sdfb swiss design institute for finance and banking

Mobile Payment [Masterarbeit]

Family life involves bartering in many different ways: children bargaining TV time for cleaning their room; mothers exchanging baby or maternity clothes; or parents rotating babysitting to free up their evening. However, what if we could increase/extend „traditional“ bartering activities 1) by making individuals aware of trade opportunities within their community/family anywhere and anytime and 2) by valueing skills and goods in new engaging experiences.

In my thesis project I would like to develop a mobile social software concept that stimulates bartering going beyond family practices today. In order to understand how technology might support family bartering, I firstly explore its social context in ethnography-based studies learning about motivations, obstacles, strategies, relationships, local connectivity, interactions, values, and important factors such as trust and credibility.