A data-driven approach for understanding Open Design. Mapping social interactions in collaborative processes on GitHub

Abstract

The development and adoption of digital technologies in the past decades has modified existing working conditions and introduced new ones in many fields and disciplines. This process has also influenced the field of Design especially with the Open Design and the Maker movements. The article proposes a software library for analysing networks of social interactions over time on Git projects hosted on GitHub. Such software may be useful for understanding social interactions over time on GitHub, enabling thus an overview of participation in collaborative processes and therefore advance our understanding of how platforms connects and influence makers and designers in their collaborative work on Open Design. The article show its application to three cases of (a) discussing the nature and concepts of Open Design, (b) teaching Open Design to interaction design students, (c) the development of a platform for Maker laboratories and Open Design projects.