space, time and the attendee: how the attendee of today is affected by physical space and time...

Space, Time, and the Attendeep , ,

Robert Lowe

Vice President—Event ArchitectNth Degree Events

Paul Gould

DesignerMAYA Design, Inc.g g

Essential Learning Components1. Consider the unique mindsets of the four distinct 

generations of attendees.

2. Acknowledge and accept attendees’ timeconstraints.

3 D l d d d3. Develop personas as a way to understand and support attendee needs.

4. Pay attention to the social and behavioral impact that4. Pay attention to the social and behavioral impact that space has on event attendees.

5. Stay aware of boundaries where attendees maintain “sense of place” and form meaningful connections.

Questions to keep in mind

• How have attendees evolved over the past five years?

• What drives those changes?

• How has your event development, planning, and methodology changed in response to or anticipation ofmethodology changed in response to or anticipation of those changes?

• How do all of these changes alter the way attendees “consume” your event?

• How do the approaches we’ll cover differ from conventional approaches?conventional approaches?

User-Centered DesignUser‐centered design is a multi‐stage problem‐l i fsolving process for 

understanding user needs, designing to 

USABILITY ACCESSIBILITY

support those needs, and conducting real‐world tests to ensure 

USER

user goals are met.UNDERSTANDABILITY

User Centered Design Event DesignUser-Centered Design = Event Design

G l C t i tGoals 

d

Constraints

Attendee

Expectations Un‐met needs

Event Design = Experience Design

Experience Design from Whose Viewpoint?

As attendee can no longer be thought of as someone who attends an event. They must be understood . . .

as the eventas the event.

Today’s Attendee

Today’s Attendee

– Generational

– Persona 

Effects of Time on Attendees

How does time affect and change attendees?

– Attention Economy

– Interaction value 

Generation Review• Multiple generations

– Traditionalist (ages 64–79)

– Boomers (ages 46–63)

– Generation X (ages 30–45)

– Generation Y / Millennials (up to age 29)

• Generational differences

Generational Exercise

Generational Effects on Events

• Learning styles

– Events must “teach” to all learning styles and not just in sessions

• Approach to commitment and focus

• Work vs. personal time

• Different core values

Generational studies frame the design.Persona development . . .

id itguides it.

Understanding the Attendee PersonasUnderstanding the Attendee Personas• What is a persona?

Wh i i i d fi h ?• Why is it important to define them?

• How do you do it?

– Tasks– Goals– Motivations– Mindset– Context– ConstraintsConstraints– Capabilities

What is a persona?

• As defined by Wikipedia:  “A persona is a fictitious y p pcharacter created to represent different user types within a targeted demographic…. Personas are useful in considering the goals, desires, and limitations of the users in order to help to guide decisions about a product ”product….

Why is it important to define them?

• Meet the expectations of attendees

• Understand attendees as people not just BISs

• Test your “design” against them

All this should be at the center of your decision‐making process.y g p

Analysis Method: PERSONA

Example: Using PersonasExample: Using Personas

How to Use How to Use Personas

Attention Economics

It’s an approach to the management ofIt s an approach to the management of information that treats human attention as a scarce commodity.as a scarce commodity.

Event Attention Economics

Understand that attendees have less time toUnderstand that attendees have less time to sort through more information. Tailor their activities so that they benefit from every activities so that they benefit from everyinteraction.

The Event Attention Economic Affect

• High value vs. time spend

– Weigh perceived value of every interaction vs. time commitment necessary

• Attendees demand the ability to consume an event when and how they choose

ApplicationsApplications

Generational Applications

• Laptop LaneLaptop Lane

Generational Applications

• Laptop LaneLaptop Lane

• Crypto Commons

Generational Applications

• Laptop LaneLaptop Lane

• Crypto Commons

S i R l t• Session Room layout

Persona ApplicationsThe primary use of these personas is by the Agile 2009 conference attendee for use inconference attendee for use in identifying sessions appropriate to attend. In particular attendees that don’t have a specific agenda may be interested in choosing sessions that closely match their role or interest level.

The secondary use for personas is for session proposers Sessionis for session proposers. Session proposers will “tag” their session proposals as being appropriate for one or moreappropriate for one or more attendee personas

Persona use scenarios

Event Attention Economic Applications

• Shrinking keynote and session presentation times

• Replay/recast

• Activity‐finding (“What’s happening now”?)

Measure of Success

• Measure number of hours on show floor, b i tt d d b f dnumber or sessions attended or number of days 

at an event

Vs.

• Have attendees formed meaningful connections and accomplished their goals?

Spaces and BoundariesSpaces and Boundaries

Questions to keep in mind…

• How is the information space changing?

• Who/What are we designing for?

• How do we design spaces that enable, support, and empower users within the constraints of an attention economy?

Points of Interest

• It’s all about:

– Connections

– Designing for experiences

– Creating a shared ritual through storytelling, spectacle, and community

Design Exercise

Design Exercise

Design:g

. . . a “vase”. . . a  vase

Design Exercise

Design:g

. . . a “way for people. . . a  way for people to enjoy flowers in their home”

Design for Experience

Experience design, or “design forExperience design, or  design for experience” is a name for enlarging scope to consider patterns of life, goals, scope to consider patterns of life, goals,activity, context, repeated use, learning, sharing, emotion, and more…while g, ,applying the design process.

Design for Experience

Are you providing answers to immediate problems?Are you providing answers to immediate problems?

OROR

Are you creating holistic experiences for your users?

Oscars 2009Oscars 2006

Oscars 2008

Oscars 2009Oscars 2009

Imagination Playground

Sociofugal vs Sociopetal Space

MAYA Neighborhoods vs. Cube Farm

IKEA as a constructed spaceIkea

Seattle Public LibrarySeattle Public Library

Example: RSA Conference

Session Rooms

Session Keynotes

Session Post-Keynotes

Post-Session Interactions

Modular Spaces

Modular Spaces

Public Lobby

Structured Spaces

Unplanned Spaces

Pathways

Common Spaces

Café Tables

Orientation and Roles

Orientation and Roles

Orientation and Roles

Blending

Secret SocietiesSecret Societies

Boundaries

Boundaries

Boundaries

Example: Carnegie Public Library

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh | Pervasive Information Environment

Carnegie Library of PittsburghCarnegie Library of PittsburghCarnegie Public Library

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh | Information Environment

What do Customers Experience?

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh | Information Environment

Experience Depiction

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh | Information Environment

Personas follow scenarios

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh | Information Environment

Bridge the breakpoints

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh | Information Environment

Th d f t j h ld The end of every customer journey should be the beginning of a new one

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh | Information Environment

Make prototypes to explore options quickly

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh | Information Environment

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh | Information Environment

Information and space

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh | Information Environment

After renovations, hidden information is broadcast into the space broadcast into the space

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh | Information Environment

“Serendipitous” connections depend on a well-planned, sustainable framework for

publishing into the space

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh | Information Environment

Now the electronic space and physical space interfaces are consistentp

So What?!

• Help all stakeholders make connections.

• Address holistic experiences.

• Build bridges over boundaries.

• Build spaces with personas and purposes in mind.

Field Research ActivityField Research Activity

Using our Developed Persona

Hypotheses to Test to Test, Experiences to Evaluate

Assumption-based Personas?

Th C iThe Player

The Partier

The ConnoisseurThe Player

The Escapist The Professional

The Player

The Partier

The Connoisseur

The Escapist

The Professional

Guidelines

• Where are we going?

• What are we looking for?– Tasks

– GoalsGoals

– Motivations

– Mindset

– Context

– Constraints

– Capabilities

Review

• What did you see?y

• What did we learn?

Relate

• Why is it important?

• How can you relate your findings back to your own challenges and responsibilities?responsibilities?

Thank You

Robert Lowe

Vice President—Event ArchitectNth Degree Events

Paul Gould

DesignerMAYA Design, Inc.g

281‐304‐9566rlowe@nthdegreeevents.com

g412‐488‐2900

gould@maya.com