DESIGNING ON MARS

Participatory techniques for designing and training in unfamiliar environmentsService Design Conference, Berlin | October 14th 2010

GIOVANNI INNELLAgiovanni.innella@gmail.com | @giovanninnella

FRANCO PAPESCHIfranco.papeschi@gmail.com | @bobbywatson

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HERE

GDP

204th

/227

$1,200 per capita

Sources: https://www.cia.gov/http://www.freedomhouse.org/

Population below poverty line

46,4%

Sources: https://www.cia.gov/http://www.freedomhouse.org/

Unemployement rate

197th

/227

77%

Sources: https://www.cia.gov/http://www.freedomhouse.org/

Technology adoption: Internet

<1%

140 000 Internet users

Sources: https://www.cia.gov/http://www.freedomhouse.org/

Technology adoption: mobile

16.7%

2 500 000 mobile users

Sources: https://www.cia.gov/http://www.freedomhouse.org/

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WHY INTERNET, THEN?

Immediate Long term

MEDIUM TERMImmediate Long term

WRITEREAD WEB

http://www.baekdal.com/design/Cool-Objects/brix/

TECHNOLOGY MEDIATES CULTURE,CULTURE MEDIATES TECHNOLOGY

CARRYING STRUCTURE AND INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE

SAME TECHNOLOGY,NEW CONTEXT

Internet can impact positively on people’s lives

Deploying a technology is not enough to foster adoption and creative usage Internet can be learned by using it, after you understand some basic mechanisms

An existing community of interested people can then teach others and start a chain reaction

We had not enough knowledge of the local context to say which services would have been successful

GET STARTED

WHERE:

Ouahigouya (Burkina Faso)

WHO:

20 locals between 18-40 with basic familiarity with computer

WHAT:

Teach Internet and explore the impact on people’s daily lives

FOR HOW LONG:

About 2 months

Olle’ Abel Agui

FROM THEORY

TO HANDS-ON

…AND PLAY WITH IT FOR A WHILE

SERVICE CREATION

EXAMPLES: “WHAT WOULD YOU DO WITH THIS?”

WHAT WOULD YOU DO WITH GOOGLE MAPS?

Provide visitors of a map

Tour guides through mobile

Provide visitors of a map

What did we learn from this?

Reveal hidden layer of location-based information, waiting to be surfaced

Create new set of services, based on the involvement of local people through a digital layer

Disclose cultural elements: some people have the role of keeping information, through oral storytelling

WHAT WOULD YOU DO WITH SKYPE?

Combine Skype contact with drum

Combine Skype contact with drum

Sell product + contact

Combine Skype contact with drum

Sell product + contact

Skype lessons

From training to Service Design

Why is this good:

For participants it was a more practical way of learning, and a chance to generate concepts of services and micro-businesses that would make sense into their lives.

For us their ideas, were effective ways to gather insights about the local culture/context.

The information gathered was usually pertinent to the specific technology introduced and its application there.

TRANSFORMATIONAL PROBES

Transformational probes

FACILITATORPARTICIPANT

GET TO KNOW THE TOOL PRESENT THE TOOL

ABSORBFACILITATE CONCEPT

GENERATION

GENERATE POTENTIAL USES INTERPRET

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2

3

CULTURAL PROBES

Describe the present

Depict yourself through normality

Continuation

TRANSFORMATIONAL PROBES

Draw future scenarios

Depict yourself through change

Disruption

SO, WHAT?!?

DON’T TEACH, MAKE!

People are more interested when they practice and have some autonomy

LET THEM DESIGN

Concepts reveal people’s culture, needs and dreams much more than a focus group

GROW GRADUALLY FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE, AND ADAPT THE PROCESS

People are not accustomed to what they are not accustomed

MISUSING IS DESIGNING

Facilitate tinkering beyond what is proposed

ANYBODY LEARNING SOMETHING IS A POTENTIAL TEACHER

Create a core of people that can evolve into a community over time

FRANCO PAPESCHIfranco.papeschi@gmail.com | @bobbywatson

GIOVANNI INNELLAgiovanni.innella@gmail.com | @giovanninnella

THANKS