Needfinding and Ideating John C Tang September 4

Need-finding and Ideating John C. Tang September 4, 2007 Turn in your Idea Lists! Sit at tables in groups of SIX (6)

Today’s newspaper (S. J. Merc)

Today Complete intro to contextual inquiry n Other methods n – Task analysis – Ethnography n Design – Ideating – Sketching – Brainstorming

Intro Christine Robson

Last time: Doing a Contextual Inquiry Direct Observation + Interviewing n In natural context of activity n Intentionally pick participants, location, time n Follow where the participant leads (partner) n Learn user’s vocabulary n Gather artifacts, recordings n

Outcome of CI Experiencing it is perhaps the most important! n What are we going to do with all this data? n – Analyze – Reporting Goal: Gain understanding of user

Understanding of user What resources are used to accomplish task? n What hindrances encountered in accomplishing task? n Analyze data to get better description and understanding of resources and hindrances

Resources used n Tools, devices – Cell phone, computer, shovel n Information – Web page, phone directory n Other people – Expert, peer, grad student

Hindrances encountered n Not having the right tool – Workarounds n Unable to access resources needed – Can’t find information – People unavailable n Unaware of important information – Confusion

Analyzing data is collaborative Researchers involved in CI n Designers n Project leads n Software developers n Users n Multiple perspectives elicit details

Analysis session n Each researcher presents each CI case – Resources used to accomplish activity – Hindrances encountered – Things that surprised you – Things that seem unusual, interesting n Other participants ask questions, share similar or contrasting examples from their data

Analysis session (2) After all cases are presented, team looks for patterns across cases n Commonly used resources n Commonly encountered hindrances n Common themes, patterns, sequences n Try out possible design ideas – What if…?

Report n Descriptive understanding of activity – Common resources used – Common hindrances encountered – Common patterns – Illustrated with stories, pictures, clips n Design implications / insights

Revisiting Jim and dating n Resources – Great looks – Witty stories – Good listening skills n Hindrances – Facial bruise from ultimate frisbee – Matching story with prospect’s interests – Noisy environment

Contextual Inquiry in CS 160 Asking for a Contextual Inquiry of group project (future assignment) n Each group member should do at least one contextual inquiry n Analysis done by whole group n Report n

Task analysis n Goals – A state of the system that the user wishes to achieve n Tasks – The activities required, used, or believed to be necessary to achieve a goal n Actions – Simple tasks that involves no problem solving or control structure

ACTIONS TASKS GOALS Task analysis example Communicate with family student@berkeley. edu Momand. Dad@home. net Ask for $$ Add personality Write email Open Compose window Type text Add to email Type text Add emphasis Starting the school year Hi Mom and Dad, The school year has gotten off to a fast start. I’m in a great Human-Computer Interface class! Oh, by the way, please send more money for books. Gotta go!

ACTIONS TASKS GOALS Task analysis example Communicate with family student@berkeley. edu Momand. Dad@home. net Ask for $$ Add personality Write email Open Compose window Type text Add to email Type text Add emphasis Format text Starting the school year Hi Hi Mom and Dad, The school year has gotten off to to aa fast start. I’m in in aa great Human-Computer Interface class! Oh, by by the way, please send more money for books. Gotta go! luv u bunches, student

TASKS GOALS Task analysis example Communicate with family Identify bundles Ask for $$ Add personality Write email Add to email Add emphasis ACTIONS Elicit breadth of tasks and goals Open Compose window Type text Format text Use standard actions student@berkeley. edu Momand. Dad@home. net Starting the school year Hi Mom and Dad, The school year has gotten off to a fast start. I’m in a great Human-Computer Interface class! Oh, by the way, please send more money for books. Gotta go! luv u bunches, student

Ethnography noun -- The branch of anthropology that deals with the scientific description of specific human cultures. n Typically applied to study of foreign cultures

It’s a jungle out there Ethnography in the workplace Lucy Suchman, Human-Machine Reconfigurations: Plans and Situated Actions

Ethnography n Natural settings n Descriptive n Members’ point of view n Focuses on what people actually do – a commitment to studying activities in the “natural” setting in which they occur – an interest in developing detailed descriptions of the lived experience – understanding the participant’s activity from the participant’s point of view – understanding the relationship between activities and environment

Ethnographic HCI studies Long-term, direct observation n Rich, detailed, qualitative description n Analysis takes at least 2 X duration of data recorded n To learn, apprentice with a mentor n

Other terms you’ll hear n Participatory Design (PD) – Besides partnering in the observation process, users can also actively participate in the design process – Primarily reacting to prototype designs n User-Centered Design (UCD) – Focused on the user, not the technology (we’ve been presuming this)

Design Ideating – expressing ideas n Representing n – Sketching – Enacting n Brainstorming NEEDS DESIGN – More ideas more creative better EVALUATE IMPLEMENT – Group vs. individual creativity

Design “ideology” Sketching – “Visual Thinking” n Number of ideas, alternatives n

Sketching in design Allows quick iteration through many ideas (fast and cheap) n Suggests and explores rather than confirm n Stimulates left-brain / right-brain interaction n Invites sharing ideas n Product design roots n

Sketching & Cartooning

Design sketch http: //www. visionunion. com/article. jsp? code=200504140031

Screen sketch http: //www. agilemodeling. com/essays/initial. Requirements. Modeling. htm

Screen sketch http: //www. graphicalwonder. com/? p=12

Sketching exercise n n Buying / Pumping gas in 6 -8 frames From memory of using these devices Draw actions focus on goals and tasks Individually create series of sketches – Quality of drawings, details not important – Must convey the interface and the interactions n Learning by doing! 10 -minutes

Approach pump n Open gas lid n Payment mode n Type in zip code n Select grade of fuel (optional services) n Pumping gas (auto-on feature) n Do you want a receipt? n

Reflecting on sketching Hard? Easy? n Did exercise suggest any ways of improving the taskflow to better match users’ goals? n Collect: Please make sure your name is on it n Discussion section: Perspective drawing n

Computational sketching n Many software tools for “sketching” n Freeware gimp – GNU Image Manipulation Program http: //www. gimp. org/windows/

Screenshots (Windows) n Windows “Print Screen” key n Typically found in upper right corner n Puts screenshot into paste buffer – Currently active window only

Screenshot (Macintosh) n Copy entire screen – <command> + <shift> + 3 n Copy region of screen – <command> + <shift> + 4 n Copy active item on screen – <command> + <shift> + 4 + <space>

Brainstorming Technique for facilitating group creativity n Popularized by Alex Osborn, 1930 s, n Applied Imagination – Defer judgement – Wildest possible ideas – Go for quantity – Build on others’ ideas

Rules for brainstorming 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Be visual Defer judgment Encourage wild ideas Build on the ideas of others Go for quantity One conversation at a time Stay focused on the topic

Brainstorming exercise Create ideas that would help you communicate with your family, from your 90 yr. old grandfather, to your 10 yr. old younger sister n What are their user characteristics? n What kinds of info would you like to communicate with them? n Work in groups 15 minutes n

Brainstorming + 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Alternatives Be visual n Magnify Defer judgment n Minimize Encourage wild ideas Build on the ideas of others n Reverse Go for quantity n Leverage One conversation at a time n Distort Stay focused on the topic n Integrate n

Reflecting on brainstorming Explore new ideas? n Surprised at number of ideas? n How much longer would you go? n

“Manipulative” verbs n n n n n Adapt n Modify n Magnify n n Minify Substitute n n Rearrange n Reverse n Combine n n Multiply Divide Eliminate Subdue Invert Separate Transpose Unify Distort Rotate Flatten n n Squeeze n Complement n Submerge n Freeze n Soften n Fluff-up n By-pass n Add n Subtract n Lighten Repeat Thicken Stretch Extrude Repel Protect Segregate Integrate Symbolize Abstract Dissect

Processing a brainstorm Take a short break n Poll on interesting ideas (~10%) n Group ideas together n Identify and apply criteria n Prioritize n Identify follow-up tasks n

Assignment: Map of Berkeley (Due Sept. 11) n Draw conceptual map of Berkeley that conveys your experience of the area – – – n Introduce me to Berkeley! Express visually, not with words (like Pictionary) Create feature list Show map to one other person not in CS 160 – “Here’s a map of Berkeley I drew—tell me what you learn from it” – Record number of features they recognize n Hand in 2 copies (black & white copy OK)

Example Feature list n BART station n Soda Hall n Hill between BART and Soda n “The Play”, Cal vs. Stanford, 1982

Next time n n Return to Soda 405 Readings: – Millen, Feinberg, & Kerr, "Dogear: Social Bookmarking in the Enterprise" – Kathy J. Lee "What Goes Around Comes Around: An analysis of del. icio. us as social space“ n Guest speaker from facebook: – Dave Fetterman, Senior Engineer, founder of Facebook Platform – Ami Vora, Facebook Developer Community My office hours TODAY 2: 00 -3: 00 6 th floor alcove