Introduction
Videostrates is a project focused on using user-generated video in libraries to support knowledge creation activities among citizens.
The project focus on collaborative tools and explores the potential of collaboration between librarians and library patrons. Data was gathered from libraries of Denmark, Sweeden and France in order to brainstorm and identify potential uses of user-generated videos in the library space.
Problem
Making and sharing videos is seen as a difficult and time consuming task. Users need to have the right equipment and basic knowledge to record and edit videos in order to share it. My role was to discover in which ways the technology could be used to facilitate this process and increase accessibility to events in the library space.
Research
In order to create an experience that could benefit from the technology being built, I had to understand the challenges of using video in the library space. I conducted Interviews with librarians to understand their relationship and interaction to video related technologies and the challenges they have to face with it. Interviews were also made with developers, to understand the limitations and the potentials of the technology. Together with interviews, data collected from previous research was analysed in order to identify and brainstorm potential use cases for Videostrates inside library spaces.
The research was collapsed into an article published in the CHI conference 2019.
Co-imagining the future of collaboration in library spaces
In order to give developers an understanding of how the technology could impact collaboration in the library, I created storyboards to evaluate ideas to three different scenarios in order to advance to a new iteration. The feedback was done by using the storyboards as conversation starters to spark their imagination and co-imagine how the technology could positively impact the library and increase accessibility to the services offered in the space.
Results
By showing the storyboards of the scenarios librarians became excited about how this technology could impact their space and engage patrons in the library services. Both librarians and developers became more engaged and motivated to build and implement a technology that they actively participated in designing.
Designing interfaces for collaboration
By understanding the scenarios in which user-generated videos could be used in the library, I could brainstorm and design new interfaces that can facilitate a more collaborative way to edit the content created. In the case of Videostrates, the service was being created to help synchronous collaboration through the application. The interface ideas I have created for this project was then sent to the designers working with the full application, in order to create consistency with the design of the full aplication. Videostrates is a video focused part of the tool implementing digital services in the library space. In order to test the interfaces, I have created paper prototypes, which were then tested with stakeholders to understand how they understand collaboration in this setting and the challenges the technology will have to deal with in the future.
Learnings
– Be close to your developers
This project was focused on technology innovation. Throughout the research, there was a small team of developers in which I have involved in brainstorming sessions and interviews. My role here was as a brigde between developers and users. By sharing the results to both parts, they became more engaged and open to implement the necessary features and services.
– Participatory methodology
By inviting stakeholders to co-imagine the technology with me I could explore how the application could positively impact their lives and the challenges they had to face. This methodology creates an environment more open to implement innovative application and motivate change of behaviour in the space.
