IA Summit: Participatory Design
Posted on: April 14, 2008
- In: conferences | design | ux
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Purpose of participatory design: To understand the people using your site and uncover latent needs and desires. Then translate those needs into product.
Setting up the lab
Large TV used for demonstrations (show and tell), don’t have to crowd around small monitor
Cameras set up around the room to get a variety of angles, including ceiling (to get a shot of what people are working on)
Used Austin Powers and Homer Simpson cut outs – sets mood of relaxation and fun
Large table for people to spread out and be creative
Large whiteboard for brainstorming
One-way mirror where the team can watch the sessions
Keep the session relaxed
Food – helps breaks down the social barriers
Recruiting
Use an incentive of $150-200
Communicate about the food options that are going to be available so that person can eat if only snacks are provided (and are not thinking about food the entire time)
6-9 participants
Can have designer or business person co-facilitate (take pictures, answer questions)
Recruit with specific specifications in mind (newbie, expert, mix, ect)
Brainstorming
Example: Design a coffee maker
Workflows and Features: Steps required to make coffee and/or tea
Show and Tell: Used a Similar Coffee Maker? Describe the steps to make it work
Individual Design Exercise: Sketch your ideas coffee maker
Discuss of the Individual Designs
Work as a team of 3 and and sketch new design
Discussion of th Group Design
PICTIVE
Construct designs
Can have magnetic interface elements
Post it notes
Construction paper
Glue stick!!
Have people construct designs
Seed pieces: to cut or not to cut? Cut out pieces, but not too many. Don’t make multiple copies of the same thing (ex: more than one search box – too granular).
8.5×11 for individual
8.5×14 or 11×17 for group sessions
Can give screenshots of other websites such as Amazon, Walmart, Google (without brand) and allow people to cut out elements.
Can also have a second package that is more leading and fancy such as ajax elements and competitors sites. This provides for multiple datapoints. They first work with package 1 then 10 minutes later they get package 2.
Looking for discussion and underlying content, not layout
Differences in individual and group designs
Sequence of the elements that they took out/cut out and used
Provide very specific tasks or personas for the design activity
Don’t take participants design literally! Trying to get at the root of the need.
Running a Session: Tips & Tricks
Move from general to specific to avoid biasing
Introduction (Great Greg, Magnificent Michael, ect)
Jokes
Want to be dressed better than participants (to assert authority)
Make crazy faces at people behind the mirror (acknowledge that they are being watched)
Warm up – use whiteboard to write down activities, existing features, features wanted
People talk about physical features, but we are looking for underlying motivations and roles. Probe participants to get at the “why”
Round Robin – ask people what they think (don’t do this too often)
Can have design review of group design – better if people did not design the same thing to avoid competition
Will end up with lots of data points around the artifact creation!
Analysis
It’s going to take 2 weeks (recommended timeline)
- take time off
- watch the videos again, if you hear something interesting you type it up
- reconstruct the sequence
- come up with a report and plan 4-5 insights
- Looking for worksflows, goals/motivations, interests, expectations, behaviors, mental models, features
- features are least important, people have a hard time expression features. It is better to understand the underlying needs.
- Create roles (mini personas): motivations, behaviors, expectations, interesting in ..
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