Artefact Café

The principal aim of this project is to enable people to design and create their own products and artefacts in a creative and empowering environment using a suite of digital and fabrication technologies. We will examine the effectiveness of these tools for creating a mini-revolution in user-led and open design in the ways products and services are designed and consumed. We will examine the facilitation process in terms of technology, knowledge, tools and resources that would enable people to successfully conceive and produce their own designs.

The widely available and accessible digital media and tools including Web 2.0, have increased the level of prosumption and collaboration. People not only readily produce content for self-expression but also publicly share their views and ideas with others. This new generation of prosumers are pro-active in what and how they produce and/or consume information, product and services. In the context of product form design, companies also recognize the wisdom of the crowd, and increasingly seek to tap into this global knowledge base as well as local insights through crowdsourcing and/or open sourcing strategy.