Leveraging the power of creative crowds for innovative brands: the eYeka crowdsourcing initiatives

The thesis tried to move beyond the Crowdsourcing phenomenon intended as a mere micro-task production outlining key features of the main typologies of contest which a firm could select in pursuing this Business Model. The dissertation thus advice companies on what kind of contests format is more suitable to be implemented in order to reach the desired objective, by tailoring not only challenges but also incentive mechanisms to engage the right crowd even in terms of motivational aspectsope

Human Behavior Experimentation and Participation in Scientific Activities in the Wild

La cooperació és un dels trets del comportament que defineixen els éssers humans, però, encara estem tractant de comprendre per què els humans cooperem. Els experiments conductuals estan dissenyats per donar llum sobre els mecanismes de cooperació i altres trets del comportament. Aquesta dissertació es centra en avançar en el camp de l'experimentació conductual utilitzant les pràctiques de ciència ciutadana, i es divideix en dos blocs. En el primer, presentem dues plataformes, una que permet estudiar com promoure el pensament científic i la participació científica, i l'altra que permet estudiar els trets del comportament humà amb un conjunt de jocs de comportament. Les dues plataformes estàn dissenyades per ajudar a crear experiments en el camp i per fomentar la participació en el marc de la ciència ciutadana. En el segon bloc avaluem les plataformes a través d'un conjunt d'experiments, i analitzem l'existència de patrons de comportament. Primer, vam estudiar la solidesa de la plataforma observant si sorgeixen estratègies iguals en rèpliques del mateix experiment realitzat amb diferents mostres de població. En el segon experiment, analitzem els patrons de comportament que emergeixen quan els participants s'enfronten a un conjunt de dilemes socials. Els dos últims experiments són "collective-risk dilemmas" sobre el canvi climàtic. En un, estudiem com les desigualtats de recursos generen comportaments injustos. L'altre es porta a terme dins d'un ecosistema concret per estudiar les tensions que hi ha entre els diferents actors del col·lectiu. Tenint en compte els resultats dels experiments, podem entendre com ens comportem quan enfrontem dilemes socials i, en conseqüència, avaluar els trets de comportament i l'aparició de patrons de comportament. Els dissenys, els resultats i la metodologia d'anàlisi presentats en aquest treball ajudaran a establir les bases per a futurs experiments de comportament al camp.La cooperación es uno de los rasgos de comportamiento que definen a los seres humanos, sin embargo, todavía estamos tratando de comprender por qué los humanos cooperamos. Los experimentos conductuales están diseñados para arrojar luz sobre los mecanismos de cooperación y otros rasgos de comportamiento. Esta disertación se centra en avanzar en el campo de la experimentación conductual utilizando las prácticas de ciencia ciudadana, y se divide en dos bloques. En el primero, presentamos dos plataformas, una que permite estudiar cómo promover el pensamiento científico y la participación científica, y otra para estudiar los rasgos del comportamiento humano con un conjunto de juegos de comportamiento. Ambas plataformas están diseñadas para ayudar a crear experimentos en el campo y para fomentar la participación en el marco de la ciencia ciudadana. En el segundo bloque evaluamos las plataformas a través de un conjunto de experimentos, y analizamos la existencia de patrones de comportamiento. Primero, estudiamos la solidez de la plataforma al observar si surgen estrategias iguales en réplicas del mismo experimento realizado con diferentes muestras de población. En el segundo experimento, analizamos los patrones de comportamiento que emergen cuando los participantes enfrentan un conjunto de dilemas sociales. Los dos últimos experimentos son "collective-risk dilemmas" sobre el cambio climático. En uno, estudiamos cómo las desigualdades de recursos generan comportamientos injustos. El otro se lleva a cabo dentro de un ecosistema concreto para estudiar las tensiones que existen entre los diferentes actores del colectivo. Teniendo en cuenta los resultados de los experimentos, podemos entender cómo nos comportamos cuando enfrentamos dilemas sociales y, en consecuencia, evaluar los rasgos de comportamiento y la aparición de patrones de comportamiento. Los diseños, los resultados y la metodología de análisis presentados en este trabajo ayudarán a establecer las bases para futuros experimentos de comportamiento en el campo.Cooperation is one of the behavioral traits that define human beings, however we are still trying to understand why humans cooperate. Behavioral experiments are designed to shed light into the mechanisms behind cooperation -- and other behavioral traits. This dissertation is focused on advancing the field of behavioral experimentation using experiments based on citizen science, and it is divided in two blocks. In the first, we present two platforms, one to understand how it can serve as a catalyst to promote of scientific thinking and engage in science, and another to study traits of human behavior with a suite of behavioral games. Both platforms are designed to help creating experiments in the wild and to encourage the participation within the framework of citizen science. In the second block we evaluate the platforms through a set of experiments, and we analyze the existence of behavioral patterns. First, we study the robustness of the platform by looking whether equal strategies emerge in replicas of the same experiment performed with different population samples. In the second experiment we analyze the behavioral patterns that emerge when participants face a set of social dilemmas. The last two experiments are collective-risk dilemmas framed in climate change. In one, we study how the resource inequalities generate unfair behaviors. The other is carried out within a given ecosystem to study the tensions that exist between actors of the collective. Considering the experiments' results, we can comprehend how we behave when we face social dilemmas, and consequently evaluate behavioral traits and the emergence of behavioral patterns. The designs, the results and the methodology of analysis presented in this work will help set the basis for future behavioral experiments in the field

Characterizing Novelty as a Motivator in Online Citizen Science

Citizen science projects rely on the voluntary contribution of nonscientists to take part in scientific research projects. Projects taking place exclusively over the Internet face significant challenges, chief among them is the attracting and keeping the critical mass of volunteers needed to conduct the work outlined by the science team. The extent to which platforms can design experiences that positively influence volunteers’ motivation can help address the contribution challenges. Consequently, project organizers need to develop strategies to attract new participants and keep existing ones. One strategy to encourage participation is implementing features, which re-enforce motives known to change people’s attitudes towards contributing positively. The literature in psychology noted that novelty is an attribute of objects and environments that occasion curiosity in humans leading to exploratory behaviors, e.g., prolonged engagement with the object or environment. This dissertation described the design, implementation, and evaluation of an experiment conducted in three online citizen science projects. Volunteers received novelty cues when they classified data objects that no other volunteer had previously seen. The hypothesis was that exposure to novelty cues while classifying data positively influences motivational attitudes leading to increased engagement in the classification task and increased retention. The experiments resulted in mixed results. In some projects, novelty cues were universally salient, and in other projects, novelty cues had no significant impact on volunteers’ contribution behaviors. The results, while mixed, are promising since differences in the observed behaviors arise because of individual personality differences and the unique attributes found in each project setting. This research contributes to empirically grounded studies on motivation in citizen science with analyses that produce new insights and questions into the functioning of novelty and its impact on volunteers’ behaviors

TRACE: A Stigmergic Crowdsourcing Platform for Intelligence Analysis

Crowdsourcing has become a frequently adopted approach to solving various tasks from conducting surveys to designing products. In the field of reasoning-support, however, crowdsourcing-related research and application have not been extensively implemented. Reasoning-support is essential in intelligence analysis to help analysts mitigate various cognitive biases, enhance deliberation, and improve report writing. In this paper, we propose a novel approach to designing a crowdsourcing platform that facilitates stigmergic coordination, awareness, and communication for intelligence analysis. We have partly materialized our proposal in the form of a crowdsourcing system which supports intelligence analysis: TRACE (Trackable Reasoning and Analysis for Collaboration and Evaluation). We introduce several stigmergic approaches integrated into TRACE and discuss the potential experimentation of these approaches. We also explain the design implications for further development of TRACE and similar crowdsourcing systems to support reasoning

Design Facets of Crowdsourcing

Crowdsourcing offers a way for information scientists to engage with the public and potentially collect valuable new data about documents. However, the space of crowdsourcing is very broad, with many design choices that differentiate existing projects significantly. This can make the space of crowdsourcing rather daunting. Building upon efforts from other fields to conceptualize, we develop a typology of crowdsourcing for information science. Through a number of dimensions within the scope of motivation, centrality, beneficiary, aggregation, type of work, and type of crowd, our typology provides a way to understand crowdsourcing.ye

Internal Crowdsourcing in Companies

This open access book examines the implications of internal crowdsourcing (IC) in companies. Presenting an employee-oriented, cross-sector reference model for good IC practice, it discusses the core theoretical foundations, and offers guidelines for process-management and blueprints for the implementation of IC. Furthermore, it examines solutions for employee training and competence development based on crowdsourcing. As such, the book will appeal to scholars of management science, work studies, organizational and participation research and to readers interested in inclusive approaches for cooperative change management and the IT implications for IC platforms

Exploring the Co-operative Form’s Potential in Crowdfunding : A Non-monetary Perspective

Technology-driven change has generated new, even revolutionary business models, characterized by high levels of user participation. In the finance field, business models based on crowdfunding have seen significant growth and entered use as an alternative means of extending access and gaining financing for various types of projects. Nonetheless, current crowdfunding practices have been subject to criticism for issues such as information asymmetry, lack of trust and transaction costs, spurring discussion of how to develop and improve these practices. One way of speaking to the criticism has been a suggestion that platforms could be owned by the ones who use them. While the associated way of thinking, referred to as platform co-operativism, has seen some inroads in practice, its novel and practical nature means that a clear knowledge gap remains with regard to its potential for dealing with challenges of platform economy. Consequently, the aim of this study is to examine the relevance and potential of the co-operative company form for crowdfunding arrangements. Our conceptual study utilizes existing research on co-operatives and considers features of crowdfunding from three different perspectives: asymmetry of information and of trust, interaction frequency and homogeneity of interests. As a result, we provide three taxonomies for outlining future research on co-operative platforms.Technology-driven change has generated new, even revolutionary business models, characterized by high levels of user participation. In the finance field, business models based on crowdfunding have seen significant growth and entered use as an alternative means of extending access and gaining financing for various types of projects. Nonetheless, current crowdfunding practices have been subject to criticism for issues such as information asymmetry, lack of trust and transaction costs, spurring discussion of how to develop and improve these practices. One way of speaking to the criticism has been a suggestion that platforms could be owned by the ones who use them. While the associated way of thinking, referred to as platform co-operativism, has seen some inroads in practice, its novel and practical nature means that a clear knowledge gap remains with regard to its potential for dealing with challenges of platform economy. Consequently, the aim of this study is to examine the relevance and potential of the co-operative company form for crowdfunding arrangements. Our conceptual study utilizes existing research on co-operatives and considers features of crowdfunding from three different perspectives: asymmetry of information and of trust, interaction frequency and homogeneity of interests. As a result, we provide three taxonomies for outlining future research on co-operative platforms.Peer reviewe