TY - GEN
T1 - Design Opportunities for Freelancing Platforms
T2 - 1st Annual Meeting of the Symposium on Human-Computer Interaction for Work, CHIWORK 2022
AU - Alvarez De La Vega, Juan
AU - Cecchinato, Marta
AU - Rooksby, John
N1 - Funding Information: Research funded by Northumbria University RDF Studentship (RDF19/EE/CIS/CECCHINATO).
PY - 2022/6/8
Y1 - 2022/6/8
N2 - Freelancing platforms, such as Upwork and Fiverr, have become a viable source of work for millions of freelancers worldwide. However, these gig economy systems are not typically designed in ways that centre workers’ preferences and wellbeing. In this paper, we describe the development and evaluation of ‘Freelance Grow,’ a design fiction portraying a freelancing platform that prioritises freelancers’ professional development and peer support. The design fiction was informed by a systematic literature assessment, using recommendations from twenty-six sources for improving online freelancers’ experiences. We then used the design fiction in focus groups with 23 online freelancers to investigate their views on the ideas suggested in our design fiction. Based upon a thematic analysis of the focus group transcripts, we present three opportunities and considerations for designing systems that further enable freelancers’ work autonomy, entrepreneurial development, and peer support. Ultimately, we contribute an expanded understanding of design approaches to support online freelancers in the gig economy.
AB - Freelancing platforms, such as Upwork and Fiverr, have become a viable source of work for millions of freelancers worldwide. However, these gig economy systems are not typically designed in ways that centre workers’ preferences and wellbeing. In this paper, we describe the development and evaluation of ‘Freelance Grow,’ a design fiction portraying a freelancing platform that prioritises freelancers’ professional development and peer support. The design fiction was informed by a systematic literature assessment, using recommendations from twenty-six sources for improving online freelancers’ experiences. We then used the design fiction in focus groups with 23 online freelancers to investigate their views on the ideas suggested in our design fiction. Based upon a thematic analysis of the focus group transcripts, we present three opportunities and considerations for designing systems that further enable freelancers’ work autonomy, entrepreneurial development, and peer support. Ultimately, we contribute an expanded understanding of design approaches to support online freelancers in the gig economy.
KW - Gig Economy
KW - Online Freelancing Platforms
KW - Upwork
KW - Design Fiction
KW - Worker-centred design
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85132364184&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1145/3533406.3533410
DO - 10.1145/3533406.3533410
M3 - Conference contribution
SP - 1
EP - 19
BT - CHIWORK 2022
A2 - Kun, Andrew L.
A2 - Shaer, Orit
A2 - Boll, Susanne
A2 - Fox, Sarah
A2 - Raval, Noopur
A2 - Wilson, Max L.
PB - ACM
CY - New York, US
Y2 - 8 June 2022 through 9 June 2022
ER -