Light, Ann, Howland, Kate, Hamilton, Tom and Harley, David (2017) The meaning of place in supporting sociality. DIS 2017 Designing Interactive Systems, Edinburgh, UK, 10-14 June 2017. Published in: Designing Interactive Systems. ACM ISBN 978145034922

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Abstract

While social isolation in an ageing population is a concern in many locations, it is greater in towns where divisive local geography and declining investment conspire against meeting places and mutual awareness. This research into the design of location-based tools to support sociality asks whether embedded digital tools that make neighbourhood activities and/or people’s movements more visible have the potential to increase serendipitous encounters and deepen a sense of community cohesion. Taking to the streets of a small town to explore if digital tools might improve the situation, we used participatory and provocation methods to inspire engagement with the theme and compare design concepts for sociality. Participants showed great passion for the town and its people, but also caution about publicly revealing even basic information, because of anticipated local consequences. They preferred an indirect approach. We use these insights to analyze “place” and discuss the specifics of designing for sociality in challenging contexts.

Item Type:	Conference Proceedings
Schools and Departments:	School of Engineering and Informatics > Informatics
Subjects:	T Technology
Depositing User:	Ann Light
Date Deposited:	11 May 2017 09:11
Last Modified:	31 Aug 2017 15:50
URI:	http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/68050

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