Beyond the screen: UX research methods for novel technology
Tutorial at UX Cambridge 2015
Swetha Sethumadhavan (@swethas) &Paul Thorpe (@UXPaul)
From System Concepts, London @systemconcepts
I am a UX Practitioner.
I work at a London-based consultancy called System Concepts. We do a variety of research across different platforms, and I am very passionate about it!
I also help co-organise the Research Thing meetup, for fellow UX people in London.
@swethas
A little bit about me…
• Welcome
• Intro to novel technologies
• Research methods
• Activity #1
• Case studies
• Activity #2
Agenda
• get a flavour of what novel technologies are out there
• understand the importance of research
• get an insight into a few different research methods and novel technology case studies
And then… be inspired and motivated to incorporate research!
By the end of this tutorial, you should…
Blockchain technology
Bitcoin is the most famous use of blockchain technology.
Bitcoin - a virtual currency, buy and sell without centralised control, and allows for pseudonomous transactions.
This is an ATM machine that exchanges bitcoins for physical cash.
• Helps understand real people’s needs, behaviours to inform opportunities for design
• Helps evaluate new or existing products/offerings and identify ways to improve and optimise them
Why research is important?
User experience is a persons’ perceptions and responses resulting from the
use and/or anticipated use of a product, system or service.
- ISO 9241 – 210: 2010
What is UX?
Model created based onISO 9241: Part 210 Human-centred design process for interactive systems.
A UCD approach
Vox Pops
Prototyping
Card Sorting
Expert Reviews Cultural
Probes
Observation& Shadowing
Focus Groups& Workshops
Diary Studies
Contextual Interviews
Ethnography
Participative Design
Eye Tracking
AX Reviews
UsabilityTesting
AX Audit
UX Methods
Important to choose the right method and tailor it based on the project objectives.
Building blocks of research
How it works:• Gather information about people in their natural environment• Sessions have a flexible structure with no set agenda
Advantages:• Provides rich data which can lead to new insights and
perspectives• Natural environment and tasks improve validity
Uses:• Inspiration for designers early in the design process• Get to know your users• Provides insight into the possible use cases for a product
Ethnographic research
Example research method
Cultural probe & diary study
Example research method
How it works:• Ethnographic research technique used for exploring new
design opportunities• Can incorporate a number of artefacts and tasks including
diaries, open-ended prompt cards, disposable cameras, camera missions and sketching exercises
Advantages:• Encourages users to reflect on their experiences and
behaviour meaning deeper insights can be gained during research sessions
• Provides design teams with a deeper understanding of users
Uses:• Provide views and understanding to support and inspire
designers in the early stages of the design process• Prepare participants for later discussions and participatory
sessions
Vox pops
How it works:• Researcher conducts street-based research at a busy
location• Research is filmed asking volunteers pre-prepared
questions • Videos are analysed later for common trends and
useful quotes
Advantages:• Quick and flexible• Low cost • Can provide visual feedback to client, rather than a
report
Uses:• Gain a balanced measure of user opinion when time
constraints prevent traditional methods being used
Example research method
• Think of any novel technology
• 5 minutes to discuss and write down opportunities and challenges
• 1 minute each to present back to the wider group
Activity #1: In pairs
• Making cycling a better experience for Londoners
• Speculative prototyping, displayed in a research film to explore user experiences
@FutureCitiesCat
#NUXcycling
Can technology improve wayfinding for cyclists?- Future Cities Catapult
Play video
• Smart Mobility Plan
• Research to understand changing mobility needs
• Service prototyping
• Go Drive: Car-sharing pilot to get feedback from real-users in context
Alicia Agius from @forduk
Service design to reshape existing proposition- Ford
Wayfindr app for blind people (1/2)ustwo + RLSB
• RLSB Youth Forum identified priority areas for vision impaired young people
• Enabling vision impaired people to travel anywhere at any time, independently
• Using ‘off the shelf’ products compatible with devices these people already use.
• Secondary research > Primary simulated research + observation > Workshop > Experiments through prototyping
Katherine Payne at the RLSB,Umesh Pandya at ustwo
Wayfindr app for blind people (2/2)ustwo + RLSB
• Location specific trial at Pimlico station, London Underground
• Testing with real users in the actual context, for further validation and improvement
• Gathering feedback to improve the experience, and also informing changes for future trials
A smart city (also smarter city) uses digital technologies or information and
communication technologies (ICT) to enhance quality and performance of
urban services, to reduce costs and resource consumption, and to engage
more effectively and actively with its citizens.
- By Wikipedia
Smart Cities is a vendor / city term commonly used to refer to the creation
of knowledge infrastructure. Smart City, in everyday use, is inclusive of
terms such as 'digital city' or 'connected cities'.
- By Innovation Cities Program
Smart cities…
• Making public spaces smarter• Using solar energy to enable people
to stay connected• Hardware prototyping in real-
contexts• Ethnography and vox-pops style
interviews with users• A/B testing of price points and
distribution options with stakeholders
@e_strawberry
Smarter furniture for smart cities (1/4)- Strawberry energy
Smarter furniture for smart cities (2/4)- Strawberry energy
• Their stakeholders and team members listened to findings from each interview, and took notes.
• One insight on one post-it, colour-coded to analyse types of insights.
• Clustering common insights, and analysis
• Brainstorming and ideas generation
• Developed personas for end-users
@e_strawberry
Smarter furniture for smart cities (3/4)- Strawberry energy, going from first prototype Smart tree to current Smart Tree
Smarter furniture for smart cities (4/4)- Strawberry energy
From Smart Tree to Smart Benches!
These are:
• Movable benches
• With added USB ports
@e_strawberry
• Set up structured events for creative social exchange
• Enjoyed by the community and also provided useful insights for the team
@ElephanTrumpets
Setting up a vision for a smart city concept- Changify
• Speculative prototyping by Future Cities Catapult
• Service prototyping by Ford
• Location specific service simulation and trial by RLSB and ustwo
• Location specific hardware prototyping/installation by Strawberry energy
• Participatory workshops for insights gathering by Crowd Powered Change
Recap of case studies…
• Choose a scenario from the following slide
• You have 15 minutes to discuss a suitable research approach, with research questions and your rationale for choosing this approach
• 5 minutes to present back findings to the wider group
Activity #2: In groups
• Scenario A: The Mayor of a city, and you want to get people to do more exercise, for the healthy well-being of your people. The Mayor
would like to use the Internet of Things to help achieve this goal. Your team has been approached to plan the research.
• Scenario B: A car manufacturer is looking to launch self-driving cars in your city. They are doing tests on their prototype cars and would
now like to investigate real-life behaviours for this new technology. Your team has been approached to plan research into this area.
• Scenario C: A large shopping centre has been approached by people who make location beacons. They have pitched installing these
beacons in and around the shopping centre as the future of increased loyalty and conversion in physical shops. Before going ahead, the
shopping centre have approached your team to plan research around the use of beacons and their impact in this case.
• Scenario D: A health technology company is looking into using wearable technology to help support patients in need of physiotherapy.
There has been some interesting early academic research in this area, and so they are interested in how they could use this to develop a
product. They have approached your team to help them understand the target user needs and their drivers to use such a technology.
• Scenario E: A local council wants to reduce the amount of graffiti in some of the residential neighbourhoods. They are interested in trying a
novel approach to reducing graffiti, preferably one which addresses the causes rather than just the effects. They have approached your
team to plan research to understand this area and identify possible novel solutions.
Activity #2: ScenariosChoose one of the following scenarios to carry out this activity, as explained on the previous slide.
• Diary study: Google plus, nativeye, dscout, evernote/email
• Cultural probes: physical diaries/artefacts, disposable camera – let them capture their life, the way the see it
• Vox pops: VoxPopMe or just get out there on the street with a camera (looking professional)
• Citizens Canvas: A community centred design tool for smarter cities
• Post-it notes, and people!
List of links: http://bit.ly/1KdBsvA
Useful tools and resources
• Future Cities Catapult (https://futurecities.catapult.org.uk/)
• Design for Social Change
• Strawberry energy http://senergy.rs/?lang=en
• Lisa Koeman from ICRI Cities http://visualisingmillroad.com/
Who is doing this stuff?
Takeaways (1/2)
• Create concepts, prototype/simulate them and evaluate these with people.
• Involve both your end-users and stakeholders, to understand both of their motivations.
But….
• You can't just ask people! They don't always know what they want.
• Important to observe real-life use!
Takeaways (2/2)
Ultimately…
• It's not about the technology… it's about experiences, it's about solutions, it's much more and it's beyond this screen!
So…
• Let’s go out there and observe any interesting behaviours and observations at this conference, and tweet them with the hashtags #uxcam #novelux