Category: Interaction Design

For my Instagram Youth version, I examined the following stakeholders.

Teenagers: As the primary users, their perspectives on the current challenges and preferences for a redesigned Instagram are crucial.

Parents: Given the concerns parents may have about their children’s online activities, understanding their perspectives on a safer social media environment is important.

Educators: Teachers and school administrators may be interested in how social media affects students’ well-being and may have insights into the educational implications.

Social Media Experts: Professionals specializing in social media, child psychology, or digital well-being can provide expert opinions and contribute valuable insights.

Instagram (Meta): The platform itself is a key stakeholder. Understanding their policies, constraints, and potential collaboration is essential.

For the “What is this” analysis, I chose Instagram itself to get a better understanding of the app.

What is this: Instagram

1. What is it for?
   • Sharing photos and videos
   • Connecting with friends and family
   • Discovering content based on interests
   • Building a personal or brand presence
   • Providing a platform for self-expression
2. To use it:
   • To create an account
   • To post content
   • To interact with others through likes, comments, and direct messages
   • To explore content on the main feed and through Stories
3. How did it get there?
   • Developed by Instagram, Inc. (now owned by Meta)
   • Downloading it from the App Store
4. Who uses it?
   • Individuals of various ages, interests, and backgrounds
   • Influencers and content creators
   • Businesses and brands for marketing and engagement
   • Celebrities and public figures
   • Educational institutions, non-profits, and organizations for outreach
5. What does it do?
   • Facilitates photo and video sharing
   • Enables communication through comments and direct messages
   • Provides a platform for content discovery
   • Supports advertising and promotion
6. When is it used?
   • Throughout the day based on individual preferences
   • During events, travels, and special occasions
   • To stay connected with others
   • For personal or professional branding
   • As a source of entertainment and information
7. What is it made of?
   • Software code written in programming languages
   • Database infrastructure to store user data
   • Visual elements including images, icons, and user interface components
8. Who made it?
   • Developed by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger (Instagram founders)
   • Acquired by Facebook in 2012 (now Meta Platforms, Inc.)
9. Why does it exist?
   • To provide a platform for visual storytelling and sharing
   • To connect people globally through shared interests
   • To serve as a space for personal expression and creativity
   • To offer businesses and influencers a platform for promotion and engagement

Ontology:

Reflect on the nature of reality as it pertains to your research topic. Consider:

What assumptions are you making about the reality of the phenomena or issues you are researching?

I am assuming that in-person connections are more important/impactful than online connections. I’m assuming that being part of a healthy community positively affects your wellbeing. I’m assuming that many people feel they don’t spend their free time in a meaningful way, and would like to change that.

Do you view these as objective facts (existing independently of individuals’ perceptions) or as subjective constructs (shaped by personal experiences and cultural influences)?

I view these assumptions mostly as subjective constructs, however I have heard many of these constructs echoed back to me. In the research phase it will be important to objectively investigate the existing evidence both for and against these claims.

Epistemology:

Reflect on your study of knowledge, particularly how knowledge is created, its scope, and its limitations:

What are the primary sources from which you will or have derived knowledge about your research topic (e.g., empirical data, theoretical frameworks, personal experiences, cultural narratives)?

The primary sources for my research will be empirical data such as that gathered through interviews, experimentation (designing, prototyping and testing), and observation. Theoretical frameworks, such as sociological concepts, will form the framework of my research and guide my problem statement and research questions.

Consider if your understanding is mainly theoretical (based on concepts) or empirical (based on observations or data).

My understanding will be shaped by both theoretical and empirical knowledge, but skew heavily towards empirical research in the latter half of the process, due to an emphasis on participatory design.

Identify any potential limitations in your understanding or approach. Reflect on how your background or perspective might influence your interpretation of the research.

A potential limitation in my understanding and approach might come from the assumptions that I have, listed above. It will be important to discover a complete picture of the actual reality of things, rather than to merely confirm my own biases. Additionally, in researching the concept of free time and meaningful free time activities, I have to acknowledge that to have free time is a privilege, and that when assessing free time activities I should include both free and paid activities. I should also be open to redefining what free time means, and having my research change direction in response to that feedback.

Das zweite herausragende Interview habe ich mit einem Experten aber auch gleichzeitig Betroffenen geführt. Der Interviewende ist seh- und motorisch behindert und beim Nutzen von digitalen Produkten auf assistive Technologie angewiesen. Er selbst ist Linguist und seit einigen Jahren wegen großem Interesse im Bereich Usability und Accessibility Experte für digitaler Barrierefreiheit. Er selbst sagt, dass er den 360° Rundumblick aufgrund seiner Situation hat. Umso spannender ist seine Haltung gegenüber den WACA und der anstehenden Richtlinie des EAA (European Accassibility Act) ab 2025, wo er meint: „Wir müssen uns trennen, von dem Gedanken, eine Generallösung erfinden zu wollen“. Denn die Richtlinien bzw. Kriterien treffen hauptsächlich auf Personen mit nur einer Art von Beeinträchtigung zu, und sei nicht flexibel anwendbar. Beispielsweise wurde das Kriterium der Autovervollständigung genannt. Davon profitieren motorisch beeinträchtige Personen, aber wären lästig für blinde Personen. Daher sind Kriterien für die Bewusstseinsschaffung zwar ganz nett, aber nicht unbedingt förderlich. Man kann über die vielfältigen Ausprägungen von den unterschiedlichsten Behinderungen keinen universellen Deckel stülpen, so wie es die Kriterien vorgeben.

Grundsätzlich findet der Interviewende die Idee von einem GPT sinnvoll, wenn das System technisch auch funktioniert. Das AMS sei ein sehr gutes Beispiel, denn wenn Angestellte immer wieder dieselben Fragen gestellt bekommen, wieso sollte das nicht ein GPT auf der Website für sie übernehmen. Dort hat man bei der Verwendung vom GPT das Gefühl, man kommuniziert mit jemandem.

Was man aber ganz klar bei der Implementierung eines eigenen GPTs hervorheben sollte ist, dass man keine Lösung für alle User:innengruppen anbietet. Es ist durchaus in Ordnung, plakativ anzumerken, dass dieser eine GPT beispielsweise nur für Menschen funktioniert, die sich schwer beim Lesen tun, oder einen bestimmten Bildungshintergrund haben, oder ein gewisses Verständnis mitbringen. Also die User:innengruppe benennen, für die der GPT funktioniert. Damit ist die Enttäuschung aus dem Weg geräumt, wenn der GPT beispielsweise nur komplexe Inhalte ausgeben kann, aber keine leichte Sprache.

The video “The Dangerous Effects of Instagram on Teens” by The Dr. John Delony Show sheds light on the effects of the social media platform Instagram on teenagers. Dr. John Delony refers to internal research results from Facebook, the parent company of Instagram. These studies show that Facebook is aware of the negative influences and the associated risks. The documented effects range from worsened self-confidence, insecurities and anxiety to body image problems and even suicidal thoughts, as found in a study conducted by Facebook itself. The findings from this research raise questions about the responsibility of social media platforms such as Instagram and emphasize the need for measures to promote a healthier online environment for young people. Dr. John Delony himself calls on parents to ban Instagram and not let their children use this platform. I personally think that banning is not the right way to go, as young adults will then start to become active on the platform from the age when parents no longer have much influence over their teenagers. This would result in them simply being exposed to the problems 3-4 years later. On the one hand, this is of course positive, as the development of the brain and self-confidence has progressed. On the other hand, they are then thrown back in at the deep end and have to learn how to deal with the effects of the platform. My approach is therefore to learn Instagram and to trivialize all those features that have such negative consequences for teenagers. Instagram also has its advantages, which can be seen not least in how many users it now has and how much teenagers enjoy using the app.

Instagram John Delony

While browsing through Spotify in search of podcasts that might fit my topic, I came across a teenage girl called Tilly who tells stories under the podcast name “Ugly”. She talks about different areas of her life, including her interests as well as typical teenage problems and thoughts. She would like to be the person for others that she wished she had 2 years ago. Someone who can relate to her problems and mental health issues. What I find exciting for my work is being able to look a little deeper into the mind of a teenager and understand their world better. It is important for me to understand my target group as good as possible and to be able to shed light on all their needs, wishes, desires, fears and problems. I think that not only simple questionnaires help, but that stories from life can add a lot of quality to the analysis. Podcasts like this may also help me to create suitable questions for interviews, as I already have an insight into the minds of these young people.

Podcast on Spotify

Tilly’s Instagram

Zu meinem Forschungsthema habe ich mich bereits um ein paar Interviews bemüht.  Zwei Interviews waren besonders herausragend.

Das erste Interview führte ich mit einem Frontend Entwickler, der seit über 20 Jahren seine Expertise im Bereich digitaler Barrierefreiheit anbietet. Die einleitenden Fragen zu Grundlagen über digitale Barrierefreiheit dgl. sind konkret und informativ beantwortet worden, aber großartigen Input habe ich dann bei den Fragen zu künstlicher Intelligenz bekommen. Screenreader zählen auch dazu, und da konnte mir der Experte spitzen Einblicke liefern. Er wies zwar auf Unterschiede zwischen all den Screenreadern hin, betont aber, dass es quasi wurscht ist, welchen man für seine Testzwecke während der Entwicklung verwendet. Entscheidend ist, dass man überhaupt und schon früh mit Screenreadern auf Barrierefreiheit während der Entwicklung testet. Denn triviale Fehler sollten alle Screenreader schnell identifizieren können. NVDA sei ein solides Tool dafür und steht kostenlos zum Download bereit. Und mittlerweile hätten sich aber auch die integrierten Tools der Betriebssysteme (Windows, IOS, Android usw.) bewährt.

Superspannend wurde der Dialog später beim Thema „Generative AI“ und der Barrierefreiheit von ChatGPT. Dadurch, dass ein GPT im Wesentlichen ein Chatbot in seiner ursprünglichen Form ist, spukt er quasi puren Text aus. Text ist an sich gut konsumierbar für verschiedene Behinderungsgruppen – er kann wiederum vorgelesen werden, Schrift kann, wenn technisch gut umgesetzt, vergrößert oder verkleinert werden, usw. „Wir wissen, dass blinde Menschen sehr gerne die Suche nutzen, weil warum muss ich mich mit der Hierarchie rumschlagen, wenn ich auch einfach die Suche nutzen kann?“ Dieser Satz war und ist mir sehr, sehr wertvoll für meine Forschung, denn ich hinterfrage in meinem Thema die Sinnhaftigkeit von GPT auf einer Webplattform für motorisch und/oder sehbeeinträchtigte Menschen.