Collecting or addiction?

A pitfall for many collectors is “the thrill of the hunt” and how collecting becomes a practice more than a passion. One author wrote (paraphrasing),

“Collecting is like sex. You remember the first and the latest, but everything in between is a blur.” 
— S. Stewart

Collectors can sometimes fixate on the thrills more than the meaning behind the artifacts they collect. This disassociation can lead to a type of hoarding. Bringing the collector back to the reason they collect can quench the desire to aimlessly collect. 

Design goals

My approach to this project attempts to preserve something that has always been a significantly valuable resource: our stories. As the older generations begin to pass, their stories, if not carefully cataloged, will pass with them. This great wealth of culture, intellect, and experience should be preserved as rigorously as the artifacts they leave behind. This project attempts to combine the physical with the sentimental and preserve both. 

These collectors are a great resource for research because they are also experts in their respective fields. Archives and libraries are so important for cataloging artifacts, books, and collections, but they lack the expertise the collectors—by their very practice—possess. This is not to say they are faultless, but for a researcher, they are an untapped source of information about nearly every cultural topic. 

The Idea

The product is a cataloging application based on the rigors of archival processing and mixed with the need to make collecting more meaningful. This app places emphasis on telling personal stories about the artifacts, while also following standard taxonomy and provenance that archives use. 

Primary audience

This application is intended to be situated within the Cowan’s Auctions space and has been branded as Cowan’s Collections. This product is a perfect opportunity for Cowan’s to connect with collectors who may not be active in auctions. Using the app allows collectors and their families an easy entry point into the auction community. 

Secondary audience

A secondary opportunity is to promote the app to active auction goers. For every sold item, Cowan’s employees can use the iPad set up an account for the bid winner, complete with the item they won, photos, provenance, and other documents. The collector can immediately begin their storytelling and catalog their new item before they even leave the auction house. 

Both options provide a valuable service to stakeholders. Collectors become more conscious of their collecting, pass on their stories and sentiment, catalog their investments, and share memories with their loved ones. Cowan’s can connect with current clients, open doors to potential clients, and increase revenue, all while fulfilling their mission, to bring “a new level of scholarship and honesty to the arena” (quoted from Cowansauctions.com).

Learning process

When the collector enters the app, they are able to access various collections from other collectors and also display (post) their own collections, if they would like. The collections are broken into three taxonomies: Collections, Series, and Items. Each taxonomy is more specific in is purpose and allows for better organization, sorting, and searching. 

This may be a slightly confusing process for some, so the app includes a tutorial that can help new users adjust to the application’s information structure. 

making it real (really useful)

The main authentication for this project came from multiple Skype and in-person co-design sessions with two Indiana University alumni professionals (an archivist and MLS graduate; as well as an Indiana University Ph.D./historian). They both helped me develop and form the final application and were instrumental in the testing, as well. The archivist and historian indicated which ideas would be important to each of their respective fields. The archivist was more interested in data that is relevant for searchability and hierarchy, while the historian was more focused on provenance and story. Both were valuable assets and I could not have successfully completed this project without them. 

The Design

The aesthetics for the app are taken directly from the Cowan’s Auction website, mixed with additional colors for hierarchy, clarity, and vibrancy. Most of the UI elements are placed on an 8px grid, however, this is broken where visually necessary. 

There is a main navigation bar at the top of each page with a link to search public collections, user account information, and user collections. Adding items is clearly indicated by sub-navigation and typographic hierarchy denoting the page and placement within the application. The app structure and architecture is made to be cyclical so the user can enter and edit at will without having to follow confusing decision trees or directories. 

Other considerations

A serious limitation the app involves the audience itself: older folks are the primary audience, but technology is often limited to that group. This would be a breaking point for the project if not for the secondary audience, which is the collectors’ spouses and families. They are most often encouraging their older family to use technology and champion technology in their lives. They are the door through which my product must enter. After all, the families become major stakeholders in this endeavor when the time comes for the collections to find new homes. This app gives families a great way to bond with the collector, help develop a meaningful accounting of the collection, and understand where the true value lies. 

As you may have noticed, this app lives on an iPad. iPads are ergonomically more feasible for older folks and easier to understand than the typical smartphone. There is a great chance that someone will be helping the collector use this application and I wanted to make the experience sharable, which is easier on an iPad. 

Additional Research

Research methods included: ethnographic study; semi-structured interviews; unstructured interviews; guerrilla usability studies; moderated usability testing; and contextual inquiry.

The ethnographic study and interaction took me to Cowan’s Auctions in Cincinnati, OH. I not only attended, but also bid on items that seemed interesting. While at the auction, I interviewed auctioneers, as well as other attendees to gather their thoughts and impressions about collecting and collectables.