Artefact

Artefact
Artefacts, also called Artifacts are generally known as anything that is human-made. In the digital Are, artefacts are no longer limited to physical objects like potteries or sculptures that were widely studied in the archeology and sociolgy field as important idicators of cultures [[|1]]. Artefacts in the UX content (also known as virtual artifacts), are anything that is human-made which exists in the digital environment [[|2]]. It is immaterial [[|2]] which means it does not exists physically in real life, but it surely plays an important role in our culture.

Artefacts in the virtual environment come in different forms. One of the most “visible” example would be a digital image (whether it is a photograph or an illustration), which copy the look of objects or environment that we experience in real life (e.g. Sims—virtual game, see link [[|4]]). Digital artefacts can also allow us to experience something ahead or something that we cannot experience in real life (i.e. phototypes—see link [[|5]] and reproduction of the ancient people’s life). Artefacts can also be “invisible” to the user end but also has an affect to the user experience, such as the computer program and systems of organizing content.

Unlike the physical artefacts, its immaterial nature allows users to get involve in the content creation process since virtual artefacts can be easily reproduced and changed [[|2]]. Especially artifacts that take into the form of a system, like the Wikispaces, which is an virtual artifact—a system that someone designed, has much more fluidity in content since the users are having control over the content [[|6]]. The wikispaces system brings about a different user experience than emailing for example [[|7]], although both systems are virtual artifacts. Virtual artifact therefore is an interrelating element of altering user experience.

//References:// [1] "Cultural artifacts". Wikipedia. Retrieved on Sept 13 at:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_artifact [2] "Virtual artifacts". Wikipedia. Retrieved on Sept 13 at :http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_artifact [3] "User experience". Wikipedia. Retrieved on Sept 13 at:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_experience [4] Website of Sims2—a good example of virtual artefact that copies human life experiences and allows user to experience virtually in a different character than they really are in real life (i.e. living virtually as an alien in a virtual town): http://thesims2.ea.com/ [5] An example of phototype provided by Cyprus Property Company on modelling a house building project: http://www.cypruspropertyco.com/gnestates/limassol/11.html [6] Knemeyer, Dirk. "The End of Usability Culture". Digital Web Magazine. Retrieved on Sept 13 at: http://www.digital-web.com/search/?q=artifact&amp;cx=012534339689088502956%3A645mphn3x04&amp;cof=FORID%3A9#661 //(A very good article criticizing designers over concerning with usability while forgeting “users” can be active agent in creation)// [7] A clip from common craft about how wikispaces and emailing give different user experience: http://www.commoncraft.com/

//Also look at:// Usability