Lasse Burri Gram-Hansen’s research while affiliated with Aalborg University and other places

This paper presents some of the initial steps taken towards digital mediation of the cultural heritage related to Danish author Kaj Munk and the impact these steps have had on the ongoing research on persuasive learning.

In this paper, a selection of the current primary approaches to Persuasive Design are analysed and discussed in relation to two ongoing research projects. Based on experiences gained when applying persuasive design to more established research areas, it is suggested that current research within the field of Persuasive Design may benefit from a more nuanced and context oriented perspective. Persuasive Design researchers commonly acknowledge that successful persuasion is dependent on acting within an opportune moment, often referred to as the rhetorical notion of Kairos. Kairos constitutes the link between the opportune moment and the appropriate action and does as such also signify an ethical perspective. As a result this paper argues that a recurring ethical perspective throughout a design process may be a central to constituting the unique claim of persuasive design in relation to more established research areas such as learning and digital mediation of cultural heritage.

Geocaching is the global game of GPS treasure hunting with more than half a million geocaches currently hidden all over the globe. In this paper it is argued that the computing technologies involved in the activity, such as websites, desktop applications, GPS units and mobile software, together constitute a persuasive environment along with the physical artefacts that are central to the activity of Geocaching. It is possible to implement a persuasive strategy corresponding to various intentions and reach a number of users through Geocaching, and the mobility of the GPS technology facilitates that the information is given at the right time and place.