Jiradi: Reflective Documentation to Support Learning and Skills Development by Marian Mwikali Muthui B.Sc. Mechanical Engineering, University of Nairobi (2014) Submitted to the Program in Media Arts and Sciences, School of Architecture and Planning, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Media Arts and Sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology May 2020 © Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2020. All rights reserved. Author​ ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Program in Media Arts and Sciences May 19, 2020 Certified by​ ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Mitchel Resnick LEGO Papert Professor of Learning Research Program in Media Arts and Sciences Thesis Advisor Accepted by​ ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Tod Machover Academic Head, Program in Media Arts and Sciences 2 Jiradi: Reflective Documentation to Support Learning and Skills Development by Marian Mwikali Muthui Submitted to the Program in Media Arts and Sciences, School of Architecture and Planning, on May 19, 2020 in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Media Arts and Sciences Abstract In creative learning, reflection encourages learners to think critically about their experiences and helps to generate new ideas, insights, and outlooks. Maker practices recommend documentation, typically in the form of digital portfolios, as a method to encourage reflection. Documentation can serve two important roles: as a tool to support personal reflection about your learning experience and as a sharable record to showcase your skills development. Unfortunately, there are not currently any documentation tools that are optimized to support both personal reflection and skills development. In this thesis, I introduce “​reflective documentation​” -- a term that I use to describe digital documentation tools that adopt a process-oriented approach to support both personal reflection and skills development. Based on this concept, I conducted design-based research to iteratively design Jiradi, a portfolio-based website where makers can easily create a portfolio to showcase skills and learning progression, express themselves creatively, and celebrate their maker journey. This work has been greatly inspired by years of facilitating maker workshops in Kenya and prominently features insights from Africa. Through interviews with makers and observations of portfolios created using Jiradi, I examine the role of reflective documentation to support creative learning in maker practices, and also strategies to help makers better showcase skills through reflection. It’s my hope that making can be perceived as a valid and acceptable pathway for youth, especially in Africa, to develop future skills and ultimately gain access to meaningful work. Thesis Advisor: Mitchel Resnick LEGO Papert Professor of Learning Research Program in Media Arts and Sciences, MIT Media Lab 3 4 Jiradi: Reflective Documentation to Support Learning and Skills Development by Marian Mwikali Muthui This thesis has been reviewed and approved by the following committee members 5 6 Jiradi: Reflective Documentation to Support Learning and Skills Development by Marian Mwikali Muthui Advisor Mitchel Resnick LEGO Papert Professor of Learning Research Program in Media Arts and Sciences, MIT Media Lab 7 8 Jiradi: Reflective Documentation to Support Learning and Skills Development by Marian Mwikali Muthui Reader Deb Roy Professor of Media Arts & Sciences MIT Media Lab 9 10 Jiradi: Reflective Documentation to Support Learning and Skills Development by Marian Mwikali Muthui Reader Maria Yang Professor of Mechanical Engineering MIT 11 12 Table of Contents Acknowledgements 21 Chapter 1​:​ ​Introduction 23 Chapter 2​: ​Background 29 Chapter 3​:​ Jiradi 33 Chapter 4​: ​Inspiration 39 Chapter 5​:​ ​Design Process 45 Chapter 6​:​ ​Discover 47 Chapter 7​:​ ​Define 53 Chapter 8​:​ ​Prototype & Test 57 Chapter 9​:​ ​Maker Stories 67 Chapter 10​:​ ​Discussion 77 Chapter 11​: ​Looking Ahead 81 Appendix A 85 Appendix B 93 References 107 13 14 List of Figures Figure 1​ - ​Images taken from Mekatilili workshops. 23 Figure 2​ - ​Image of the 2019 Mekatitili fellows, facilitators, and mentors. 24 Figure 3​ - ​Physical artifacts created by participants during Mekatilili workshops. 25 Figure 4​ - ​From left to right: The Experiential Learning Cycle, The Creative Learning Spiral. 31 Figure 5​ - ​From left to right: Screenshot of Signup page and Login page. 34 Figure 6​ - ​Screenshot of Profile Page. 34 Figure 7​ - ​Screenshot of Portfolio Page. 35 Figure 8​ - ​Screenshot of Create Project Page. 36 Figure 9​ - ​Screenshot of Build Project Page. 36 Figure 10​ - ​Screenshot of Build Project Page. 37 Figure 11​ - ​Screenshot of Build in Progress. 40 Figure 12​ - ​Screenshot of Behance Homepage. 40 Figure 13​ - ​Screenshot of Behance Project Editor. 41 Figure 14​ - ​Screenshot of Instructables Homepage. 42 Figure 15​ - ​Screenshot of Instructables Project Editor. 42 Figure 16​ - ​From left to right: Screenshot of MAKE Share Homepage, MAKE Projects Homepage. 43 Figure 17​ - ​Human-Centered Design Model. 46 Figure 18​ - ​Age of participants in survey. 48 Figure 19​ - ​Employment status of participants in survey. 48 Figure 20​ - ​Number of projects documented of participants in the survey. 49 Figure 21​ - ​Screenshot of the platform created during IDEO CoLab design sprint that helps employers easily identify creative professionals. Each panel represents a maker project. 59 Figure 22​ - ​From left to right: Wireframe of Homepage, Mockup of Homepage. 60 Figure 23​ - ​From left to right: Wireframe of Create Project Page, Mockup of Create Project Page. 60 Figure 24​ - ​From left to right: Wireframe of Build Project Page, Mockup of Create Build Page. 61 Figure 25​ - ​Wireframe of Portfolio Page. 61 Figure 26​ - ​Initial Jiradi Userflow. 61 Figure 27​ -​ Usability test session with makers in FabLab Nairobi. 63 Figure 28​ - ​Updated Jiradi user flow. 64 Figure 29​ - ​Photo of Freshia Sackey. 68 15 Figure 30​ - ​Images of the Walking Buddy prototype from Freshia’s project. Credit: Freshia Sackey. 68 Figure 31​ - ​Photo of Ian Simon. 70 Figure 32​ -​ CAD images of a Wind Tunnel from Ian’s project. Credit: Ian Simon and Vivek Goswami. 71 Figure 33​ - ​Photo of Wanjiku Mutie. 72 Figure 34​ - ​Images of Wanjiku’s project. Credit: Wanjiku Mutie and Sylvia Manono. 72 Figure 35​ - ​Photo of Wanjiru Stella. 74 Figure 36​ - ​From left to right: Wooden Clock face project, final baby warmer prototype. Credit: Wanjiru Stella. 74 Figure 37​ - ​Mockups of proposed Jiradi mobile app. 83 16 List of Tables Table 1​ - ​Mekatilili Fellowship Program survey questions. 26 Table 2​ - ​Factors to consider when selecting a documentation tool and their occurrence in the survey. 49 Table 3​ - ​Summary of documentation considerations. 53 Table 4​ - ​Jiradi persona. 54 Table 5​ - ​Initial Jiradi features list. 62 Table 6​ - ​Updated Jiradi features list. 65 17 18 “Those of us who have been privileged to receive education, skills, and experiences and even power must be role models for the next generation of leadership.” - Wangari Maathai ​ 19 20 Acknowledgments “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” ​ ​ Philippians 4:13 Mitch Resnick ​+​ Natalie Rusk Words cannot fully express how grateful I am to you both. I’m thankful for your unwavering thoughtfulness, kindness, and generosity. You make LLK feel like a home away from home, and for that I’m truly thankful. Deb Roy ​+​ Maria Yang To my readers, I appreciate your sound advice and feedback. Thank you for graciously spending time with me to help me think through my ideas. LLK ​+​ Scratch Team Thank you to my Lifelong Kindergarten family and the Scratch Team. To ​Jaleesa Trapp​, ​Sean Hickey​, ​Carmelo Presicce​, ​Shruti Dhariwal​, ​Manuj Dhariwal​, ​Yusuf Ahmad​, Lily Gabaree​, ​Kreg Hanning​, ​Carolina Rodeghiero​, ​Leo Burd​, ​Ann Valente​, ​Rupal Jain​, Yumiko Murai​, ​Abisola Okuk​, ​Tina Quach​, and ​Lena Abdalla​. I enjoy working and playing with each and every one of you. You are all one-of-a-kind, and your passion for supporting learners around the world inspires me. Media Lab Community Thank you for showing me that creativity has no bounds, and being a free space to openly explore ideas. A special thank you to ​Arwa Mboya and ​Rubez Chong for frequently welcoming me into their office to share ideas and stories. Mekatilili I would like to thank ​Juliet Wanyiri, my collaborator, for helping me throughout this journey. Your contribution has been invaluable. I would also like to show my appreciation to the previous 500+ Mekatilili participants, volunteers, and partners. Without your support, Jiradi would not have come to fruition. Friends I’m grateful to all my friends, both near and far. I appreciate the calls, texts, and memes to help keep me motivated and to also check up on me. Thank you! Family To my dad (​Charles​), mom (​Celestine​), and sisters (​Beth and ​Ruth​). Thank you for your love, guidance, and prayers. You have always encouraged me to follow my dreams and supported me at every step along the way. A very special shoutout to ​Ella and ​Leo​, for the endless joy they bring to my life. Asante! 21 22 CHAPTER 1 Introduction The Story of Mekatilili In 2016, I co-founded the African maker program, Mekatilili, with my collaborator Juliet Wanyiri. Through the program, we facilitate hands-on, collaborative workshops on human-centered design, digital fabrication, physical computing, computer science,