1. Selected Works and Projects
Abhigyan Singh
Design Researcher | Interaction Designer
Master of Arts (New Media Design) | Bachelor of Technology (ICT)
Aalto University School of Art and Design, Finland | DA-IICT, India

2. Urban Slum ICTs and Residents of urban slums Self-Documentation and Social Map
Communicative Ecology Human Nodes Design Concept
January 2009 - March 2010
Design Opportunities and Challenges in Indian Urban Slums - Community Communication and Mobile Phones
The aim of the master’s thesis is to identify design challenges and opportunities for mobile based community communication services for mar-
ginalized communities belonging to Indian urban slums. The thesis is based on two ethnographic field studies done in urban slums of India and
it is grounded in the conceptual frameworks of Community Informatics, Communicative Ecology and Communities of Practices. The thesis dis-
cusses the existing practices of mobile phone’s use, identifies the ‘Human Nodes’ of community communication, presents design opportunities
and challenges for community communication services, and proposes a design concept called ‘Asynchronous Voice based Community Communi-
cation Service’.
My Tasks: Ethnography, Participatory Design
Awards: The thesis was awarded the highest grade, ‘Department of Media-Stipend’ and Second Prize at CUMULUS 20th Anniversary Exhibition
(‘Young Creators for Better City & Better Life’) at Shanghai World Expo 2010, China.
URL: http://www.slideshare.net/abhigyan1107/thesis-presentation-abhigyan

3. Ethnography Rapid Mobile Application Prototyping Paper Prototyping
Affinity Diagram Voice Annotation Tool for Mobile Image and Video Prototype Testing
July - October 2008
EU-Funded ENCOMPAS (Enabling Community Communications – Platforms and Applications) Project
An independent seven week research initiative funded by ENCOMPAS EUREKA CELTIC project to broadly explore mobile practices in the context
of citizen journalism in India. The ethnographic field-studies were conducted in Mumbai and Bangalore city of India. The project targeted low-
income communities and corporate workers belonging to Indian Middle Class. I developed and tested a mobile application prototype called Voice
Annotation Tool for Mobile Image and Video. The prototype was developed using Python for Symbian platform and it was tested on Nokia’s 2nd
and 3rd edition mobile phones.
My Role: Researcher, Finland/ India
My Tasks: Ethnography, Participatory Design, and Mobile Application Prototyping
Awards: 3500 Euros Research Grant

4. Urban Mediator (UM) Web Interface Mobile Application Prototyping (Python S60) Heuristic Evaluation of UM’s Web Interface
Testing Prototype during Kiasma Museum Walk User Testing of UM Interface User Testing of UM Mobile Standalone Tool
February - June 2008
EU-Funded Urban Mediator (UM) Project
Urban Mediator (UM) is an open framework and collection of tools that provides a way for communities to mediate local, location-based dis-
cussions, activities, and information. I designed and developed a prototype called UM’s Mobile Standalone Tool. The tool has been designed to
capture and publish information (digital images, geo-information, user-generated tags etc) and uses digital maps service. The prototype was
developed for Nokia 3rd Edition (Symbian) Phones using Python (S60).
My Role: Research Assistant at ARKI Research Group (http://arki.mlog.taik.fi/research/), Finland
My Tasks: Mobile Application Prototyping and Usability.
URL: http://mlab.taik.fi/urbanmediator/

5. Physical Interface User Testing
Alan01 Interactive Installation AlanOnline Website Data Analysis
May - June 2009
EU-Funded Alan01 and AlanOnline Project
Alan01 is an interactive installation based on life of Alan Turing. It investigates associational storytelling and interaction structures. AlanOnline
is web counterpart of the Alan01 installation. I worked as an independent usability researcher and conducted qualitative and quantitative evalu-
ation of both Alan01 installation and AlanOnline. The evaluation work consisted of creation of use-cases, conducting user tests and web-based
survey, correlation of qualitative and quantitative data and compilation in a report.
My Role: Usability Researcher at Crucible Studio Research Group, Finland
My Tasks: Qualitative and Quantitative Usability Evaluation
Paper: Mika Lumi Tuomola, Teemu Korpilahti, Jaakko Pesonen, Abhigyan Singh, Robert Villa, P.Punitha, Yue Feng, Joemon M. Jose. “Concept,
content and the convict”. ACM Multimedia. Beijing 2009
URL: http://crucible.mlog.taik.fi/productions/alan01/ and http://mlab.taik.fi/alanonline/

6. Havis Amanda and Helsinki City Art Museum Interaction Workflow and vvvv scripting Postcard with tracking pattern and floor-marking
Testing the interface Havis Amanda Interactive Installation Sample Visuals
January - April 2008
Havis Amanda Interactive Video Installation
Havis Amanda Interactive Video Installation was part of Havis Amanda - Mon Amour exhibition organized by Helsinki City Art Museum. The
exhibition was held at Jugensali, Helsinki from 30 April - 31 August 2008 to celebrate 100th anniversary of the most famous statue in Helsinki.
Every year on the eve of May Day students from one of the universities in Helsinki ‘crown’ the statue with a student cap to celebrate the end
of a study year. This tradition has continued since 1920s and it is witnessed by thousands of people. The Havis Amanda interactive installation
facilitated virtual crowning of Havis Amanda and involved projection of video footages based on motion tracking technique.
My Tasks: Interaction Design, Scenario Based Design
Team Members: Aleksi Hyvönen, Anna Keune, Juha Kronqvist, Kristine Visanen, Mikko Pykäri, Sonja Krogius and Suvi Kitunen.

7. Workshop Python Scripting Step 1: User selects a number displayed on screen
Step 2: User takes a picture Step 3: User sends the picture Step 4: Picture gets displayed on the screen
February 2008
Can You See the Whole Picture?
This prototype of a Collaborative-Generative mobile game concept for public spaces was conceptualized and developed in two days of time as an
outcome of Rapid Mobile Application Prototyping workshop. The concept focused on real-time multi-user participation and exploration of a physi-
cal environment. The prototype was developed for Nokia’s 3rd Edition phones. The prototype runs a python script on a mobile phone which al-
lows user to take a picture and send the picture over a WIFI network to a server. On the server side a PHP script saves the picture and a Javas-
cript code reloads the screen every three seconds.
My Tasks: Conceptualization and Python Scripting
Team Member: Linda Kronman

8. 1. User-Task Matrix 2. Task Analysis 3. Task Flows
4. Information Architecture 5. Wireframes 6. Visual Design and Design Specifications
April - August 2006
New Price Management (Client: Kmart & Sears)
A software application for price management procedures at Kmart & Sears retail stores. This application was designed to be used as single point
of contact for complex price management procedures for the products in over 3000 Kmart & Sears retail stores in U.S.A. The application was
very data-intensive. Design challenge was to reflect the merchandize information hierarchy and enhance the readability of the financial informa-
tion. Design constraint was that all the Kmart & Sears stores have screens of 800*600 pixels resolution.
My Role: User Interface Designer at Infosys Technologies ltd.
Client’s Comment: “Overall all screens look great, Very intuitive and I am very happy with the way these screens look. Good Job!”
- Bonzo Joyce, Project Manager (Price Management), Sears
“I was just with Joyce and she said something similar about the offshore merchants liking the fact that they will be able to see prices easier”
- Kathy Rink., VP (IT), Sears

9. Landing Page Simulation for Color-Blindness Yard Status Page
December 2006 - March 2007
TSS Xpress (Client: BNSF Railways)
Transport Support System (TSS) Xpress is a web 2.0 application designed for migration from critical main-frame applications for BNSF railway’s
tracking system. This application is used by over 10,000 users. I was involved in this project for a period of 4 months. My role dealt with inter-
action design and usability issues related to Yard Status Workflow.
My Role: User Interface Designer at Infosys Technologies limited.
My Tasks: Interaction Design, Usability
Awards: The project won Infoworld’s Top 100 IT Projects of 2007 award.

10. 1. Contextual Inquiry 2. Hand Measurements 3. Sketches
4. Wire-Models 5. Audio-Haptic Color Teaching Tool 6. Top, Middle and Bottom Layers
January - April 2005
Synesthesia (Bachelor’s Thesis)
Synesthesia is a research exploration to give an understanding of color to visually impaired children through the aural and haptic senses. The
project involved experiments with non-speech auditory displays and culminated in a functioning prototype of ‘Audio-Haptic Color-Teaching Tool’.
This project is my thesis for the degree of Bachelor’s of Technology in Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
My Tasks: Contextual Inquiry, Design and Development of Audio-Haptic Color Teaching Tool
Awards: The thesis was awarded the highest grade.
Team Member: Rahul Mukherjee

11. Happily Bubbling Map Sketches
November 2007 - April 2008
Happily Bubbling Map
A Self-Organizing Map (SOM) based visualization of music folksonomies on Last.fm. Last.fm is UK based Internet Radio with over 20 million us-
ers. The aim of the visualization was to show how different countries are related to each other on the basis of online music listening behavior.
The Last.fm usage data from 40 countries, 139 unique artists (top 10 artists of each country) and 269 unique user-generated tags (top 15 tags
for each artist) were processed for the visualization. Data visualization utilized position, color and size parameters for representation while in-
cluded functionality of mouse-over (blur), Filtering and Zoom-In/Zoom-Out for interaction.
My Tasks: Visualization and Technical Development using Processing
Team Member: Jenni Stenman

12. February 2009
We Use GNU Linux, a documentary video
We Use GNU Linux is a documentary video. The project is in progress. The documentary revolves around Mani and his life at Ambedkar Com-
munity Computing Center (AC3). Ambedkar Community Computing Center (AC3) is a computer education center in Sudarshan Layout, a resi-
dential space for marginalized communities at Bangalore, India. The documentary video deals with Mani and his friends daily struggle in pursuit
of digital education, their self-beliefs, issues of empowerment, and self-expression.
Short Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srq5MI_NvqQ

13. Publications
2009
Mika Lumi Tuomola, Teemu Korpilahti, Jaakko Pesonen, Abhigyan Singh, Robert Villa, P.Punitha, Yue Feng, Joemon M. Jose. ‘Concept, content and
the convict’. MM ‘09: Proceedings of the seventeen ACM international conference on Multimedia. Beijing 2009
2010
Singh, Abhigyan. ‘Visual Artifacts as Boundary Objects in Participatory Research Paradigm’. In press for special issue of Journal of Visual Arts
Practice.
Abstract: This article is based on the findings of an ethnographic field research conducted at Sudarshan Layout, an urban slum in Bangalore, India in February
2009. The research was participatory in nature and was conducted in collaboration with AC3 Members, a group consisting of local youth of Sudarshan Layout. Vari-
ous visual research methods like ‘Self Documentation’ exercise, involving creative use of digital camera, and ‘Social Map Drawing’ exercises were employed. These
methods led to creation of various visual artifacts like hand drawn social maps and digital photographs. In this article, I argue that these visual artifacts (hand-
drawn social maps and digital photographs) acted as boundary objects, enabled a dialogue and promoted negotiation of meaning between participants and me. In
the article, I describe how these visual artifacts facilitated the participatory research and assisted in collaboration, communication and cooperation between partici-
pants and me.
Singh, Abhigyan. ‘Design challenges for sustainable mobile community communication services for Indian Urban Slums’. Sustainability in
Design:Now! Conference. Bangalore. September 2010
Abstract: This paper is based on findings of an ethnographic field research conducted at Sudar-shan Layout, an urban slum in Bangalore, India. The research in-
vestigated mobile based community communication and it is grounded in theoretical framework of Com-munity Informatics. The paper discusses communicative
ecology of Ambedkar Community Computing Center (AC3) Members, a local community of Sudarshan Layout and hence attempts to build a broad socio-discursive-
technological context of local community communication practices. This paper opens a discussion on social context of design for sustainability. The paper presents
an approach for design research for sustainability for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) initiatives targeting low-income user groups and those be-
longing to marginalized section of society. Following the discussion the paper presents design challenges for sustainable mobile community communication services
for residents of Indian urban slums.

14. Contact:
abhigyan.singh@gmail.com
Linked: http://in.linkedin.com/in/agsingh
Mobile (India): +91 97 1787 409
Mobile (Finland): +358 45 279 4447
Skype: abhigyan.singh