Direct Messaging Apps to Study Prosocial Design

​How can we conduct ecologically-valid prosocial design research without buy-in from platforms?

​In previous workshops in this series, we’ve explored how the use of browser extensions and simulated social media environments offer viable approaches to independently testing prosocial design interventions. Molly Offer-Westort’s work presents yet another creative approach: conducting field experiments via platform direct messaging apps with participants recruited from the app’s platform.

​Molly is Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at The University of Chicago. In this workshop, she will present research with colleagues that recruited 15,000+ participants in Kenya and Nigeria to conduct a survey experiment on Facebook Messenger testing the efficacy of misinformation-reduction interventions. We’ll discuss how this combined approach of platform recruitment and experiment via messenger app increases ecological validity, and also speak about its challenges and continued opportunities.

​We hope you can join us for the discussion. ​​PDN Prosocial Design Research Workshops are an informal meeting space where we gather for a one-hour, interactive online session to learn about approaches to conducting independent, ecologically-valid research. Each workshop session begins with a presentation, followed by a Q&A that also encourages constructive feedback. We’ll end with breakout groups to dig deeper and build connections with like-minded researchers and practitioners.