Author: nadja.pirchheim

Hi everyone. I want to update you on my current status of my Design and Research Blog Entries. As you remember I want to examine if there is a possibility for young people to get realistic insights into apprenticeships. In the first semester I researched the status-quo and numbers of apprenticeships in Austria as well as the formats and communication tools which are already out there. I had an interview with my nephew about his situation and what he learns at school. At the end of my last blog entry I also talked about that I might include new formats into my research for instance Virtual Reality.

I had a meeting with Birgit last week and it was really inspiring to talk about my chosen topic.

This semester I’ll focus on creating a concept for a possible game.

After the excursion in Barcelona, I already started thinking of further steps for my design and research topic. I still need to figure out wheter this is going to be a realsitic approach, but anyway I’ll just tell you my ideas.

I thought about creating two scenarios both taking place in VR.

First scenario: VR Game

I thought of creating a VR-Game inspired by the “job-simulator”. Maybe creating one scenario where the player is working for instance in an garage as a mechanic. The supervisior will give the user simple task which need to be fulfilled e.g. changing a tyre and therefore the user has to go to the drawer and take out a screwdriver or something similar and then the user goes back to the car and changes the tyre. The art style should be comic-like but also more serious than it is in the job simulator game (the game is a bit dorky).

Second scenario: Real life 360° View

For the second scenario I thought of filming a young person following their typical tasks for their work. Therefore the user is in the position of an observer and can look over the trainees shoulder and watch them.

Either way, I need to check out how both of my ideas are feasbile.

I also told Birgit my ideas and she supervised me to start creating a storyboard and a concept and also think about possible interactions for those scenarios. This will be my task for the next blogpost where I will guide you through my process.

It’s been some days since I returned from Barcelona. The conference was incredibly interesting and I am grateful to be a part of this experience. Together with my fellow interaction design colleagues, I share some nerve wracking adventures as well as beautiful memories. 

When reminiscing about the OFFF Conference I remember a few special moments which stuck in my mind. 

Gavin Strange

The very first talk I been to on Thursday was with Gavin Strange and wow, I was blown away. It is by far the most amazing speech of the conference. I really enjoyed it, because his presentation was so diverse, it was funny, inspiring, experiential and emotional. The visuals and the intro was eye candy in a unique way. Gavin works as an Art Director in Bristol, UK and he worked for quite some time in the industry. During his presentation he made clear, that he struggled to find his “own” style, as every designer has to find their “unique” style to be successful. But after some time he quit searching for it and this is where he became free in his doing. Gavin works in several areas for instance animation, art direction, graphic, music etc. Recently he discovered a musical interface and even if he has no clue how it works, he enjoys experimenting and he also presented his musical progress live on stage. He also knows, that he is not good at it and has just started, but he didn’t care and thought it was funny to play music for the audience. 

The main takeaway of his speech is that it is okay, if you have not found your “own, unique” style as a designer and always keep on experimenting and exploring. You don’t have to be good at it but progress comes with practice. 

Gemma O’Brien 

Another talk I think was really refreshing was Gemma O’Brien. She is an artist and designer known for her letterings and murals. I enjoyed finally seeing a woman on the main stage presenting her work and I did not regret it. The way of her speech was pleasant and inspiring. She is very successful and worked together with global brands. Gemma talked about the journey of becoming an artist and the obstacles she faced during her career. Also about how afraid she was using colors as she was only painting analog. As soon as new technology came around she started exploring painting with colors and how she loved it. Even when she thought she achieved everything on her bucket list at a very young age, she decided to make a cut and do something completely else, like running a marathon. 

What I have learnt from her is, that it is okay to be hesitant with certain things but you should try and overcome that fear because you might actually love it. Also, that sometimes a break is needed to find new inspirations and energy. Collect artwork from others and let them inspire you (as she was showing the audience her collection book). 

Joshua Davis 

Joshua Davis is very successful in the field of generative art. He started quite young when technology was by far not the technology we know today. Joshua mainly showed his work from the recent years and the brands he worked with. In my opinion, you really can tell, that he made a lot of money by selling his NFT art. Also he worked with some interesting brands e.g. trashcans.What Joshua Davis wants to tell is that it is okay to work with brands you think is not your dream collaborator but sometimes you have to lower your expectations, when it pays your bills. 

Gab Bois 

Gab Bois is a photographer/product designer from Montreal, Canada. I was super excited for her speech on Saturday, as I follow her on Instagram for a while now and was always curious about her process. Gab talked about her childhood and how she started creating art since then. Also she spoke about her process of finding inspirations for the art as well as how she is creating the final products. I think it was really interesting to see how you can create things with ordinary components. 

David Carson 

Probably the most discussed speech of the conference. Later this evening after the talk we sat together in the apartment and had a discussion about his presentation. I have to say I am quite torn apart as I was expecting a lot more of his presentation and less toe incidents. But also I haven’t known him and his designs before. In my opinion those people who have known him and have been fans for some time, they celebrate everything what he does on stage – doesn’t matter how weird it is. Also as Mr. Fabry said, this is what he does on stage and he wasn’t surprised at all. So there are two parties – the ones who know and celebrate and the ones who do not know and are shocked. 

The key takeaway of his speech is: You can do EVERYTHING on stage, when you reach a certain point in your career ladder. 

Now: Enjoy some of my pictures 🙂 

Links:

https://www.gemmaobrien.com

https://joshuadavis.com

https://www.gabbois.com

http://www.davidcarsondesign.com

https://www.jam-factory.com

For the Interaction Design class, I chose the article “COSMIC: A Conversational Interface for Human-AI Music Co-Creation” by Yixiao Zhang, Gus Xia, Mark Levy, and Simon Dixon as artificial intelligence is becoming more and more involved in our everyday lives.

The article describes the software COSMIC, developed as an interface for the creation of music between humans and AI. The AI assistant provides the user with musical ideas, which are developed and refined during communication. The machine learning model is based on a large data base and learns to generate new ideas while using the system. The idea is finally presented to the user and adapted to the user’s preferences by feedback from the user.

The interface has a very clean design and is divided into the five categories:

1. message tabs
2. status panel
3. conversation panel
4. input panel
5. preview panel

The interface has a minimalistic design with a clear structure. The design resembles already known platforms and the used icons are clear and easy to understand.

Without going into the technical details, the system is based on the following architecture.

In my opinion, the system arouses my interest to test it. Especially as a person who has no musical background, I can imagine getting a simplified and explorative generation of music ideas in it.

Sources:

COSMIC: A Conversational Interface for Human-AI Music Co-Creation

by Yixiao Zhang, Gus Xia, Mark Levy, and Simon Dixon

https://nime.pubpub.org/pub/in6wsc9t/release/1

In one of my previous blogposts I was talking about the various touchpoints between companies and teenagers. To dive a bit deeper into the topic I analyzed different formats on their performance, strengths and weaknesses. The results are the following:

Selfcheck tests

There are a tons of selfcheck tests online, where people can test theirself on their skills and personality. In the end the test will present you some professions which might suit your strenghts. I tested a few of them and I they are all quite similar. One which stood out (negatively) was “Berufskompass” by AMS.

Berufskompass

• The design was really unsexy and not really appealing (at least to me). There are inconsitencies in their design propals (e.g. different formats in four sections – list, cards, checkboxes, …)
• Some questions at the last part of the test were almost the same – just asked differently.
• I would think that lots of the questions were quite difficult to understand. Especially when thinking of young people taking the test

Company website

Companies who train a high number on apprentices each yeat are likely to have a company/job website specifically for apprenticeships. Small businesses mostly have a section in their job offers on their carreer subpages or does not have any vocational positions displayed. The company website of voestalpine.com/lehre has a really clear structure. The provided information is attracting young people as well as their parents. They have an extra section for parents which in my opinion is a good aspect as they are involved (to a certain point) as well.

• Very good structure
• Appealing to the user
• Embedded videos and pictures
• FAQ section

Startseite | voestalpine Lehrlingsportal

Social Media

Social Media is nowadays one of the must haves when it comes to communication and branding of the company. Especially when it comes to addressing young people. A lot of companies are on Facebook, Instagram and even a few businesses are posting on TikTok. Not so many youths are active on Facebook – which makes Instagram and TikTok the number 1 tools.

I found an account on TikTok, which is posting insights of several apprenticeships and jobs.

• nice idea of presenting jobs in a really short video
• might be very appealing for young people (but I am not to judge)
• account is also posting other content which is not related to jobs/work

https://www.tiktok.com/@hicksmarvin

In my last blog I was looking into the touchpoints between companies and teenagers. There were several ways how the communication takes place. In the following, I am blogging about “practical days” (dt. Berufspraktische Tage/ Schnuppertage).

What are pracitical days?

“On practical days, students observe and perform individual activities in the company for a short period of time and without remuneration. The practical days do not constitute an apprenticeship or any other type of employment relationship.

The practical vocational days enable the students to become acquainted with occupations, to correct false ideas about occupations and to self-critically examine their personal aptitudes and inclinations. In addition, practical vocational days provide the entrepreneur with support in selecting personnel.” [1]

How does the application for the practical days takes place?

For this I am reffering to my blogpost #4 where I interviewed a 14-year old who is attending the “Polytechnische Schule” and is going to start an apprenticeship in autumn 2023. He told me, that they have to do five internships in total. The first ones took place last year a few weeks after they started the semester and the last ones will take place in spring 2023. He spent his pracitcal days in two companies. Each for a week and he knew the companies from his teachers or had a private connection to it. Also there were constantly companies and representatives visiting the school and present their companies and the apprenticeships they offer.

To apply for the pracitcal days the students need to contact the companies themselve – mostly, they get a contact from the teachers who is responsible for apprenticeships in the enterprise. [2]

How does a typical practical day look like?

It always depends on the company but mostly the pupils are watch, ask questions and can try simple activities. The main goal is to get to know the work in a practice orientated environment.

Bibliography:

[1 ]https://www.wko.at/service/arbeitsrecht-sozialrecht/Berufspraktische_Tage.html

[2]https://pts-reutte.tsn.at/meine-ausbildung/der-weg-zur-lehre/berufspraktische-tage

For my next blog article I was looking into how companies are adressing their offered apprenticeships. This time I am keeping it quite short in presenting you my findings.

Well, there were several ways how companies communicate to young adults and teenagers regarding their offered apprenticeships.

• Representing the company at fairs and events
• Website
• Videos (e.g. YouTube, …)
• Social Media
• Word of Mouth
• Bulletin Board (Schwarzes Brett)
• Flyers/Poster
• Vocational Information Centres (e.g. BIZ, AMS, WKO, … )
• Job platorms (e.g. Karriere.at, … )

For reference, I often chose “Plansee SE” as they are the largest company in my hometown and train the most young people in the region.

Bibliography:

https://www.plansee.com/de/karriere/ausbildung.html

https://www.voestalpine.com/lehre/

https://www.raiffeisen.at/de/meine-bank/karriere/ausbildung-weiterbildung.html

https://www.lehre-im-handel.at

https://www.lehrlingsportal.at

https://www.karriere-mit-lehre.at

https://www.instagram.com/uhlmann.azubis/

In this blog article I want to find out more about gamification and it’s implementation in learning environments.

What is gamification?

The most known definition of gamification was created by Deterding et al in the year 2011. The authors explained the term as “the use of game design elements in non-game contexts”. [1] The aim of the concept is to improve the participation, motivation, engagement and loyalty. [2] Also Gartner Hype Cycle included it in their annual Trends in the year 2013 and 2014 as “the business buzz-word” of the year. [3]

How is gamification implemented in learning environments?

Gamification of education is a tactic for boosting participation by including game components in a learning setting. The aim is to achieve levels of engagement comparable to those that games can typically produce. Gamification’s primary objectives are to improve certain skills, introduce learning objectives, engage students, maximize learning, assist behavior change, and socialize.[4]

In reality, there is a wide variety of aspects that games can include, and various players are drawn to different elements. Dr. Nick Yee, a researcher, suggested the following method for modeling the components of what drives gamers:

• Action (e.g., objectives)
• Social (e.g., competition)
• Mastery (e.g., scoring)
• Achievement (e.g., awards)
• Immersion (e.g., roleplaying)
• Creativity (e.g., customisation)

Even if the final product isn’t technically a game, a lesson has been gamified when educators incorporate characteristics like those listed into it. Some features, like scoring and badges, are often used.[5]

Bibliography

[1] Deterding, S., Dixon, D., Khaled, R., & Nacke, L. (2011). From game design elements to gamefulness: defining “Gamification”. MindTrek ’11, Proceedings from the 15th International Academic MindTrek Conference: Envisioning Future Media Environments, (pp. 9-15).

[2] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/292720849_Using_Gamification_to_Improve_Participation_in_Social_Learning_Environments

[3] https://jitm.ut.ac.ir/article_84315_2723d989ce7b4071270240fd20615a40.pdf

[4] https://slejournal.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s40561-019-0098-x

[5] https://www.hmhco.com/blog/what-is-gamification-in-education

For my following blog post I was looking into where pupils acquire their needed information for vocational programs. To get a deeper insight, I was interviewing 2 people at the age of thirteen and fourteen, on what is their opinion on finding the needed information regarding apprenticeships or secondary schools. The interview was held in german.

For those who are not familiar with the term of “Polytechnische Schule” and “vocational orientation”, you can find the description below the interviews.

For my first interview, I was interviewing a 14-old boy who is currently attending “Polytechnische Schule” in Reutte. In autumn 2023 he will start an apprenticeship.

Nadja: You are currently visiting the “Polytechnische Schule” in Reutte. How does the subject vocational oraining proceed in your school?

Interviewee 1: In the “Polytechnischen Schule” there are two special fields which are: the technical cluster and the service cluster. Both of them contain three subclusters. For the technical cluster there are: wood and construction, electronics and IT and metal. In the service cluster there are: tourism, trade and offices and health- and social services.

When the semester started we chose three sectors and there we joined each of them for a week. Afterwards we had a talk with the head of the subclusters, we intended to choose. In the end, they deciced, if we fit into the faculty. I chose the cluster metal. We have several subjects which are necessary for this sector, for instance sciences, informatics or studio workshop, there we work with our hands and build workpieces.

After the first three weeks we needed to do a two-week internship at two different companies. We chose the companies, we are interested in. We knew these companies through our teachers or had private connections. Also there were constantly companies and representatives visiting the school and present their companies and the apprenticeships they offer. At the end of the semester, we will have another intership week. But I don’t know yet, in which company I want to do my internship.

Nadja: Where do you get the information from for the apprenticeships you are interested in?

Interviewee1: I get the information mostly from the teachers in school, in the context of the subject “vocational orientation” or from my parents.

Nadja: Do you feel enough informed about the different vocational programs?

Interviewee1: Yes, I do feel informed enough. I live in a small region where I know a lot of people work in different companies and I can ask them directly, if I want to know something. Also we have a close connection with the teachers and we can ask them anytime.

Nadja: What do you think of how the companies communicate to youths?

Interviewee1: I think it is quite good and I feel informed well enough. But I also think, that they should communicate more on Social Media. Especially me and my friends are on TikTok and Instagram all the time.

Nadja: Who do you address if you need further information?

Interviewee1: I can always talk to my parents and they are supporting me anytime. Also teachers in school are very supportive in those matters.

For my second interview, I was interviewing a 13-old girl who is currently attending “Neue Musik Mittelschule Weiz”. In autumn 2023 she will attend further school in Graz.

Nadja: You are currently visiting the “Neue Musik Mittelschule” in Weiz. How does the subject vocational orientation proceed in your school?

Interviewee2: We do have the subject Vocational Training for 2 years now. Several companies and representatives of highschools visit our school. Also the whole class made an excursion and visited companies and highschools.

Nadja: Where do you get the information from for the apprenticeships or highschools you are interested in?

Interviewee2: I get my information mainly at school and through my own research. The other day I went to the education fair in Graz together with my mother. There I also received more information and insights.

Nadja: What do you think of how the companies communicate to youths?

Interviewee2: In my opinion the communication is really exciting. I learnt a lot from the representatives or the education fair in Graz.

Nadja: Who do you address if you need further information?

Interviewee2: If I need further information, I am going to adress my parents or a teacher.

Terms

Polytechnische Schule:

The Polytechnische Schule is a one-year mandatory general education school in the Austrian education system that follows the 8th grade. Its primary purpose is vocational preparation. [1]

Vocational Orientation:

Vocational orientation is a process that has two sides. On the one hand, we have the young people who are seeking to orient themselves towards their own interests, competences and objectives. The other side consists of the requirements of the world of work, to which the young people are guided. Both of these sides constantly need to be rebalanced. Vocational orientation provision supports young people in mastering this process. [2]

Bibliography:

[1] https://docplayer.org/28883355-Entstehung-und-entwicklung-der-polytechnischen-schule-peter-jaeger.html

[2]https://www.bibb.de/en/680.php

For my third blog entry I am taking a closer look into the status quo situation regarding apprenticeships in Austria.

Apprenticeship training procedure

In Austria, apprenticeships are strucutres as a “dual system”. The training takes place in the company and in a vocationals school. For around 80 % the training is spend at the company and 20 % taking place at the vocational school. At the vocational school appretices get theoretical skills thaught, which are needed to pass the apprenticeship. The subjects depend on the chosen industry. The aim of training at vocational schools is to supplement the technical training in the company, to improve the general education of the trainees and to acquire foreign language skills tailored to the training occupation.

The vocational schools can be divided in to three types:

• All year-round: apprentices attend classes at least once a weak for the whole year
• Course-based: apprentices attend a course over a specific period of time
• Seasonal: Training is delivered in blocks at a certain time of the year. [1]

In Austria, apprenticeships are the most common type of primary vocational training. It offers the opportunity to obtain various qualifications in addition to become a skilled worker. For instance, an apprenticeship can be finished concurrent with the “Matura” or new skills can be aquired through a variety of alternative training programs. [2]

Facts and figures

In 2021, 107,593 teenagers were undergoing an apprenticeship. Compared to 2011, there were 128,082 people in apprenticeship training. [3]In recent years, a rapid decrease in apprentices has been recorded. The reasons for this are that the number of young people aged 15-19 is steadily decreasing and the number of apprenticeship companies is decreasing. Many young people decide to pursue further education because of the wide range of schools being offered. In 1980, 70% of young people started an apprenticeship and in 2018 only 40%.

Most apprentices are trained in the commerce and trade sectors, followed by industry and trade. In 2021, around 107,500 apprentices were undergoing training in around 29,000 companies. Most apprentices are in Upper Austria (20,9%), followed by Vienna (16,1%), Lower Austria (15,9%) and Styria (14.2%).

Among girls, the most popular apprenticeships are: retail trade, office clerk and hairdresser/wigmaker. This concerns 43.3% of all female apprentices in Austria. It is therefore worthwhile for every young person to also think about alternative apprenticeship occupations in order to increase their chances of finding permanent employment. 35.1 % of all boys choose modular apprenticeships in metal technology, electrical engineering or automotive engineering.[4]

Bibliography

[1] https://www.oesterreich.gv.at/en/themen/bildung_und_neue_medien/lehre/Seite.333400.html

[2] https://www.oesterreich.gv.at/en/themen/bildung_und_neue_medien/lehre/Seite.333100.html

[3] https://www.wko.at/service/zahlen-daten-fakten/daten-lehrlingsstatistik.html

[4] https://www.oegj.at/meine-situation/ich-bin-lehrling/fakten-zur-lehre

For my further research, I will go deeper into different media approaches and ways of gathering information, as well as the importance of gamification. To get a better understanding of the topic in general, we need to take a few steps back and will focus on some term

Information

In information theory the definition of information is that the sender conveys knowledge to the receiver via an information channel. The receiver acquires knowledge through this process. This can be done through signals and codes. In most cases, the used channel is a medium. [1]

Media

“Media” is translated from latin and means “middle”. Thus, a medium in interpersonal communication is a intermediary element that may consist of speech, signs, or characters. The medium through which information is passed from one person to another. [2]

Like most other terms, a unified differentiation of “media” is not given. Scientist have set different focuses and tried to categorize media. One of the most known is from Harry Pross. He defined the variety of media in to the following categories:

Primary media: These are the media of “basic human contact”, for instance language, facial expressions, gestures and body posture, etc. Interaction partners communicate directly with each other.

Secondary media: Most of the interaction partners use technical support for communication. Posters, Books and Newspapers are some examples.

Tertiary media: Both parties need to have technical support to communicate. For example electronic mass media, radio, computers, TV’s and telecommunication.

Quaternary media: The fourth category have been extended in later stages. It means that, that both sender and receiver require an Internet connection. With this type of medium, there is no longer a classic sender-receiver role, but an interactive exchange. [3]

A distinction is often made between analog and digital media. The terms “new media” and “interactive media” are often used here.

Analog media: the user actively interacts with analog media by turning them on and off, reading them, and so on. These are print media (media in printed form, such as books, newspapers, magazines, posters, etc.), audio cassettes, VHS tapes, CDs, records, etc.

Digital media are electronic media that react to the user. An interaction between user and medium is possible. These can be used for recording, storage, the presentation of digital content and much more. These are, for example, PCs with Internet access, tablets, computer and console games, smartphones, digital television, and many more. [4]

New media: The term has been used for a long time to describe innovations in communication technology, i.e., media that have just appeared. In the 1970s, this was the video cassette. [5]

Interactive media: Media can also be differentiated according to the participation possibilities of the users. The term interactive media therefore expresses that these media have a high degree of interactivity potential. [6]

Gamification

The implementation of game mechanics in non-game situations with the intention of improving the operations and the experiences of people engaged is referred to as “gamification.” Because it has the ability to make learning more engaging, “gamification” has recently become a buzzword in education and training. [7]

Sources

[1] https://saar.infowiss.net/projekte/ident/themen/definition-information/

[2] Publizistik- und Kommunikationswissenschaft: Ein Handbuch, Pürer Heinz (2014) 2nd Edition, p. 68

[3] Medienforschung: Film, Funk, Presse, Fernsehen. Pross, Harry (1972), p. 9

[4] Digitale Medien in der Kita. Alltagsorientierte Medienbildung in der pädagogischen Praxis, Leopold Marion (2018), p. 43

[5] Wiederkehrende Erwartungen an interaktive Medien. Schrape, Jan-Felix (2012), p. 2 http://www.medialekontrolle.de/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Schrape-Felix-2012-4.pdf

[6] Politische Kommunikation in der Mediengesellschaft. Jarren, O.; Donges, P. (2017), p. 63

[7] Gamification and Education: A Literature Review. Caponetto, Illaria; Earp Jeffrey; Ott, Michaela (2014), p. 50