Summary

The web content outlines the evolution of the Supportance Model, detailing its history, development, and the creation of associated diagrams to visually represent the theoretical concept within various contexts.

Abstract

The website article provides an in-depth look at the development of the Supportance Model, introduced on February 6, 2021, as part of the Platform-for-Development (P4D) framework. The author describes the journey of the model through three significant turning points, highlighting the influence of projects like "BACK TO W.E.C." and the iterative process that led to the refinement of the model and its diagrams. The article also discusses a personal thesis on diagramming, which includes a framework with five layers of understanding, from basic spatial relationships to the mediation of human activities. Five specific types of diagrams are presented to illustrate the theoretical concepts and their practical applications, culminating in a comprehensive visual language for discussing affordances and supportances in various environments. The author invites further engagement with the P4D framework through additional readings and connections via social platforms, and the work is shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Opinions

The author emphasizes the importance of diagrams in bridging theory and practice, particularly in the context of the Supportance Model.
The Supportance Model is seen as a significant contribution to the Ecological Practice approach, with its sub-theory being a core focus of the diagrams.
The author values the iterative process of diagram development, as evidenced by the continuous modifications and the creation of new diagrams for different concepts and models.
The concept of "sub-project" and "project-camp" is introduced as a means to reuse and adapt the Supportive Cycle model for different contexts.
The five layers of diagramming are presented as a foundational framework for understanding and creating diagrams that serve various purposes, from abstract models to concrete case studies.
The author believes in the power of diagrams to facilitate understanding and communication, as seen in the development of the Developmental Project Canvas and other tools for empirical research and self-study.
Engagement with the audience is encouraged through further reading and social media connections, indicating a commitment to knowledge sharing and community building.
The decision to license the work under Creative Commons reflects the author's support for open access and the collaborative advancement of knowledge.

Diagram Explained: The Supportance Model and Its History

A new diagram for the concept of Supportance

Diagram Explained: The Supportance Model

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miro.com

Last week, I worked on the above Miro board in order to review the historical development of a diagram and designed a new version of the diagram.

The diagram was born on Feb 6, 2021, when I was rethinking the Platform-for-Development (P4D) framework (v1.0) with the concept of Supportance. The framework (v1.0) suggested a new unit of analysis: Platform(Project). I remained in the unit of analysis and used supportive movements as a core idea to design a diagram. I called the final outcome the Supportive Cycle model.

In the past several months, I modified the diagram and designed several new diagrams for different concepts and models. Last week, I realized this is a great example of Diagram Development. Thus, I created the above Miro board to review the process of my creative activities around the diagram. I also designed a new diagram for the concept of Supportance.

Three Turning Points

The reflection shows three turning points within the developmental process of the project.

Feb 6, 2021: Turning Point A
April 22, 2021: Turning Point B
June 6, 2021: Turning Point C

Turning Point A is the beginning of the journey. I have mentioned it above. You can find more details from a previous article The Supportive Cycle (v1.0). The article inspired me to write more articles on deep issues. Eventually, it became a book: Platform for Development.

Turning Point B is about the BACK TO W.E.C. project. On March 26, 2021, a friend invited me to join the BACK TO W.E.C. project, a two-month online workshop for re-engaging with The Last Whole Earth Catalog. This is a great example of the Platform-for-Development framework. On April 7, I designed a diagram for this case study.

The project is hosted on Milanote and other platforms. I created a sub-board called Curativity and shared some files about Knowledge Curation. In order to share more ideas about the HERO U framework which is a framework for Knowledge Curation, I wrote a new file about the framework. Later, I expanded it to a 311-page book: The ECHO Way.

I finished the draft of The ECHO Way on April 19, 2021. Two days later, I wrote a thank-you letter to the hosts of the project. On April 22, I reflected on my work on The ECHO Way. I realized that the Supportive Cycle model can’t explain the work. Finally, I found a new solution that the work could be considered as a “sub-project” of the BACK TO W.E.C. project. Moreover, I used “sub-project” and “project-camp” to replace “project” and “platform-ba” in order to reuse the diagram of the Supportive Cycle model.

Turning Point C is about reflecting on Turning Point B. On June 16, 2021, I received an email from a host of the BACK TO W.E.C. project. Her email inspired me to reflect on the diagram of the Supportive Cycle model. I realized that there is a need to design a diagram for the concept of Supportance in general. Finally, I used “Actor — Group” and “Container — Context” for the new diagram.

Five layers of Diagramming

In 2018, I wrote a 108-page personal thesis titled Diagram Explained. I developed a framework for understanding multiple layers of diagrams.

Layer 1: Schema of spatial relationships
Layer 2: Models of domain cognition
Layer 3: Application of models
Layer 4: Artifact of epistemic tool
Layer 5: Mediation of human activities

In order to help readers understand my creations. I used five types of diagrams for this case study.

Layer 1: Meta-diagram
Layer 2: Diagrams for Theories, Diagrams for Abstract Models, and Diagrams for Concrete Models.
Layer 3: Diagrams for Case Studies

Layer 4 refers to the Artifact of the epistemic tool. For example, the Developmental Project Canvas is a Layer 4 artifact for the Developmental Project Model which refers to a Layer 2 diagram.

Layer 5 refers to diagram-in-use situations such as a workshop.

Five diagrams

Let’s have a look at the five diagrams.

Meta-diagram

A meta-diagram only represents a special spatial relationship without any concept. See the below diagram.

A meta-diagram defines a basic visual identity of a diagram family. By adopting a meta-diagram, people can easily create domain-based models without inventing a new wheel for thinking about spatial relationships.

Diagrams for Theories

Supportance is a brand-new theoretical concept. In fact, it is a sub-theory of the Ecological Practice approach. The diagram below doesn’t talk about Affordances. Thus, it is only for the concept of Supportance.

The term “Container” is the core concept of the Ecological Practice practice.

Diagrams for Abstract Models

Infoniche is defined as a set of Affordances and Supportances. So, the concept of Infoniche is an intermediate concept. The Infoniche framework aims to present a structure for discussing Affordances and Supportances within various types of environments.

As an intermediate framework, the Infoniche model considers several concepts such as Affordances, Supportances, Zone, Project, Ba, etc. The goal of the model is for building a bridge between Theory and Practice.

Diagrams for Concrete Models

The Supportive Cycle model is a sub-framework of the Platform-for-Development framework. It focuses on a special unit of analysis: Platform(Project).

A practical framework aims to offer tools for empirical research and self-study. In order to simplify the task, I removed “Zone” from the model since “Zone” is about intersubjectivity and interpersonal analysis. Also, I have developed a diagram for “Zone” too.

Diagrams for Case Studies

The diagram below is a case study of the Supportive Cycle model.

I have mentioned two ways of conducting case studies of Supportive Cycle model:

Rapid Analysis
Slow Synthesis

Rapid Analysis is based on a very limited number of observations and its report might be just a blog post while Slow Synthesis is based on formal qualitative research methods such as participatory research and other methods. The report of Slow Synthesis might be a white paper or a book.

You can find a Rapid Analysis example here:

P4D Case Study #1: Airtable(Community List)

Diagrams are a tool for visually representing complex relationships. A brand new diagram offers a new way to connect a new theory and practice.

License

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) License. Please click on the link for details.