Building Empowered Communities

1. Building Empowered Communities …Building Empowered Communities Presented by NSF Project Team May 14, 2003 This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0210928. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author (s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

2. Presentation Outline • Overview of Fall 2002 semester work • Vision, Mission, and Goals • Research • Design • Development

3. Overview of Fall 2002 • Data collection • Needs assessment • Use cases and role models • Flowcharts • Wire frames

4. ADDIE Model ADDIE

5. Vision, Mission, Goals Vision: Building empowered communities Mission: Create a foundation for a self-sustaining, self-directed learning community that fosters capacity building in underserved communities

6. Vision, Mission, Goals (cont.) Goals: • Prioritize functions of Self Directed Learning Community • Implement functions of Self Directed Learning Community • Document the process of system design (i.e. design document) • Produce a scalable high-fidelity prototype of an online system

7. Vision, Mission, Goals (cont.) Approach: • Open communication • Research a Community of Practice • Participatory Design • Performance Centered Design

8. Research

9. Views of Culture Traditional definition • Stable practices that capture daily life • Passed down through generations • Dynamic & improvisational • Participation in multiple communities • Self-identity in relation to others

10. Views of Culture Modern Definition • Discourse Community • People, ways of thinking, acting, valuing • Funds of Knowledge • Strategic knowledge

11. Implications Implications on Instructional Systems Design • Framework based on majority • Participatory design • Funds of knowledge

12. Capacity Building Characteristics of: • Sense of Community • Commitment from community members • Members participate as stakeholders • Ability to solve problems • Access resources – economic, physical, human, and political (Chaskin)

13. Communities of Practice “Communities of Practice are groups of people who share a concern, a set of problems, or a passion about a topic, and who deepen their knowledge and expertise in this area by interacting on an ongoing basis.” (Wenger, McDermott, & Snyder, 2002, p. 4)

14. Why Communities of Practice • Practical knowledge management • Not limited by physical, geographical boundaries • Creates value to members • “Offers possibilities for weaving the organization around knowledge, connecting people, solving problems, and creating opportunities.” (Wenger et al., 2002)

15. Virtual Communities • Language and artifacts reflect culture • Identity and norms from shared history and behavioral rules • Develop processes that spur participation • Support new organizational roles • Give community members “space” to participate • Flexible ways for communities to describe and find resources • Flexible support to manage growth

16. Participatory Design What is it? • “Participatory design is a set of theories, practices, and studies related to end-users as full participants in activities leading to software and hardware computer products and computer-based activities.” (Schuler & Namioka, 1993) Level of participation • How involved do we want them?

17. Settings Workshops Stories Photographs Drama Games Language Descriptive Artifacts Low Tech Prototypes Evolutional Prototyping and Cooperative Prototyping Participatory Design (cont.)

18. Participatory Design (cont.) Implications: • Improved communication and understanding • Incorporation of new and emergent ideas • Shared ownership • Committed working relations • Achieving consequential goals

19. Usage-Centered Design “What really counts is not the number of clicks it takes me to get to what I want, but rather how hard each click is - the amount of thought required, and the amount of uncertainty about whether I’m making the right choice.” (Krug, 2000, p.41)

20. Visual Design • Look and Feel • Functionality “Creating consistent and functional systems for navigation, graphics, page layout, and title languages so that the user knows where to go, what to do, and it encourages them to return.” (Goto & Cotler, p. 88)

21. Design Process Function Flow

22. Pages Categories Social Negotiation Reference Research Flow Charts Vision, Mission, Goals Needs Assessment Research Participatory Design The Pyramid Process of Design

23. The Pyramid Process of Design Pages Social Negotiation Reference Research Categories Vision, Mission, GoalsNeeds AssessmentResearchParticipatory Design Flow Charts Vision, Mission, Goals Needs Assessment Research

24. Functions Revision Learn Practice Play Communication Create Resources Resource Storage Track Access Resources Interact Communication Create Resources Store Track Access

25. Functions Flow InteractEmailChatDiscussion Board Add Delete Edit TrackSearch Log In Interact Communication Create resources Store Track Access Log In

26. Prioritization • What is critical to the system? • What do we have the time to do? • What do we have the resources to do? • What does the client want/need?

27. The Pyramid Process of Design Pages Categories Social Negotiation Reference Research Flow Charts Flow Charts Vision, Mission, Goals Needs Assessment Research Participatory Design

28. The Pyramid Process of Design Pages Categories Pages Social Negotiation Reference Research Flow Charts Vision, Mission, Goals Needs Assessment Research Participatory Design

29. The Pyramid Process of Design Pages Content Categories Social Negotiation Reference Research Flow Charts Vision, Mission, Goals Needs Assessment Research Participatory Design

30. From the Abstract into the Concrete • Take the functions and make them real • Take the categories and make them real

31. Functions What are users going to do? • Communicate = email, chat, discussion board, email administrator, (email this page), (listserve) • Add/Delete/Modify content • Login to the system • (Interact - learn, practice, play) • (Search)

32. Site Structure • Communicate • Information • Events • Classes

33. Participatory Design • Four client design meetings • Three usability rounds with user role models at the community center • Nomenclature • Structure • Content • Colors and Fonts • One round with the Buckingham Neighborhood Committee

34. Participatory Design Client design meetings • Functions • Prioritization • Structure and nomenclature • Test wireframes

35. Usability Testing - Round OneNomenclature and Structure • Meeting Place = Communicate (email/chat) • Discussion Board = Communicate (discussion board) • Email Administrator = Communicate (email) • Life Skills = Information • What’s Happening = Events • Education = Classes • Lost? = Site Map

36. Usability Testing – Round TwoNomenclature and Structure • Email or Chat = Meeting Place • Information, My World, Keepin’ It Real = Life Skills • Things to Do, Fun, Style = What’s Happening • Classes and School House = Education • Send Suggestion = Email Administrator • Site Map = Site Map

37. Usability Testing - Round ThreeVisual Design/Colors and Fonts • Color palette for adults, kidsand teens • Font selection for kids and teens

38. Visual Design - The Logo • Adults • Kids • Teens

39. Taking the Show on the Road • Demonstration/Test at the Buckingham Neighborhood Committee • Advisor/Provider role models

40. What About BOB? http://itdev.gmu.edu/nsf/index.asp

41. References Goto, K. & Cotler, E. (2002). Web redesign: Workflow that works. Indianapolis: New Riders Publishing. Krug, S. (2000). Don’t make me think! A common sense approach to web usability. Indianapolis: New Riders Publishing. Schuler, D. & Namioka, A. (1993). Participatory design: Principles and practices. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Wenger, E., McDermott, R., & Snyder, W. (2002). Cultivating communities of practice. Massachusetts: Harvard Business School Press.