Creating a prototype as an artefact for exploring

As I started to work on this project this semester I got quite overwhelmed. Fashion is a gigantic and complex industry, and there is no way for me to become an “expert” enough in one semester on how to change this industry. However, as a designer, I can design an artefact and explore solutions, worries, goals etc. of the two main stakeholders: fashion designers and consumers. Therefore I decided to design a prototype earlier in the process than I would have normally wanted. Through this prototype I will explore what information consumers would wish to know about the clothes they buy and what information fashion designers need to design for sustainable, loved, keep-worthy pieces. 

As I personally am both a consumer and (want to become) a creator of it I will use myself as a testperson in the beginning of this process. What are the pet-peeves I have as a consumer? Which choices do I (want to) make, what thought go through my head as I try something on? After last semesters research, which problems should designers avoid? Which decisions should they make?

When I am in the role of the consumer the issue is often that I don’t know which decisions have been made when a garment is designed and produced. For a designer who takes sustainability seriously, it can be frustrating that H&M calls something sustainable if they only used recycled polyester which doesn’t create a real impact. I will try to close this information gap with my prototype and see if this can create more trust and a better future for designers who really want to make an impact. 

Self-care tools

As announced in the previous blog entry, I took a look at self-care tools and grouped some of the more popular appliactions into different categories. This should help me to make the right decision on which application area I want to specialize in the future and which applications I want to study and compare in more detail.

  • Meditation and mindfulness apps: Apps like Headspace, Calm, and Insight Timer offer guided meditation sessions, breathing exercises, and mindfulness practices to help individuals relax, reduce stress, and improve focus.
  • Mood tracking apps: Apps like Daylio and Moodpath allow users to track their moods, emotions, and activities. These apps provide insights into patterns and triggers, helping individuals gain a better understanding of their emotional well-being.
  • Journaling apps: Apps like Journey and Day One offer digital journaling platforms, allowing individuals to express their thoughts, emotions, and experiences. Journaling can serve as a therapeutic practice, helping individuals gain clarity and process their feelings.
  • Relaxation and stress reduction apps: Apps like Pacifica and Relax Melodies provide relaxation exercises, breathing techniques, nature sounds, and calming music to help individuals manage stress, anxiety, and sleep-related issues.
  • Physical activity trackers: Devices and apps like Fitbit, Apple Watch, and Google Fit track physical activity levels, providing motivation and reminders to engage in regular exercise. Physical activity has been shown to have positive effects on mental health.
  • Sleep improvement apps: Apps like Sleep Cycle and SleepScore analyze sleep patterns, provide sleep recommendations, and offer features like white noise or guided sleep meditations to help individuals improve the quality of their sleep.

In addition to this categorization, a scientific review of the topic of mental health mobile application should be carried out.

Design as a solution

Digital solutions as well as Interaction and UX design can play a crucial role in addressing the barriers to mental health help-seeking and providing support to individuals. In the following, I would like to describe some ways in which the various aspects of interaction design can help:

  • User-friendly and accessible platforms: Well designed digital platforms, such as websites and mobile applications, that are intuitive, user-friendly, and accessible are helping individuals with varying levels of digital literacy. Consider using clear language, simple navigation, and intuitive interfaces to ensure easy access to mental health resources.
  • Confidentiality and privacy: Emphasize strong privacy and confidentiality measures to instill trust in users. Clearly communicate how their personal information will be protected and ensure that interactions and data collection are secure. This can help alleviate concerns about privacy and encourage individuals to seek help.
  • Personalization and customization: Allow users to personalize their mental health journey within the design. Provide options for customization based on individual needs and preferences, such as choosing specific topics, therapy formats, or self-help tools. Personalization can enhance engagement and make the experience more tailored and relevant to each person.
  • Empathy and emotional support: Incorporate empathy and emotional support into the interaction design by using compassionate language, supportive visuals, and positive reinforcement. Provide interactive elements that validate emotions and offer encouragement throughout the user’s journey. This can create a sense of empathy and understanding, reducing the fear of judgment and fostering a supportive environment.
  • Education and awareness: Design interactive aplications that educate users about mental health conditions, treatment options, and available resources. Provide interactive modules or videos that explain common symptoms, coping strategies, and when to seek professional help. Promote mental health literacy and awareness through engaging and informative content.
  • Peer support and community building: Facilitate peer support and community building within the interaction design. Include features that allow users to connect with others who have similar experiences, such as discussion forums, chat rooms, or support groups. This can create a sense of belonging, reduce isolation, and provide individuals with emotional support from others who understand their struggles.
  • Seamless access to professional help: Incorporate features that facilitate easy and seamless access to mental health professionals. This can include options for online consultations, appointment scheduling, and instant messaging with therapists or counselors. Make it clear how users can reach out for immediate help in crisis situations.
  • Reminders and self-care tools: Implement interactive features that promote self-care and well-being. This can include reminders for medication, mindfulness exercises, guided relaxation techniques, or mood tracking tools. Encourage users to engage in self-care practices and provide them with practical tools to manage their mental health.

It’s important to remember that interaction design should be user-centered, continuously tested, and refined based on user feedback and needs. Collaborating with mental health professionals and individuals with lived experience can provide valuable insights and ensure the design effectively meets the requirements of the target audience.

Of all the points collected above, i find the last point the most intersting for me. I will focus on self-care tools for now and do more research on these Application while sending out a survey that will tell me more about potential users.

Prototyping Overview

Until now the focus of my research was about communicating social and environmental problems with the help of tangible user interfaces. In this blogpost I want to concretize my current topic of my master thesis and focus on one specific environmental problem – “melting ice sheets and their impact on sea level rise – starting a so called “chain reaction”.

So how should such an exhibit be designed, to not only offer great experience but also stating a call to action?

What is the perfect symbiosis between the digital and analog medium for communicating sensitive topics like climate change?

Staying true to the concept of multisensory experiences I would like to create an exhibit that has the following layers of abstraction:

Physical feedback

For the physical representation of an ice cap, I want to build a three-dimensional model out of sticks covered by an elastic mesh. The height of the sticks can be controlled separately with a motor, giving the impression of a shape changing constantly.

c Edwin Lang

Audio feedback

By recording the cracking of an ice bucket with contact microphones, I want to create a sound similar to a cracking ice cap.

https://freesound.org/embed/sound/iframe/268023/simple/large/

Video feedback

In terms of video, I want to project morphing organic shapes onto the physical representation of the ice cap. The shapes could be generated with programs like OpenFrameworks and real data sets of melting caps[1]. With the help of machine learning and algorithms the complexity of the data sets could be drastically reduced – however further research and testing is needed[2].

Credits images: https://pin.it/4OqiwA6


User Interface

The visitors should be able to see changes of the ice cap based on their ecological footprint. The ecological footprint gives an indicator on the greenhouse gas emissions, can be converted to emitted energy and further be linked to the capability of melting ice.

The interface itself has yet to be explored but will be of great importance to successfully link the individual ecological footprint with the ice cap and make the visitors emotionally bonded to the exhibit.

References:

[1] https://umap-learn.readthedocs.io/en/latest/
[2] Algorithmus: https://umap-learn.readthedocs.io/en/latest/

UPDATE: Expanding on the VR Game Experience: Creating an Engaging Journey for Player

Hi there, as I mentioned in my last blog post that I started focusing on another apprenticeship, I changed the storyboard. Here you can find the updated storyboard:

The story:

Imagine working in a hotel as a chef apprentice and the chef tells you that you are in charge of the starters of tonights dinner session. The starters were already prepared and only the sauce needs to be added. The waitress stops by to get the first starters for the evening. You prepare them and send them with her. She comes back frequently to get the other starters. In between she rushes to you for a special task: a kid wants to have a Wiener Schnitzel with fries. Therefore you need to rush back to the fridge, grab some meat and prepare the Schnitzel. Fries are located in the freezer and you put it into the fryer. The waitress comes back as she needs to have starters again.

Luckily, the evening went smooth, clients are happy and its time to clean up. The chef asks you what you’d like to drink and that you are in charge for the music.

After the feedback with Brigit she suggested to have customization at the beginning rather than the end of the game to keep the user engaged.

Add on:

After some research I found a website called https://www.berufe-vr.at. They offer a 360°-view videos where user can gather insights into several apprenticeships in Austria. I’ll get in touch with them and check if I can find out who created this experience.

Design Brief for the second semester

Designing for a better Mental Health

During the last semester i have been working on the topic of mental health. Why there are so many people who don’t get the help they need and how design solutions can help. The topic of mental health is highly relevant in today’s world. Mental illnesses affect almost every 4th person today. Reasons I found during my research why mentally ill people do not seek the necessary help:

  • Fears of judgment
  • Stigmata
  • Lack of awareness and understanding
  • Shortage of slots
  • Unaffordability
  • Limited access to mental health services

Furthermore, during my reschersche, i looked into possible ways of using design as a solution to this problem. The goal of these approaches is often destigmatization and education, gamefication, as well as providing seamless access to professional help and other self-help tools. I came across the following design approaches that are already being applied:

  • Educational campaigns
  • Books
  • Exhebitions
  • Game
  • digital solutions like self-help apps

This semester, I want to delve even deeper into the digital solutions in order to finde the right topic for my master thesis. I also would like to conduct a questionar to gane more insights about my target group an thair behaviour as well as what could be benificiall for them. I also need to finde a clear Idea of what my project could look like in order to produce a Prototype.

AI Tools for UX Designers

To get started with the ‘The Plan’ (outlined in my last post), I have compiled a list of AI tools that I will be trying out during this process.

  1. Perplexity https://www.perplexity.ai/

A combination of ChatGPT & bing that answers any question with sources and links.

  1. DocuAsk & PDFgpt

These tools read any uploaded documents and generate summaries and notes, and are able to answer any questions regarding the document in a chat function. These tools would be useful for user research, analyzing data and quickly pulling the important information.

  1. Uizard & Qoqo

“This tool [Uizard] uses advanced algorithms to generate unique design ideas based on the user’s input, making it an excellent choice for designers who want to save time and stay inspired ” – Perplexity.ai

Qoqo generates personas, user journey maps, and interview questions. [Behind a paywall]

  1. Attention Insight

Offers predictive eye tracking in the form of heat maps on your designs.

  1. Adobe Firefly

AI image, video & audio generator from Adobe

  1. Tome

AI presentation builder

The Plan

For the remainder of this term of Design & Research, I will develop a mobile application using as many AI tools as possible, and document my experiences here. In order to test the limits of these tools, I will be working with subject matter than runs at the edge of most data sets – the experiences of underprivileged women.

The app is called ProspHER, and was ideated and designed in partnership with Nagyija Bogás, for our course App Design this semester. I will expand on initial designs created in Figma with copywriting and image generation, as well as carry out user research and testing – all with the help of various AI tools.

Below are several screens from ProspHER. The app works as a job search platform for women with no or little formal training, and/or unusual working hours. Users can search for jobs based on their available hours, interests, and skills. They can quickly build a CV and add past job experiences easily from the ‘history’ tab.

Ein Interview über die Zielgruppe und die Ziele des digital university hub.

Um die Zielgruppe und Ziele des Hubs genauer zu verstehen, habe ich mich um einen Termin mit der Projektleiterin des DUH Rieger Elisabeth, Mag.rer.soc.oec. und der Verantwortlichen für Content Management Michel Lina, BA MSc. bemüht. Ich erhoffte damit, dass meine Fragen rund um das Thema Zielgruppe und Ziele des Hubs beantwortet- und weitere Verständnislücken gefüllt werden würden.

Das Interview wurde schriftlich dokumentiert und hier in zusammengefasster, aufbereiteter Form dargestellt:

Freitag 02.06.2023; 10:00

Andrea:
Der digital university hub ist eine Initiative von der TU Graz und der Uni Wien, um die Vernetzung und Entwicklung von Hochschulen im Bereich der digitalen und sozialen Transformation zu fördern. Konkret handelt es sich um eine Kooperations- und Serviceplattform. Er hat zum Ziel, Hochschul-akteur*innen zusammenzubringen, um gemeinsames Wissen und Erfahrungen auszutauschen.

Elisabeth:

Genau. Der digital university hub (kurz DUH) steht unter dem Deckmantel digitale und soziale Transformation. Hier sollten sich Forscher*innen und lehrende Gremien treffen, um sich miteinander zu vernetzen. Aus diesem Grund ist der DUH 2019 gegründet, und 2020 ins Leben gerufen worden. 2020 haben wir vom Bundesministerium die Zuschläge für 34 Projekte bekommen. Dafür entstanden unterschiedlichste Arbeitsgruppen, welche die Digitalisierung in Anspruch nehmen. Doch das gemeinsame Ziel ist, Digitalisierung an den österreichischen Hochschulen nachhaltig zu verankern und weiterzuentwickeln.

Andrea:
Wer soll die Zielgruppe darstellen? Also, wen wünschen wir uns regelmäßig auf dem DUH?

Elisabeth:

Zum einen wollen wir alle haben, die für IT-Infrastruktur und Digitalisierung der Hochschulen zuständig sind. Aber wir wollen auch jene erreichen, die die Veränderung abseits der IT an den Hochschulen begleiten – siehe Steckbriefe auf dem Duh. Hier sind beispielsweise auch Data Stewards oder Projektleiter*innen aus Digitalisierungsstellen abgebildet.

Lina:

Ergänzend möchte ich auch noch kurz den Ausschreibungsprozess vom Ministerium beschreiben. Es gibt Beiträge, die für bestimmte Themen/Projekte ausgegeben werden können. Ein Thema des Bundesministeriums war damals zum Beispiel „digitale Transformation“. Als österreichische Universität kann man sich also mit einer Idee bewerben und seine Projekte unter Einhaltung gewisser Kriterien vorschlagen. Das Ministerium entscheidet in einem Wettbewerb, wer zu welchem Anteil welche Projekte bewilligt und finanziert bekommt.

Elisabeth:

Genau, das leitet auch ein, dass das Ministerium als unser Arbeitgeber gleichfalls zur Zielgruppe zählt. Wir versuchen den Prozess des Ministeriums zu unterstützen und haben großes Interesse daran, Österreichs Universitäten weiterzuentwickeln, um auch künftig attraktiv für das Ministerium zu bleiben.

Andrea:

Wer tummelt sich aktuell auf dem DUH herum?

Lina:

Derzeit sind es 70 – 80% Verwaltungseinheiten von Universitäten, auch einige Forschende, aber die sind ohnehin selbst schon sehr gut vernetzt, daher dient der DUH für die Forschenden eher als zusätzliches Netzwerk. Bei der Verwaltung hingegen gibt es nichts Vergleichbares. Außerdem hat die Rolle der Administration extrem an Wert und wesentlich mehr Handlungsmacht gewonnen und resultierend daraus sind mehr Möglichkeiten entstanden.

Andrea:
Was meinst du mit mehr Wert und mehr Handlungsmacht? Kannst du mir ein Beispiel geben?

Lina:
Die Forschenden finden sich in einer Rolle wieder, wo abhängig von digitalen Services die Verwaltung administriert wird – sprich: Wo werden Daten gespeichert; Thema Infrastruktur. Die Forschenden wollen forschen und nicht verwalten. Digitalisierte Datenbanken verschnellern Prozesse. Daher braucht es an dieser Stelle mehr Digitalisierung. Die Frage, mit der sich andere Arbeitsgruppen aktuell beschäftigen lautet: Wie bietet man effizient einfache Möglichkeiten, mit wenig Aufwand an? 

Elisabeth:

Zum Beispiel ist das Erstellen von Videos ein wahnsinniger Aufwand. Die Forschenden wollen nicht Videos schneiden müssen uns sich drum kümmern, wo die Videos Platz finden. Dafür braucht es die Verwaltung. Das Thema Wissenschaftskommunikation wird immer wichtiger um Vertrauen in der Bevölkerung wieder aufzubauen. Wie kommuniziere ich als Forschende/r über welche Medien meine Wissenschaft. Das wird bzw. ist ein großes Kerngeschäft von Universitäten.

Dasselbe trifft für Lehrende zu. Auch diese sind Forscher*innen und mussten seit Covid-19 mit neuen Lernplattformen hantieren. Die IT gibt Plattformen vor, welche die Lehrenden nutzen müssen. Daher gilt es mit großer Sorgfalt, Nutzer*innen gerade bei neuen Plattformen gut abzuholen, ohne dass sie eine IT-Ausbildung haben müssen.

Andrea:

Auf der Website des DUH kann man die Ziele der Ministeriums-Initiative herauslesen: Die Digitalisierung im österreichischen Hochschulwesen zu fördern und eine aktive und kollaborative Community aufzubauen. Die Initiative läuft Ende 2024 aus. Was sind denn allerdings interne Ziele, wie es mit dem DUH weitergehen soll?

Elisabeth:

Grundsätzlich wollen wir mit dem DUH eine Informations- und Serviceplattform auf nationaler Ebene in Österreich für Hochschulen aufsetzen. Um so eine Plattform gründen zu können, gehört ein Netzwerk und Knowhow zum Thema Change Management – der Veränderungsprozess als Begleiter im Vordergrund.

Andrea:
Ist das der Deckmantel von digitaler und sozialer Transformation, von dem du oben gesprochen hast? Dass man auch Menschen dazu bewegt, an Veränderungsprozessen teilzunehmen und diese ihren Input dazu liefern?

Elisabeth:

Stimmt. Erfahrungen und Knowhow darf geteilt und Vorschläge für Transformationsprozesse gemacht werden. Ein wesentliches Ziel ist also: Ein Basic Toolkit und Services zur Verfügung zu stellen, wie Veränderung möglich sein kann. In Form von Open Source Applikationen zum Beispiel. Langfristig aber, ist die Vision von der Plattform, ein Player auf der Landkarte der Digitalisierung der Hochschulen Österreichs zu sein. Das Services, die aus allen Projekten entstanden sind, über den Hub sichtbar zu machen und Entwicklungen zu diesen Services anzubieten. Natürlich hängt die Zukunft auch davon an, was an Nachfrage kommt.

Lina:

Jene, die ihr Knowhow „sharen“ gehören auch zu unserer Zielgruppe. Menschen die Skills haben und sich mit speziellen Services auskennen. Auch jene, die Partizipieren oder alleine den Content konsumieren zählen auch dazu. Nur so nebenbei als Anhang zur obigen Frage.

Andrea:

Also ist der Wunsch entstanden auf dem DUH künftig Services anzubieten?

Elisabeth:

Nicht ganz. Services die aus Projekten entstanden sind am DUH einen Platz zu geben und diese sichtbar zu machen. Der DUH bietet diese nicht an. Er dient lediglich als Schnittstelle.  

Andrea:
Super. Abschließend noch genauer: Was geschieht eigentlich mit dem DUH nachdem das Ministeriumsprojekt 2024 ausgelaufen ist? Wird das in den Zielen berücksichtigt? Wie wird es danach weitergehen?

Elisabeth:

Wie gesagt werden die Services am DUH sichtbar gemacht. Diese bleiben ja auch nach 2024 aufrecht. Daher wird der DUH als Knotenpunkt bestehen bleiben und weiters als eine Art indirektes Wiki funktionieren. Oder bessergesagt als eine Art Archiv wo vergangene Services Platz finden, aber er wird auch als Archiv für Beratung, Forschung und Knowhow dienen. Und da wir mit dem DUH bereits sämtliches Wissen rund um Digitalisierung und Transformationsmanagement gesammelt haben, könnte auch ein weiterer Service in Richtung Consulting entstehen. Wir könnten eine Beratende Funktion für Österreichs Hochschulen sein: Gibt’s Modelle, die für alle Hochschulen passen? Wo existieren die Schnittstellen? Wo braucht welche Uni spezielle Beratung, weil andere Ressourcen? Wenn wir in Zukunft etwas derart vorhätten, hätten wir selbst ein Archiv, wo wir darauf zurückgreifen könnten.

Andrea:
Danke für eure Zeit und das ausführliche Gespräch, ich habe keine weiteren Fragen 😊

Nachbereitung:

Fehler die gemacht wurden:

Im Nachhinein habe ich einen wesentlichen Fehler bei der Durchführung des Interviews gemacht. Um das Interview für wissenschaftliche Zwecke verwenden zu können, muss ich in der Lage sein, das Gesprochene wortwörtliche rekonstruieren können. Mit der alleinigen schriftlichen Dokumentation war mir das nicht gelungen. Ich hatte beim Interviewtermin kein Diktiergerät oder eine Audio-Aufzeichnung nebenbei laufen. Daher ist es mir im Nachhinein nicht möglich gewesen, eine hundert prozentige Sicherheit der gefallenen Sätze und Ausdrücke zu geben, was aber entscheidend ist.
Zum Beispiel macht es einen Unterschied, ob jemand aussagt:” Ich denke…” oder “Ich behaupte…”.

Learnings:

Ich werde kein weiteres Interview zu diesem Thema durchführen, aber dafür werde ich künftig bei allen anderen Interviews eine Audio-Aufzeichnung machen, damit sich dieser Fehler nicht wiederholt.

Mit den gesammelten Erkenntnissen möchte ich dennoch meine Analysen weiterführen, um eine Restrukturierung des digital university hubs vornehmen zu können und das neue UX/UI Design auf die Bedürfnisse seiner Zielgruppe und seiner Ziele anpassen.

Combating the shortage of skilled workers: Unlocking the potential of careers in the tourism industry

In my last blog post, I discussed creating a storyboard for a virtual reality experience targeting car mechanics. However, upon reflection, I realized that I may have rushed into the decision of which apprenticeship to choose as the topic. After conducting further research, I discovered that there are numerous jobs and industries in Austria currently facing a skilled labor shortage in 2023.

One article I came across specifically highlighted the issue of “Fachkräftemangel” or skilled labor shortage in 2022, focusing on sectors such as tourism (81%) and construction. Other industries, including the manufacture of wooden products and transportation, were also experiencing shortages. According to Figure 1, which depicts the development of open positions for skilled workers, the peak was reached in March/April 2022 with 272,000 open positions [1].

Considering that many of us enjoy dining out and socializing at restaurants, it is challenging for the tourism and restaurant sectors to find passionate and skilled workers. These industries were hit particularly hard during the pandemic, leading many employees to seek more stable positions in other business sectors. Growing up in a village dominated by tourism, I can empathize with the desperate situation faced by hotels and restaurants [2]. The industry can be hectic and may not always be perceived as attractive, especially due to the often demanding working hours, which typically include weekends. Young people, in particular, value their freedom and prefer to spend time with friends during weekends.

By shifting my focus to the tourism industry, specifically the job positions of chefs, I aim to demonstrate that this line of work can be versatile and enjoyable. It’s important to highlight the potential for creativity and the satisfaction of serving delicious meals to appreciative guests. Furthermore, the tourism sector offers opportunities for personal and professional growth, including the chance to work in diverse environments and interact with people from various cultures.

Despite the challenges faced by the tourism industry, there is still a demand for skilled workers, and pursuing a career in this field can lead to fulfilling and rewarding experiences. By showcasing the positive aspects and dispelling misconceptions about working in the tourism sector, I hope to encourage more individuals, especially young talents, to consider vocational training or apprenticeships in this industry. Ultimately, bridging the skilled labor gap in the tourism sector can contribute to its recovery and long-term sustainability.

Sources:

[1] https://www.wko.at/service/unternehmensfuehrung-finanzierung-foerderungen/ibw-summary_Fachkraeftebedarf_mangel-in-Oesterreich-2022.pdf

[2] https://www.wifo.ac.at/jart/prj3/wifo/resources/person_dokument/person_dokument.jart?publikationsid=69629&mime_type=application/pdf