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home / programmes / research associates / 2003 / wandervogel
Indri Tulusan / Interaction Design
wandervogel:
involving the local community in on-street digital networks
click for larger image
Interactive digital information points and wireless networks are now appearing on the streets of major cities around the UK. In London, for example, the i-plus network is growing to serve a diverse range of needs.
But how relevant are these on-street digital networks to urban communities? What is the level of engagement with users? And what are the opportunities for this new technology to involve local people in generating content rather than just receiving information?
These questions formed the basis of a research project set up between Cityspace, the technology company which runs the i-plus network, and the Department of Interaction Design at the Royal College of Art.
The study was led by Helen Hamlyn Research Associate Indri Tulusan, who graduated in product design from the RCA in 2001. She explains: "Much digital content streamed to digital terminals on the street is faceless, authoritative information that doesn't really connect with local people. I looked at ways to create a technology infrastructure based on a social event or cultural experience rather than engineering design."
Street scenes
Tulusan drew widely on user observation, expert interviews and a rich mosaic of street scenes in developing countries to explore new forms of public interaction. The project started to challenge not just the content streamed into the i-plus network but the location and form of the terminals themselves.
A picture emerged of a more fluid and personal model of human interaction with technology, designed to fit more closely with the 'flocking patterns' of urban street life. Tulusan termed the approach 'wandervogel' - the German word for migrating or wanderbird. This strategy was then expanded into a series of design concepts for wireless i-plus services in which people - not terminals - are at the centre of the infrastructure. Ideas included a pedal-powered rickshaw, a wi-fi van or taxi, a Bluetooth pram and a webpacker walking around with a wireless web pad on a 'stop-me-and-buy-one' principle.
The webpacker concept was explored further in a ten-day trial conducted in the Angel district of Islington, north London, in August. Entitled 'Culture Cloud', the pilot simulated a new way to facilitate digital interaction on the street while enhancing existing social structures.
Two webpackers toured the Upper Street area inviting local user participation. Market stall holders, local businesses and private residents were asked to contribute thoughts and impressions by hosting a 'houseblog' - a kind of online diary - as part of a concerted drive to create a digital map of Angel.
New form of interaction
Cityspace wrote the first version of a new software application to facilitate a new form of social interaction with i-plus services and the pilot will now be evaluated with a view to further development.
"The study has demonstrated in a novel way how public wireless technology can provide a medium to encourage interaction between local people and their locality," says Julian Blom, Cityspace director of interactive services. "Then to build a useful information source - unique to the local community - which can be used by visitors, residents and digital service providers alike."
research partner: Cityspace