Producer and Project manager
Project completed in 2008
Previous Driving Standards Agency mannagement conferences had lacked engagement with delegates and the interactivity was minimal.
To make the feedback process more entertaining a classic Mini Cooper, painted in the DSA’s colours, was gutted and pimped out with a plasma screen TV and custom built video diary software. The well known voice of Big Brother interrogated the delegates for a bit of Q&A fun. With all answers automatically recorded, it proved to be the most successful way of finding out what really matters to DSA staff.
“The Diary Wheels concept was not only innovative and topical, but provided us with a new approach to gaining feedback from our staff in a humorous and engaging way”
Diane Wragg, Internal Communications Manager, DSA
Everyware, or wearable computing, can provoke interesting reactions. Does it engender a community spirit or scare everyone into staying at home?
A positive viewpoint:
Take the popular Nike+ system. By putting a small computer chip in your running shoes and synching it to your iPod, you can track your run, monitor your progress, and perhaps most importantly, connect with a community of runners.
http://johnnyholland.org/magazine/2009/04/the-power-of-personal-informatics/
A negative viewpoint:
Police regularly use information on the adult Oyster card system to get details about passenger movements. BBC London has learned that in the past year they made at least 3,000 requests for information.
….Transport for London [has] made it mandatory for children aged between 11 and 18 to carry an Oyster photocard in order to gain free travel. A spokesperson for TfL said the card holder was required to abide by its Behaviour Code.
A young person with criminal convictions, warnings, reprimands and other sanctions committed on the public transport network could have the right to free travel withdrawn, the spokesman said.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7473959.stm
So how long before ‘Big brother is watching you’ becomes a reality? Not long, in fact it’s already happening.
http://www.verichipcorp.com/ supply implanted RFID chips for ‘Patient identification’, ‘Infant protection’, ‘Wander protection’ and ‘Asset tracking’. Hmm, Asset tracking sounds handy, I might get my Flash developers in work implanted…