Master Thesis Defense: Burcu Avcı

Self-Knowledge Through Self-Tracking Devices:

Design Guidelines For Usabilty And A Socio-Technical Examination From Posthumanity Perspective

Burcu Avcı
VACD, M.Sc. Thesis, 2015

Thesis Jury
Elif Ayiter (Thesis Supervisor), Murat Germen, Ali O. İlhan (Özyeğin Ünv.) Çağla Aydın (substitute)

Date &Time: May,11th, 2015 – 14:00

Place: G050

Abstract

The Digital Era introduces emerging product categories that have evolved around

certain habits and concepts. One tendency in the Information Age is recording and

storing quantitative and qualitative data based on an individual's life by using ubiquitous

computing devices. Such products, bringing self-observation and autobiographical

memory capabilities to an extreme level, have the potential to morph human beings by

augmenting and altering their self-understanding through presenting previously nonexistent

information regarding their lives. The diversity found in this product range is

increasing parallel to the growing demand. However, the meaning of these products for

human life is rarely discussed. It remains a question whether these personal logs lead to

an enriched self-knowledge for their users or not. This thesis aims to investigate the

design principles and the influences of self-tracking products and services on daily life

within a socio-technical framework in order to establish a connection between selftracking

by ubiquitous computing devices and the notion of self-concept