Application of the delphi method in the design of a quantitative investigation on the FABLABS

Abstract

 The ease of access to technology has led to the arrival of a new industrial revolution that enables citizens to stop being mere users and become creators and builders of their own assets, relying on social trends based on collaborative culture. The emergence of the Fablab -Fabrication Laboratory- as environments that enhance these capacities in the users has been decisive in this technological democratization, and continues in an incessant rhythm, extending by the whole planet. Through seven stages, we describe in this article, the process of construction and validation of the information retrieval tool called FabLab Global Survey, with the objective of characterizing the FabLab phenomenon. The lack of theoretical references and the limited academic literature on the subject makes necessary to design such a tool based on contributions from the experts in the FabLab phenomenon and, for this purpose, it was considered appropriate to validate it using the Delphi method, since it allows the transmission of the subjective information provided by the experts, respecting their peculiarities. The challenge we face as researchers lies in our ability to transform the results obtained for their valuation through quantitative analytical tools. To compensate and balance the subjectivity of the opinions expressed by the panel of experts using nominal scales, the Torgerson`s Model is used, which allows a rescaling of the original qualitative scale on an interval scale (quantitative) by verifying the equivalence between them. Likewise, and once the adequacy of the scale used is verified, a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the contributions generated by the group of experts is carried out, allowing to profile the characteristics of the resulting questionnaire. The excellent reception of the Fablab Global Survey obtained during the distribution among the managers of the FabLabs - which point out their suitability of the questions - shows the appropriateness of the Delphi method for the generation of research tools that allow, as it is the case in hand, open new lines of research.