Microsoft promoted for the first time in 2001 the "e-ambassadors scholarship program," a collaboration program with European design schools. The objective of Microsoft, specifically of MSN, its Internet representation at the time, was to promote innovative projects that would provide a local view of Internet use in each European country. They wanted to know the European Internet user and the situation of the Internet, i.e., the difficulties encountered, the progress made, etc.

To this end, they decided to ask design students to propose projects in which, through their knowledge of the country and their vision as users/designers, they would present innovative ideas that would help promote Internet use in Europe. Schools in Sweden, Italy, and Spain participated in this 2001 program. Specifically, in Spain, Elisava in Barcelona and IED in Madrid participated.

Habitat was a project presented by IED Madrid and developed by Rikard Björkdahl, Juan Esbert, and David Vásquez.  

The goal was to create an interactive and creative learner within the MSN portal, a help for all people to increase their curiosity about everyday things and gain insight into the specific items that their lives contain, or better, a motivator for progress. An individual and private space created by every single user is visualized so they will feel at home and comfortable in the environment that they will inhabit. The users will choose the representation of the information to create an environment that suits their abilities best. Using familiar elements understandable to the person will increase interest and learning speed.

Objectives

-Make a trip around Spain, visit schools, and interview pupils, teachers, and parents.
-Contact with the reality of education and learning.
-Make a study of learning and the Internet in specific families to see how they use the Internet in their homes / everyday life.
 -Create a forum and community to discuss and expose the project.
-Development and presentation of the project.
- Develop a Habitat prototype to see how it could be adapted by MSN.