In my continuation of user research, I wanted to better understand how adolescents are affected by the use of digital technology, particularly smartphones. Through participatory design I sought to grasp what mechanisms and behaviors adolescents use to form social relationships.

 

To do this, I facilitated a co-creation workshop, in which adolescents first came up with spaces of interaction, like the subway or a coffee shop, and identified how they communicate and connect in those spaces.  After that, they were asked to reimagine what future spaces of interaction would be like in 5 years time and imagine how they would communicate in those spaces.

 

What I learned is that young people are connecting by using smartphones as a medium for the transmission and transferral of experiences. In one example, a participant imagined that they’d be able to digitally share the physical thrill of being on a rollercoaster in the future. But the workshop also showed smartphones are also a tool for risk-aversion. As one participant put it, "Talking to people face to face is kind of scary," and screens provide a comfortable barrier of time and distance.