Bioleta: collaborative mapping and a fairer trade for artisans

Abstract

BIOLETA is an interdisciplinary proposal, developed by using the User-Centered Design (UCD) approach, that aims to create a collaborative network to promote fair trade and the revalorization of artisanal work through an app that facilitates the sale of artisan’s products without intermediaries, which is a win-win for artisans and clients. The app, named BIOLETA for the biodiversity that artisanal work requires, has two goals: to create a reliable database of Mexican crafts after the self-registration of artisans from all over the country and therefore to facilitate the direct contact and relationship of artisans with buyers and institutions. The second goal is to generate a collaborative mapping of street vendors of artisanal work that do not have a digital presence. With the help of potential buyers, neighbors, and/or people interested in artisanal work, the "mapper" will introduce the possible geolocations, recommendations and if available, the contact information of the street vendors to increase their sales during -and after- the emergency caused by COVID-19.