SIGDOC 2009: Experience Design Methods

<methods>Experience Design</methods>
Liza Potts, Ph.D.Assistant ProfessorCo-Director, CeME LabOld Dominion Universitylpotts@odu.edu
Gerianne BartocciPrincipal AnthropologistResearch & StrategyElectronic Inkgkbartocci@gmail.com

Overview
Move towards interdisciplinary collaboration through:
Historicizing contextual research methods
Deflecting micro-methods
Supporting interdisciplinary collaboration

Experience Design
Experience design is an interdisciplinary exercise
Contextual research methods are vital to the success of experience design
An experience is an ecosystem – not one interface etc

Participant Observation
1
Native Perspective/Bottom Up Mentality
Context
3
Situational Flexibility
2
1 - From: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_DlcDEgLnIhE/Sf5steWbB4I/AAAAAAAABK0/0XhPKm8huu4/s400/malinowski2.JPG
2 – From: http://www.sil.org/~headlandt/graphics/cycle.jpg
3 – From: http://aafke.isweg.nl/homepage/show/pagina.php?paginaid=76868

Contextual Inquiry
2
1
Observation
3
Interview
Context
1 - From: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cabinet/53738006/
2 – From: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cabinet/53737660/
3 – From: http://www.flickr.com/photos/maureenhanratty/3393735654/

Various Micro-Methods

Branding Disciplines
Methods historically used to brand disciplines
Collaboration hindered byre-branding methods
Limits communication
Creates confusion
Value of disciplines lies in the theoretical interpretations ofdata and not with methodsthat can be shared by all

Experience Design
Experience design is an interdisciplinary exercise
Contextual research methods are vital to the success of experience design
An experience is an ecosystem – not one interface etc

Future Work
Comprehensive archeology of contextual research
Understand similarities/differences withincontextual research
Find patterns that define contextual research across disciplines
Define a more common language to unite our work and provide more opportunities to collaborate across disciplines

Thank you
Liza Potts, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Co-Director, CeME Lab
Old Dominion University
lpotts@odu.edu
Gerianne BartocciPrincipal AnthropologistResearch & StrategyElectronic Inkgkbartocci@gmail.com