iSchool Capstone

Patchwork: A Quilt of Conversations About What Really Matters

Project tags:

information behavior & user research

mobile or web development

social media

Project poster

In a world without Patchwork, companies that operate unethically continue to make profits, and companies that make ethical choices are not rewarded enough. With no reliable way to investigate what really goes on inside corporations, consumers make purchasing decisions only based on prices and personal reviews. Enter Patchwork: a site that enables people to share, discuss, and rate facts related to companies and products. When a user finds an article pertaining to compelling positive or negative practices of a business or organization, they can post the article to Patchwork for others to discuss and rate. Patchwork will encourage companies to improve their practices or keep up their good work in an effort to attain the highest possible score. We conducted surveys and user studies and found that users would like to know more about what goes on behind the scenes of companies and products. Patchwork will enable people to be more knowledgeable consumers in a world where things are not always what they seem.

Project participants:

Brian Chan

Informatics

Lauren Hanson

Informatics

Sean Johnstone

Informatics

Scott Kuehnert

Informatics

Victor Ung

Informatics