Geekout Design Research Leveling Up Case Studies Interest group studies Professional wrestling 1 Direction fan fiction Starcraft II Little Big Planet 2 level design Ravelry Fashion 3 Design studio studies Valve Blizzard Media Molecule Key Findings Diverse and non-linear pathways of interest-development On-ramps and recruitment Detours, lane changes, branches Leveling up and connecting out Barriers and boundaries Tension between youth/adult valuing of many interests Lack of on-ramps to online groups for non-dominant youth interests Features of high-functioning connected learning environments Peer feedback, help, mentoring Quality control, roles, and reputation systems Shared purpose and activities: competitions, projects, mobilizations Gap Analysis Young people lack visibility into interest areas outside of their existing comfort zone Teaching and helping are not incentivized and validated in most interest groups Difficult to reach out to mentors and experts in areas of interest Lack of connections between youth interest groups and adult/institutional recognition Commercial online learning/matchmaking platforms dont serve minors Design Research Goals Democratize, incentivize, and recognize amateur teaching, helping, feedback Support matchmaking between learners and teachers/experts Build recognition and activity systems that connect interest to opportunity Phase 1: TeachMeStuff Phase 2: HOMAGO Geekouts Phase 3: Building Partnerships