From: A. Cooper et al.: About Face Andreas Rudin 2012-06-20 Understanding Users From: A. Cooper et al.: About Face Andreas Rudin 2012-06-20

Before we can start designing: Quantitative Research “How many?“ “How much?“ “Where?“

Before we can start designing: Quantitative Research Qualitative Research “How many?“ “How much?“ “Where?“ “What?“ “Who?“ “Why?“

Before we can start designing: Quantitative Research Qualitative Research Basic method and crucial in hard sciences. Works in highly predictable situations. “How many?“ “How much?“ “Where?“ “What?“ “Who?“ “Why?“

Before we can start designing: Quantitative Research Basic method and crucial in hard sciences. Works in highly predictable situations. A must in social sciences. Human behaviors are too complex and subject to too many variables / nuances. Qualitative Research “How many?“ “How much?“ “Where?“ “What?“ “Who?“ “Why?“

Qualitative Research What needs to be investigated? Future domain: environment, business area, technical conditions... Potential users: manners, behaviours, attitudes... Social aspects of the domain: languages, education levels...

Qualitative Research Why results are important for the “creators”: Credibility and proof retrospectively Common understanding and guide line for team work Reference for management in case of multiple solutions/possibilities (→ less arbitrary decisions!)

Types of qualitative research

Types of qualitative research Interviews How the user explained it How the stakeholder understood it What the SME proposed What the user really needed Who needs to be interviewed*? 1. Stakeholders 3. Potential users and/or customers 2. Subject Matter Experts * chronological & hierarchical order

Types of qualitative research

Types of qualitative research Contextual Inquiries Definition: Contextual inquiry = a kind of ethnographic interview = a combination of immersive observation and directed interview techniques def

Types of qualitative research Contextual Inquiries Four basic principles: based on the “master-apprentice-model*“ 1. Context (specified environment) 2. Partnership (collaborative partnership tone) 3. Interpretation (be unbiased & check facts) 4. Focus (subtly direct the interview) *apprentice (interviewer) master (user)

Types of qualitative research Contextual Inquiries Phases of an ethnographic interview: Preparation Conduction Follow-up

Types of qualitative research Contextual Inquiries Phases of an ethnographic interview: 1. Identify candidates (Persona hypothesis): a) Role in the relevant domain b) Demographics / behaviour c) Domain / technical expertise d) General domain consideration Preparation Conduction Follow-up

Types of qualitative research Contextual Inquiries Phases of an ethnographic interview: 1. Identify candidates (Persona hypothesis) 2. Putting a plan together. Recommendation: 4-6 interviews are needed for each identified role, behavioral / demographic / environmental variable... But: By some clever mapping of variables to profiles, the total number can be reduced. Preparation Conduction Follow-up

Types of qualitative research Contextual Inquiries Phases of an ethnographic interview: During the interview: Focus Preparation time - Confirm observed patterns, double- check user needs and data - Adjust made assumptions - Close-end questions - Recognize patterns - Open-end, more specific questions about the domain - Common, open- end questions about the domain - No / few details Conduction Follow-up

Types of qualitative research Contextual Inquiries Phases of an ethnographic interview: During the interview: Methods Preparation Interview where the interaction happens Remember 1st priciple (context). Do not only ask: observe, too! Conduction Follow-up

Types of qualitative research Contextual Inquiries Phases of an ethnographic interview: During the interview: Methods Preparation Interview where the interaction happens Avoid a fixed set of questions Remember 3rd priciple (interpretation). During the interview, the interviewer must learn what is important for the current user. They don’t know enough about the domain to presuppose the questions beforehand. Conduction Follow-up

Types of qualitative research Contextual Inquiries Phases of an ethnographic interview: During the interview: Methods Preparation Interview where the interaction happens Avoid a fixed set of questions Focus on goals first, tasks second What you want to learn is NOT what the users do or something from their domain expertise You need to know how they achieve their tasks and why they behave as they do. Conduction Follow-up

Types of qualitative research Contextual Inquiries Phases of an ethnographic interview: During the interview: Methods Preparation Interview where the interaction happens Avoid a fixed set of questions Focus on goals first, tasks second Avoid making the user a designer Don't mention your ideas that you want to design. While they may sound nice and fascinate the user, they might distract him/her → he/she might get stuck with the ideas. If the user has own ideas: question them! Conduction Follow-up

Types of qualitative research Contextual Inquiries Phases of an ethnographic interview: During the interview: Methods Preparation Interview where the interaction happens Avoid a fixed set of questions Focus on goals first, tasks second Avoid making the user a designer Don't mention your ideas that you want to design. While they may sound nice and fascinate the user, they might distract him/her → he/she might get stuck with the ideas. If the user has own ideas: question them! Conduction Follow-up

Types of qualitative research Contextual Inquiries Phases of an ethnographic interview: During the interview: Methods Preparation Interview where the interaction happens Avoid a fixed set of questions Focus on goals first, tasks second Avoid making the user a designer Avoid discussions of technology The user isn't supposed to be a program- mer either. If the technological talk isn't about the domain but about the product, you need to stop it. Again: if the user has own ideas: question them! Conduction Follow-up

Types of qualitative research Contextual Inquiries Phases of an ethnographic interview: During the interview: Methods Preparation Interview where the interaction happens Avoid a fixed set of questions Focus on goals first, tasks second Avoid making the user a designer Avoid discussions of technology Encourage storytelling Ask the user about experiences with given tools and whether he/she liked them. Conduction Follow-up

Types of qualitative research Contextual Inquiries Phases of an ethnographic interview: During the interview: Methods Preparation Interview where the interaction happens Avoid a fixed set of questions Focus on goals first, tasks second Avoid making the user a designer Avoid discussions of technology Encourage storytelling Ask for a show and tell Conduction Follow-up Even better: ask the user to show the (sub-) processes involved in his/her work domain.

Types of qualitative research Contextual Inquiries Phases of an ethnographic interview: During the interview: Methods Preparation Interview where the interaction happens Avoid a fixed set of questions Focus on goals first, tasks second Avoid making the user a designer Avoid discussions of technology Encourage storytelling Ask for a show and tell Avoid leading questions Conduction Follow-up No bias! e.g: “You like X, don’t you?“

Types of qualitative research Contextual Inquiries Phases of an ethnographic interview: During the interview: Methods Preparation Interview where the interaction happens Avoid a fixed set of questions Focus on goals first, tasks second Avoid making the user a designer Avoid discussions of technology Encourage storytelling Ask for a show and tell Avoid leading questions Conduction Follow-up

Types of qualitative research Contextual Inquiries Phases of an ethnographic interview: After the interviews: Preparation Compare notes with other interviewers. Find common trends, specific points and patterns. This information should be used to strategize about the approach to take in subsequent interviews and other research types. Conduction Follow-up

Types of qualitative research

Types of qualitative research Focus Groups Description: A group of “representative”(?) users is invited, asked a structured set of questions and provided a structured set of choices about a specific product. Although this is a very frequently used marketing analysis tool, it's not appropriate as a design tool: The answer set is given and often, the loudest opinion is the group opinion. Degustators

Types of qualitative research

Types of qualitative research Card Sorts Description: Again, a group of “representative”(?) users is invited and asked to sort a deck of cards, each with a piece of functionality of the product. Good to identify trends and differences, to find statistical patterns and to understand the users' specific „mental models“. Card sorters

Types of qualitative research

Thank you for your attention! Sources: A. Cooper et al. “About Face, ed. 3: : The Essentials of Interaction Design”. John Wiley & Sons, Indianapolis. 2007 P. Hibbits: “Introduction to User Experience (UX) Design“. Presentation slides. 2012

The user – most of the time