The Collective Infrastructural Work of Electricity: Exploring Feedback in a Prepaid University Dorm in China

Liu, T., Ding, X. , Lindtner, S., Lu, T. and Gu, N. (2013) The Collective Infrastructural Work of Electricity: Exploring Feedback in a Prepaid University Dorm in China. In: 2013 ACM International Joint Conference on Pervasive and Ubiquitous Computing (UbiComp '13), Zurich, Switzerland, 08-12 Sep 2013, pp. 295-304. ISBN 9781450317702 (doi: 10.1145/2493432.2493497)

Abstract

Feedback on resource consumption is often explored as a way to raise awareness and saving resources. This paper reports findings from a user study of a feedback system deployed in a Chinese university dormitory with a prepaid electricity system, a context different from the more common domestic setting in the West explored in prior research. With this work, we move beyond resource conservation and draw attention to an often-neglected aspect of infrastructural work -- the work to ensure the smooth and continuous supply of resources from end users. This paper examines the ways in which people attend to electricity through what we term collective infrastructural work, i.e. people perceive electricity as a marginal concern, and yet invest time to maintain it collectively. We draw out a number of implications for design and evaluation from this work.

• Item Type: Conference Proceedings
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Ding, Dr Sharon
• Authors: Liu, T., Ding, X., Lindtner, S., Lu, T., and Gu, N.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Computing Science
• ISBN: 9781450317702