The document describes the Satin project which aimed to create a participative toolkit and open platform for designing, sharing, and selling mobile applications. The design group focused on developing the user interface between users and the Satin platform. User testing found that while users could construct app functionalities, they struggled to see advantages over existing apps and could not come up with tailored solutions. The document concludes that the current infrastructure has limits in supporting collaborative design tools, and that new foundations are needed based on contextualized, situated information generation to achieve user centeredness.

1. NEW PARTICIPATIVE TOOLS
REQUIRE NEW FOUNDATIONS
Lorenzo Davoli
Umeå Institute of Design, Umeå, Sweden
lorenzo.davoli@dh.umu.se
Christoffel Kuenen
Umeå Institute of Design, Umeå, Sweden
christoffel.kuenen@dh.umu.se

2. www.satinproject.se

3. PROJECT DECRIPTION
PROJECT GOALS:
• Toolkit and open collaborative platform to enable users and
companies to design, share and sell mobile applications or part
of them.
• API aggregator / Internet of Things (IOT)
infrastructure and interface
PROJECT TEAMS:
• Management, Business, Core Tech and Design.
• We present the project from the prospective and work
of the design group.

4. PROJECT DECRIPTION
TASK:
• The goal for the design group is to develop the touch point
between the users an the Satin Platform (UI)
• Focus on the language used to construct functionalities:
“How to enable lay person to program?”
• Make sense not teach how to program

5. PROJECT DECRIPTION
SATIN EDITOR STRUCUTURE:
<
>
Backend compiler Mark Up Language Frontend editor
UI

6. PROJECT DECRIPTION
PROCESS:
• User Centered approach
• Different interaction styles prototyped and
tested
• Low Fi - Hi fi prototypes testing to what
extent people could create functionalities
with these interfaces.
• Detailed account of the user centered
process and different versions of the
prototypes developed > see paper

7. EDITOR
satin.bnearit.se

8. USER TEST RESULTS
UI DESIGN / HOW TO MAKE =
• We met the goal of creating a visual language with which
people could construct functionalities and aggregate
different data sources.
• When asked “what did you do?” users were able to say:
“I made an app to monitor and control my energy
consumption remotely and share my result with friends”

9. USER TEST RESULTS
SATIN PLATFORM / WHY TO MAKE
• Users unable to see advantages in crafting and co-creating
their apps vs. buy/download existing ones provided by a
company or an expert programmer.
• People found difficult to project themselves in a scenario
where information is retrievable from any artifact or web
service at any time.
• Users not able to come out with tailored solutions

10. REFLECTIONS
FROM: ABSTRACT TO CONCRETE
TO: CONCRETE TO ABSTRACT

11. REFLECTIONS
Mismatch between concepts and foundations behind the Satin project
and the foundations required by its deliverables:
WORK PRACTICES INFORMATION FORMAT
Innovative disruptive intentions vs. Available information is top down impersonal,
established frameworks and practice anytime, anywhere
i.e. cognitivist approach

12. CONCLUSIONS
LIMITS OF CURRENT INFRASTRUCUTURES
In supporting design of collaborative tools and user innovation
PEOPLE EXPERIENCE INDIRECT NEED OF TOOL
FOCUS ON CONTENT GENERATION/CURATION:
contextualized and situated Information as a way to achieve meaning creation
and user centeredness
NEW FOUNDATIONS AND WORK PRACTICES:
holistic stance based on day-to-day experience

13. THANK YOU.
Lorenzo Davoli
Umeå Institute of Design, Umeå, Sweden
lorenzo.davoli@dh.umu.se
Christoffel Kuenen
Umeå Institute of Design, Umeå, Sweden
christoffel.kuenen@dh.umu.se