Minimalist Design for Informal Learning in Community Computing

Abstract

Abstract. We discuss the role and characteristics of informal learning in a community computing context. We argue that minimalist design can be adapted to the needs of community computing, and that its principles can be used to envision and develop community activities and technologies that promote active learning. We illustrate these ideas with several community computing projects that exemplify how to embed learning in meaningful activities, enable learners to make progress quickly, promote thinking and inference, evoke and leverage prior knowledge, and support error recognition and recovery. We conclude with a discussion of how minimalism might be used more broadly to guide the design of community computing systems and activities.

Use of mobile wellness applications and perception of quality

“…These different needs and expectations could be shaped by the objectives of the activity (e.g., competitive vs. recreational running), demographic characteristics, or familiarity with applications, which need to be further examined in the next phases of study. Previous research has shown that supporting selection and easy customization of the functions and features of an application could reduce the complexity of the application as well as enhance user satisfaction (Rosson & Carroll, 2005). In addition, the next phases of the study, which involves a survey and experiment, will examine college students' value structure of how to choose and utilize mobile wellness applications.…”