DEFINE: Xbox OneGuide

I have looked into the recently launch interface for the Xbox One console, the Xbox One is breaking new ground by combing media together in one location, this is something I want to achieve with my redesign of YouTube, that is making content more accessible and easier to discover. Xbox of gone about this through creating TV Guide like interface, which I think is an effective way of showing is this content as the Guide is a format everybody is familiar with. As explored in my essay it is important to now on board non digital natives into the YouTube by using an interface such as this it would make YouTube more accessible to this audience. 

DEFINE: Theory Into Practice Through Synthesis

My research project is being conducted through three stages, the first of these stages is the 'Discover' stage in which I have researched into the YouTube platform. The second stage of the project is called 'Define' in this stage I will be taking the research I have collated and defining key areas and aspects of YouTube that can be enhanced through better design or through the design of new features to add to the service. I will be breaking down the 'Define' stage in separate parts as defining new features and improving olds ones will be a developmental and experimental process. Within part one I am initially going to outline so set of features and enhancements I intend to make to service based on the discussion that I have put forward within my written research.

Chapter 1: Digital Natives and What it means to be a creator

Reducing the gap between Digital Natives and Digital Immigrants
My researched frames and argues more predominately towards Digital Natives, this is because they have made the service and platform what it is today, however I think that in the future for YouTube to continue to prosper YouTube must also embrace the Digital Immigrant demographic, which to an extent it does - but not fully. To achieve this I want to improve the experience users have when using YouTube on the television. As explored in the essay TV is the place Digital Immigrants have gone to get there information since they grew up, whereas Digital Natives have had the internet. Therefore I want to bring YouTube to the TV is a more gratifying way that provides a more pleasurable experience to the user than is currently possible. This will therefore introduce YouTube to this new audience and begin to get them involved in the service and the community.

Summary: Improve and enhance the YouTube experience for use on the Television


Improved device agnosticism
As laid out in the essay, for Digital natives technology is at the centre of their universe. YouTube is available wherever they are, whatever device they are on. However the same experience isn't always possible on every device. I want to change this, I want the user to have same experience and capabilities no matter what device they are on. This is also known as device agnosticism, which refers to how products can be designing to work on any device.

Summary: Deliver the same YouTube experience, across Web, Mobile, Tablet and Television.

Chapter 2: Celebrities or Entrepreneurs

Celebrity/Entrepreneur exposure

I have debated throughout this chapter if 'YouTuber's are celebrities or entrepreneurs but either way they ultimately need exposure to reach such levels within the community, this is why I think bigger emphasis should be made to promote not just the videos which YouTube does already, promote the people behind the videos. This will mean greater exposure for personalities on the platform through making the design of platform encourage and make more apparent these personalities, show videos they've appeared in, enhance how these personalities can be found on other platforms. 

Summary: Increase exposure of YouTuber's by increasing the visibility and functionality around YouTube content creators.

The Vlog Format

I want to improve the YouTube experience around the Vlog format, a predominant form of content on the Platform. Currently this style of content is treated the same as all the other content on the site. However I think the platform could benefit from more bespoke features around the format. This will include the ability the easily catch up on missed vlogs with a catch up button, watch weekly, monthly or yearly re-caps of videos to enhance the experience for new audiences. Using Google Glass enhance how Vlogs are filmed, in the future when Google Glass becomes for widely adopted vlogging will have a greater POV feel to it thanks to the filming capabilities of google glass, a user interface for this new functionality will need to be developed.

Summary: Add greater more bespoke features for the Vlog format, for both the auidence user and contributor user. 

Chapter 3: Top Down vs. Bottom Up

Better content aggregation
There is a clear tension between user generated content and professionally produced content, these two forms of content often site awkwardly on the platform. Through design improve how this content can be better aggregated together and makes use of each other qualities. For example Movie trailer are a common form of professionally produced content on the platform, content such as reviews by users could sit better with this content. Use design to attract users to explore the new content.

Summary: Allows user generated content and professionally produced content to sit better together on the platform through creating a user interface that aggregates content uniquely for the user

Content Guide
Another way in which this content can sit better is if it is aggregated into a guide [Guide: A tv guide of channels] YouTube has since it's initial conception been formatted into channels, an idea reminiscent of the TV era, however these channels are aggregated into a guide, but by putting content into a guide is always for new content discovery beyond how YouTube already recommends related videos to you. But this new format of putting content into a guide also always YouTube's new feature of Live broadcasts to better integrated into the platform than is currently present.

Summary: Design and develop a content guide for channels to fit within

Chapter 4: Mediality, Media Formats and content curation

Flow

Through the research that I have gathered and discussed within the final chapter of my dissertation it is evident that a new role can become apparent on YouTube, and that role is a Curator of content, their are already creators on YouTube and now there will be Curators who brings content together from across the site to create new meaning. This new way to watch content on YouTube, will be called Flow. As part of my practical, I will need to design how Flow will function and look on the site. 

Summary: Visually conceptualise how the new concept of 'Flow' will work and function on YouTube

Expand Media Formats

This chapter explored how YouTube has been part of creating new media formats that are present on the web and have been developed out of the constraints of YouTube as a platform, for example Vlogs or Vlogging being positioned as a new media format. Within my practical I will explore new media formats that are breaking through on the platform such as live content which is starting to take off on platform however currently it is not integrated into the platform at all. 

Summary: Develop and visualise what live content will look like on platform and how it will integrate with existing content. 

Remove and Restructure

Within my initial structure for my dissertation I have drafted out a structure of  four chapters  and then an Introduction and Conclusion. Initially I have structured my dissertation in this format

Initial Structure
Introduction (500)

Digital Natives (1000)

User Generated Content (2000)

DIY Celebrity (1000)

Mediality and Media Formats (2000)

Top Down vs. Bottom Up (2000)

Conclusion (500)

Changing the structure

As I conducted the research project there was a need to change the structure and the content within chapters as the research I had conducted meant I had found out new information that I had not initially planned to.

Digital Natives

This chapter was initially about digital natives, however the research I had undertaken meant that it was also required that I talk about what it means to be creator, as a key create of being a digital native is that they are creators, therefore I wrote in detail about this aspect and entitled the chapter - Digital Natives and what it means to be a creator.

DIY Celebrity

After a tutorial with Phil we discussed that rather than to just explore the aspect of celebrity on the platform it would be more beneficial to conduct research into celebrities and entrepreneurs on the platform as this will create a debate as to why and who is using the platform and for what purposes, therefore this chapter became an extended analysis of Celebrities and Entrepreneurs on YouTube. I retitled the chapter 'Celebrities or Entrepreneurs'

Mediality and media formats

Within this chapter as a result of the research I discovered that it was not only media formats that YouTube is changing it's also that YouTube is becoming a place for curation of content. Therefore I discuss how YouTube is a service and can become a platform of enriched media that is enhanced through curation. I retitled the chapter to Mediality, Media format and content curation to reflect this. 

Top down vs bottom up

This chapter remained relatively the same as what I had initially planned to research into. 

User Generated Content

I had initially thought that it would be required that an extended discussion into user generated content would be needed for the dissertation however as I wrote my research into my dissertation it became evident that this did not need it's own chapter as it was part of a discussion that was happening throughout everything I was talking about throughout my writing, therefore I removed the need for the this chapter as it would have only duplicated content, ideas and research already discussed.

I also restructured my dissertation as a result of this new research and content to ensure that it flowed well and made sense. 

DISCOVER: Participate: Designing with User Generated Content

Armstrong, H. and Stojmirovic, Z. (2011) Participate: Designing with User Generated Content. New York: Princeton Architectural Press.

Discovered

To coincide with my research into YouTube as a platform for user generated content, I have found this book which explores how such platforms, service or interactive forums are designed to enhance and enable user participation. Reading this book has given me a deeper understanding of how tools and methods can be used to promote and enhance user engagement within product or service. This is strengthened both my understanding of YouTube as well giving me a better understanding of how YouTube could potentially be improved to make better use and ease the process of creating and distributing user generated content.

Key Quotes

'Digital tools and social media have exposed many creative industries to public interaction, causing a simultaneous valuing and devaluing of of artistic expertise'

'Media and their modes of distribution of in flux.'

'Participatory design requires user content for completion' 

'Consumer's participate because it's cheap, easy and fun...This shift toward cheap online production and distribution does not seem to be ending anytime soon'  

Lecture 4: Academic Conventions

DISCOVER: Convergence Culture

Jenkins, H. (2008) Convergence Culture. New York: New York University Press.


Discovered
Jenkins, a key theorist that is underpinning my research explores within the text the pivotal moment we are currently at within society where old and new media collide, it is explored how media is transitioning from old media formats and distribution like Television to new format and platforms such as YouTube which exploit the concepts and efficiencies of the internet to provide media to audiences in new ways.

Key Quotes

‘Old rules are open to change and companies’ are being ‘forced to renegotiate their relationship to consumers.’ 

‘Better “readers” of their own culture and more self-reflective and critical of the culture they occupy’ 

‘The power of participation’ which ‘comes not from destroying [their] commercial culture but from writing over it, modding it, amending it, expanding it, adding greater diversity of perspective, and then recalculating it, feeding it back into the mainstream media.’

‘Participation is less under the control of media producers and more under the control of media consumers’ 

‘Can’t decide what kind of relationship they want to have with this new kind of consumer.’ 

DISCOVER: Fans, Bloggers, and Gamers: Essays on Participatory Culture

Jenkins, H. (2006) Fans, Bloggers, and Gamers: Essays on Participatory Culture. New York: NYU Press Academic.

Discovered

This texts looks at how services like YouTube have in there prominence now become part of system that creates the culture we live, and it is the user of YouTube that are creating popular culture and because of this the mass media are loosing their power, control and influence they once held over there audiences.