1. User-Designer HCI Research Model for Online Communities Groupz-ware Niki Lambropoulos Interaction Design Consultant Intelligenesis Consultancy nikilambropoulos.org

2. HCII-2005 Las Vegas - Tuesday 26 July 2005 10:30-12:30 Design Approaches in HCI Participatory design (Bjerknes et al, 1987) Plastic Interface for Collaborative Technology Initiatives through Video Exploration (PICTIVE, Muller, 1991) Collaborative Analysis of Requirements & Design (CARD; Muller et al, 1998) Why do we need another design?

3. nikilambropoulos.orgHCII-2005 Las Vegas - Tuesday 26 July 2005 10:30-12:30 Need of a New Model in HCI absence of specific methodology for online communities; the great number of online communities on the net and their unique character absence of standards for online communities’ categorization and indexation absence of software categorization and description of characteristics absence of a flexible guide to deal with the constrains that appear in Interaction Design the nature of research and evaluation as such, as based on users’ individualistic and subjective views.

4. nikilambropoulos.orgHCII-2005 Las Vegas - Tuesday 26 July 2005 10:30-12:30 Model for Innovation Technology make work effective, efficient and safer improve and enhance learning and training provide enjoyable and exciting entertainment enhance communication and understanding support new forms of creativity and expression

5. nikilambropoulos.orgHCII-2005 Las Vegas - Tuesday 26 July 2005 10:30-12:30 User-Designer Plus (U-D+): I-D Process for Groupz-ware Production Stage I: Establishing Requirements and I- D Evaluation Criteria Catalogue Stage II: Focus Groups Stage III: Software Description - Evaluation Stage VI: Users’ Profiles and Recommendations Stage V: Pre-Production Stage VI: Final Production Stage VII: User-Designer Plus (U-D+)

6. nikilambropoulos.orgHCII-2005 Las Vegas - Tuesday 26 July 2005 10:30-12:30 ID+ Stage I & II 1.Stage I: Establishing Requirements and Evaluation Criteria Catalogue 2.Stage II: Focus Groups  Target population & sampling High level of their expertise The nature and culture of online communities Relativity to the main study target group (from 0% to 100%) Participants’ familiarity with different software used in online communities Accessibility to focus groups  Content analysis and reports.

7. nikilambropoulos.orgHCII-2005 Las Vegas - Tuesday 26 July 2005 10:30-12:30 U-D+ Stage I: Evaluation Criteria Catalogue (ECC) A. Sociability: People, Purposes, Practices - Management of the Community (code S) A1. Sociological aspects (Identity S-ID, Relations S- REL, Language S-LAN ) A2. Management aspects (Practice S-PRA, Community Knowledge S-CK, Evaluation and Assessment S- EVA, Evaluation for Research S-RE) B. Usability: HCI and Interaction design (code U)  Common tools (U-TOOLS) based on the previous sociability indicators. As such the tools are suggested to support identity (code U-ID), relations (code U-REL), language (code U-LAN), practices (code U-PRA), community knowledge (code U-CK) and evaluation (code U-EVA).  Research Tools: usability evaluation (code U-RE)  Additional features (code U-ETC)

8. nikilambropoulos.orgHCII-2005 Las Vegas - Tuesday 26 July 2005 10:30-12:30 U-D+I: Evaluation Criteria Catalogue

9. nikilambropoulos.orgHCII-2005 Las Vegas - Tuesday 26 July 2005 10:30-12:30 ID+ Stage III to V 1.Stage III: Software Description - Evaluation 2.Stage VI: Users’ Profiles and Recommendations 3.Stage V: Pre-Production Prototype construction could be represented with the use of scenarios and prototypes Sociability and Usability tests Prototype Refinements

10. nikilambropoulos.orgHCII-2005 Las Vegas - Tuesday 26 July 2005 10:30-12:30 ID+ Stage VI: Final Production Production of the final application. International Use on the Internet. Final Survey, Analysis and Report based on the evaluation criteria catalogue. Data Analysis:  Descriptive Analysis  Inferential Statistics Generalisations by standard inferential statistical methods Measures of association between usability and sociability Test of significance

11. nikilambropoulos.orgHCII-2005 Las Vegas - Tuesday 26 July 2005 10:30-12:30 Stage VII: User-Designer Plus (U-D+), Why Plus (+)? ‘what credible research design can be used to effectively evaluate an intervention which might help the community?’ (Sanson-Fisher, 2004) Online Groupz need time-based direction and design Interrupted Short-Time-Series Design

12. nikilambropoulos.orgHCII-2005 Las Vegas - Tuesday 26 July 2005 10:30-12:30 Interrupted Short-Time-Series Design: Recording & Evaluating a Process

13. nikilambropoulos.orgHCII-2005 Las Vegas - Tuesday 26 July 2005 10:30-12:30 Example: Focus Groups Criteria Selection High level of their expertise The number of online communities’ members they were moderating Relativity to the main study target group (from 0 relativity as in Habbo Hotel to 100% relativity as in tagteachernet); Participants’ familiarity with different software used in online communities. The ratio of applications complexity and sophistication varied from simple open source software (e.g. yahoo.groups) to software from production companies (e.g. commkit, specifically designed software for massive online communities); Accessibility to the focus groups (the author is an e-mint member).

14. nikilambropoulos.orgHCII-2005 Las Vegas - Tuesday 26 July 2005 10:30-12:30 E-mint: Evaluation Criteria Catalogue

15. nikilambropoulos.orgHCII-2005 Las Vegas - Tuesday 26 July 2005 10:30-12:30 Synthesis of Findings

16. nikilambropoulos.orgHCII-2005 Las Vegas - Tuesday 26 July 2005 10:30-12:30 Result: Sociability - Usability Eyeball of Participation (from the Lurkers’ Project; McDonald et. al, 2003)

17. nikilambropoulos.orgHCII-2005 Las Vegas - Tuesday 26 July 2005 10:30-12:30 Conclusions: U-D+ provides simplicity and functionality process-based framework that creates close examination of both social networks and interventions as well as causal inference for sociability and usability Individual and social networks new theories created in each stage clear research design and data analysis Consistency to decision making processes adjustability to future trends

18. nikilambropoulos.orgHCII-2005 Las Vegas - Tuesday 26 July 2005 10:30-12:30 Thank you… For your attention! niki lambropoulos Intelligenesis Consultancy nikilambropoulos.org niki@lambropoulos.org

19. Photo by Jennifer Risley