Visual elements in the platform need to be easily identifiable. Few and precise graphics work better, although adding detail to make a design stand out is visually positive. Looking for inspiration for user interfaces can be tricky because patterns that work and look well suggest how the design should be but take away originality. The right balance between being original and building upon precedent can be struck through careful user research and experimenting with the design of the interface. Thanks in particular to the Internet, users have turned from passive consumers to authors and contributors. I found it personally rewarding to work among active users who want to go beyond spectating to and contribute something meaningful. I believe my project can be included in a range of projects that build upon the crowd’s will to create. I learned a lot from my research on technologies and aid relief. It introduced me to a context that I had little knowledge of but motivated me to find opportunities related to interaction design. The research led to talk with people with different backgrounds and experience of emergency relief. Each offered valuable input that took the project much further and it’s without a doubt a lesson in good design thinking. Talking with people was challenging because it made me rethink and question my design but at the same time made my decisions and conviction stronger. I enjoyed the challenged of taking a project forward by myself but it also made me appreciate the importance of feedback from colleagues and friends. Looking at the same problem for some time can skew the vision and it’s useful to have a fresh set of eyes look at the project. This made me wonder how the project could have developed if a multidisciplinary team had approached it. This project could be improved with a more user-centred design approach. Having stakeholders involved throughout the process can make the results more durable and useful. Constant user tests and strong design research can build a much stronger platform. This would likely happen in a design studio. User testing is still needed. Testing new technologies in emergencies is delicate. The consequences of a disaster can’t be properly simulated and aid relief organizations won’t test experimental technologies during an emergency. Standards and experience work in these contexts. Adoption of new technologies is tricky but the involvement of the crowd is inevitable; aid relief organizations must consider these platforms otherwise they will operate independently, which can cause harm. Ideally Fulcra would operate like a service to assist aid relief workers and improve the skills of volunteers. It could, for example, coordinate workshops to specialize the volunteers in disaster response, making them more reliable and useful to the workers. The tasks done in Fulcra are for less critical phases of the emergency: mitigation, preparedness and recovery; volunteers who are better prepared could
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