Bespoke Project by Justin Miller

Justin MarshallResearch Fellow, 3D Digital Production Research cluster, University College Falmouth

Auto-Team

Dr Katie BunnellResearch Cluster Leader, ceramic designer-maker

Dr Justin MarshallResearch Fellow, ceramic and mixed media artist, maker

Tavs JorgensenResearch Fellow, potter

Drummond MastertonResearch Fellow, metal and mixed media maker

Isabelle RisnerPhD Research Student “The integration of digital technologies into designer-maker practice: a study of access, attitudes and implications”

Increasing social inclusion throughcommunity journalism and bespoke

design

David Frohlich, Jon Rogers, Patrick Olivier, Paul Egglestone & Justin Marshall

Team and partners

TeamUniversity of Surrey (Digital World Research Centre) David Frohlich, Design Ethnographer University of Central Lancashire (Sandbox) Paul Egglestone, JournalistUniversity of Newcastle (Culture Lab) Patrick Olivier, Computer Scientist University of Dundee (Innovative Product Design) Jon Rogers, Digital Product DesignerUniversity College Falmouth (Autonomatic) Justin Marshall, Digital Maker

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Commercial PartnersLancashire Evening Post Simon ReynoldsNokia Research Centre Timo Koskinen3D Systems European Ltd Colin Blain-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Steering groupEmily Campbell (RSA), Bill Gaver (Goldsmiths), Kate Southworth (University College Falmouth), Tim Regan & Richard Banks (Microsoft), Timo Koskinen (Nokia), Simon Reynolds (Lancashire Evening Post)

Design in the digital world is changing

• The revolution in user generated content and Web 2.0 is changing the relationship between consumers and producers, and blurring the boundaries between personal and published media

• New tools and techniques for mass customisation of objects and services are changing the relationship between designers and the public, and enabling the creation of a broader spectrum of bespoke artefacts.

• The combination of digital media with physical devices is leading to a form of ‘digital product design’ in which new digital behaviours can be given to familiar objects and surfaces

How can these trends be harnessed to improve quality of life and engagement with ICTs, especially in areas of high unemployment and social exclusion?

On the bespoke project we aim to address this question at a neighbourhood level, combining community journalism with bespoke design to enable communities to create novel ICT solutions for their own needs.

Why community journalism?Community content creation has been found to be empowering for communities in the developing world who are struggling to articulate their needs and take initiative to solve them. Web 2.0 tools enable this to be done in new ways across a range of spoken, written and visual media.

Why bespoke design?Design is a form of practical problem solving and innovation which emerges from a creative dialogue amongst stakeholders. New bespoke design tools and participatory design methods are making it more accessible to ordinary people.

Where we are working

Preston

The Callon & Fishwick Estate

Objectives

We aim to develop a new form of participatory design promoting the RSA vision of ‘design as resourcefulness’. This will involve the following steps.

1. Engage a local community in content and object innovation through a process of design-oriented ethnography.

2. Empower the community to voice its own issues and needs through a process of community journalism.

3. Design new kinds of bespoke digital connections between people within the community and to other people and services outside it.

Approach

Communityjournalism

Bespokedesign

Designethnography

Approach: Phase 1

Communityjournalismpreparation

Bespokedesign

Designethnography

Approach: Phase 2

Communityjournalism

Bespokedesign

Designethnography

COMMUNITY JOURNALISM PREPARATION

PHASE 1.

Engagement with local community groups in Callon & Fishwick

• Contour housing• Fishwick Rangers• YMCA• St Teresa’s Social Club• Ablaze Youth group• People’s Voice Media

• Unity FM• Preston FM Community Radio• Preston College’s Elev8 project• Surestart Preston East

Children’s Centre• Individual DJs and musicians

Journalism partner activities

Lancashire Evening PostLaunching hyperlocal news tagging serviceJan 2010

NOKIACompleted mobile journalism toolkit Nov 2009

Citizen Journalists

Guardian Society article 17/3/10Personal Blog

Ethno-journalistic news content

C. Stories of social aspiration and change

A. Community calendar and news across all the disparate organisations

B. Stories on topics identified in the field research

Community journalism rollout plan

1. Produce and distribute hyper-local printed paper(March 2010)

2. Corresponding website that hosts comment, discussion and submissions to paper (May 2010)

3. Geo-located news and information (Sept 2010)

1. 1st Edition of Hyper Local Paper

2 & 3. Associated website & news portal

Ethnographic fieldwork questions - Summer 2009

Who speaks for the community? How?

What are the community’s own social issues?

What is their relationship to technology?

Community requirements and priorities for design intervention?

ETHNOGRAPHY PHASE 1.

Methods of engagement, ways of gaining understanding of, insights into the area and

identifying design requirements

Co-discovery

Callon summer fete 2009…Bespoke introductions and participation

Six community requirements areas identified through

ethnography and investigated through workshops

1. Green spaces/ environment

2. Local music making 3. Future of St Teresa’s social club

4. Crime and security 5. Information circulation & fundraising

6. Family and Technology

Crime and security- Participant Rural Appraisal

Family and Technology – Prompts, Props & Probes

Completed Probes

DESIGN PHASE 1.

1. Green spaces/environment

2. Music Making

3. St Teresa’s social club

4. Security/crime

6. Family and technology

5. Information circulation & fundraising

Bespoke kite mark…for evaluating and comparing concepts

B factor

Impact

Feasibility

Evidence

B factor

Impact Evidence

Feasibility

10

10

10

100

Impact 5Feasibility 7Evidence 7 B factor 7

Basis Kite Mark example… Extended Family Hedge

Design concepts selected for development,

1. Audio blogging pad

2. CCTV (Community Controlled TV)

3a. Geo-located media3. Extended family hedge

4. Digital Busker

http://www.bespokeproject.org/