Transcript 2001 presentation CS.. - University of Melbourne

JUST WHAT DO THE YOUTH OF TODAY WANT?
(TECHNOLOGY APPROPRIATION
BY YOUNG PEOPLE)
Steve Howard and Jennie Carroll (UoM)
John Murphy and Jane Peck (CTP)
Overview of the Programme
Questions:
What do young people want from information
and communication technology?
Why do they adopt some technologies but
reject others?
What roles do mobile technologies play in their
lives as they move from childhood toward the
adult world?
Overview of the Programme
Theoretical perspective
Social constructionism
Research Methodology
Empirical
Situated and non-situated
Outputs so far
Variables heeded during the earliest stages of
technology use
Process of ‘appropriation’
Non-appropriation, appropriation and
disappropriation.
Technology can do
amazing things!
But is it a
‘wise’
purchase?
It can
converge
And…
converge
Toast:
The HumanWeather
Interface
History will
find us
out!
History will find us out!
Overview of the seminar
1 Background
 CoF2000
 CTP and UoM
relationship
 Outcomes
2 CoF 2001
 Methods for Stage 1
and 2
 Rationale
3 Story so far
 Appropriation
 Factors and examples
 Issues and concerns
4 Next steps
 Stage 3
 ARC
1. Background
Customers of the Future 2000
 Identify and understand the hot and emerging issues
confronting today’s youth.
 Identify and exchange ideas on how the needs of
young people are being met by technology.
Customers of the Future 2000
Using a series of panels of respondents in both
Melbourne and Sydney, studied young people and
their attitudes towards the Internet and in particular
studied them purchasing over the Internet.
Discovered aspects such as:
 security and trust of supplier
 communication and feedback
 reliable delivery
 local versus international sites
 strength of branding
 navigation and usability issues
What’s in it for us?
 CTP
 Association with the The University of Melbourne, adding rigour
and kudos, recognition to the program, the findings will be a
useful ‘promotional’ tool for Cambridge.
 UoM
 Grounding in real world practice
 Resource multiplication
 Practitioner expertise
 CTP and UoM
 Following each stage of the study we will be producing press
reports, and academic papers that will be made available to the
public and particularly current or potential clients.
2. Customers of the Future 2001
Customers of the Future 2001
 STAGE 1- CURRENT SITUATION
Completed
Benchmarking
Youth and technology
The role of ICT’s
 STAGE 2- SLIGHTLY CHANGED SITUATION
Ongoing
Appropriation ‘in focus’
 STAGE 3- INVENTING THE FUTURE
Pending
Form and function of next generation ICT’s
Research Methodology
Combination of methods from various disciplines
Focus groups, questionnaires, participant
observation, on-line diaries and scrapbooks
Moving beyond the organisational context
Triangulate young people’s opinions, experiences
and recollections.
Data Collection Techniques
Focus groups
 4 FG’s held, two each in Melbourne and Sydney.
 Participants- access to a mobile phone, regular Internet use
and a personal email address.
 Melbourne- 8 young people of each gender aged 16 to 18 and
10 aged 19 to 22
 Sydney- 8 males aged 16 to 22 and 8 females aged 16 to 22.
 Issues- current use of mobile technologies, how they learned to
use them and how they updated their knowledge of them and
their attitudes to, and perceptions of, these technologies.
 Recollections of their own use of mobile technologies and their
interpretations of use of mobile technologies by individuals and
groups of young people.
Data Collection Techniques
Questionnaires
 Ss completed a questionnaire covering
demographic information
mobile phone access
mobile payment scheme
use of SMS
description of their ‘favourite’ piece of technology.
Data Collection Techniques
Scrap books
 Empty ‘scrapbook’ and a disposable camera with built in flash.
 ‘Paint a picture in your own words and visual associations of mobile
technologies, what they mean to you and how they relate to your
everyday life’.
 Minimum- develop the photographs and place them in the scrapbook
with a caption
 Ideally include pictures cut from magazines, stories and poetry about
technology and anecdotes of mobile technologies and their place in
participants’ lives.
 Aim- provide an alternative way to access the participants’ perceptions
of, understanding of and attitudes to mobile technologies.
 Also sensitised the participants to the role of technology in their lives. A
female participant commented:
 “you can’t live without it, everything relies on technology. Doing the
scrapbook made me realise how important technology is.”
Data Collection Techniques
Participant observation/Contextual Enquiry
 Participant observation allowed in-depth observation of
natural settings over time
 But- intermittent or difficult-to-observe phenomena (hence
e.g. Focus Groups)
 Six participants were observed in different activities (leisure,
social and educational) and in different contexts.
 Researcher participated as an outsider in the activities,
asking questions to clarify the participants’ actions and
motives (see also Holtzblatt and Beyer 1993).
 Outcome is the researcher’s interpretation of the use and role
of mobile technologies in the lives of the young people.
Data Collection Techniques
Online diaries
 Participants completed an online diary of their use of
mobile technologies for two days of the week for three
weeks.
 Provide a ‘factual’ record of participants’ use of mobile
technologies including the time, place and description of
the use.
 Complemented observation
use of mobile technologies was irregular
occurred at times where observation was not feasible
Affected by ‘communication gaps’ resulting from
differences in the age and culture of the young people
and the researcher may occur (de Laine 1997).
Data Collection Techniques
 After 9 weeks
 Second focus group
 Returned scrapbooks and explained the contents to
the researchers and the rest of their group.
 The diaries and observation, along with the findings
from the first focus group and the scrapbooks, were
used as inputs to trigger discussion in the second
group.
Objectives of Stage 1- Current
Situation
 To gain an understanding of how ICT’s fit into the
lives of today’s youth (16 to 22year olds) .
 What changes have they brought about in the lives of
today’s youth?
 How do they use them?
 What are their attitudes towards and perceptions of
Information and Communication Technologies?
Objectives of Stage 2- Slightly
Changed Situation
 Appropriation ‘in focus’
 Short term changes
 How and what do they use?
 What are their attitudes towards WAP phones and
capabilities
Objectives of Stage 2- Slightly
Changed Situation
 Internet enabled phone to use for 1 month.
 Donated by Kyocera, a new company trying to
establish themselves on the Australian market.
 We will cover questions of particular interest to them,
in the use of the phones. The airtime is being given
by Telstra
Objectives of Stage 2- Slightly
Changed Situation
 Focus Groups
 Hand out the phones
 Record the initial discovery process using verbal
protocol methods
 Record the initial expectations
 Participant observation
 Diaries- using their itemised phone bills to study
‘outgoing’ use
 Expert Panel – brainstorming session- to see Stage 3
3. The Story so Far
 Appropriation
 Factors and examples
 Issues and concerns
Focus on appropriation
Very early, it became clear that young people
use ICTs for more than information gathering
and communication
We proposed a model of technology
appropriation:
Young people take possession of a
technology and shape its use to their own
purposes and needs
Process of
appropriation
Technology
-as-designed
Technology
-in-use
Appropriation: transforming
technology
 Technology-as-designed
 Technology as designed, developed and
delivered to the market and users
 Technology-in-use
 Stabilised technology, embedded in young
people’s everyday lives
 Process of Appropriation
 The process of trying out a technology, adapting
or shaping it to the individual’s or group’s needs
and then incorporating it as a routine part of their
lives
Three possible options
We conjectured that, faced with a new technology, a
user may take one of three options:
 A lack of interest and thus Non-appropriation
occurs.
Alternatively, users may perceive interesting possibilities
and so they enter a Process of Appropriation where
the technology is explored, evaluated and either:
 Rejected and thus Disappropriation occurs
or
 Adopted and thus Appropriation occurs.
Disappropriation
Non-appropriation
Process of
appropriation
Appropriation
Technology
-as-designed
Technology
-in-use
Our observations (1)
Some initial evaluation or filtering
incremental refinement or frame-breaking
innovation?
our stuff or their stuff?
attractors
Decide to ‘play’ with the technology
explore, evaluate, adapt or reject
=> appropriation or disappropriation criteria
Appropriation and
disappropriation criteria
Disappropriation
Nonappropriation
Process of
appropriation
Appropriation
Filter
Attractors
Technology
-as-designed
Technology
-in-use
Our observations (2)
Use over time may lead to persistent or routine
use:
As a result, the technology is embedded in
young people’s everyday lives
This embedding may be conditional and require
ongoing reinforcement
Change in reinforcers or the introduction of new
technologies that support young people’s lives
more closely may result in disappropriation.
Appropriation and
disappropriation criteria
Disappropriation
Nonappropriation
Process of
appropriation
Reinforcers
Appropriation
Filter
Attractors
Technology
-as-designed
Technology
-in-use
Our observations (3)
The dynamics of different social, cultural,
national and gender groups may result in
different processes of appropriation
Therefore, multiple technologies-in-use may be
observed
Appropriation and
disappropriation criteria
Disappropriation
Nonappropriation
Process of
appropriation
Reinforcers
Appropriation
Filter
Attractors
Technology
-as-designed
Technology
-in-use
Factors and examples
Studying young people’s actions in context:
qualitative data was used to build theory
Themes emerged from the data over time –
the analysis is ongoing.
Issues or factors that influence each step of
young people’s appropriation of technology
were noted
Attractors
Lifestyle rather than task-driven decisions
 Convenience: “I like to speak to anyone else at any
particular time I choose to”
Mobiles are “convenient, easy to use and versatile”
 Usefulness: “My mobile is my life, I would be lost
without it. It is very convenient and useful”
“Mobiles are a necessity, not just for kids but for
everyone.”
 Fashion/style: “You want something that looks good.”
“I don’t want to be seen with a crap phone.”
Attractors (2)
 Adaptability: can be tailored to the individual’s or
group’s needs e.g. ring tones
 Familiarity: incremental or radical change
 ‘Our stuff’: mobiles, chat, SMS.
Parents are scared of new technology but “we’ve
used it since we were little.”
“They ask ‘What do I do next?’ As soon as they’re
alone with it, you just know that they’re going to
stuff it up.”
“We are not scared to make mistakes.”
Appropriation criteria
 Social management: “Meet here.” “It is the only way
to contact friends.”
“A mobile phone builds friendships because you can
talk to them more… It’s more personal because it is
you being called not your home.”
 Lifestyle organiser:
“It’s my diary, I store everything in my phone.”
“I store all my numbers, reminders there and so it
has become easier to make plans”
 Critical mass:
“Everyone has one [a mobile phone].”
It is “a pre-requisite for a social life.”
Appropriation criteria (2)
 Leisure: “It eases my boredom – waiting for someone
all by myself, so I can pull out my phone.”
“You just ring people if you want to talk, really bored
and want something to do, get off the TV and talk to
people.”
 Safety and security: “My mobile … makes me feel
more secure when I’m out, so I know if I get lost or
in trouble I can call for help.”
“My Mum gets paranoid so I have to ring her when
I’m there.”
“24X7 access.. It is important to have that security.”
 Contact: “I use my phone .. To contact many people
for work, business, leisure etc.” “Dad, come and pick
me up.”
Ode to mobile phones
Oh, mobile phone,
I am all alone,
Where are you?
Disappropriation criteria
Negative perceptions do not appear to affect young people’s use of
ICTs: “You get used to the problems of technology – you work
around them.”
 Hidden cost: “You don’t realise how much SMS costs. You think
it’s only 20 cents a message but it does cost a lot of money
eventually.” “It’s addictive, like drugs”
 Health: “The health implications of using a mobile phone every
single day. If you use it too much, you’re exposed to radiation.”
[Does it affect your use?]
“Yeh… It tries, but I can’t, I just talk too much. I should get off
because I keep thinking that my ear’s getting warm but then,
my conversation is too important.”
 Reception: poor reception and problems with plans.
 Difficulty of learning: “It’s easy, once you get the hang of it.”
Many participants taught parents and grandparents how to use
ICTs.
 Usability: size of buttons for SMS
Higher-order reinforcers
Pervasive use may be conditional on ongoing
reinforcement:
 Identity and a sense of belonging:
“I feel kind of naked without my phone.”
“It gives you an identity: this is who I am, this is my number.”
 Power over parents, teachers and other young people
“My Mum calls when I’m out drinking. Let it go and SMS her.”
“If you’re bored in class then you SMS across the room: “I’m
really bored’.”
“People you don’t like, you can have a certain ring tone so you
know as soon as it rings that you don’t want to answer it.”
 Cohesion in the face of fragmentation:
 distinct work, educational, social & personal groups
Nonappropriation
Appropriation criteria
Disappropriation criteria
•contact
•social management
•critical mass
•safety & security
•leisure
•hidden cost
•health
•reception
•ease of learning
•usability
Disappropriation
Process of
appropriation
Filter
Technology
-as-designed
Reinforcers
•identity
•power
•cohesion
Appropriation
Attractors/
repellants
•cost
•convenience
•usefulness
•fashion/style
•adaptability
•familiarity
•‘our stuff’
Technology
-in-use
Issues & concerns
 Not a ‘stages’ model:
We are not proposing a linear or pre-determined
path from initial familiarity to persistent use
 Described conceptually as:
making initial acquaintance with the technology
playing and exploring and then evaluating
(deciding to use or not)
persistent use
Issues & concerns (2)
Weighting of, and interaction between, the
influences is poorly understood
Understanding can only be induced from field
work as there are disparities between stated
priorities, post hoc recollections and actual
practices
Appropriation: an outcome of the interplay
between technology, needs and context
Context: group settings and scattered
spaces in which young people’s
personal, social, educational
& work activities take
place
Appropriation
Technology:
affords & constrains
young people’s actions
Needs:
young people’s needs and
desires within given
constraints or resources
Issues & concerns (3)
influences of personal and group priorities,
contextual factors, available resources
in particular, the overwhelming influence of
the group:
herd instinct or peer group pressure
critical mass
fashion, style, visible sign of belonging to a
desired social group
4. Next Steps
Next Steps- Stage 3
 Highly innovative ICTs cannot be treated simply as
incremental improvements over existing products.
 Proceed by ‘envisioning’ the use of the proposed
product and examining hypothetical interactions
with potential or surrogate users
 That envisionment can be seeded by stages 1 and 2
 In stage 3 we explore the use of ‘scenarios’ for
envisioning innovative ICTs.
Next Steps- Stage 3
 Scenarios written at three levels of abstraction:
 Higher order reinforces
Attractors/Repellents, Appropriation Criteria
Instances of…
 ‘Acted out’ by young people and others
 Analysed for:
 Issues and concerns
 ‘Work’ patterns, individual and social
 Desires
 Opportunities and consequences
Next Steps- Stage 3
Scenario 3. WAP Phone Solution
Factors: Level 2: Social Management. Level 3: Fragmentation.
Purpose: As a developer I want to understand the functionality requirements for social
management and the impact they have on the user’s experience of fragmentation.
Francesca has a chest infection and is on her way to her GP. Its 4pm on Friday afternoon. So
she does not spend too much time at the surgery, she reviews her position in the queue
using her WAP phone, which downloads in real time the current status of the waiting
room. She’s next to be seen. She should be at work at the moment, but having updated
the calendar program in her WAP phone, the device sends a note to her boss indicating
she will not be in and giving reasons why. This will also register on her time card and be
reflected in her pay at the end of the fortnight. She is due to join friends tonight at the
Pink Dragon, but now is not sure she’ll get there on time. Her Friday night friendship
group broadcast their movements to a WAP list so she’ll be able to catch them later,
wherever they are. One of her friends is expecting her to bring along a copy of her Uni
assignment, which she was to collect from Uni this afternoon but she did not manage to
get to Uni. Using her WAP phone, she logs on to the Uni server and directs a copy of the
assignment to her friend’s email address. Her mother calls to discuss last night’s 4am
homecoming but Francesca has blocked calls from her mother’s phone for the day,
expecting to be given a hard time.
Next Steps- Stage 3
Development
Process
Analyse
Technology in use
Persistent Use
Requirements
Reinforcers
Develop
Deliver
Task Artefact Cycle
Technology
as designed
Possibilities
Not appropriated
Appropriation
Criteria
Attractors
Disappropriated
Appropriation Process
Thanks for listening