5.4 KiB
ChattyPub Workshop Script
Introduction
ChattyPub is a design tool in the making – leveraging a chat interface to apply styles and formats to the content of a publication.
The workshop will explore in a practical manner how the process of co-designing a publication can unfold, specifically when several people are working at the same time using a chat interface as the main design tool. During HDSA2021 we would like to open up the process of making this tool and explore together its possibilities and limitations. The workshop will take place towards the end of the one-week summer academy program. Thus, we will be able to use some of the documentation produced during the week — workshops scripts, prototypes, game cards, recipes, ... as well as conversations we will have on different platforms – synchronously and asynchronously.
Commands allow you to style the texts and images, but someone else can change their appearance again later! How will we negotiate these design decisions synchronously and asynchronously? The outcome could be a zine, posters or a webpage.
This script aims to provide the necessary instructions to host a workshop around ChattyPub that can accomodate different skills and knowledges in different contexts.
Goals
- Learn to collaboratively write, design, and print documents using ChattyPub
- Produce publications of / relating to HDSA2021 (documentation, prototypes, conversations, etc...)
- Learn and/or practice styling with CSS & Emojis
Requirements
- a computer, web-browser, and connection to the internet
- an account for the Hackers & Designers Zulip instance: https://chat.hackersanddesigners.nl/
- a printer
Preparation
Before the summer academy: Most important is for all workshop participants to set up a Zulip account on our server. The H&D zulip instance can be found at https://chat.hackersanddesigners.nl/ (public sign ups are temporariy open).
On the first day of the summer academy (monday): Participants are introduced to the Zulip interface and instructed to use it for communication during the course of the week. Zulip makes use of a rather unconventional (but powerful) chat-threading logic, so it would be good to spend some time interacting with it and settle into this new environment.
Workshop hosts and participants are encouraged to think about how they would like to document their processes during the summer academy. What is included and what isn't? How is this shared? Is there a regular moment during the day dedicated to documentation or is it more ad-hoc? We suggest using Etherpad for collaborative note taking, and regularly making screenshots or screenrecordings and photos. We have previously compiled a so-called "tool-ecology", a list of tools we have good experiences with and recommend using during the summer academy: https://etherpad.hackersanddesigners.nl/p/hdsa2021-tool-ecology.
Texts, notes, chats, images, and screenshots will make great material for our workshop.
How It Works
For an overview of how ChattyPub works with Zulip, go here.
Workshop
The workshop is split over two sessions (over two days) of 4 hours each.
Opening Session: Introductions & first encounters with ChattyPub
- Introductory presentation ( 1hr ) -- will be livestreamed in the morning / recorded and shared afterwards.
- Experimenting with ChattyPub! ( 2 hrs )
- participants with different levels of experience of CSS are grouped together
- each group follows these instructions to make one publication in ChattyPub
- detailed instructions about CSS can be found here
- Brainstorm Session (1 hr)
- in groups of 2-3, participants brainstorm publications they will make during the main session
- The goal is to document together, in print, parts of the summer academy.
- What have you been up to this last week?
- What did you make? What material did you collect / produce?
- How will you negotiate this design process?
- Are roles divided and then switched?
- If you are planning to print your publication, take into account the printing limitations of your home printer or local print shop.
- Print settings such as the page size and orientation can all be configure with CSS.
- If participants are joining remotely, it's good that they are paired together.
- in groups of 2-3, participants brainstorm publications they will make during the main session
Main Session: Chat => Print
- Making publications ( 2 hrs )
- Groups work on the publications planned in the previous session
- Each group makes a stream on Zulip for the publiction
- They create chapters for their contents
- They create a "rules" topic for their styles
- Organizers are available to help where needed
- At least one or two people per node should be able to help with CSS.
- Karl and Heerko will be available if bugs / errors occur.
- Groups work on the publications planned in the previous session
- Printing Publications ( 1 hr )
- A printer is required in the space (or easily accessible)
- Accommodating for different paper sizes is an added bonus
- Binding could be fun too
- Sharing outcomes and reflections ( 1 hr )
- Round of publications
- Reflection on process
- Feedback on ChattyPub