Local Perspectives for Sharing Economy Design on a Remote Tourist Island

Abstract

While the HCI community has interest in the role of sharing economy platforms and their impact on large cities, less attention has been given to smaller isolated populations and the perspectives of their local residents in terms of understanding actual use and to benefit those who use them. This paper contributes to this discourse by reporting on a series of participatory-design based workshops that investigate local perspectives on the sharing economy, and opportunities for platform design that serves the needs of residents, on the remote island of Madeira. The context of the Island, including its restrictions on the types of sharing economy activity, inform a discussion on opportunities for design in transportation, homesharing, and community engagement. Finally, we contribute to the understanding of existing principles of participation that would serve to foster social and economic inclusion in the sharing economy in this particular context.