IAT 333, Design: Practice and Methods Week 2: Cultural Probes

1. IAT 333, Design: Practice and MethodsWeek 2: Cultural Probes Dr. Carman Neustaedter based on course content by Ron Wakkary

2. Outline • cultural probes • informational probes • example probes • interviews • assignment

3. what is a cultural probe?

4. Cultural Probes • “We’ve brought you a kind of gift.” • – Gaver et al source: Gaver, Dunne, and Pacenti

5. Cultural Probes • how do you design something relevant for an unfamiliar group? • don’t want users to constrain design • don’t want users to reveal known needs

6. Cultural Probes • how do you design something relevant for an unfamiliar group? • don’t want users to constrain design • don’t want users to reveal known needs • provoke inspirational responses • pursue experimental design in a responsive way

7. Cultural Probes • how do you design something relevant for an unfamiliar group? • don’t want users to constrain design • don’t want users to reveal known needs • provoke inspirational responses • pursue experimental design in a responsive way • like “astronomic or surgical probes” • wait for data over time • hope for the unexpected

8. Types of Cultural Probes • Postcards • 8-10 postcards with questions • attitudes of elders towards their lives, culture and technology • oblique wording and evocative images provide space for people • informal and friendly (plus more engaging) way of asking questions source: Gaver, Dunne, and Pacenti

9. Types of Cultural Probes • Maps • 7 maps with an inquiry exploring elders’ relationship to their environments • activity: marking zones, locales to surreal situations • maps printed with textural materials • invited folding, handling, and tactile responses source: Gaver, Dunne, and Pacenti

10. Types of Cultural Probes • Disposable camera • repackaged with no commercial entity • simple photo requests written on package • e.g., first person you see today, something desirable, something boring source: Gaver, Dunne, and Pacenti

11. Types of Cultural Probes • Photo Album • assemble a story of 6-10 pictures using pictures from the past, friends, families, and other meaningful things • Media Diary • chronicle of TV shows watched, radio listened to, telephone calls, etc. source: Gaver, Dunne, and Pacenti

12. Cultural Probes • not scientific or engineering endeavor • focus on aesthetic control • focus on cultural implications • focus on impressionistic view of beliefs, culture, aesthetics

13. Cultural Probes • not scientific or engineering endeavor • focus on aesthetic control • focus on cultural implications • focus on impressionistic view of beliefs, culture, aesthetics • trying to open the design • not existing designs or existing technologies • speculative uses and boundary testing

14. Cultural Probes • probes were: • delightful but not childish or condescending • invaluable in providing individual views of each locale • a two-way dialogue between designers and the participants

15. informational probes

16. what is the difference between acultural probe and an informational probe?

17. how it is used: inspiration vs. information

18. Informational Probes • transforming cultural probes to informational probes - Crabtree et al • use of probes in sensitive settings • traditional ethnography is difficult source: Crabtree et al

19. Informational Probes • transforming cultural probes to informational probes - Crabtree et al • use of probes in sensitive settings • traditional ethnography is difficult • focus on gathering information aboutparticipants • participants act as self-observers source: Crabtree et al

20. Informational Probes • transforming cultural probes to informational probes - Crabtree et al • use of probes in sensitive settings • traditional ethnography is difficult • focus on gathering information aboutparticipants • participants act as self-observers • results used to focus user workshops • use probes to figure out what to look at source: Crabtree et al

21. Informational Probes • postcards addressed to the researchers: residents express daily concerns • map of locale for residents to map daily geographies and unsafe areas • polaroid camera to document friends, objects • voice activated dictaphonefor ideas • visitor’s book • scrapbook • daily diary source: Crabtree et al

22. Tips for Making Cultural Probes • do don’t • make it a gift make it an assignment

23. Tips for Making Cultural Probes • do don’t • make it a gift make it an assignment • engage people in conversation engage in a questionnaire

24. Tips for Making Cultural Probes • do don’t • make it a gift make it an assignment • engage people in conversation engage in a questionnaire • try to make a friend act as a data collector

25. Tips for Making Cultural Probes • do don’t • make it a gift make it an assignment • engage people in conversation engage in a questionnaire • try to make a friend act as a data collector • create a game create tasks with a manual

26. Tips for Making Cultural Probes • do don’t • make it a gift make it an assignment • engage people in conversation engage in a questionnaire • try to make a friend act as a data collector • create a game create tasks with a manual • ask who, what, where, when, why and how questions • capture the entire experience: first showing of probe to pick up

27. Tips for Designing Cultural Probes • recruiting is the first design decision • pick reliable participants • pick people you have access to • brainstorm possible audiences

28. Tips for Designing Cultural Probes • recruiting is the first design decision • pick reliable participants • pick people you have access to • brainstorm possible audiences • two strategies: • selective sampling: choose a particular type • e.g., soccer Moms • risk: you decide you can’t design for this audience • benefit: good in-depth information • 2. general sampling: choose a cross-section or general type • e.g., Vancouver residents • risk: information gathered is too general • benefit: good cross section of interests

29. Cultural Probe Findings • no obvious results • implicit or inspirational meaning • certain responses are surprising, insightful • probes provide a perspective that can be hard to achieve

30. Cultural Probe Findings • no obvious results • implicit or inspirational meaning • certain responses are surprising, insightful • probes provide a perspective that can be hard to achieve • what surprised you the most? • what gave you the most insight? • what probe results will help future designs?

31. interviews

32. Interviews + Cultural Probes • optionally you can interview people when: • leaving cultural probes – ask questions about initial thoughts and feelings • picking up cultural probes – ask reactions to the probes, talk about the probes, e.g., pick one item and tell me about it

33. Types of Interviews • Unstructured / open • most like a conversation, no questions planned • pros: rich detail that interviewer may not have thought of • cons: hard to replicate, hard to analyze • good for cultural probes • Semi-structured • pre-select topic areas and potential questions • pros: can guide interview but not enforce what is discussed • cons: can go off topic • good for cultural probes

34. Types of Interviews • Structured • predetermined questions that are short and clearly worded • confirmatory rather than exploratory • pros: easy to replicate, get specific answers, easy to analyze • cons: restrictive answers, details can be lost • not recommended for cultural probes

35. Types of Interview Distortion • Internal distortion • problems internal to the interviewer • e.g., personal traits, lack of experience, listening skills • reduce by restating what people say, take notes, corroborate with other sources

36. Types of Interview Distortion • External distortion • problems with interaction between interviewer and -viewee • e.g., distractions (finger tapping), violation of social norms, conflicting messages (body language), emotional discomfort • reduce by analyzing own behavior, be aware of social norms, arrange appropriate environment

37. assignment

38. Assignment • 1. based on feedback in labs, redesign your probes (quickly!) • make at least four copies of them • 2. deploy the probes to 4 or more participant groups/individuals • leave them with them for 5-7 days • 3. design short interviews (10-15 min) to be used when:you give the probes out and when you pick them up

39. Assignment • due next lecture • one-minute madness presentation of your final cultural probes • upload your presentation on to my laptop at start of class • due next week in lab • poster of final cultural probes • printed 18x24 inches and ready to present in lab

40. Assignment • due in lab in *2 weeks* - Sept 30 • 1. poster of cultural probe results • printed 18x24 inches and ready to present in lab • what was most insightful or inspirational? • what stories came to life? • why did you chose these findings? • 2. interview analysis and summary • 1-3 pages long, document your overall findings • major themes: back up with quotes/examples • discuss in lab

41. Examples • See examples on my laptop

42. Questions? • Stay after lecture if you are in a group of 2 or 3, or not in a group

43. Attendance

44. Attendance