This is the second part of my fourth lecture at HITLab, Canterbury University, Christchurch, New Zealand about user research. I am presenting the three levels of understanding user needs and the methods that correspond with investigating these needs. The idea is to show how different methods enable a designer to dig for different insights and how to conduct exemplary studies for each type of the method.

1. user research:
different approaches
and methods
aga szóstek(at)gmail.com

2. what people level of
knowledge
research methods
Fraukje Sleesvijk Visser

3. what people level of
knowledge
tell
think explicit
interviews
research methods
Fraukje Sleesvijk Visser

4. what people level of
knowledge
tell
think
do
act
explicit
observational
interviews
observations
research methods
Fraukje Sleesvijk Visser

5. what people level of
knowledge
tell
think
do
act
know
feel
dream
explicit
observational
subconscious
latent
deep
interviews
observations
generative
techniques
research methods
Fraukje Sleesvijk Visser

6. before discussing
the different methods
it is crucial to know about
the concurrent and
retrospective experiences

7. - when people report on their current feelings the feelings
themselves are accessible to introspection allowing for
accurate reports
- affective experiences are fleeting and become not available
once the feeling is gone
- once the feeling disappears the affective experiences need
to be reconstructed

8. - when people report on their current feelings the feelings
themselves are accessible to introspection allowing for
accurate reports
- affective experiences are fleeting and become not available
once the feeling is gone
- once the feeling disappears the affective experiences need
to be reconstructed
- reports of past feelings are based on semantic knowledge
- when asked how they“usually”feel during a particular
activity, people draw on their general beliefs about that
activity
- the actual experience does not figure prominently in these
reports because the experience itself is no longer accessible
- the same knowledge is a basis for predicting future feelings,
for which episodic information is not available to begin with

9. so, let’s discuss
the methods

10. what people level of
knowledge
tell
think explicit
interviews
research methods

11. introspective
versus retrospective
methods

12. introspective methods
Analysis of present behaviour and gathering of preferences by
combining observations and interviews in context:
- cognitive walkthorugh: heuristic identification of problems
connected to the current ways of behaviour and interaction
- think aloud: heuristic identification of problems arising from
the current state of interaction through verbal articulation of
user observations while interacting with the solution
- co-discovery: a method where two users collaborate in order
to resolve the problems found in the process of interaction
with the current solution
- Contextual Inquiry: gathering of detailed information about
behaviour and motivations of users while the user is actually
performing a given task

13. retrospective methods
Support for retrospective assessment of user preferences towards
a given solution:
- interviews: a discussion with the user aiming to collect rich
material about his / her interactions and attitudes
- focus groups: group discussion about a given problem or
solution
- retrospective analysis of behaviour: and interview supported by
a qualitative recoding of user behaviour (e.g., video or audio
recordings)

14. when to apply?
- exploration phase
- to get a better understanding
- to find inspiration for further research
- requirements validation
- to check whether study assumptions are correct
- evaluation
- to discuss and verify design decisions

15. types of studies

16. - fully structured: the entire study takes place according to the
earlier prepared scenario
- good for comparison across individuals
- more extensive answers comparing to written surveys
- inability ask unplanned questions

17. - fully structured: the entire study takes place according to the
earlier prepared scenario
- good for comparison across individuals
- more extensive answers comparing to written surveys
- inability ask unplanned questions
- semi-structured: there are certain guidelines to the elements of
the study but the order is unimportant
- pre-specified questions
- questions as a starting point for discussion
- digression from the script is acceptable

18. - fully structured: the entire study takes place according to the
earlier prepared scenario
- good for comparison across individuals
- more extensive answers comparing to written surveys
- inability ask unplanned questions
- semi-structured: there are certain guidelines to the elements of
the study but the order is unimportant
- pre-specified questions
- questions as a starting point for discussion
- digression from the script is acceptable
- unstructured: going with the flow, only the initial question and
a possible list of topics is defined
- good for open ended exploration
- difficult to conduct and analyse

19. study questions
- close-ended
- simple questions get simple answers
- “On a scale of 1-10, 10 being best, how did you like the prototype?”
- “Did you like the prototype?”
- easy to analyse, but may not be that informative
- open-ended
- invite elaboration and discussion
- build conversation and stories
- “What did you think about the prototype?”
- avoid
- long questions, jargon, leading questions, unconscious biases, negative
questions

20. - ask why?
- even when you think you know the answer, ask people why they do or
say things
- encourage stories
- whether or not the stories people tell are true, they reveal how they
think about the world
- look for inconsistencies
- sometimes what people say and what they do are different. These
inconsistencies often hide interesting insights
- observe nonverbal cues
- be aware of body language and emotions.
- do not be afraid of silence
- if you allow for silence, a person can reflect on what they’ve just said
and may reveal something deeper

21. preparing the study
- brainstorm questions
- identify and order themes
- pilot the study
- write an interview guide
- prepare for capturing the interview
- prepare logistic backup

22. conducting the study
- you are the host
- be friendly, respectful and non-judgmental
- do not bias through body language
- be flexible (unless fully structured) but keep things on track
- ask for clarifications if something is unclear
- listen (don’t talk too much) and read between the lines
- be consistent
- outline
- briefly introduce testing goals
- complete paperwork (informed consent)
- simple questions first, hard questions later

23. capturing the study
- have someone to help taking notes or do the audio or video
recording
- capture insights, non-verbal responses, etc.
- balance between detail and conciseness
- summarize immediately after the interview
- do transcriptions
- respect privacy and anonymity

24. debriefing
- ask for any final comments
- provide more detail about research goals
- offer a brief summary of findings
- turn off recording devices
- say“thanks”!
- reflect and summarize notes immediately

25. what people level of
knowledge
tell
think
do
act
explicit
observational
interviews
observations
research methods

26. - roots in ethnographic research
- observing people in action
- recording what is being observed
- helping the researcher learn perspectives held by participants
- often used in conjunction with other methods (e.g. interviews,
focus groups, content analysis)

27. - observations: observing and recording of user behaviour
without a direct contact between the user and the researcher
- shadowing: direct observation of user behaviour by the
researcher without intervening with his / her actions
- interaction logging: logging previously defined behaviours and
system states that pertain to the specified user behaviour
- diaries: systematic reporting by the user his / her interactions in
a form of a diary or a blog
- experience sampling: a systematic way of having participants
provide samples of their ongoing behavior when participants'
reports are dependent on either a signal, pre-established
intervals or the occurrence of some event
- day reconstruction method: capturing daily experiences of the
users at the end of each day where participants are asked to
listed all activities of the day that somehow related to the
product or a situation that is under investigation

28. data collection
- field notes
- video
- audio
- transcripts
- behaviour matrix
- situational drawings

29. pros and cons
- flexible and open-ended
- directly measures behavior
- gives the researcher
insider view
- allows for morphing of the
study
- hard to be an insider
- invasive and intrusive
- difficult to record
- subjective
- Hawthorne effect
- time consuming
- not generalizable
- does not measure
cognitive or affective
aspects

30. phases of observational research
- phase 1: develop positive relationships with
participants, gatekeeper, etc.
- phase 2: improve design, refocus, redefine questions
after initial observations (may be ongoing)
- phase 3: select additional participants as necessary
- phase 4: follow up and probe deeper

31. ethical considerations
- how much do you disclose?
- make your intentions clear
- get an informed consent
- develop a code of practice
- maintain confidentiality

32. (Mack, et al., 2005)

33. being an effective observer
- know what you are researching
- check in with your lens, biases, experiences and expectations --
have a blank mind
- go where people are engaged in their daily lives and find the
right informants
- understand the culture
- rehearse how you will explain the purpose of your study
- decide how you will do the observation and collect the notes
- document what you observe without expectations
- summarize and expand on field notes as soon as possible
- be open to the research problem reformulation

34. what people level of
knowledge
tell
think
do
act
know
feel
dream
explicit
observational
subconscious
latent
deep
interviews
observations
generative
techniques
research methods

35. using design as
a research tool

36. cultural probes

37. - tools for better understanding of people’s latent
needs and dreams
- small craft objects used in empathic engagements
with individuals around issues centered on self-
identity and personal significance
- their form should reflect the research question and
its context
- asking questions by applying a delicate, provoking
and creative means
- and offering intriguing ways to consider the asked
questions and to look for surprising answers

38. understanding what people do
with their invoices
AgaSzóstek,MarcinPiotrowski,

39. what is agood and a bad invoice?

40. what happens to an invoice once it arrives?

41. what is the best way to pay an invoice?

42. how should
the email
accompanying
an invoice
look like?

43. which elements
should actually stay
on an invoice?

44. what should happen if you forgot to pay?

45. technology probes

46. - simple, flexible, adaptable interactive installations
- combining collecting data about the use of the technology in a
real-world setting, testing the technology and inspiring users
(and designers) to think of new kinds of technology
- installed in user environment with the goal to observe them
over a period of time
- helping to identify design partners determining which kinds of
technologies would be interesting to pursue
- open-ended, inspiring new activities and encouraging
experimentation

47. managing interruptions |
project supervised by Aga Szóstek

48. dealing with stress at work

49. design probes

50. - collaboration with a singular person based on a very deep
engagement in the topic that is personally significant
- designing objects, which reflect individual experiences and
their meaning for the user
- objects that support reflection and auto-reflection
- such objects often become a part of an intimate relationship
between the designer and the user

51. Top Trumps probe
cards to mark objects
which are perceived to
have magical power

52. helping to keep a straight posture | Magda Rydygier
project supervised by Aga Szóstek

54. preparing the study
- brainstorm the context to the given problem (e.g. through
contextmapping exercises)
- brainstorm on user expectations and the ideal experience
- prepare a list of questions regarding the current experience
- decide on the format of the cultural probe (digital elements,
physical element and intangible elements)
- select the criteria for choosing participants and prepare awards
- develop the probes and the instruction
- organize a session with participants to explain to them the
elements of the probe and the study procedure
- provide informed consent forms
- personally give the probes to the participants

55. running the study
- the study typically lasts no longer that one week (but this is
very individual to the research problem)
- usually the study happens without an active involvement of
the researcher
- if the study involves an online diary – check the entries every
day and comment on them
- give participants a phone number and an email address where
they can contact you in the case of any problems
- at the end of the study invite all participates either to a joint
session (a Focus Group or a creative workshop) or for individual
interviews
- record the sessions for later reference

56. summary
- the research method should reflect the information you are
trying to obtain
- don’t be afraid to combine the methods and experiment with
them
- think of creating visual materials for your studies – they engage
the users bringing you more insight
- user research is a moment when you approach users with open
mind – try not to bias them and put your ideas into their
mouth
- the quality of the data you collect will likely be directly
reflected in the ideas you will create later on

58. references
Gaver, William W., et al. "Cultural probes and the value of
uncertainty." interactions 11.5 (2004): 53-56.
Gaver, Bill, Tony Dunne, and Elena Pacenti. "Design: cultural
probes." interactions 6.1 (1999): 21-29.
Mattelmäki, Tuuli. Design probes. Aalto University, 2006.
Hutchinson, Hilary, et al. "Technology probes: inspiring design for
and with families." Proceedings of the SIGCHI conference on
Human factors in computing systems. ACM, 2003.
Buijs, Jan. The Delft innovation method: A design thinker's guide
to innovation. Eleven International Publishing, 2012.