesting to have you as a part of my seminar groups, feel like you could have contributed with some insights. Good luck with future themes! Interesting for you when the themes touch upon subjects which perhaps are a bit more foreign to you.
9. Hi! You and I definitely had different takes on what Plato means with "we do not see and hear 'with' the eyes and the ears, but 'through' the eyes and the ears", how interesting! My take on this was that since our previous experiences and thought affect how we interpret things we see and hear there is no way to simply learn "with" our senses, we have to learn "through" them. Therefore knowledge though perception will always be subjective. This theme has really brought though differing opinions! I like reading how there people have thought about the concepts. Keep up the good work and analysis for the coming weeks!
10. Hi! Good job with this honest reflection. We all learn from mistakes, and it is refreshing to read that you own up to maybe not spending enough time preparing for this theme. It is nice to learn to the future themes! But yeah, the Kant text was veery extensive and I don't think anyone could prepare for the amount of time it took to try and understand it. It is nice that you use the word dialectic, one of the main concepts from theme 2, when discussing this theme! Perhaps you already used that word, or perhaps you are connecting the themes to each other. Great work either way! ;)

Theme 2

1. The example of the cave was given at my seminar as well and I also found it to be a great example explaining realism and nominalism! I also found it interesting to put the texts in the right historical perspective, it gave me a better understanding of them, but I actually had not thought about the perspective of going to America and thus experiencing culture from a different point of view. Great point!! I also found dialectics interesting, maybe one can see Plato's text from theme 1 as a bit dialectic? I hope you find out interesting things about the concept!
2. Great reflections! Since you were already had knowledge (no pun intended) about last week's theme and had read the texts before it is interesting to read your thoughts on Theme 2. It feel like when simply reading the texts it is easy to miss some things, I for one did not give much thought to the historical context of the two texts, and therefore the lecture and seminar is very rewarding! Seems like you experienced something similar during this theme. Culture as a means of oppression is one of the most interesting thoughts I shall take with me from this theme. It is true what you say, some questions weren't really answered which perhaps makes it more interesting to discuss? Great reflection! Keep going for the future themes :)
3. Nice reflection :) Interesting to see how your perspective changed during the week! The way Adorno & Horkheimer put forward that culture can be used as a means of oppression is one of the main ideas I for one will take with me from this week's theme. It would be interesting to also read something about what you discussed in your smaller group during the seminar :) The groups always seem to find different subjects the most interesting one. Good luck with future themes!
4. Really great reflection! Your explanation of nominalism vs realism actually made me understand the concepts even better, great job! In my seminar we did not discuss historically influenced perception that much, the example with the paintings you bring up was a really interesting one though. You summarise and reflect on the concepts in the theme in a really detailed manner, however I think it would be interesting to read some more about your own learning experience during the theme as well. Good luck with the future themes!
5. Great reflection Maria! Seems like you found the concepts of realism and nominalism the most interesting ones from this theme; I actually had not thought about the common use of the word "realist" and how it contradicts what realism is about, the two words never got a connection in my head but reading your texts I can really understand why it would be confusing! It would be interesting to read your thought on some of the other concepts discussed during this theme as well, did you learn anything else during from the lecture and seminar? Keep up the good work in future themes!
6. Interesting reflection! I really appreciate how you bring in things from your own life so to speak when discussing the concepts, such as programming, it really feels like you have taken the concepts from the theme and really understood them and applied them on your own life, interesting reading! I also really like how you not only discuss the views of Benjamin and Adorno & Horkenheimer when it comes to culture but also discus how culture is today from your point of view. I for one really think that user generated content is a really interesting concept where the culture is put completely in the hands of the consumer.Keep up the great work!
7. Interesting thoughts on Theme 2! I especially liked your explanation of dialectics which was not long but to me really captured the main core of the concept. Your example of beauty as a historically determined perception is the best example I have read yet! If i were to explain the concept to someone who had not heard of it I would probably use your example as it is really easy to understand. Keep up the good work!
8. Great reflection! I for one had not considered the historical context of the texts while reading them, so I found the lecture really interesting in that sense. You go about to summarise the main concepts of the theme and do it in a very straight forward way, one really gets a sense of the theme from reading your post.
   I think it would be interesting to also see a bit more personal reflections on your learning during the theme, perhaps for the next theme :) Keep up the good work!
9. Great reflection! Your short snippets in italics are really nice!
   I for one did not really understand the point that nominalism can be dangerous in enlightenment because it keeps us from looking beyond what is.
   The point that culture can be used as means of oppression is also a view I will take with me, what did you think about the historical context of the texts? I found them even more interesting when thinking about them considering when and where they were written.
   Keep up the good work!
10. You give a very clear summary of both texts in your reflection! One gets a good picture of the entire theme after reading this. The historical context is especially something I found interesting and learnt during this theme's lecture.
    But I for one would find it interesting to read some more of your own personal thoughts about your learning process during the theme!
    Keep up the good work!

Theme 3

1. Great reflection of this theme! You sum up both the theme itself and your learning experience during the week. I too will take with me the practice and theory dicussion, the mental picutre of actually taking a step back and viewing from afar. That truth is relative feels like something which is relevant in almost every theme so far! This course has really made me think about how things are not so obvious as they might seem and we never really know if something is "true".
   Keep up the great work!
2. I also enjoyed how this theme felt more straight forward than the previous ones! The paper you chose seems really interesting, for theme 4 I also read one concerning politics and ICT in politics is very interesting to me.
   
   The risk of thinking of theory as hypothesis is as you say large. Previous to this theme I for one had not given much thought to if there was a difference between them. This course in general to me provides many "aha moments" concerning concetps one has not thought about that much before.
   
   I feel that you summed up the concepts of this theme in a really good way in this reflection, but to an extent is feel like you are simply lining up all the concepts one after one. I for one would love to read more about your own feelings regarding this theme and your learning process :)
   
   Good luck with the future themes!
3. Hi Alexis! Great reflection on this theme! I like how you mix information about the concepts with your own reflections on what you learnt and found interesting this week.
   
   Seems like your group had a really interesting discussion during the seminar! The example with Newton's laws of motion is really thought provoking and must have spurred a great discussion. The concept of truth is something that I have really changed opinion on during this course, can things even be true? Or are they always "true" in the sense that the construction of the concept implies that truth is relative? This course has really made me think about these things :)
   
   I also like how your group seem to have put this theme in perspective with the previous ones, I am going to try and do that more. Keep up the good work during the coming themes! :)
4. Great reflection! I especially enjoyed your explaination of scientific theory, very straight forward and informative.The notion of truth is something which I have really started thinking about during this course, how an absoute truth does not exist but all truths are relative. Not something I for one think about normally!
   Keep up the good work during the future themes! It would be nice thought to get a bit more personal reflection in these posts, not just lining up all the concepts we talked about during the week :)
5. Hi!
   I agree with you that theory was the main concept during this theme, how theory and hypothesis are two separate things was something which felt central to me. The fact that theory in science differs from theory in the casual setting is something I know I will take with me from this theme. Did you think about how theory relates to truth? I found discussions about that very interesting!
   Keep up the good work!
6. Hi Hannah!
   I understand that the theme perhaps was less interesting if you felt that you aldready had an idea about what theory is since it was the main concept of the week. I for one found the differene between scientific theory and theory in the more casual setting, which is pretty much a hypothesis, very rewarding! And also the discussions on how theory relates to the concept of truth.
   
   My group discussed the papers we had chosen during the seminar's smaller group discussions! I think that if you want to discuss something you should just say it :)
   
   Let's hope you learn more during future themes!
   Keep it up
7. Great reflection! You sum up the main concepts of the theme in a very straight forward way, I especially liked you mention of the saying "it might work in theory, but not in practise" I found the discussion about theory and practise very interesting but had not thoguht about this.
   That universal truths do not exist is something I will take with me from this course, it seems very relevant in pretty much every theme so far and has changed my viewpoint. Did you also discuss paradigms when discussing theories and truth? I found the relation between them extremely interesting! If you did not talk about it I think you should check it out.
   Keep up the good work in the coming themes!
8. Hi!
   The difference between theory and hypothesis is something I also found interesting during this theme. Prior to this week I would probably have said that they were the same thing, the notion of scientific theory is something I have learnt during this week. I do disagree with you when you say that "it might not be relevant to get an overview of the concept Theory", even though theory differs between different areas of study I do believe that there is a core which is always present. Theory is about answering questions as to "Why?" and that is something I will take with me from this theme as the core of scientific theory. But you must have had a different view?
   It was interesting to read your reflection, but I would like to have read a bit about what you discussed when you sat in a small group during the seminar. What different groups found interesting is always fun to read!
   Keep up the good work!
9. Hi Marcus!
   I agree with you that theory and hypothesis were the main concepts of this theme. I do not know however if I agree with you that " a hypothesis helps answer the question at hand", I believe that the hypothesis in itself does not provide an answer to questions but is the step prior to getting an answer to a question and that theories answer questions as to "why?".
   Te discussion about truth and paradigm shifts is something I also found very interesting! The notion that all truts are relative is something I will really take with me from this course.
   Keep up the good work!
10. Nice reflection! I agree with you that this theme felt a bit more straight forward than the previous ones, it is probably closer to natural sciences than the others and therefore closer to what we are actually studying. I was not able to attend the lecture unfortunately, but according to you it seems like I did not miss anything important then. This is too bad, I think the lectures usually provide new information regarding the theme! Did you think anything about the notion of truth and how it relates to this theme? I for one found it very interesting.
    Keep up the good work Måns!

Theme 4

1. Hi Björn,
   I like your reflection and it seems like even though you already had a lot of understanding of the subject already you still found interesting parts! I also found the question of prejudice in the paper on VR would have been interesting to discuss, I do believe that they had other clothing on the avatars as well in order to make the differences even more clear and perhaps remove some of the sensitivity in the subject?
   In my discussion group we also found that all of us had a good understanding of qualitative vs quantitative research methods after the bachelor thesis; so we decided to actually discuss everyone's thesis and discuss the methods, what everyone learnt and why we chose the methods we did. It provided a really interesting discussion! So a good tip if discussions are difficult could be to focus on people's own experiences :)
   Keep up the good work!
2. Hi!
   You seem to have grasped the concepts of qualitative and quantitative research in a good way and has reflected on them nicely. I agree with you that it can be beneficial to use qualitative and quantitative in unison! However that required both more time and more resources than the usage of only one category of methods, which is something one has to keep in mind also. Even if a mix of methods is not possible I believe one kind of research can lead to the other in a good way, if a problem has been looked at using quantitative methods future research could attack the problem from a qualitative point of view and vice versa, don't you think?
3. Hi, Great reflection! I like how you did not settle for a paper which you know you would not find interesting simply because it had a high impact factor! I have also put time into finding research papers which I know will be interesting for me to read since one learn more then in my opinion. I can also relate to what you say about the confusion of the overlapping themes! However I do think it is positive in the way that it makes to easier to connect the themes to each other, but mostly it is confusing. I would like to read a bit more about what you learnt and thought about the concepts of the theme in your reflection! But overall a good reflection. Good luck in the coming weeks!
4. Hi Jonathan!
   I like your critical reflection and think you make some valid points. The main highlight of this theme to me was reading the papers, both the one provided and the one I chose, I think these concepts are the most interesting when actually applied and research papers are almost always interesting to read! I hope you will find the future themes more interesting, good luck in the future themes!
5. Hi,
   Great reflection! I like how you found something interesting during the lecture and the decided to learn even more about that subject! Reading your reflection taught me some new things on questionnaires and it was very interesting. It is thought provoking to see how people can take with them so differing experiences from the lectures, I did not find the focus on the design process as interesting as you did and did not give it much thought. It would be interesting to read a bit about your seminar experience as well, but overall a great reflection!
6. Well written and interesting reflection Oscar! The concept of virtual body ownership is very interesting indeed! I have actually experienced it myself when playing a "horror game" using oculus rift where the goal of the game was to not remove your hands from a keyboard, both your character in the game and yourself sat with fingers pressed down on keys on the keyboard. In the game different things started to happen in the room you were and to your character with the goal of making you remove your hands. I actually failed the game when I removed my hands by reflex when a knife fell down into one of them in the game. So I understand virtual body ownership to some extent and it is a very cool concept!
   
   You have focused your reflection on questionnaires, but of course there are other kinds of qualitative methods as well. It is also interesting to reflect no the usage of qualitative and quantitative methods together in research as complements, Perhaps that is to prefer in some cases?
   
   Good luck in future themes!
7. Hi! I like your reflection on qualitative research methods. I agree with you that results are more reliable in the sense that they can be generalised over a larger group than the one used in the experiment, however I do believe that results from qualitative research can be reliable as well! Qualitative research provides a wider picture to me, which is more subjective but not less reliable in my opinion. Keep up the good work in the future themes!
8. Hi!
   Great reflection! I agree with you that this theme did not spark as much discussion as the previous ones, the concepts were much clearer. I liked how we discussed that qualitative is actually sometimes better than quantitative because it does feel like in our area of study quantitative is often seen as the better and more reliable alternative, but that is not always the case!
   Keep up the good work!
9. Hi Stina!
   Thanks for your reflection :)
   You seem to have focused much more on questionnaires than I did during this week, so it was very interesting for me to read your reflection since it touched on subjects I had not given much thought.
   You say that the amount of participants perhaps is not the most important part in qualitative research, I do believe that when one does statistical calculations on the data and wants to generalise the result on a wider populations the amount of participants does matter a lot! You also say that you wish you had learnt about these things before your bachelor thesis, so let's hope you can use this information in your master thesis instead then.
   Keep up the good work!
10. Hi Cèline! I like your reflection and it is nice to read that this theme changed your point of view on qualitative and quantitative research! I feel that I did not learn as much as you at all since I just wrote my bachelor thesis and we discussed these subjects in depth then, so to is nice to see that the theme was more beneficial to others.
    
    I love your example with the candy! It is very clear and exemplifies the concepts in a great way!
    
    I feel that objectivity and "truth" is something which has been relevant in all themes in this course so far and my understanding of these subjects improves with each week. These concepts is something I will take with me from this course. Seems like you discussed interesting things in your seminar. 

Theme 5

1. Great summary of this week! You seem to have grasped a lot more from the lectures this week than I did so kudos to you! I feel that I learnt even more what the lecturers meant from reading your post than I did when I actually listening to them. The thing I found most interesting from both of the lectures combined was what Haibo said about defining the problem and not just looking for a solution! From Anders' lecture I liked the thing about prototypes in research and industry being different!
2. Hi Hannah! Like you I found parts of this theme's lectures a bit unclear. What I mostly took with me from Anders' lecture was that there is a difference between prototyping for industry and prototyping for design research. Previous to the lecture I had only thought about prototyping from an industrial point of view so that I what I learnt from that lecture. But I agree with you that it was not the most structured lecture I have ever been to :P
3. I must also agree with the opinion that this week's lectures were sub par. Besides the point that you bring up in your text about the importance of defining the problem and not just solving it is what I found interesting about Haibo's lecture too. Besides that I did not really understand what we was trying to convey. Unlike you I did find one interesting part in the second lecture though! The difference between prototyping for research and prototyping for industry is not something I for one had thought about before, I only thought about the industrial prototyping, and that is what I will take with me from that lecture.
4. Hi Sanna!
   This week was somewhat sub par to me and like you I did not find everything that interesting. But I unlike you I did take one thing with me from Haibo's lecture! The fact that you should not only focus on solving a problem but it is also important to try and define the problem and perhaps look at it from a different point of view.
   I like your reflection about Anders' lecture! You definitely found it more interesting than I did and I learnt some new things from reading your text :)
5. Hi!
   I like your reflection! You give a very clear overview of the lectures we had this week. The bit about defining the problem was the one I found most interesting from Haibo's lecture, how sometimes you spend great amount of time trying to solve a problem and do not try and look at it from a different angle instead. From Anders' lecture I also found proof of concept interesting! And how prototyping is different in industry and research! Prior to the lecture I had mostly thought about prototyping from an industrial point of view. Good job in your text!
6. Hi! Like you I found the part of Haibo's lecture about the importance of defining the problem and not just trying to solve it! The second lecture, which you do not mention, was interesting too in the way that prototyping differs from industry and research to me. Interesting that you include a quote in your text but I would have liked som more of your ideas as well :)
7. I like your critical reflection! Like you I appreciated how Haibo put emphasis on defining a problem and not just solving it, I do disagree with him though that you should put 90% into defining the problem and 10% into solving it. I think 10% is a bit too little in many cases when solving problems.
   
   Your point on HCI and management issues not being solved with mathematics in all cases is very good and I agree!
   Keep up the good work!
8. Hi Olof! I agree with you that the seminar was really missed this week, discussing the questions is one of my favourite parts every week. I like that you used the knowledge gained in this course in another course! Kudos to you. I would have liked to read a bit more about the concepts and perhaps the lectures, but overall I like your reflection :)
9. Hi!
   I like your reflection and that it is very centred around your own experience of the theme! I also missed the seminars a lot, it feels like something was missing this week. Like you I found the concept if prototypes one of the most important ones this week and during Anders' lecture the point that prototypes are different in research and in the industry really struck with me. I had not thought about that before!
10. Hi Sanna!
    Good that you had your friend take notes for you during the lectures even though you were not able to attend! The part if Haibo's lecture about the importance of defining the problem and not just solving it was one of the most interesting to me! I did, unlike you, learn something new about prototypes! I learnt that there is a difference between prototyping for research and prototyping for industry, I guess you already knew that so kudos to you :)

Theme 6

1. Hi! Interesting thoughts on this week's theme! I do disagree with you that a case study is a qualitative method though! A case study is a method which in itself can consist of both qualitative and quantitative methods, so it is neither but rather its own thing. 
   
   I do like however how you tie this last theme back to the first one, good job!
2. Hi!
   I like your reflection, I agree that one of the main strengths of a case study is that it can consist if both qualitative and quantitative methods and that is can explore something new in hopes of formulating new theory. I do not know if I agree that hypotheses is formed, I would like to think theory is. Good that the seminar gave you a clearer view if the theme in the absence of a lecture!
3. Hi! How nice that your understanding of case studies have improved during this theme. I agree with you that quantitative research had been discussed in depth during previous seminars, but I did find it interesting how difficult it was (at least for me) to find a study using only qualitative methods, most I found used both qualitative and quantitative!
   I liked the idea about case studies that they are a good tool when creating new theory, that then can be tested and modified using other methods, since one can get an in depth view of a subject. So yes case studies can be used to study something unique like you say, but I also think they can be used to get a good overlooking view of a new subject.
4. Hi! I like your reflection a lot!
   I especially like the idea that case studies can be seen as a strategy! Since it in itself contains several research methods I really like that definition. I agree with you that case studies are good in an unknown field, I would however like to think that the goal of case studies is not to formulate hypothesis but rather new theory that then can be tested by new research. 
   How interesting that one of your group members had participated in a longitudinal study! That must have given a great perspective to your discussion. When it comes to focus group interviews I agree with you that smaller groups are to prefer, but I think there are a lot of limitations to having interviews in groups at all. When you conduct them in a group there will always be group behaviour and people agreeing with the majority opinion and perhaps not feeling the same way they would in an individual interview.
5. Hi! Interesting reflection with many good points!
   I agree with you that a case study is perhaps not a methods but rather a strategy one has when doing research since case studies in themselves contain several other methods. I like the example that a case study can be done on something even if that something is not unique, I believe that is often a misconception people have about case studies that they have to be about unique medical conditions or such.
   Great Job!
6. Nice reflection! It is great that the concept of qualitative research became clearer for you during this theme, it was already pretty clear to me but I did learn more about different kinds of qualitative methods. I usually distinct qualitative and quantitative by the kind of data they produce, qualitative produce longer texts while quantitative produce data which can often be numerically compared.
   Nice reflection overall! Great work.
7. Hi, I agree with you that case studies can be used to understand a situation better,but I also to some extent disagree that case studies are good to understand existing theory, yes ot can be used for this but I believe that case studies are better suited for creating new theory.
   Overall I find your reflection a bit confusing at times, what do you mean with "if we do a questionnaire, the answer of which can be divided into different levels without asking question"? I believe questionnaires can be used as both qualitative and quantitative methods depending on the type of question, perhaps that is what you are getting at but the phrasing could be a bit clearer.
8. Hi! Interesting reflection, finally indeed!
   It seems from your reflection that you would classify case studies as a type of qualitative research method, I disagree with this! Case studies are more of a strategy when doing research and can in itself contain both qualitative and quantitative methods. You reflection is mostly on qualitative research so perhaps I have misunderstood your standing on the matter, but to me there is no doubt that case studies are not a simply qualitative method.
   I would also disagree that qualitative methods provide no new knowledge, perhaps the knowledge they produce cannot be generalised on a wider sample but they can indeed provide new knowledge about the sample used!
9. Hi Anton!
   I greatly enjoyed reading your reflections and your points regarding case studies! You seem to have gathered a deeper understanding of the concept during the theme and really grasped what it is about. I find case studies interesting since they are more of a strategy of research than a method in themselves. Case studies can then contain both qualitative and quantitative methods to gain knowledge and create theory.
10. Hi Arvid!
    I enjoyed reading your reflection a lot and agree on many of the points you made about case studies! I believe it is especially important to understand that case studies are more of a strategy when doing research than a method since it in itself contains other methods. I agree that you isolate a case to the extent that you look at just that case, but not to the extent that it is isolated from the environment in which it occurred. I believe the setting of the case is very important in case studies!
    Great job and good luck with your final reflection!