ApplianceStreet Gangs

Introduction

How does the fridge make you feel?

How do you get consumers to articulate an appliance in an emotional, stylistic light- and how could you do it online?

The Appliance Street Gang project is an experiment in expression.

We asked consumers to express their current appliances as a street gang and had them visually collage their a representation of their street gang with the online collaging tool Polyvore.

Consumers created Polyvore user accounts, surfed the web for stimulus and created collages along with text descriptions of their home appliance street gang.

Participants were paid $1.50 for their time.

My Appliance Street Gang

This set consists of my favorite and loudest appliances: the fridge, stove and blender. The fridge is stainless steel and has a ton of accessories as my fridge has tons of magnets. The fridge is the bad ass of the group. How can you mess with a fridge? If there's no fridge, everything else is useless. Clearly the fridge is the leader of the gang. The stove is the matriarch of the gang. It's not hardcore or tough. It's frilly and low key. The stove doesn't need many accessories b/c if they get too close to the stove, they'll burn up. The stove may be cute, but let's face it, no one can take the heat. Finally the blender. It's crazy and will try anything. It'll put anything together and give you interesting results. The blender wouldn't belong to any club that would have it, but it's known the fridge and stove its whole life and it is loyal.

View ExampleP1the appliance street gangs project

a mechanical turk experiment

What a rowdy street gang this is. Armed with an arsenal of power retaliation weapons, this gang isn't one to mess with. They're fighting back...with a vengeance.

P2the appliance street gangs project

a mechanical turk experiment

My collage's title is Cooking with the gang. The main members of my gang are Mr. Stove, Mr. Refrigerator, Mr. Blender and Mr. Toaster. Other members are Mr. Counter, Mr. Table and Mr. Chair #1 and Mr. Chair #2. Mr. Stove is the leader of this gang. He is the leader because he has the power of fire. Mr. Refrigerator is his right hand because he is big and heavy. Mr. Blender and Mr. Toaster make sure to keep everything smooth and toast in the kitchen. The other members of the kitchen like, Mr. Table and Mr. Chair #1 and Mr. Chair #2, enjoy moving around and making sure nobody is out of line in the kitchen. If they do find someone misbehaving in the kitchen, they make them take a sit and eat cookies without milk. Mr. Counter likes to stay still and watch everybody. He is almost like an outsider. He identifies himself with the pictures that look at everyone, but that are not part of the gang.

P3

the appliance street gangs projecta mechanical turk experiment

I chose to include 4 washing machines in the foreground as they like to be loud and want to be noticed.

They are loud and rumble when in use. I decided to put hoody and bling on the fridge, as it is used to being decorated with magnets and such. While the dishwasher has a cowering cat, with the sign "I Am Scared" above it, as the cat hates the dishwasher :)

View Example

P4the appliance street gangs project

a mechanical turk experiment

P5

Based on my appliances: Washer and Dryer: Partners in crime, they do (almost) everything together Stove: Strong, silent type; works hard Toaster: Hot! Also stylish (I actually have a Hello Kitty toaster). Microwave: Cool but just kinda stands there (I don't use mine much!) Fridge: The leader (I definitely use it the most!)

Visit Example

the appliance street gangs projecta mechanical turk experiment

P6

About this... the TV is the boss of the gang, because he runs everything and has the most knowledge. right alongside the tv is micro, the microwave...he does everything the boss tells him and keeps the gangs affairs in order. taylor, the sewing machine, is the gang's SHARP shooter jimmy, the blender, is the gangs knifeman iceman the refridgerator is the COLD and calculating muscle of the gang. and pyro the oven is self-explantory, he burns things. bring it on brave little toaster!!!!

the appliance street gangs projecta mechanical turk experiment

P7

My street gang is a kitchen appliances street gang. Part of this street gang are Freezer Fridge, Oven McStove, K. Nife, Toasst, Fire Pan, Knucks Phone, and Chop Chop Blender. Eacch one very deadly and grew up at the hard knocks school on the street. Freezer Fridge will keep you cool as a meatlocker if you cross his path. Oven MccStove will open up and swallow you whole for a hot day of fighting. K. Nife is always the first to throw punches when there's the first sign of trouble. Toasst will be more then glad to serve you your last meal. Fire Pan can cook up a fiery defense and burn you before you know it! Knuck Phone is the meanest lady on the block, able to knock you out with her brass knuckles and strangle you from far distances. Lastly is Chop Chop Blender, all cracked up from being in the gang the longest doesn't mean that his blades are any duller! The applliances colors are grey as noted by their grey bandanas, so they better not catch you on their block wearing someone else's colors! The kitchen will never be the same again.

View Example

the appliance street gangs projecta mechanical turk experiment

P8

Cool woman in kitchen with cool refrigerators, nice boots and watch.

the appliance street gangs projecta mechanical turk experiment

P9

I created this set with 2 open appliances in front, trying to look threatening. The laptop, slightly to the front, is obviously the "alpha male", with the DS as his lieutenant. The blender is set slightly apart, acting as a lookout, while the hefty TV brings up the rear.

the appliance street gangs projecta mechanical turk experiment

the appliance street gangs projecta mechanical turk experiment

P10

I picked to give my refrigerator a character... a healthy character... keeping on check of my food intake and my fitness activity!! Motivation! Motivation! Motivation!

Learnings?

Appliance Street Gang Metaphor was definitely umm... interesting, but there are some wins here.

1. One dollar was enough compensation to send participants to a site, create an account and participate in the study with reasonable success.

2. Most participants appeared to take significant time creating their street gangs, gathering images and creating detailed descriptive stories with roles and added personality details.

3. A wide range of URL image related stimulus was selected and captured by Polyvore revealing a the where and price of the related stimulus. All of which could be probed on further to get at additional insight in style selection preferences or how they view their appliances.

Ok maybe it was a baked idea...I’ll admit this quick hit project was pretty strange. Street gangs? Are you serious? The more I questioned myself, the more I wanted to do it.

The results were decent. People can be sent to a specific site and asked to think about their appliances in a truly abstract light.

As for the stylistic and emotional connective result? A taste of its there for sure. Reworking the metaphor is needed but the method and online tool implementation is done.

Like all turk experiments you have to be willing to just do them and throw caution to the wind. Turks will often surprise you, as these did with this bizarre request.

Using Polyvore as a means to get consumers to create their own visual vocabulary opens doors for more ideas and more experiments.

Experiment conducted on 7/28/09 by Dan Rockwell of Lextant

using Polyvore and Amazon’s Mechanical Turk