OpenWindow: Citizen-controlled content on public displays

Abstract

In this paper, we investigate the true 'public' potential of public displays by shifting the responsibility to create or control content from the traditional central authority to the citizen. To evaluate the potential value of this concept, we have designed and deployed a set of small public displays behind the street-side windows of three separate houses, of which the households were each invited to provide their own content. During a three-week, in-the-wild field study, we have analyzed the impact of citizen-controlled public displays on both participants and community members, and have observed the relationships between the public display and the neighborhood. Our analysis shows how deleg..