The paper describes the methodology and process of an ongoing research project,
conducted by Studio TAO and Tongji University with Nokia, to demonstrate how
c
digital communication devices can help bridge the social gap between rural and
urban China. Rapid growth, substantial socio-economic changes, and massive
migration from the countryside to the urban areas, are creating an imbalance in
the urban-rural system. No visible value is given to activities and resources related
to the countryside. Young people move to urban areas to find a job to economically
sustain their families; social fabric is weakening and traditional practices and
local skills are disappearing. DESIGN Harvest explores ways to connect rural
areas with the city to enhance the exchange of resources. This approach is being
prototyped in the context of Chongming Island, near Shanghai. The proximity of
the island to the city, and the way it has maintained its rural identity, despite
Shanghai's fast pace of growth, makes it ideal for researching the relationship
between the two realities. Together with Nokia, we started researching how
communication devices can help enhance connections through prototypes, models
of interaction and service systems. In the initial phase we combined desk-based
research and ethnography to understand users. A set of tools and practices were
designed and tested for immersive exploration and to define user characteristics
for the later developed scenarios and concept generation phase. The need of a
specific methodology is due to the user group's peculiar profile, and no previous
specific study. Language based problems and semantic bias were also encountered.
The paper explains the methodology and the design guidelines for the concept
generation phase. Finally,design proposals are presented. Although these
proposals are the result of extensive research in the Shanghai/Chongming context,
modular and exportable design characteristics will be clarified, for possible
adoption in different contexts.
DRS 2012 Bangkok
