Analyzing Usage in Creative Spaces in a Non-obtrusive Manner

DS 86: Proceedings of The Fourth International Conference on Design Creativity,Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA

Year: 2016
Editor: Julie Linsey, Maria Yang, and Yukari Nagai
Author: Ricardo, Morocz; Bryan, Levy; Robert, Nagel; Julie, Linsey
Series: ICDC
ISBN: 978-1-904670-82-7

Abstract

Maker spaces offer an open learning environment that encourages student selfexploration,
creativity, and individualized learning. These spaces, however, can be intimidating
to some users preventing widespread use. A key success point in keeping these spaces as creative
hubs is encouraging diversity and openness within the environment, while making the spaces
inviting. In our research, Automatic People Counter (APC) technology was implemented in a
university maker space to monitor usage in a non-obtrusive manner allowing researchers to
investigate the impact of changes in the space without adding barriers to entry. The authors
believe this will allow space designers to improve the accessibility of their spaces without
compromising the user experience. This paper details the validation measures used to ensure the
reliability of the technology, the methodology used to relate the counts received into actual users,
and finally, the potential benefits and uses of this process.

Keywords: Maker, User traffic, Maker space usage, Barriers to entry

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