Researcher Tommi Laitio´s lecture on communities at Aalto University 29 August 2012.

1. learning
communities
Tommi Laitio
Demos Helsinki
Introduction to Joint Master´s Studies
Aalto University, Department of Design
29/8/2012

2. you have 2 minutes.
list all the groups
you belong to.

3. Residents of Helsinki

4. Men Women

5. Children and young people
Working age
Retired

6. Residents of
Suburbs
Downtown
People

7. Rich
Middle Class
Poor

8. Straight
Gay

9. or?

10. Dog
owners

11. Dog
owners Cross-
country
skiers

12. Dog
owners Cross-
country
Residents skiers
of
Paloheinä

13. Dog
owners Cross-
country
Residents skiers
of SOK co-op
Paloheinä members

14. Dog
owners Cross-
country
Residents skiers
of SOK co-op
Paloheinä members
Cyclists

15. a bit of both.
increasing fragmentation
into lifestyles and groups.
consumption tells more
about shared lifestyles
than socio-economic
differences.

16. peer revolution
• Finding peers and
forming communities
does not require the same
structures as before

17. in order to be a
group, it needs:
1) enterprise
2) domain
3) repertoire
4) engagement

18. Communities of practice (Wenger)
• The enterprise is joint not in that everybody believes the
same thing or agrees with everything, but in that it is
communally negotiated.
• A community of practice is neither a haven of togetherness
nor an island of intimacy insulated from political and social
relations.
• Ability to shape the practice of our communities is an
important part of our experience of participation.

19. why are groups powerful

21. groups define what is considered
normal
• Examples:
How we behave
in a student
building?
How much
energy we use
compared to our
neighbours?

22. if the group is an
essential part of our
identity, we are
willing to adapt
dramatically to be
accepted.

24. groups support us when engaging in
something new
• Examples:
North Karelia
Project
Restaurant Day

25. we deny the group´s
impact because we
wish to drive our
own lives.

27. groups improve our wellbeing: we
feel useful, competent and
needed
• Examples:
Koulu School
Volunteering
Elderly Care

29. groups enable us to get more
with less
• Examples:
Mutual
Insurance
Companies
Time Banks
Airbnb

30. if the group´s
wellbeing is
essential for us, we
do not expect
immediate paybacks.

31. collaborative design(s)

38. lessons learned
• You still need a designer to interpret and lead
• Build humanity into the system
• Award for achievement and working for the common
• Don´t force motivation
• Make joining easy
• Don´t underestimate people´s willingness to help
• Thank, thank and thank again

39. characteristics of an intelligent
group
• Social sensitivity
“Did I understand you correctly?”
• Equality
Everybody talks
• Amount of women
the more, the better
Evidence for a Collective Intelligence Factor in the Performance of Human Groups (Science)
Anita Williams Woolley, Christopher F. Chabris, Alex Pentland, Nada Hashmi and Thomas W. Malone.

40. How can you design
with a group?
1) Go and interview people on groups they belong to.
2) Based on the interviews, identify three different kind of
groups.
3) Describe their enterprise, domain, repertoire and
engagement.
4) Choose one.
3) Tell how would you go about designing with one of
them.

41. Researcher Tommi Laitio
Demos Helsinki
twitter: tommilaitio
tommi.laitio (a) demos.fi
www.demos.fi
slideshare.net/demoshelsinki