Making Spaces: Mapping Opportunities for Improved Equity in Makerspaces and Virtual Reality

The promise of "making"—that is, learning, experimenting, DIY, creation, reappropriation, or otherwise—has become a popular topic in human-computer interaction (HCI) research, and a subject of interest for public institutions like libraries and schools for their potential to engage the public in STEM-related learning, to build their confidence, and potentially inspire new career paths. However, embedded in the individualist ethos of these spaces are problems of inclusion: who counts as a maker, and what types of projects count as making. As a result, makerspaces can be uninviting to marginalized groups, and in this thesis I focus on women, specifically. Opportunities to improve equity in these environments by using technology exist, but run their own risks of amplifying inequities by porting in systemic biases as artifacts of the cultures in which they were produced. In my thesis I address three main research questions: (1) What can we learn from gender-imbalanced maker groups in order to support the diverse needs of makers in STEM-focused environments? (2) What systemic barriers exist that prevent successful adoption of novel technologies to support the needs of diverse makers, and specifically women? (3) What ethical and methodological considerations do we have to take into account as human-computer interaction researchers when working to design, develop, or appropriate digital technologies with, in, or for maker communities? To address these questions, I conducted an ethnographic field study with diverse makers (Chapter 3), a systematic review (Chapter 4), and continuing research with makers in a post-COVID environment (Chapter 5). The study presented in Chapter 3 was undertaken in a pre-pandemic world, when the default for maker groups was assumed to be large in-person gatherings. In that context, makers' needs coalesced around diversity in their goals contrasting to a narrow archetype of what makerspaces can or should offer. I also contribute a new understanding of what a makerspace even is, whereby such a space is not defined by a sign above the door, but by the presence of makers themselves. Opportunities were identified to leverage virtual reality (VR) technology to address some of the unmet needs among makers, aiming to increase feelings of autonomy, competence, and relatedness. With an eye towards increasing satisfaction and self-efficacy, I hoped this work would help to keep makers coming back to the space to keep developing their skills, confid