In preparation for the New Ventures Lab 2019, women from various fields of action have put forward proposals on how to address consumer pain points in the digital age.
In 2018, the Chicas Poderosas’ Human-Centered Design Sprints passed through Brazil during the month of November, provoking women who work with independent digital media to create sustainable prototypes and solutions for a more than current issue – especially after the national elections: Digital information – what bothers you? The groups have developed solutions that address pain points of news consumers and come challenging the digital communication industry such as algorithm ethics, bubbles, news check.
The sprints, which serve as a disseminating platform for Human Centred Design methodology, are essential for those who want to undertake innovation with few resources and results assertiveness. They are also the first part of the project selection funnel that will be accelerated at the New Ventures Lab in 2019, the world’s first accelerator for women led-independent digital media businesses. This year, the sessions went through São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, state capitals of the Southeast, and Florianópolis, in the South of the Country.
RJ – In Rio de Janeiro, the group was composed of activists, communicators of large vehicles and independent media, human rights professionals and other areas. Held the day after that of the São Paulo chapter, at Echo School of Design Thinking in Ipanema, the sprint Carioca brought ethical concern with transparency in the programming of network algorithms so that users have autonomy to define how they want the circulation of information in their bubbles, understanding these as an inevitable process when one is inserted in social media, but perfectly controllable.
The chica poderosa Gabriela Allegro, a specialist in Non-Violent Communication, also joined, along with Ana Addobbati, the facilitation of the Rio chapter, creating a deep reflection on the importance of listening to users before proposing solutions, as provided by the methodology of Human Centred Design.
SC – In Florianópolis, the Design Sprint was held at Comadre Cowork in the Santa Monica neighborhood, sponsored by Dialetto Comunicação, a digital marketing agency that took on the mission of fostering a feminine local ecosystem of innovation. With a diverse and interdisciplinary group composed of UX designers and developers, the chapter from Santa Catarina brought together an unequaled diversity of expertise and brought an important look at the technologies of the platforms – how these can be protagonists of a positive digital revolution, respecting the user at the time hyperinformation and false news.
Fake News – Incidentally, the concern with checking news was a constant in all groups, indicating that there is a bottom-up push for communication vehicles and content distribution platforms to take on fact-checking protocols as an essential part of communicating . In the three cities, however, prototypes have emerged that empower the news consumer to take over the reins of the process, using cross-platform media, from the fragmented reality of content-absorbing channels that exist.
“In my opinion, this shows an era of skepticism towards the media, but with clear awareness on the part of everyone of how valuable this is for everyday life in society. However, it can not neglect the format, transparency and protocols of verification of news ”
Ana Addobbati, manager of the NVL.
