2022
Significant challenges of our time, such as climate change, require new ideas and technologies to address them at a societal level. Data donations can give researchers and inovators insight into our everyday lives, to power meaningful change. Various scandals surrounding data collection have increased public scepticism and fear. This project looks at this topic and examines what conditions need to be in place to increase the motivation to donate data for the good of society and the planet.
My bachelor thesis was based on the pilot project “Data Donation for Public Benefit”, in which the Stiftung Risiko Dialog, the University of Zurich, the City Development of Zurich, the POSMO Genossenschaft and the ZHdK were involved.
The goal of the project was to motivate the population to donate their mobility data anonymously and ethically for non-profit solutions. Cities all over the world are faced with the challenge of coping with climate change and the shortage of space per inhabitant. This poses the question of how mobility and urban spaces should look in the future.
But how do you get people to voluntarily donate movement data that is sensitive under data protection law in times of regular data protection scandals? I pursued this question in the course of my diploma project, which was an investigation on various levels and I did not see a finished app as a goal, but more as an element for communicating my research.
Nationwide mailing to existing customers and potential new customers to introduce and explain Swisscom’s new “inOne” subscription package (According to action-triggering design principles)
Design proposal for a mobile website of Swisscom for the introduction of the new subscription package “inOne”. It then served as a template for new websites and as a redesign of the new design world of the subscription package (according to action-triggering design principles).
Advertisement in the Coop newspaper as part of a nationwide two-week partner promotion “Discount Weeks” by Beiersdorf and Coop. With additional elements such as cross-stoppers, toppers, posters, tension flags, etc.. The aim was to increase purchases and drive traffic to the point of sale (according to action-triggering design principles).
“Action-triggering design means having control over the viewer’s gaze pattern.
Control can be gained by knowing the reading pattern of a viewer. This has three stages: (1). Looking, (2) Skimming: jumping from stimulus to stimulus and (3) Diving into the ‘semantic morsels’; only the latter contain the information it needs to raise the readiness to act.
The craft of action-triggering design is to know the stimuli and their impact, to dose and place them correctly to take the reader from stage to stage until they respond.
One indicator of good action-triggering design is the length of time the viewer stays: a high length of stay is a condition for success – not a sufficient one but a necessary one.”
Dr. Marc Rutschmann, 13 December 2015
Studies on donor behaviour have shown that it only functions if the donor can expect not to be taken advantage of. Donations are therefore based on trust and this can be established through the representation and involvement of a cooperation partner, in this case the City of Zurich. Studies from Switzerland, among others by my cooperation partner Stiftung Risiko Dialog, have just shown that the state – also in the Corona pandemic – enjoys great trust. With the legal form of the cooperative as data owner, trust can be fostered through co-determination over the use of the data.
Based on further research and the study of psychological theories in the field of motivation, prosocial behaviour, psychological distance and abstraction, among others, I believe it is important to involve the population to avoid defensiveness and motivate them to act. To this purpose, a reciprocal relationship could be created between data users, i.e. the city of Zurich, and data donors, i.e. the population, so that the population gets in return something in the form of smaller projects that it finances and implements if needed.
In a participation process of the city of Zurich (2022), it has been shown that the population wants, among other things, co-decision rights and the promotion of citizen-initiated projects with regard to urban planning and climate change. This requires new decision-making processes and engagement.
The app would give data donors the opportunity to support specific projects for a certain period of time in return for their data. One such project could be upgrading the neighborhood with better or new bike lanes, trees, playgrounds, parks, a bike repair/wash, bike racks, etc. The bigger the project would be, the more data would have to be donated over a longer period of time. This couldalso be used to motivate the population itself to donate data. There would also be smaller projects with a short donation period, which could then be implemented quickly. In this way, the results are visible more quickly, which increases the willingness of users to use data donation via the platform in the longer term.
It should also be possible to initiate projects oneself in order to let the population become part of the whole, thus increasing motivation and acceptance and reducing reactance.
An other aspect of benefit for the data donor is the visualisation of their own data, which can bring benefit through reflection. The app would not require behaviour change, but self-reflection can have a climate-positive effect by showing users how they are moving. A CO2 and calorie counter could encourage users to choose a sustainable form of mobility. This data could also be compared with others, e.g. by showing what the average citizen consumes in emissions or which mode of transport they use most.
Significant challenges of our time, such as climate change, require new ideas and technologies to address them at a societal level. Data donations can give researchers and inovators insight into our everyday lives, to power meaningful change. Various scandals surrounding data collection have increased public scepticism and fear. This project looks at this topic and examines what conditions need to be in place to increase the motivation to donate data for the good of society and the planet.
My bachelor thesis was based on the pilot project “Data Donation for Public Benefit”, in which the Stiftung Risiko Dialog, the University of Zurich, the City Development of Zurich, the POSMO Genossenschaft and the ZHdK were involved.
The goal of the project was to motivate the population to donate their mobility data anonymously and ethically for non-profit solutions. Cities all over the world are faced with the challenge of coping with climate change and the shortage of space per inhabitant. This poses the question of how mobility and urban spaces should look in the future.
But how do you get people to voluntarily donate movement data that is sensitive under data protection law in times of regular data protection scandals? I pursued this question in the course of my diploma project, which was an investigation on various levels and I did not see a finished app as a goal, but more as an element for communicating my research.
We propose a national early warning system, as Switzerland does not have a national early warning network and therefore there is no structured integration of all information, which can lead to potential friction between the different experts and policy makers. Until now, Switzerland has relied on WHO warnings and must first apply for access to the EU's electronic warning system.
To facilitate a rapid response in various crises, it is crucial to consider and define essential app functions in advance. By anticipating potential crises, important features can be pre-developed and made available to users as updates when needed. Expert groups from crisis-specific task forces can select the relevant functions, enabling a modular system for rapid crisis response.
The “SWISSUE” service encompasses various features and functionalities to address the challenges faced during a crisis like the global pandemic Covid-19:
Personal Assistance:
The service provides personal assistance that guides individuals who come in contact with the virus, offering support and easing their experience through the crisis. This includes assistant chats and the collection of relevant survey responses.
Data Gathering:
The app retrieves statistics related to the crisis, provides access to relevant articles and information, and tracks user engagement with assistant chats. This data helps in understanding user needs and preferences, identifying popular features, and improving the overall user experience.
Check-In Data:
Users can anonymously check-in at different venues, providing valuable data on available places, popular locations, and potential infection foci. This information aids in monitoring crowd density, identifying high-risk areas, and facilitating targeted measures to mitigate the spread of the virus.
Student: Daniela Spühler
Mentors: Jürgen Späth, Paulina Zybinska
Interaction Design, ZHdK
Module: Bachelor Diploma Thesis
Year: 2022
Semester: 6th
Collaboration Partner: Stiftung Risiko Dialog
Awards: Nominated for SDA Bachelor Award 2022
The interactive Poster was exhibited during the Christmas season in the storefront of the renowned Art Publisher House Nieves. It is based on the anagram of Kreation – Reaktion (Creation – Reaction). Passersby are surprised by a shadow effect that follows them as they recognize themselves as a reflection on the screen. The colorful strokes evoke hand-drawn artworks. Through the reaction of the pedestrians, they create their own poster, shaping it with their unique responses and interactions.
Student: Daniela Spühler
Mentors: Luke Franzke,
Rebecca Morganti-Pfaffhauser
Interaction Design, ZHdK
Module: Graphic Design Basic
Course Duration: 2 Weeks
Year: 2019
Semester: 1st
Tools: Processing, Adobe Illustrator
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