Connected Spaces: Helping Makers Know Their Neighbors

Abstract

This paper presents Connected Spaces (C-S) -- a tool designed to promote collaboration in makerspaces. It also describes a pilot study designed to test C-S's effectiveness in enabling people to seek help from peers. In our pilot, some (but not all) students were able to leverage C-S's affordances. We explore both supporting and mitigating factors, and highlight design features for environments as well as tools to support divergent, open-ended exploration and learning.