Usewell project launches with workshop at E-culture Fair
After a year of research and development, Usewell, the user-centred design roadmap, tool and website was launched with a workshop at the e-culturefair on the 17th of November. The workshop itself consisted of an introduction into the research carried out during the develpment of the project, followed by two real world UCD method case-studies presented by Usewell partners, Bert Paepen from Pyxima and Mathy Vanbeul from ATiT.
In its online form, the Usewell tool offers visitors the chance to shuffle through cards, looking for challenges their organisation is currently facing, ranging from issues around innovation to problems with existing websites, in turn, these challenges are linked with user-centred design methods which, when carried out, can lead to insight/solutions to the challenge at hand. The 15 Usewell methods; Brainstorming, Card Sorting, Checklist Review, Context Mapping, Customer Journey Map, Diary, Focus Groups, Interviews, Mapping, Personas, Prototyping, Scenarios, Shadowing, Task Analysis and User Experience Test, were selected based on their accessibility, contribution and relevance to organisations and small businesses looking to learn more about their user-based, innovate on existing services or make changes to existing products or services.
As a project, Usewell offers an easy, quick and easy way to match method to challenge. There already exists many roadmaps, toolkits, books and websites which offer many takes on user-centred design methods, but few offer users a clear means on how to prepare, execute and analyse the results. Over the coming years, Usewell intends to add further methods, casestudies and tips/tricks from users,educators and those trying these methods out for the first time.
Following the presentation of the case-studies, the Usewell workshop worked with an off-line version of the Usewell cards. This offline, tangible card-set mirrors the content online but is a tool that mediates discussion in small groups. Each small group was moderated by a Usewell partner and the participants ranged from small-business owners, people from cultural institutions to teachers in higher education. The feedback from the session confirmed the intent of Usewell, to make a clear relationship between the real issues faced and suggestion of method and to make these methods accessible.
For more information, visit: http://www.usewell.be
Download the cards, guide and worksheets: http://www.usewell.be/#/methods/
H o m e – S e n s e dwelling and the Internet of Things
On the 9th of December 2011 a one day conference – hosted by V2 in Rotterdam – will aggregate developments and focus on the issue: “What are the consequences for our home-environment with regard to the Internet of Things?”
More information can be found here
Social Cities of Tomorrow: New Media & Urban Design
Social Cities of Tomorrow, a conference and workshop on new media and urbanism is organised by The Mobile City, Virtueel Platform and ARCAM. The conference will take place on 17 February 2012 in the Westergasfabriek in Amsterdam. Several keynote speakers such as Usman Haque and Natalie Jeremijenko will speak about the promises and challenges in this newly emerging and highly interdisciplinary field of urban design. T
They are currently welcoming proposals in the fields of urban design interventions, projects by housing corporations, media artists, citizen initiatives, technology companies, or others.
Deadline for proposals: 15 December 2011
For more information, consult the conference website.
Methods Lab ‘Ageing in Kensington’
Two Social Spaces researchers and four Media, Arts and Design Faculty students are in London this week to participate in the Royal College of Art Methods Lab ‘Ageing in Kensington’. Tonight we will present our mapping and our Touch of Memory project. A report will follow soon!
Umbrellas in a rainy country. The Belgian eidition of the Sustainable Summer School
For the first time, the Canadian Institute Without Boundaries, a cross-disciplinary educational program in sustainable design, organised a Sustainable Summer School in Belgium. Together with local design organisations, like Recentre, Z33, Flanders District of Creativity and MAD Faculty, they chose a peaceful green location in Limburg. Here an international group of design professionals gathered to brainstorm and work around certain subtopics in sustainable design, like water, food and public space. Around every subtopic a design team was formed, linked to two moderators and three external experts.