The internet of things co-creation toolkit

SOC 309 Co-Creation Toolkit - Phil Adams + Wendy Ye

Project 3 - Co- Creation Toolkit SOC-309 Summer 2016

By: Wendy Ye - 3rd Year Industrial Designer Phil Adams - 4th Year Indutrail Designer


Problem Space:The Internet of Things (IoT) is often referred to as a smart object which is a combination of hardware and software that communicates over the Internet, sending and receiving information from either person to person, person to machine, or machine to machine to perform a function for the user. Internet integrated smart object is a young branch of consumer / product interaction that is worth watching.

The forecast for the proliferation of internet integrated devices is staggering. A discussion series called the Silicon Valley Thought Leader Series titled Internet of Things 2020; A Glimpse into the Future stats that by 2020 the application of IoT devices will more than triple from 2015’s 10 billion devices to 34 billion devices.

However, at the moment the IoT industry is in a bit of a limbo in regards to its utilization for the general consumer’s desires and needs. In addition, a study shown that 57% of consumers polled said they believe the technology will be revolutionary but almost all of them admitted they don’t know what they want from a smart object.

What is Being Researched?We are researching the target groups daily life expectations of web integrated applications in the to expand the our insight and understanding of the target groups future expectations of internet integrated objects and services.



Target GroupFor this research activity we are targeting adults in Vancouver who are 20 to 60 years of age, with a basic understanding of modern technology that uses internet integrated objects daily but who may not be an expert in the subject. We determined the age in the Representative sampling based on two foreseeable trends, that is to say that the youth of today will be interacting with smart objects far into the future while at the same time the aging Boomer Generation who make up a large portion of the population will require increased assistance in their daily lives, a need IoT already lends it’s hand to.

Explaining the Co-Creation ApproachThe co-creation toolkit focuses on approaching the participant at the pre-design stage with the intention to define a problem and it’s opportunity in a way the participant experiences and understands. The participant will be the experts throughout the session by contributing their knowledge, ideas and concept. Therefore, the toolkit will help the participant to express themselves in a social interaction setting, indicating patterns and factors which can guide or inspire the future of the smart object design.

Consent & Disclaimers The Consent Form dealing with all the regulatory and ethical approaches to the participant will be sent out two weeks and returned one week before the sensitizing material package is sent to the willing participants who are interested in engaging in the research exercise.



Two weeks prior to the Co-creation Exercise the researchers will send out a Sensitization Material Package with the goal of immersing them in their lived experiences.

The participants are sent a homework package of activities to conduct before coming to the co creation exercise. The first activity of the participants is a sensitization exercise in which they read and respond to a set of questions put forward in a deck of 4 cards and complete the brief activity attached to the card.

The second step will be a exercise in collage preparation, the participant will be given a list of criteria to complete and instructions on how to proceed. Finally to save time during the Co-creation Session a questionnaire is sent with the Sensitization Package to be filled out. . The Sensitization Package will be sent back to the researchers on week before the Co-creation Session, any participant that did not complete the exercises in the Sensitization Package will be disqualified from the Co-creation Session.

Step 1: Sensitization Material and Consent Forms



1. CARD QUESTIONS

Instructions:Write down your answer to these questions on the backs of the card that you feel represents you most accurately and complete the extended exercises. Please hold on to these cards and return them at the beginning of the Co-creation Session.

1. What is your most favourite part of where you live right now and why? (Take a picture of it on your phone of this favourite place and email to [email protected] with the subject “co-creation favourite place”)

2. Where would you say you spend the largest share of your waking day? (Take a picture of it on your phone of this space and email to [email protected] with the subject “co-creation frequent space”)

3. Name a time that you surprised yourself with and accomplishment or advancement. (Next to your writing, imagine what a trophy for that accomplishment would look like and sketch it out)

EXERCISE STEPS:

4.Think back to your childhood; describe an activity when you were totally caught in a momentof ridiculous happiness.



2. COLLAGE PREPARATION

Buy one or two magazines about lifestyle or interior design that most appeal to you. Go home and cut out 15-20 images of things you wished you had in your life and place them in the ziplock bag provided in the Sensitization Package and place the bag in the package.

3. CO-CREATION QUESTIONNAIRE

To save time the Co-Creation Questionnaire will be distributed with the Sensitization Package so as to save time during the Co-Creation Session. To reference the questionnaire please see Appendix 1.



Introduction- The researchers will handout material, explain ground rules, disclosure and consent, split the group into groups of four and redistribute the Sensitization Package.

Problem Space - Expansion Exercise 1 Part AThe participants will explore the problems or issues within their daily life, picking the one that annoys each of them the most and then writing them down in the smallest circle using the questionnaire in the Sensitization Material Package as a guide or reminder.

Intention - Expansion Exercise 1 Part BIn this session, the participants will explore their own and each other’s desires and motivations in relation to what their problem space is and write down their thoughts. In simple terms the participants will explore and write down what motivations or desires their problem space arises from.

Opportunity - Exercise 1 Part CThe participants will write or sketch possible outcomes that they believe would be a means to solve their problem. If the participant cannot see a solution from their individual perspective they are asked to look at the problem from an abstract perspective and give their insight on what they would suggest to a stranger.

Step 2: Co-creation and Activity Session



Collage - Exercise 2 Part AThe participants will be asked to choose an line art of a space of either their household or office. The space of chosen should be the space that the participant spend most of their waking time in based on the answer of the sensitizing exercise. They will then be asked to go through the magazine cut outs which they bought to the session or use the magazines the researcher have provided and cut out anything that they would want to add to the space in the images.

Collage - Exercise 2 Part BThe participants will be going into group of two. They will exchange their collage with each other. The opposite person will comment and write down words on the collage based on the what their feeling or things that associated with the space. Then, they will have a short discussion and give explanation to each other about their comments on the collage.

Discussion of FindingsAll the groups of participants will come together and have the opportunity to present any ideas that they are proud of and the group is encouraged to expand on those findings.



Step 1: Sensitization Material and Consent Form 1. Card Questions Exercise:The purpose of the Card Questions exercise is to engage the participant on the Path of Expression so the research group may gain insight into the participant’s’ life by leading them on a journey that takes them from the present into the past through memories in the hopes to uncover new levels of need and value in the participant. These questions lead the participant through the first two steps of the Path of Expression: 1. Immersion into their current experiences 2. Activating feelings and memories from the past.

3. Co-creation Questionnaire:Using learning material from Social Research Methods by W. Lawrence Neuman the research group constructed the question to be unbiased, non-coercive and with a concern for the protection of the participants’ ego so the group could get the most accurate answers possible from the exercise. The questions were designed to be quantitative in terms of their data value and had a dual purpose of giving the researchers the base information they needed and for the participants to reference during the Co-Creation Activity Session.

Reasoning and Methodology

2. Collage Preparation:During the Sensitization Material Home Exercise this collage preparation exercise serves as an immersion of the participant in their current experiences which is apart of the early stages of the Path of Expression, however when this exercise is brought to the co-creation and activity session later on it will facilitate the last two steps of the Path of Expression: 3. Dreaming about the possible futures and 4. Generating and expressing new ideas relating to the desired or perceived future experiences.



Step 2: Co-creation and Activity Session Introduction An introduction is a necessity to a well working Co-creation Session in which the research group lays the ground rules, collects and distributes materials and explains the activities inside the session.

Problem Space - Expansion Exercise 1 Part AThe research group wanted to use a learned design methodology that explores the process in a series of concentric circles. Starting in the middle with the Problem Space, which is the area of concern or interest to the designer. This part of the overall exercise is still keeping the participants mind in the present so as to encourage a descent to more base levels of the SAY, DO, and MAKE Technique into the participant’s felt and tacit knowledge.


Intention - Expansion Exercise 1 Part BMoving out to the next circle from the centre “Problem Space” the exercise moves to the desires and motivations of the participant and is called the Intention. This step was designed to make the participant reflective on the patterns in their lives and their past actions affect their present situation.

Opportunity - Exercise 1 Part C

The Opportunity step in the next circle out pairs up exceptionally well with step three of the Path to Expression (Dreaming about the possible futures). This step is designed to bring the participant into their future self and experience their thoughts and actions looking forward.



Short Break Breaks are an integral part of the humans brains concentration cycle and should not be skipped.

Collage - Exercise 2 Part A

At this stage the groups will be broken down for individual work activities with the intent of finding a possible solution to a space they have chosen to explore. This exercise allows the participants to show their desired environment to the researcher for observation. Through studying the participants’ actions and choice of images, the researcher can gain an insight towards participants wants.


Collage - Exercise 2 Part B

This step is a continued distillation of the possible future solution to the participants’ chosen space. The user’s mindset, desires, values and needs within the space are explored through the discussion in the paired groups. At this time, record keeping and encouragement of the participants is of the utmost importance for the purpose of heightening the Co-creation experience.

Discussion of Findings Finally the whole group is brought together to share their insights and collaborate in one big discussion about each other’s work. A group coming together at the end of the session to wrap up the exercise, be debriefed and thanked for their participation is as mandatory to a good Co-creation session as is the introduction.
