36 research outputs found
Crafting, Communality, and Computing: Building on Existing Strengths To Support a Vulnerable Population
In Nepal, sex-trafficking survivors and the organizations that support them
have limited resources to assist the survivors in their on-going journey
towards reintegration. We take an asset-based approach wherein we identify and
build on the strengths possessed by such groups. In this work, we present
reflections from introducing a voice-annotated web application to a group of
survivors. The web application tapped into and built upon two elements of
pre-existing strengths possessed by the survivors -- the social bond between
them and knowledge of crafting as taught to them by the organization. Our
findings provide insight into the array of factors influencing how the
survivors act in relation to one another as they created novel use practices
and adapted the technology. Experience with the application seemed to open
knowledge of computing as a potential source of strength. Finally, we
articulate three design desiderata that could help promote communal spaces:
make activity perceptible to the group, create appropriable steps, and build in
fun choices.Comment: 14 pages, 1 figure. In Proceedings of the 2020 CHI Conference on
Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI'20