Bespoke: 4 design research projects that were tested in-situ during the RCUK Digital Economy 'Bespoke' project

Bespoke was a Digital Economy RCUK funded project (Ref: EP/HOO7296/1) involving an interdisciplinary collaboration between 5 Universities: Falmouth, Dundee, Surrey, Newcastle and Central Lancashire. The research addressed whether citizen journalism can be used as a tool for designers to gain insights into communities, so aiding the creation of appropriate design responses. Bespoke was benchmarked against established design ethnography techniques to establish a new methodological frame; ‘Insight Journalism.’, A series of digitally enabled physical objects were designed using, and subsequently embody, ‘Insight Journalism.’ In promoting inclusivity the objects feature simple tangible interfaces toward digital content and capability. Inclusive interfacing is prominent in Marshall’s RFID empowered ‘Talking memory box’ which allows people to record and filter the retrieval of stories accessed through physical objects, and networked ‘Viewpoint’ voting machines, which allow communities to vote on local issues and view both the results and relevant information., Significance beyond the fields of user/community centred design research can be recognised in an area of HCI research concerned with ways new forms of analogue interface can provide inclusive, engaging, simple and context-appropriate access to digital content or services. These objects contribute to a growing area of research on the 'Internet of Things.’, The design responses and a 64-page large format report/newspaper (co-edited by Marshall) were exhibited at the Victoria and Albert Museum as part of London Design Festival 2011 with a project presentation at the Hochauser Auditorium (V&A). The design responses have also been exhibited as part of ‘On our doorstep: local design activism’ at 100% design, as part of London Design Festival, 2012, Unbox Festival, New Delhi, 2013, and The Mozilla Festival, London 2013.