Open Studio Outreach
Nokia engaged shanty town residents in three countries through a design competition meant
to get residents to articulate their needs and aspirations about the role of mobile technology
in their daily lives.
T
he Open Studio was part of a broader The submissions highlighted that innova- the world, highlighting the desire to feel
study that explored the impact of mo- tion in the context of these communities is connected and be aware of outside world
bile connectivity within the context of not about the newness of technology but while his life was in reality contained in the
global urbanization. relevance to the individual’s needs, usage refugee settlement with limited mobility.
The three communities chosen were contexts and adaptability. Entrants ranged in age from 18-64, with
Dharavi (Mumbai, India), Favela Jacarezihno Inspired designs reflected what the en- the majority below 30. The gender balance
(Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) and Camp Buduburam trant felt important on a personal level. Pen- was heavily skewed towards males (12
(Accra, Ghana) - communities that share shaped phones created in Dharavi represent- percent females in Buduburam, 21 percent
common characteristics, including their ed the need for literacy, while foot shaped in Dharavi and 41 percent in Jacarezihno),
limited infrastructure and lack of official rec- phones in Buduburam symbolized progress which reflects of the role of women in these
ognition or land rights. and development. Functional improvements societies.
The process of Nokia Open Studio in to mobile phones were proposed as solu- Generating ideas that could be used
each location took about one month and tions to local issues, such as the need for so- directly in Nokia’s new products was not
attracted over 200 entries in total. Par- lar charging, as community residents suffer the main aim of the Open Studio. Rather, it
ticipants were interviewed following their from electricity shortage, and an emergency presented a new way to engage residents in
submissions in order to better understand alarm in case of an outbreak of violence. In order to better understand the local culture,
the motivations for the designs and how Buduburam, one entrant proposed a world complementing other ethnographic research
their designs would apply to their daily life. phone showing what is happening around methods. ■
16 Expanding Horizons 3/2008
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