Introducing DiDIY D5.3: What do makers think?

What do makers get out of making? What motivates them? What inspires them? And how do they see making having an impact on wider society? Our new report takes an in-depth look at makers’ motivations, working practices, and views. It is based on research workshops with 95 makers, where they used simple materials such as LEGO and pipe-cleaners to construct models that described their creative practice and how they felt about it. The fascinating responses are portrayed through illustrated archetypes of making. These explain how makers value creativity, and how they work through creative problem solving, gaining confidence and skills and enjoying the sense of ‘flow’.

The report examines the key potential benefits to society that makers think making brings, including challenging consumer culture and empowering connected communities. The report goes on to explore the relationship of makers to digital technology. Makers talk about internet-based sources of inspiration and the potential for extension to practice, as well as having mixed feelings about digital connectivity and the pressure to share.

This report also includes a study of a series of workshops held in public libraries where members of the general public took part in a team design challenge to invent and prototype with digital DIY technologies. The research explains why libraries are important potential sites for making.

Relationship between DiDIY and social change: Deliverable 5.3