Making a Case for Context-aware Heat Management: A Study on the Culture and Commons in a Danish Kollegium

Thomsen, Gry ; Øllgaard, Kristian Krejberg

4. Term

Interaction Design, Master of Science (MSc)

2021

2021-06-11

13

Dette speciale præsenterer et casestudie af et kollegium i Aalborg for at forstå, hvordan fællesskabets værdier, normer og praksisser former den fælles forvaltning af varme og andre fælles ressourcer. I feltet HCI (menneske-computer-interaktion) er der kommet mere fokus på fællesskabsbaseret design, men analyser af de konkrete værdier og praksisser i fællesskaber er ofte utilstrækkelige. Vi viser, at en dybdegående analyse kan give vigtige indsigter til at designe systemer, der engagerer beboere i fælles handling. Vi betragter varme som et fællesgode og anvender en grounded theory-tilgang til at undersøge kultur, praksis og værdier omkring forvaltningen. Datagrundlaget kommer fra kvalitative metoder inden for etnografi og designforskning, og Ostroms etablerede principper for, hvordan fællesskaber styrer fællesgoder, fungerer som teoretisk ramme. Casestudiet viser, at demokratiske beslutningsprocesser og tillid er grundlæggende i kollegiet og stemmer overens med Ostroms principper. Disse bør være hjørnesten i den videre designproces. Vi anbefaler deltagende designmetoder for at sikre engagement og medvirken fra beboerne, og vi konkluderer, at sådan deltagelse er afgørende for at designe og realisere et system til forvaltning af fælles ressourcer (Common Pool Resource, CPR), som passer til kollegiets særlige fællesskab.

This thesis presents a case study of a student residence (kollegium) in Aalborg to understand how community values, norms, and practices shape the shared management of heat and other common resources. In Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), there is growing interest in community-based design, yet detailed analyses of community values and practices are often missing. We show that an in-depth study can yield practical insights for designing systems that engage residents in collective action. We treat heat as a commons—a resource shared by a group—and use a grounded theory approach to analyze the culture, practices, and values around its management. Data were collected through qualitative methods from ethnography and design research, with Elinor Ostrom’s established principles for governing commons as the theoretical lens. The case study finds that democratic decision-making and trust are fundamental in the kollegium and align with Ostrom’s principles. These should serve as cornerstones in future design. We suggest participatory design methods to secure resident engagement, and conclude that such participation is crucial for designing and implementing a Common Pool Resource (CPR) management system tailored to this unique community.

[This summary has been rewritten with the help of AI based on the project's original abstract]

Community-based research ; commons theory ; heating ; case study ; eco-feedback ; co-living

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