普象-让好设计发光

The students composed their stories in class. I then digitized, projected, and MMS-ed them. In this way, the students were able to engage with original content production in the form of storytelling, reading, and writing whilst on-ramping to a mobile platform. 

OverviewProject Duration: 10 weeksProject Type: GraduateProfessors: Sean Donahue, Elizabeth ChinRole: Researcher, Designer, TeacherClient: Seventh Grade Students, Luzira Primary SchoolLocation: Luzira, Kampala, UgandaFor my graduate work in the Design for Social Impact sector, I partnered with Luzira Primary School in the Luzira neighborhood of Kampala, Uganda, to create an education + technology course module. This three - project course, deployed over twelve class periods across six weeks, focused on the development of creative engagement with technology on the parts of seventh grade students in Luzira Primary. This engagement stepped the students through three orientations to technology:(1) creating with a finished product: Jam Session(2) modeling creation and distribution of finished products through existing SMS - based networks in the form of illustrated stories: Public Reading(3) the creation of a self - initiated and distributed product in the form of personal, real - time narr

In the film above, you can see both the act of texting as well as the audio wave form from the process. Using these two assets: a video and an animation, I am better able to understand the potential users' interactions with the system.Product AnalysisWhile in the field, I made quick analysis of the envisioned YrStory product: the pros and cons, feasibility, and how it would build on the UNICEF UReport system.

Note on UReport: UReport is a UNICEF developed service that uses SMS to ask questions of users regarding government policies, health and education services. It is also used to distribute information regarding natural and manmade emergencies pertinent to users. 

System Engagement SimulationIn SchoolThe students to work in groups to text responses to questions I sent them.

This on-ramped them into answering questions such as "What did you do today?" "Describe how you greeted people this morning?" and "How did you play?" via SMS.Outside SchoolI asked four different student to each take a phone with them for four days and nights and text me whatever they wanted.

Constructing User ProfilesFrom this activity, the students notified me that the desire for response and prompts in a texting project was quite strong. For this reason, in my proposed system I would include a series of writing prompts to be sent out to users, whereas the response to their writing would come via the group they choose to share their texts with, if any. In this way, the system facilitates conversation around the texts that are sent to it.Through this research, I was able to construct the user profiles below.

Findings Report & Proposal, to UNICEFFollowing this method of interviews, analysis, engagement, and simulation, I formed the system map below. I presented this map to the UNICEF - Uganda technical officer as a possible outgrowth of UReport. 

YrStory contrasts with the UReport system, which does not respond to users or allow them to see others' responses. Through this simulation as well as through interviews, I was able to hone in on three factors that would be crucial in YrStory: (1) users must be engaged by the system in a personal manner (2) information gathered by the system must, at least partially, be displayed and accessible in a central platform and (3) users must be able to communicate with each other across the platform, to encourage continued engagement.

YrStory ConclusionAlthough this is simply a proposed system, I find the idea of creating a hybrid between the short form writing engagement of Twitter and the longer forms of traditional blogs truly intriguing. The idea of sharing personal stories via text was produced organically through my field engagement at Luzira Primary School, and the excitement displayed by the students at reading not only their own but also their peers' stories was undeniable. If this system were to be realized, opportunity to read and write via SMS would augment the students' scholastic reading and writing endeavors. Project Conclusion