Consumer Products Integration

Marcia Crosland Ph. D.

GTRI’s Consumer Product Integration provides state-of-the-art research labs, technologies and techniques that yield strategic competitive insight into consumer behaviors, changing habits and industry trends.

Our Mission

• Help businesses gain insight from user experience (UX) research

• Translates research into user- centered design recommendations for services and products that are:

• effective

• easy to use

• safe

• accessible for all users

• engaging

Consumer Products Integration

Applied UX research Unbiased approach Specialized UX methods

USER CENTERED

Range of user populations Expertise in aging

Human factors Safety & protection Consumer health

Population characteristics Product support & training Aesthetics & emotional design

SYSTEMS ENGINEERING APPROACH

Reduce lifecycle cost Maximize market potential Informed tradeoffs

Improve effectiveness Increase customer

satisfaction scoresINDUSTRY OBJECTIVES

Consumer Product

IntegrationHuman Factors

Safety

Consumer Health

Population Characteristics

Product Support & Training

Protection

Aesthetics & Emotional

Design

Consumer Products IntegrationOur Approach

Consumer Products IntegrationThe Team

Specialized Teams

Human Factors, Human Computer Interaction, Psychology, Physiology

Experimental Design, Data Analysis

Engineering, Industrial & Visual Design

Access to other specialists as needed, e.g. security

Experienced

Core competency in ethnography, usability, accessibility and design

Testing of technology, information design, and goods

Process innovation with process engineering, workflow / workload analysis and design

UnderstandUser Needs,Workflow &

Environments

User-Centered Design Process: NIST

Track Attention & Arousal Eye Tracking

Brain (EEG)

Heart Rate (ECG, Cardiac Output, pulse)

Breathing (Respiration Monitoring)

Skin, Nerves (Continuous GSR)

Facial Expressions Monitoring

Track Physical Movement & Force

Motion Capture

Bio Sway

Muscle Tension (EMG)

Time & Motion

Measure Comprehension & Preferences

Ethnographic Study

Field Observation

Interviews & Surveys: In-person, video, phone, digital

User Walkthroughs

Think Aloud Protocols

Card Sorting

Formal Usability Sessions

Performance Evaluations

Measure Accessibility 508 Compliance, Universal Design

Consumer Products IntegrationOur Tools & Techniques

• Usability Labs• In-House: Provides a convenient location for people to come for testing. Contains an

observation room for client viewing of live testing with their products. We screen and recruit a representative set of participants for your study.

• Portable Lab: Provides equipment to conduct on-site studies anywhere in the world. We can screen and recruit participants or you can provide participants.

• Remote Lab: Provides technology to collect UX data remotely.

• Media Lab• Offers a rich studio setting with cutting edge technologies for hands-on testing of

consumer response to multimedia content and technology, recording a wide range of physiologic responses.

• HomeLab• A unique test bed of 600 older adults (age 50 -100 yrs. old) that participate with in-home

research studies and allow for the study of user acceptance /behavior research over time.

Consumer Products IntegrationOur User Experience Research Labs

Technology• Wearable Computers• Mobile Technology • Devices

Information Design• Software Applications (Interactive Systems)• User Interface Design• Training, Education, Decision Aid

Manufactured Goods• Packaging• Products

Systems Analysis• Workflow Analyses• Program Evaluation• Process Improvement• Worker & Consumer Safety

People Physical

Behavioral Relationships

Environment

Space Tangible

Conditions

User Experience ResearchCategories

How can we help?

Analysis / Concept Development:• What are the core features that would meet a need?

Design Measurement:  • What is the user acceptance of a technology – how compelling is the need?

• What training is effective / required?

• How can the UI be streamlined, reducing complexity, e.g. by removing steps?

• What use errors might occur that could result in safety concerns?

• How will the environment impact operations (lighting, sound, clutter, etc.)?

• How effective is a solution – easy to use and learn, and how does it compare to other more traditional solutions?

Prototyping:• How can the design features be improved to enhance human use?

Evaluation and Extension: • How enduring is the experience once the novelty wears off – longer term studies?

• How can the design be adapted to meet other users needs?

Next Steps

XXX

Thank You

HomeLab

Future of Packaging -11

• Growing population of older adults

• Higher needs for training, call center, on-line support

• More dependence on web portals as physical abilities decline

Older Adults Research

Year

Projected U.S. Population GrowthPercentage change form 2012

Year Source: U.S. Census Bureau

What is HomeLab?

• A living lab for independent evaluation of user acceptance and effectiveness of programs, products and services • People willing to be studied in their

homes (from 50 to 100 yrs. old)

• Specialized research resources for in-home studies of older adults• Specialized research team, tools &

techniques

• Controlled research labs and staged homes

HomeLab Collected StatisticsUpdated yearly

Demographics: • Age, gender, race, education, marital status, income, dwelling characteristics,

veteran status, handedness

Lifestyle: • Social activities, work status, smoking, drinking, visits to doctors, dentist,

health screenings, exams, vaccinations, transportation, internet access

Quality of Life:• Ratings/perceptions of satisfaction, enjoyment, pain, happiness, freedom, …

Health Information: • Medical conditions, sleep conditions, surgeries, balance/falls, cancer history,

mental health history

Mental and Fitness StatusMobility Aids:

• Cane, walker, wheelchair, scooter, stair lift

Assistive Devices:• Vision, hearing, orthosis, prosthesis, bath/shower chair,

bed/bath toilet rails