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Everyday Favors: A Case Study of a Local Online Gift Exchange System
Emmi Suhonen, Aalto University School of Science and Technology!Airi Lampinen, Helsinki Institute for Information Technology!Coye Cheshire, Berkeley School of Information!Judd Antin, Yahoo! Research!
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We all have skills and possessions that others need but do not have. At the same time, we often lack some resources ourselves, and can benefit from seeking others who can help…!
1. A geolocated community: students on a university campus!
2. Online – offline interaction!3. Generalized exchange!4. System allows many different
ways to participate in collective action!
Aspects that render Kassi interesting!
Profile!
Listings!
Favors! Items!
What can we do?!
How can we help each other?!
What items can we lend?!
What is sold or given away?!
• What reasons do people have for participation? !• What affects the quantity of participation? !• How can gift exchange systems be designed to encourage
positive participation? !
Users' motivations to contribute to !an online gift exchange system !within a geolocated community!
Two-wave survey!• September 2009 (N=72) & March 2010 (N=84)!• Open ended questions !“Why did you or didnʼt listed favors in your profile?”"
• Likert-scale questions ! !“Kassi is a useful service in a campus setting”"
RESEARCH MATERIAL!
Usage Logs!
User activity! Favor! Item! Other!
Posting a listing (N=459)!
38 (8%)! 362 (79%)! 59 (13%)!
Adding a profile offering (N=330)!
120 (36%)! 210 (64%)! N/A!
Completing an exchange (N=103)!
34 (32%)! 68 (65%)! 3 (3%)!
Total (N=984)! 192 (22%)! 640 (72%)! 62 (7%)!
USAGE PATTERNS!
Statement! All (N=84)! Frequent (N=19)!
Infrequent (N=28)!
Kassi is a useful service in a campus setting.! 88%! 95%! 82%!
Kassi is a useful service for me personally.! 39%! 56%! 18%!
I wish Kassi had more users.! 87%! 100%! 82%!
I think Kassi is easy to use.! 71%! 84%! 61%!
ATTITUDES TOWARDS KASSI!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcinmoga/4240686102/lightbox/!
REASONS TO USE KASSI!
1. “Just for fun”!
2. “Itʼs nice to help”!
3. The service is local: trust and ease of exchanging with oneʼs community!
Reasons related to user! Number of instances (N=181)!
Difficulty of figuring out what items and favors to list.! 71!
Nothing to offer (no items or skills).! 42!Difficulty of completing the exchanges offline and not worth it.! 19!
Doesnʼt live close enough.! 11!
Reasons related to service!
Not interested in the service.! 26!Uncertainty of the service.! 5!Not knowing this is possible.! 7!
USERSʼ REASONS NOT TO USE KASSI!
REASONS THAT INHIBIT THE USE OF KASSI!
©DrJohnBullas (Flickr)
©DrJohnBullas (Flickr)
1. Lack of practices and social culture for gift exchange with strangers!
2. Lack of operational information!
3. Lack of examples!
4. Social inconvenience!
1. Problematic for research and design !
2. …but not necessarily for end-users – their goals can be achieved effectively!
3. Challenge: How to give people feedback & show the activities in the system without complicating use?!
INVISIBLE EXCHANGES!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/supersonicphotos/4483487579/!
1. Generalized exchange can feel puzzling – incentives?!
2. Asking for help may feel awkward even when others have explicitly stated their willingness to help!
3. Contextual interest and/or geo-location helps, especially when completing exchanges requires meeting face-to-face!
RECIPROCITY!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeff-bauche/2230236391/!
INTERPRETATION & INTERVENTION!
1. How the existing culture should be taken in account?!
2. How can we create a culture of generalized gift exchange?!
! Balance between interpreting and changing culture!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/m0php/530526644/!
1. Online exchange is a rising phenomenon and attitudes towards it are favorable but there are challenges to tackle!
2. Interplay of online and offline interaction!3. Participation requires learning and shared
understanding!– Items vs favors!– Generalized exchange may feel puzzling
or awkward!– Feedback and examples!
CONCLUSIONS!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcinmoga/4240686102/lightbox/!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/supersonicphotos/4483487579/!
THANKS!!
Emmi Suhonen, Aalto University School of Science and Technology, [email protected]!
Airi Lampinen, Helsinki Institute for Information Technology HIIT, [email protected]!
Coye Cheshire, UC Berkeley, School of Information, [email protected] !
Judd Antin, Yahoo! Research, [email protected]!
