From Paper to Tablets, what it’s going? Ethnographical Research for User Experience in Public Spaces in Latam.

From Paper to Tablets, what it’s going? Ethnographic Research for User Experience in Public Spaces in Latam.

Reading in public transportation in Latin-American it’s still in development. However, the power of isolation in public transportation when this “me” time its described as chatting, reading or playing games varies through genders. Ethnographical observations in Latam, revealed that using paper books it’s still a preference and a need, barely younger generations are passing over the presence and learning process of using laptops and going directly to tablets and smart phones.

Since books are scarce in the socialist economies of our nations in Latin America, and in general the general public it’s using more digital media, the presence of copies are common especially in students, downloading academic books using portable devices represent huge opportunities for academic institutions. 

It is only in new generations that this phenomenon it’s barely appearing in mobile devices such as: kindle fire. 

The majority of young students with ages between 17 and 25 would still rather to use more complex devices to carry on to college instead piles of book notes but also, able to handle media content. There still issues since the structures of WIFI networks are not free or used in public spaces and prepaid mobile telephony it’s the most common system among this youngster so spaces like to be in home either college it’s important to downloads and use media content.

Pictures correspond to different moments during ethnographic research.

Pic. 1: Two generations of reading documents inside the subway

Pic. 2: The problem of “me” time, how women need urgently to control their activities at home, and shows indulgence to their sons in its way home

Pic. 3: Application are still an issue of induction, in order to download them for communicate between youngster, there is one of them who which shows another the “how to download” and the “what is it work for”. Inevitable, it’s the oral transmit of knowledge despite the fact that each brand of smartphone has its own way to explain users how to download and use applications.

Miguel Palau @ Fieldwork in Public Spaces (Malls, Subways, Public Transportation Systems). May. 6th. Caracas-Venezuela 2013.