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Publicação
Digital Technologies Supporting Commoning Practices: the case of Madeira
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Resumo(s)
Digital Commons (e.g. Free Libre and Open Source Software, Wikis, and platform
cooperatives) are frequently recognised as alternatives to the exploitative and
monopolistic nature characterizing the contemporary digital landscape. However, these
alternatives are scarcely known by laypeople, and both activists and researchers
operate to promote them. Human-Computer Interaction scholars typically engage with
specific communities to co-design ad-hoc Digital Commons, while activists tend to
promote predetermined off-the-shelf Digital Commons without deeply engaging with
the population.
This research delves into the gap between these two strategies. Namely, it
leverages the abundance of off-the-shelf Digital Commons and uses a Participatory
Design (PD) approach to support people in adopting pre-existing Digital Commons
better aligned to their needs rather than designing and developing new ones.
The PD process that constitutes the core of this research has been implemented
on the remote island of Madeira (Portugal). This thesis presents two case studies
hosted by two local organisations. This research leveraged the concept of Artifact
Ecology to collect information on participants’ use of technologies while stimulating a
reflection on their adequateness to participants’ interests and values. This phase was
followed by a workshop presenting a curated set of off-the-shelf Digital Commons and
proposing simple hands-on activities. Additional activities to propose other useful
Digital Commons were tailored based on the specific outcomes yielded in the two
groups.
The empirical results of this process are encouraging both in terms of individual
and collective adoption, showcasing tangible benefits for participants. The evaluation
of the process highlighted the importance of integrating a playful approach, targeting
the group rather than the individual, and encouraging quick explorations of the
proposed digital tool right after collectively discussing it.
In order to adapt the research methods to local culture and practices, the PD
process has been precede by a community study. Rendering explicit the conversion of
observational elements into design strategies and critically discussing them based on
the empirical results is an additional contribution of this thesis to the field of PD.
Furthermore, this research provides insights into the debate on Digital Commons,
Artifact Ecologies, and Sustainable HCI.
Descrição
Doutoramento em parceria com a Faculdade de Ciência e Tecnologia da Universidade NOVA e Lisboa e com a Universidade do Porto
Palavras-chave
Digital commons Community engagement Participatory design Artifact ecologies Cultural probes