Digitalization (2001?)

In this article the author, Partha Dasgupta explains the difference between "Digitization" and  "Digitalization". The first one is decribed as the action of converting something from analog to digital and the second one as the socio-cultural event caused by the mass scale digitization.

He also explains the advantages of digitalization such as quality preservation, possibility of modulation, transmition, amplification, storing, retriving and reconverting independenlty when have these signals been created or how far have they traveled.

He remarks that when computers became cheap and fast enough contributed to descrease the costs of compressing the digital signals and rendering giving everyone the possiblility to digitize everything. Resulting what he calls "Convergence" as the fact of merging all types of information in a similar digital form, no mattering what the data stands for or the source where it comes from.

He also afirms that consumers just need a computer and an internet connection to do all they want, where the most important activity is the data exchange giving place to democratic information, cheaper and fast distributed.

Here is the link if you are interested on reading all the article: http://cactus.eas.asu.edu/partha/Columns/12-24-digital.htm

Conference: Internet of things

"Allt fler prylar blir uppkopplade på nätet och kan kommunicera både med andra system och med oss användare. Detta skapar förstås möjligheter att lösa problem på nya sätt och för nya tjänster och affärer".

I got the invitation to this conference and remebered about what we were talking laste week. The new trend about "talking things". Here I attach the link to read more about if you are interested:

17th October
At Summit, Grev Turegatan i centrala Stockholm.

http://www.dfkompetens.se/konferenser/kurser/1112198/index.xml

E-learning 2.0 by By Stephen Downes (October 2005)

I really liked the way the author made a remarkable overview of the way the e-learning has gone through during the two last decades considering all the general participants involved in the learning process as:

The learning theories from the traditional ones as Behaviorism (Objectivism), Cognitivism (Pragmatism) and finally, Constructivism (Interpretivism) to consider learning as a creative ludic activity.

The student from a passive receptor which just got the knowledge"student-centered"designed, to an active awaken critical creator of the content itself, who shares, joins, participates, exchanges, debates, recommends, decides and has control of what and where to find the information.

The information/knowledge increment and the way it invalidates in a shorter period and the effective way the content is used.

The technology and tools such as Internet, Web 2.0, Blogs, Wikipedia, RSS, Social Networks, Yahoo Groups, open-source contents, Audacity, podcasting, mobile devices which are evolutionary and contribute daily in every activity to support an unstoppable, flexible, colloquial learning process where "the educators" intervention was not notable until they noticed the advantages these tools offered and their contribution to the learning process.

Here comes the link if you get interested: http://elearnmag.acm.org/featured.cfm?aid=1104968

 

Assignment 3

 

Business by sharing DESHIRE

Group members Jessica, Minerva, Saranya and Sophie

 

Task: brainstorm a business by sharing (as a team); report on your course blog.

 

 

1) Conceptualize

To create a website, which lets women rent fashionable & trendy second hand items (clothes, shoes, accessories) to fulfill their desire for exclusive products and to engage them into the sharing culture. 

Potential logotypes:

 

 

 

 

 

Explanation of the name DES(H)IRE: Website where (mostly) women have the possibility to rent second hand high couture designer clothes and accessories (for a period of 5 to 10 days), which help them to look as they desire in a special occasion without buying the clothes.

 

 

Potential slogan:

“Des(h)ire saves money and the nature, and provides you with the perfect outfit for the perfect occasion”

“Rent a style, based on sharing”

 

 

Target group: women, aged 18 - 45 years

 

 

Products used:

• females clothes
• shoes
• accessories: costume jewelry, scarves, hats, handbags, belts, Watches, Jackets & Gloves etc.

Image/ Ontology – (what do we rent out)

Clothes brands, fashion, style, last collection, nice fitting, unique pieces, affordable exclusivity, easy delivered, Cinderella’s story, consumer consciousness, sharing, discretion, trust, ecology minded, recycling.

 

 

Website should include:

• Images, animations, videos
• Chat with specialists
• Mail
• Call-toll-free number (via internet) Available in case the user feels hesitant about the chosen desire, size, etc.

 

 

2) Determine the business logic:

According to the actual tendencies about “sharing” we thought it would be a way to share high fashion reusing it and giving the chance to common people to get the desired look they have dreamt about for a special occasion, all this supported by collaborations and donations.

 

A percent of the profit would be destined to textile, developing countries in which working conditions are not honorable for the workers or damaging the environment.

 

 

Possible donators:

• Exclusive or recognized clothing and accessories labels
• The wardrobe of stars, models, politicians or public figures (who would be invited to participate for a good cause (ecology, recycling and experiment)
• Fashion designer´s (promoting their last collection)
• New talents
• Theater´s show wardrobe
• Television´s show wardrobe
• Forgotten objects at hotels, cruisers or nightclubs
• Undesirable presents (not your taste but others)

 

 

3) Describe

Build up and site navigation:

On the start page there will be access to a showroom – a dynamically moving page where the user can get access to the clothes while clicking from room to room. Here the products are sorted by the occasion where to use them. The style and design of each virtual room fits to the occasion where it is supposed to be used.

The start page should also include a good designed and easy to be accessed introduction and information part.

 

 

Looks and ideas for the start page and the website structure:

 

 

 

There should be the possibility to choose by categories as well.

 

 

The user looks for a dress/ shoes/ accessories with help of the filters on the website based on the following categories:

• Designer/ Label: In alphabetical order
• Sort of product: In categorical order (trousers, shirt, dress, etc.)
• Color: In chromatic order
• Sizes: Fields to write (breast, waist, hip, height, shoe size) Every photo will display the sizes.
• Sort of occasion: In alphabetical order

Example with color coordination & sizes:

 

 

 

Example with sort of product and color scheme:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Suggestion for the booking system and our “develop of Des(h)ire”:




See, love, plan, enjoy and share!



Order of proceeding:

Before

The user reserves the product on the calendar and chooses the delivering date (not Saturdays or Sundays). The possibility to reserve product considered is three months before the delivery.

The user may choose a back up dress just in case the first option doesn’t fit as desired.

To realize this step the user must be registered in the website. Registration is for free.

The user chooses the desired option to pay: directly using internet bank or with an invoice at the end of the month

The user selects sms package tracking options etc.

After

The user places the dress, shoes and accessories in the ecological packaging provided

Write a small text about the experience in the area marked on the packaging (event, compliments, etc). The information will be shown at the website´s blog if the user accepts.

Send the packaging back to us free.

When sended back: dry clean, repare and prepare the items for their next adventure!

 

 

The user would be able to write a note on the packaging to share

her experience about rentig a Deshire.

 

Ranking system

There could be a ranking system, so users can earn to get promoted and to rent more exclusive items. The items are sorted in three different categories, which then do have different pricing as well:

 

 

 

 à low cost       -      à medium/middle prized        -      à high class/ exclusive price

either you choose your category directly or you can get promoted to an upper class

 

 

 

 

Warning: If you do something wrong or do return an item late, you can be downgraded again.

 

 

 

Moral

Green ideas

• To make an affordable exclusivity possible
• Consumer consciousness about next issues:
• Good for the environment, recycling, developing counties
• Sharing!
• Avoid/Reduce the wastage of money those who buy these products in urgency need & for the people who really don´t use these purchased products for many times.

Ethics

• Make ourselves fashionable & fulfill our desires/wishes with a limited budget
• Besides the item´s beauty, we want to create an experience resulted by using an item which has “participated” in multiple adventures. These adventures, anecdotes and origin would be related on the website´s blog: (If the item you rented could talk…)
• We believe pirate’s copies damage the creators, the creativity in general; the production´s line ethics. It´s stealing other´s work. We believe user is worth more than using cheap copies and than just saving little money.
• Showing moral supporting by supporting an against-children-work organization or project.To give back something to the real producers by supporting the “International programme on the Elimination of Child Labor” (IPEC) and many other programmes that support the Child Labor Abuse that works against the child labor.

 

 

 

What we need and how we do business
 

Office

A place to store the products and clean, sew, and package them as well is needed as well for the logistics.

 

 

Marketing

The website works as the main marketing place and factor.

• Women´s nature: Don´t release the secret so easy, neither to the enemy (other woman)
• Keep it secretly and discreetly. Spreading the secret of having an exclusive dress at an exclusive party would be possible when the concept is already accepted and adopted by people with lots of sub cultural capital (Ethics and Dilemmas of online Ethnography, Lingel Jessica, page 5)
• User placed on different levels depending how frequent use our service, more they hire better prices they get.

Selling

• The most of the business would be considered on renting the clothes and accessories, gift cards and memberships are also considered in this first stage.
• Auctions and selling are considered in a later stage, depending on the demand.

 

 

Fields considered on the billing process.

Billing

Costs: 10%-20% percent of the original product price

Due our idea works almost as a web shop, the common tools to pay would be available: PayPal, credit card, invoice, etc.

Insurance for 50kr covers small damages. In case of stolen, broken, burnt merchandise the card will be charged x 5 the price the rental was calculated.

Delayed returning: Positive stimulation: Remark our sharing concept to not destroy other´s chance to look great. Extra fee: 20% of the rent price.

 

 

 

 

Return/ Exchange

• If the rented products are unfit for the particular customer because of incorrect size, we guarantee the delivery of the second option dress chosen previously by the user, free of charge.
• To minimize retunrings we considered every object MUST show the sizes in cm, in that way the client will exaclty know if it fit her.
• The user must send the first dress back the same day he got it to avoid getting a double payment.

Delivery

• Post office service, DHL, UPS, Fed Ex. Free delivery to the user (included on the rent)
• Tracking information so the user sees where the package is.
• Before 17:00 from Monday to Friday all over the country.
• A special plastic bag/packaging to send the product back to us.

 

 

Fields considered during the register

Register/Login System

We will have some account creating source/system in our website so that people can be more beneficial and be more convenient by using these accounts and can easily access into the website and can know more details and latest updates about the website.

 

 

 

How do we make money?

• All products provide from collaboration and donation à (try to keep it as cheap as possible while getting the items)
• By renting out the products → renting fee
• Insurance fee (cooperate with an insurance company)
• Events and marketing → entrance fee at events etc.

Maximize automatization

Every step of the process considered already exists separately.

Risks
Due the second hand market already exist, as well as all other steps in the proposed business we considered the risks would be minimal.

 

 

Brainstorming documentation:

 

Brainstorming

 

Here we are! During the brainstorming for the next assignment.

 

Our business idea is hot now... Everywhere is possible to see companie´s interest to save our earth and improving production methods, ethics and awakening consumer´s consciousness...

Thanks Mauri for the photo!

Assigment 1: Designing for specific user groups



Origins: 2003, New York.

Why Dumpster? Because an American trash bin called Dumpster.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dumpster_diving


Dumpster Divers are people who search for useful or eatable things in other´s trash. Dumpster diving is also known as trash picking, gleaning, urban foraging, bin diving, scavenging, salvaging, or curb crawling and is the result of a sub classification of the subculture Freeganism which consists in avoiding as much as possible the group participation in the conventional economy system because being based in the profit of the mass production. They avoid as much as possible the consumption of all products from natural resources and animals, which means everything we buy. They are against human rights violations, materialism, moral apathy, competition, conformity and greed.

Dumpster diviers are specially against the “Throwaway culture” that stimulate people in a society to continually replace all older products with newer ones instead of repairing them, as well, they consider inhuman to throw food away when people is starving all over the world.

The members of this subculture are very active in Waste Minimization: composting, recycling and redistributing usable objects.

Eco friendly transportation is another activity the group practice: replacing cars by using other alternatives as biking, skating, walking, train hopping or hitchhiking. Some members who consider need car use fryer oil from restaurants in their converted diesel engines. The goal is to be independent of fossil fuels and volunteer groups are available to help everyone who is interested in converting the diesel engine to a “veggie-oil”.

They also practice the Media Coverage activity which consists in:
Practice gardening and wild foraging, to convert the abandoned lots into garden plots for the community.
To share the resulting healthy harvest in neighborhoods where junk food is predominant. To consume what they produce and avoid transporting imported products from long distances away.
To plant threes where the air is highly polluted.
To create open spaces and places for communities to come together, work together, share food, grow together in concrete and asphalt landscapes.
To integrate the isolated people in the society.
To learn about the local botany to become independent of the pharmacies.
http://freegan.info/
http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2016683424_dumpster04m.html


The considered application to support the dumpster diving is a community accessible on mobile phones with the following functions: chat, sms (for those without smart phone), meet up (spontaneous diving), map and GPS functions with updated information about: a store directory (food available), the garbage collector´s schedule (to be before in the place), warning possible risks (thrown chlorine over the food inside the containers), the local seasonal botany, solidarity actions provided by other members (garage to change car engines).

As the Freegans, the Dumpster Divers have the freedom, the cooperation, the ecological waste and pollution reduction, the social concern, the community encouraging, and the generosity as mainly motivations. The members of the group consider the dumpster diving as a fun social activity, an important value is to “share” with others what they have, found or know, to increase the awareness and consciousness and change the behavior in our materialist society and to practice the activity in a safe way.
http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2003/1/29/215523/088



The preferences among the members of the group may vary, some focus more on community works such as Food Not Bombs which recovers and shares vegan food at open public places for free as a protest against war, poverty and environment destruction.
http://www.foodnotbombs.net/mission_statement.html

Persona 1 

Name: Rachel
Age: 29
Body constitution: Regular
Marital Status: Divorced
Country: USA, Michigan
Family: four children, two boys and two girls.
Religious: Christian
Car: SUV Windstar, Ford
Mobile telephone: Blackberry
Dumpster diving type: Convinced, open practicing
Frequency: Once a week
Computer skills: Advanced.

She has two blogs: rachaelscreativemoments.blogspot.com  http://thewildtruthblog.blogspot.com/
She also has a channel in youtube.com: A Moment With Rachael
Hobbies: Dumpster diving, frugal, farming and second-hand shopping.
She likes to write, paper crafts, knitting, quilting, creation science, reading.
Work: At home, raises chickens, ducks, sheep, and goats.


“My chickens ate most of that load, but I do indeed eat a lot of what I find. I suppose you're brainwashed into thinking that's disgusting, yet you'll eat at McDonald's and other places where you could eat a mad cow burger any day of the week. Yum, yum…”


“…Don't care about what people say you're doing a good and logic thing for you and your kids and save money and waste as well…”


Rachel is a crafty woman as she describes herself. She got divorced after discovering her husband had an affair during 1.5 years and had got a baby with the other partner. She works at home as self employed…a really independent and active person! She also practices the homeschooling with her children. Rachel is very feminine and likes to look nice but without extravagance. She shows being very extrovert and has facility to communicate and write easy-going texts in her two blogs: food recipes, doing-yourself tips and family are common topics. She describes herself as a frugan prudent in the use of consumable resources such as food, time or money, and avoiding waste or lavishness and everything she gets from diving is used by her family and her chickens. She takes always her sons with her when diving. As a single woman living in the country considers having a car as essential. She makes often reference to her religion. Her divorce was probably her worst frustration.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frugality

Persona 2

Name: Baruch
Age: 80
Body constitution: Regular
Marital Status: Married
Country: Sweden, Stockholm
Family: wife, tree sons and 7 grandsons.
Religious: Jewish
Car: No
Mobile telephone: Old, supports sms.
Dumpster diving type: He doesn’t consider himself as a Dumpster diving and tries to do it in a discreet way. Just his wife knows about it.

Frequency: Almost everyday
Computer skills: None.
Hobbies: Playing bingo, lot gardening, watching tv.
He likes to meet other Jewish and drink coffee.
Work: No, pensioner.

“I feel uncomfortable when people look at me doing this, but is not a choice”

Baruch is a healthy senior who has lived more than 60 years here in Sweden. When young he worked in construction. Now he lives alone with her wife who suffers arthritis. Both like to take care of the grandsons pretty often or when needed.
He likes to collect berries at the forest and feels proud of the food he gets at his little lot in Tensta. He collects PET bottles and cans as well, commonly at the Central Station where their neighbor can’t see him. He doesn’t know the dumpster diving movement and he doesn’t consider himself being one. He affirms doing this because necessity and not for conviction eventough he practices other similar activities as the freegans or the dumpster divers. Due the low pension he gets, he gets a benefit to pay the rent. He is not good using new technology, but he can message sms texts.
He doesn’t use to jump inside the dumpster, sometimes he just inclines towards and see if there is something fresh, useful and not stinky. He dives on the evenings.

Persona 3

Name: Gareth
Age: 18
Body constitution: Regular, trained
Marital Status: Single
Country: Australia, Sydney
Family: parents
Religious: No religion
Car: No
Mobile telephone: I phone.
Dumpster diving type: Amateur but very convinced. He is a new member of the Food Not Bombs group.
Frequency: Twice a week
Computer skills: Advanced.
Hobbies: Surfing and computer games.
Work: No, he studies Health Science at the University of Sydney.

 

“The attention of people on the streets around the world who want to know how they could organize for their own self-sustainability is amazing”

Gareth is a healthy active who likes of nature and surfing often at Tamara beach. He is also vegetarian. He is very friendly and likes to travel and meet people with different backgrounds. He believes in Communist systems, and consider shearing as an important element to improve the actual world situation. A bicycle is his favorite transport but mostly when surfing, he uses to hitchhike to the beach and back home.
He describes himself as a hippie young man who participates building a better society but also shares the common interest of the people of his age. He smokes cannabis sometimes which is decriminalized for personal uses in small amounts.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legality_of_cannabis_by_country
http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2016683424_dumpster04m.html

Dumpster diving style

Some common aspects are observed in all three members previously described: all of them are healthy and in a conscious or unconscious way try to waste things as possible.
All of them have regret against the system in some way.

They show different grades of participation:

• Just for their own economical benefits, just for today.
• Ecology focused, an established and routine way of living ideology.
• Social conscious where the goals are more changing depending of the actual needs but focused in the future of the community, earth, etc.

Another style of diving

Making the research was easy to note the strong will to share information and tips. The members of this group are not egoist about what they know and often remarks that there is a lot for everyone. They invite people to try diving once and realize what dumpster diving is about. Young people are really encouraging this movement proposing creative activities to teach people how to live on other´s trash.
http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2003/1/29/215523/088





Members enjoy social diving; people have different needs: what is not usable for one may be useful for someone else. It’s like treasure hunting. To exchange things is very common.

Members have some considerations about the dumpster diving activity, such as security which should be considered in the designed application. These risky moments exist during and after the activity, e.g. bleached food or set razor wire or barbed wire fences round dumpsters, dangerous compactors who may crush a diver or expired food intoxication.

To follow the garbage men schedule guarantees a good diving and minimizes also risks or conflicts.
The information automatic updating function would be useful e.g. in such situation where divers co-work with the police as witness, etc.
Weather should be also considered, rain soaks everything in an open dumpster, windy days may close the lock of the dumpster when being inside, etc.

Having normal clean clothes is a way to make diving respectful, robust shoes are needed to avoid possible glasses. All the equipment must be sort of hands free, and not so sensible e.g. to sticky substances. A headlamp or a small flashlight with a cord attached a long pole with a hook, plastic bags a first aid kit and gloves are recommended.




Robust shoes

The social context is mainly peaceful although there are still people who disapprove dumpster diving. That´s why diving after business hours or early in the morning is considered better, when dark. Through cooperating with the police when finding robbery purses or participating as witness divers have got to change the conception of dumpster diving.
http://www.allthingsfrugal.com/dumpster.htm


Addecuate equipment

Legal Implications vary depending on the area but in most places is not illegal.
http://trashwiki.org/en/Dumpster_diver




Dumpster divers practice the following rules:

• Don't go behind a closed fence to reach a dumpster.
• Leave the dumpster better than when they arrived, so it can continue.
• Don't take paperwork with people's confidential records or credit cards numbers. Be discrete.
• Take only what you can use, and leave the rest for someone else.
• Keep in mind the kind of environment you're going to be in. Act safely.

The members are considered as the first information source, they update and enrich the input using the keyboard and the mobile screen. The output would be shown in the screen as maps or text sms in case of old telephones. The main specific requirement is the limitations some members may have according to their mobile telephone model.

And finally some numbers...

Dumpster diving/ Bin diving/ Urban foraging

Yes! I have finally chosen my subculture group!
"Dumpster diving/ Bin diving/ Urban foraging"...good!

I chose this because something popped into my mind... People practicing this have existed all over the world long time ago, they were maybe called with a different word such as scavenger. This activity has been result of  a NECESSITY...in difference with the people who nowadays practice "dumpster diving": They do that becuse they have a CONVICTION.
And suddenly the same activity becomes "cooler" and accepted by the society...or? Same activity but different contexts...
It will be fun to see how the personas are...

When may someone call himself "Graphic Designer"?

About what we were talking on friday, I think someone is allowed to call himself "Graphic Designer" when:
1 When the person has got the Bachelor´s degree in Graphic Design.
2 When the person feels proud of a serie of projects there he/she har worked as a Graphic Designer and has been able to participate along all the project development.
3 Once the person´s work/career becomes recognized or awarded.

"...a good interface should not call attention by itself, but should let us direct to the task. Interfaces can be immediately transparent"..."Instead of trying to create a magically intuitive interface by an unspecified process, designers should conciously exploit the user´s preexisting knowledge by looking for familiar interaction patterns that will be easy to learn and will quickly become transparent".

(Inventing the Medium. Murray Janet, 2012)

Is it all about leaving the designer´s whim to the side and get transparent/ camouflaged designs and get the task done? Maybe the next step is by using just what the interactor has in his own enviroment avoid instruments or machines, to be able to create a totally debugged and pure experience. It remembers me the hologram keyboard which I really would like to play with.

Hello World!

This is my very first time in blogging!

I really hope you follow and enjoy reading about all the experiences I get from the Interactive Media Design (IxMD) at Södertorns University in Stockholm Sweden.

Just today I realized I have used wrong terminology...I will just try to stop using the terms as "Interface Design", "user" or "contents" when talking about media...I have decided it.