Skilling and Learning Through Digital Do-It-Yourself: The Role of (Co-)Design

The current trend of digitally enabled self-production (i.e. digital DIY) is emblematic of the contemporary attitude to making. Its investigation represents an opportunity for better understanding the dynamics underpinning the acquisition of competences for the next century citizens through making. The objective of this paper is presenting our preliminary reflections on the factors characterising the current trend of digital DIY, envisaged as a phenomenon of social innovation empowering people by developing skills through making collaboratively. We introduce a model representing the dynamics (over the three levels of social innovation, social practice and creative process) and factors (i.e. technology, motivation and collaboration) for learning and skilling in this context. The concluding section describes future developments based on co-design for the delivery of tools enabling designers and key players in four main areas of intervention in which the model can be transferred.