aplo | designing experiences

empathy as key to successful integrative thinking

I have been reading the Opposable Mind by Roger Martin and have come across many similarities between the method of integrative thinking described in the book and the practice of qualitative research.

One of the key elements of successful design research is the practitioner's ability to understand  people's (be it users of a service, customers, etc.) motivations, needs, and attitudes. Throughout the research process the practitioner aims to understand people by observing and supplementing his understanding by asking the right questions. A good practitioner will empathise with his subjects without necessarily agreeing with what is observed or discussed.  The right approach and skill to separate ones own preconceived ideas and beliefs from the subjects' mental models is key to the success of any design research project. The practitioner will later use his experience, subject matter expertise, and understanding of client needs to design a service or product to meet those needs. 

This approach of understanding and empathising in order to design a user centric solution is similar to the method of assertive inquiry described by Martin in the book:

"When you use assertive inquiry to investigate someone else's mental model, you find saliences that wouldn't have occurred to you and causal relationships you didn't perceive. You may not want to adopt the mental model as your own, but even the least compelling model can provide clues to saliences or causal relationships that will generate a creative resolution. ... assertive enquiry involves a sincere search for another's views. ... It aims to learn about the salient data and causal maps baked in to another person's model, then use the insight gained to fashion a creative resolution." p.157

what is wrong with surveys

Quite funny but true

an ethnographer's view of the workplace

I am sure Alain de Botton would not mind being called an ethnographer. The philosopher/writer/cultural commentator delves into the everyday of our working lives in The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work, his new book.

Why ethnography? Well, it is because the book is a treatise on the seemingly ordinary, with de Botton interrogating and looking for hidden meanings in what we all have grown accustomed to and hardly notice anymore. More when I finish reading it.

paper prototyping

Good video example of paper prototyping. This is used as a promotion video for listening to last.fm on fring, but it is a good example of how to ptototype at a very low cost.

know your customer

It's been a while since I read an inspiring book. That is, until I got my hands on Wired to Care,  by Dev Patnaik, director of Jump Associates. The book was a pleasure to read and I found myself agreeing with almost everything Dev  had to say. Admittedly in the last two chapters he enters some arguments on morality etc. which I am not sure I fully buy into.

Anyway, his argument that corporations need to develop empathy with their customers and employees to both innovate and deliver products and services their customers really need while somewhat improving their lives along the way, is one that resonates with my approach to user-centred design.

As user experience professionals, be it researchers, designers or architects, we are in the business of bridging the gap between producers and consumers; between customers' needs and expectation and the reality of  their product or service experience. Through a process of observation, questioning and understanding, we develop insights that enable our clients to see beyond their corporate back garden and into their customers' world.

you decide not your users

Recently as part of reviewing a design for a client, we asked users to have a look at different versions of specific pages. The aim was to get users to help us decide which version to adopt. Naturally there were two different camps among the designers and the client each supporting a different design and each hoping users will prove them right.

Getting users to help designers make a decision is not a bad idea, hanging on to their every word and always adopting the most popular design definitely is. Users' reasoning for selecting a particular design is more important than the choice itself. Why is it they they voted for version A? is it familiarity, an attempt to appear forward thinking, traditional, knowledgeable, or is it that version A is the most appropriate and efficient version of the task at hand? getting to understand the reasons behind each choice will help designers make the right decision. 

Users are their to help us do the best we can, they are not their to make decisions on our behalf. We certainly listen to what they have to say but we then analyse, evaluate,  and apply our own expertise to make those choices.

do not ask...observe

Here is a good example of how unreliable users can be when asked a question. I was observing a usability session the other day and the facilitator asked the participant about his web experience. 'I've been using the Internet since the late 80s ' was the response.

Dumb question I agree but it does show that we are not good at answering questions around frequency. Questions on specific events are always better at providing insight into users' behaviours.

Here is an even better example: during a diary study on mobile phone use, a participant reports that she deletes her voicemail after listening to it. After meeting her for an observation session it transpired that the she was deleting the voicemail notification, not the voicemail itself. Two different findings providing potentially different design recommendations.

user observations. making sense of it all: After the sessions

So, all the sessions are now complete and you have a wealth of notes, pictures, blog posts, recordings, and even video footage. Now what? How do you make sense of it all? This can be quite a daunting experience especially when you jump from session to session without any time to reflect on the findings.

In my experience, an effective way to deal with a mountain of data is to prepare for the analysis during the fieldwork:

• Debrief after every session: Always make sure there is sufficient break between sessions. You will need about an hour to go back through the session and identify key points and areas. if you do this after each session you will see patterns emerging that will help with preparing for subsequent sessions
• Compare notes with partners and observers: During those debrief sessions make sure you compare notes with other researchers and clients to make sure that you have not missed anything and that your understanding of what took place during the session is correct.
• Write up stories at the end of each day: This is probably the most crucial element of getting ready for the analysis. Stories will help with creating personas and also help define areas of interest

If you start the analysis having clearly and concisely documented what happened in the field will help focus on developing your deliverables, whether they are mental models, personas, user journeys, etc.

user observations. challenge #6: observation not appropriate

There are times when while you are all prepared to meet users and gain great insight, you realise that the situation forbids you from any useful observation. There can be a number of reasons for that:

• No space for observation. Here I mean physical space and you can read more on this in a previous post.
• Participant not properly briefed . It is true that sometimes, for whatever reason, participants have not been properly communicated the purpose and format of the  session. As a result you are faced with a situation where you simply cannot observe.
• Atypical behaviour. This is an interesting one. You may come across users that represent extreme cases of the subject matter you are researching. This is absolutely fine if you are looking at extreme cases - this sometimes can be extremely useful  -

Despair not. While you may need to abandon any hopes of observation, you can still use the time available for an unstructured and flexible interview. During a project in Europe, I came across a participant who invited us to meet him in town and brought some of his friends along. While the situation did not facilitate meaningful observation we used it as an opportunity to conduct an extended couch session. There is no need to tell participants that you need to adapt your approach, at best they will feel bad and at worse, offended.

So, some ideas:

• Adapt your approach
• Small talk helps
• Flexible  interviewing. Not standardised
• Allow participants to join in time outs

user observations. challenge #5: Sesions in an other language

I know I know... one of  the key principles of ethnography is that the ethnographer speaks the language of the people he is observing and does not use translators, ideally yes. However, when you do research across locations you need to ensure a) continuity and b) consistency on the method and approach, which more than not means that a researcher is present in all locations, even though he may not run all the sessions.

In my experience I was responsible for the research approach and results across multiple locations across countries and languages. Not being a polyglot, meant that I had to rely on local facilitators to extract knowledge. What is important here is that I worked with researchers not mere translators. My role was to ensure continuity and consistency and guide/help the local facilitator, not run the sessions.

Not knowing the language freed me to observe different things to the locall facilitator and regular time outs allowed us to compare notes and ensure we are on track. While not speaking the language I was still able to tell if the local facilitator was following the approach. For example, if the facilitator talks more than the participant, then you know that is something is not right. 

Anyway, one of the side effects of being present in sessions that were conducted in a language other than English, was that some participants were keen to talk in English. here are tips on how to deal with this:

Participant not fluent in English

• Thank them
• Encourage them to speak in local language
• Local facilitator has language skills
• It is ok to ask a question in English and have the participant reply in local language

Participant  fluent in English

• Do not force local language on them, it may insult them
• Ask them to use local terms where they need
• Do not pretend you understand everything they say
• Ask for clarification if necessary
• Local facilitator is there to help

user observations. challenge #4: Group discussions

Sometimes it is useful to conduct couch sessions and the end of the observation. These usually take the form of informal chats  around the coffee table with the participants and a few friends or family. Couch sessions help clarify observations and give you the chance to talk to others apart from the participant. Keep it informal and allow all to discuss new issues or go back to issues that have been raised during the observations.

Some guidelines:

• Couch sessions help clarify observations
• Chance to talk to friends and family
• They allow participants to raise new issues
• They support flexible interviewing
• Bug lists are participants’ favourite subject
• Do not invite more than 3-4 participants
• Incentivise main participant
  
• Clarify purpose of visit
  
• Be clear about offering food, drinks etc.

user observations. challenge #3: Too many observers

or 3 is a crowd as it is otherwise known. In a typical observation scenario there would probably be a team of two doing the research; that would be the lead researcher and possibly either a local facilitator, in international research, or one observer. However, there will be times when the end client, the people who commission and pay for the research, would like to send representatives to some of the sessions. While I would definitely advocate inviting clients to visits, always be aware that not all participants live in spacious houses or flats. I have been to a session where three of us were struggling to share the space with the participant and her baby son.  We overcrowded the flat making observation close to impossible, it could have been worse, we could have made the participant feel uncomfortable and completely waste a session. In that instance we abandoned the idea of oservation and opted to a converstaion round the kitchen table enjoying a nice drink.

So,

• Always confirm with participants before visiting
• Be aware that participants may feel uncomfortable

user observations. challenge #2: Observers that like to talk

I would highly recommend inviting clients around to the sessions. It is a great way to to get buy in on the process and create advocates of UCD. However, this is not without its challenges. Some clients would see the sessions as an opportunity to get as much information as they can from the user, after all it is not that often that they get to spend time with some of their customers. They will jump straight in there with a barrage of questions eager to get the users' response. However, the questions are more likely to be leading and out of context. It is important they do not take over the session. as you probably gathered this is your responsibility. Provide clear written instructions before the sessions. Send them an email with a list of Dos and Don'ts. It may sound quite strict and officious but it will help set expectations and it will make ot easier fr you to intervene during the session if necessary. Make sure they know that only one person, the facilitator asks questions and all questions need to be cleared with him/her. Observers can make a list of questions during the session and pass them on to the facilitator during a time out. That way everyone can focus on the session and the client gets the chance to have some questions asked. whatever you do , do not let the client take over, it may feel that you are doing them a favour but you could potentially harming the research.

So,

• Only one facilitator asks questions
• All questions ‘cleared’ by main facilitator
• Provide instructions list prior to fieldwork
• Use Time Outs as a way for the client to get some questions to the facilitator

user observations. challenge #1: Male facilitator – female participant

This s a tough one.  The key is to make sure the participant is feeling comfortable. If you are observing / interviewing in their home, make sure a female observer is present or that the participant is not home alone.  If possible, ask to meet the participant in public. This is the option I went for when interviewing a young participant in Paris. Observation was not important so we asked her to meet us at a café. Furthermore, we made sure she had already met the local facilitator.

So,

• Provide ‘space’
• Visit in public if possible
• Useful if participant has met facilitator prior to fieldwork
• Make sure a female observer is present

user observations. with the user: Running the sessions

#1 Allow time to settle in. Initial icebreaker is necessary, make small talk

#2 Build rapport. Participants will be more forthcoming with useful information

#3 Then focus on research. Make clear when small talk ends and observation / discussion begins

#4 Resist feeling like you are paying a social visit, especially if you are visiting users at home

#5 Do not hesitate to bring participants back by reminding them of domain of interest

#6 If all fails take ‘time-out’

#7 Use a small notebook

#8 Take loads of pictures

#9 Use video or audio recording only if you have time to analyse footage

#10 Ask open ended, not leading questions

#11 Allow for silences, they can be uncomfortable but encourage participants to talk

#12 Encourage more details by repeating participants’ last words

#13 Avoid making judgments

#14 Avoid agreeing or disagreeing with users, just nod in understanding

#15 Avoid talking about ‘typical’ tasks, actions, days, etc.

#16 Ask for examples: ‘when was the last time you...’

#17 We like ‘why’ especially five of them as they help drill down to needs and goals

#18 Do not forget to recap: ‘As I underhand it....’,’From what I can gather....’

user observations. getting ready: Getting recruitment right

#1 Recruiters need to know the research question and what you try to achieve. They can then take the initiative to make adjustments to the screener as they are familiar with the culture and understand the general area you will be researching

#2 Confirm details with participants before visit. Call them on the day of the session to confirm it is all happening

#3 Ensure local partner has all details, including directions, maps, etc.

#4 Opt for public transport than taxis or hired cars. It will give you the opportunity to observe local attitudes

#5 Release forms is local responsibility

#5 Incentives to be paid at the end of the session not later

#6 Brief participants before sessions. Let them know what the visits are all about without revealing end goal of the project. Informed participants will be more than happy to help. Visits with badly briefed participants are less productive and more stressful for all parties

user observations made easy

 I know, unimaginative title, but I am afraid that is it until I come up with something more intelligent. I thought I’ll share my experiences of running international user research, mainly observations and contextual interviews. What I am listing in following posts is a series of guidelines. In the future I aim to expand the list with examples and other evidence. I am dividing my posts into three groups:

• Getting Ready: notes on preparing for the user sessions
• With the User: what to look out for during the user sessions
• Manking sese of it all: how to best manage all the finding and coming up with a clear message for the client.

I will also post ideas on how to overcome potential challenges when running the sessions.

wireframes, wireframes, wireframes...

A fellow UE  came across an age old question (paraphrased here) the other day: 'how many wireframes can you do in a day, I need an estimate for the project'. You can image what happened: the estimate was considered to be too high prompting the following response (again paraphrased): 'even I can do x number of wireframes in a day'.

I promised myself not to get involved in such inane arguments again, but here I am at a cafe early morning, getting ready for a meeting... I just couldn't resist. So I  suggested the following exercise for our dear 'I can do this' friend:

• Estimate how long it would take to draw a map of let's say Covent Garden in London. Would it take 10’, 15’, half an hour? I guess 10’ - 15 ‘ would be enough.
• Draw it
• Then ask yourself a few questions such as: Can a tourist use the map to find her way around?  Can she use it to locate other interesting landmarks like the British Museum, which is nearby? Can the land registry use it to create an official map? Can the Covent Garden Market manager use it to know which stall is where and who to charge? ... well, you get my drift.  I guess the answer to most if not all the questions would be be something like: ‘nice drawing but a bit of a useless map’
• Then estimate how long it would take to draw a map that answers those questions: a day, two, a week?  You will need to talk to tourists, understand their needs, check other similar maps, visit the area, measure things, etc, etc. etc.

The point?

Of course anyone can draw boxes in Visio, well, you do not even need a beige box or a fancy Mac; just pencil and paper would do. However, this is not what we are talking about, at least I hope it is not.

this is what happens naturally

I am more than half way through Designing Design and I come across another of Mr Hara's insights to design. The design ethos of Muji, Mr Hara, tells us is "interest in people... Our concern is for those who work and rest, sharing the planet of today: people who create their living spaces with realistic expectations, have fun with their attire, eat safe food, sleep, go on a trip now and then, face the usual ups and downs, laughter and tears - ordinary people". Further down he describes the process of design at Muji: "Coolly observing people among people and life... Integrating optimal materials and technologies ... listening to the voices of our customers... Working with the world's designers... This is what happens naturally"

Need more evidence to support a design research appoach and UCD?

agile: discovery phase

It's good to know that agile experts agree with the need for an initial discover phase for a typical agile project. I have just completed a scrum master course with Mike Cohn and one of the questions raised as part of the course was: "Is there such a thing as an 'analysis sprint' where requirements are pulled together?" The response was a clear 'Yes' with a few clarifications, to which I fully agree:

• It is best not to call it a sprint as it may take longer than one sprint. I personally prefer 'discovery phase' but 'analysis' or 'definition' are equally good. As I mentioned in previous posts, 'Sprint 0' betrays an attitude where analysis, research, and discovery are seen as secondary to the main development work.
• Preferably, it needs to be part of the overall agile project and run in an agile fashion. So, daily stand ups, product owner involvement and time-boxing still apply. I prefer this to running it as a separate project as making it part of the bigger project highlights the contributions that a dedicated discover phase can bring to the project and the end deliverable

There you go the guru has spoken: researching and understanding users is expected to be part of the agile process.... only thing left is try to sell it to clients.