PhD - Digital Communties

Introduction
Aims & Objectives
Interaction Design
Communities
Methods
Cultural Probes
Related Projects
Potential Futures

Introduction
This is a space for a phd proposal into the world of communication products, socio-digital systems, communities built up around electronic communication and all things inbetween.

My work has for many years focused on the community as a strong entity which can lead change. The initial step has been to approach communities with a small change, the result is that the communities actions and thoughts change over time.

A simple social network.

People are encouraged to interact with the products integrated in the community through solid interaction design which encourages natural and sometimes unnatural actions and interesting responses from people

Aims & Objectives
The aim of this study is to understand effective ways of helping communities get together. This is possible by doing things like they are done in Small Change (Nabeel Hamdi) a book about changing society with a single tiny change. I discovered this book about small changes and it related very well to the style of work i have been doing these past few years.

I have changed the world already by creating a door printer that can be sent text messages and emails and prints them out in a nice little receipt. This will be implemented in a community during the study.

A working door printer prototype on a door.

Interaction Design
The framework of the PhD will focus a range of projects which use products to create and nurture positive interactions in communities.

"The practice typically centers around complex technology systems such as software, mobile devices, and other electronic devices. However, it can also apply to other types of products and services, and even organizations themselves. Interaction design defines the behavior (the "interaction") of an artifact or system in response to its users." Wikipedia

A routine covering basic product interactions.

"In human communities, intent, belief, resources, preferences, needs, risks, and a number of other conditions may be present and common, affecting the identity of the participants and their degree of cohesiveness. 

Communties
During their growth and maturation, people encounter a variety of individuals and experiences. Infants first interact with their immediate family, then with extended family. As they mature, people interact with the local community, first in school and later through work. They thus develop individual and group identity through associations that connect them to life-long community experiences." Wikipedia.

Any common interest will generate a community.

In the past i have carried out a variety of projects covering a wider range of users and themes. Primarily i have been interested in projects that relate to communication and communication between people in communities.

Methods
In my previous work i used many different methods of understanding users, from the totally objective to the silly subjective. Through a variety of methods i hope that i can understand how we can be effective in bringing people together .

User interaction prototyping

Cultural Probes
A cultural probe is a qualitative research tool that allows a researching to carry out a rapid form of ethnography on a user without  the researcher being present . The results are very subjective which combined with quantitative research creates a very strong method of understanding a users existing personality. 

A completed Cultural Probe.

I am interested in the distinction between product and research tool and many of the items in a cultural probe's context were, i believe, both products and tools for research.

"Selected volunteers are given probe packs. The participants use the items in the pack over a period of a few weeks and then return the pack. The items in the pack depend on the circimstances, but are all designed to stimulate thought as well as capture experiences.

Once we consider systems beyond the traditional office PC, especially those involving personal experience, design needs to establish new methods of study. Other researchers have used diary studies asking participants to note particular kinds of incidents. Another group asked parents to give them lists they kept (shopping lists, to do lists). Role play has also been used to get people to act out aspects of their life that they might not wish to be observed." www.equator.org

Related Projects
The Door Printer
The Door Printer is a concept for a home printer that does not need a computer. The printer connects to a wireless network and recieves emails and text messages and prints them out automatically. The printer uses less power while on for 24 hours than your computer would use if you switched it on for 10 minutes to check emails in the morning.

The Community Chest
The Community Chest was a project involving the town of Gauldry, Fife. The community could swap, add or remove items from the Community Chest. Primarily old unwanted items were placed in the chest. This reuse of old items and giving them a new lease of life encouraged communication and recycling in the town through novel means.

A pair of Community Chests for neighbors.

Heart Project
The intention of Heart is to reduce the fast paced high-stress lifestyle of the office environment and replace it with a lifestyle which values quality of time spent on a task over quantity of time spent on a task. The relaxation experienced aims to help you and your office understand that you and your fellow workers are allowed breaks, and long breaks can produce significant benefits in certain careers.

Potential Futures
In the future there wil be a range of projects carried out. These will vary from (potentially) two way communication with your favorite radio station, to a system to enable an amazon-like book community in a library to a collective of printers spread throughout a community.

Can you imagine the effect of every single home being connected to the world through a printer. I can't imagine what that would be like and I'm guessing you can't either so i plan to develop the door printer concept to test on a wider range of users so we don't need to imagine what would happen we will know what happened.

Printer's for him and her...

Wouldn't it be helpful if your library could remember which books you had last and recommend others that you might enjoy. Wouldn't you find it useful to hear what other people though of the book rather than judging the book by its cover?

Have you ever been listening to a nice peaceful radio station when you are suddenly brought crashing back to reality when your least favorite song comes on. What would it be like if you could give instant feedback to your radio station through the radio your listening to...?

There are many interesting scenarios that arise if you think about communities of the future. Im not saying these technologies would be the best solutions to certain problems but i am trying to find the best solutions through this research.