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Class 8: Understandingwhat it is like tonot understand Instructor: Abby Covert

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Last Class we...– Talked about the use of heuristic evaluations in the information architecture process– Learned 10 actionable principles of heuristics to use in our evaluations– Got homework to heuristically evaluate a current system involved in your project’s problem space– Got homework to individually conduct some interview based research– Then we had a hurricane! Holy moly. 2

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Heuristics Check-in!• How did everyone’s evaluation go? –Which principles were easy to understand? –Which principles were NOT easy to understand? –What was your biggest discovery? 3

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Research Check-in!• How did everyone’s research with users go? –What questions were hard to ask? –What questions were hard to get answered? –What did you struggle with? –What was easy? –What would you do differently? 4

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I am aninformationarchitectI intend to because I believemake the unclear clear everything is complexput the what architecture framesbefore the how problems, design solves themfacilitate understanding understanding isorganize meaning, always good but it iscreate clarity and equally important toestablish truth not understand support goals, makers clarity is a and users prerequisite of truthby: Abby Covert & Dan Klyn 5

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When you speak to someone, they don’tunderstand the world the same way that you do....Or you wouldn’t need to talk to them.You have to learn what it is like to not understand things the way you do today. To see things through their eyes. Make that your goal. 6

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The key to understandingwhat it is like to not understand is to listen. 7

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How do you have a great conversation? Concepts courtesy of Richard Saul Wurman’s - Information Anxiety 2 “The Art of Listening” Remember:you have two ears and only one mouth Listen twice as much as you speak. 8

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How do you have a great conversation? Concepts courtesy of Richard Saul Wurman’s - Information Anxiety 2 “The Art of Listening” Remember:Don’t formulate your answers while the other person is speaking. 9

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How do you have a great conversation? Concepts courtesy of Richard Saul Wurman’s - Information Anxiety 2 “The Art of Listening” Remember:Don’t fill silence needlessly. A moment of silence can be the most revealing part. 10

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How do you have a great conversation? Concepts courtesy of Richard Saul Wurman’s - Information Anxiety 2 “The Art of Listening” Remember: Don’t step on other people’s thoughts. theperson who starts the sentence should end it. 11

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How do you have a great conversation? Concepts courtesy of Richard Saul Wurman’s - Information Anxiety 2 “The Art of Listening” Remember:Spend equal energy listening and talking. Most people spend more energy talking. 12

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How do you have ask the right questions? Examples courtesy of Purdue Online Writing Lab “Creating Good Interview and Survey Questions” http://owl.english.purdue.eduDon’t you agree that campus parking is a problem? Remember: Avoid Biased Questions 13

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How do you have ask the right questions? Examples courtesy of Purdue Online Writing Lab “Creating Good Interview and Survey Questions” http://owl.english.purdue.edu There are many people that agree that campus parking is an issue. Are you one of them? Remember:Avoid Questions that assume what they ask. 14

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How do you have ask the right questions? Examples courtesy of Purdue Online Writing Lab “Creating Good Interview and Survey Questions” http://owl.english.purdue.eduDo you agree that campus parking is a problem and that theadministration should be working diligently on a solution? Remember: Avoid Double-Barreled questions. 15

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How do you have ask the right questions? Examples courtesy of Purdue Online Writing Lab “Creating Good Interview and Survey Questions” http://owl.english.purdue.eduWhat do you think about parking? Remember: Avoid Vague questions. 16

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How do you have ask the right questions? Examples courtesy of Purdue Online Writing Lab “Creating Good Interview and Survey Questions” http://owl.english.purdue.edu Do you believe that the parkingsituation on campus is problematic or difficult because of lack ofspaces and the walking distance or do you believe that the parking.... Remember: Avoid Wordy questions. 17

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How do you have ask the right questions? Examples courtesy of Purdue Online Writing Lab “Creating Good Interview and Survey Questions” http://owl.english.purdue.edu Have you ever encountered parking problems in the parkinggarage on campus? Do you like the bus system? Remember: Avoid Unrelated questions. 18

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Framing a great conversation✓ Position - Establish where this person sits in the space you are exploring✓ Convictions - Understand what they believe to be true and why✓ Doubts - Understand what they have a hard time believing, what makes them nervous and why✓ Color - Ask anything else that will help to color in their responses to their previous questions✓ Questions - Always let them ask you questions. Sometimes the best stuff comes out from what they ask you Remember: Write a well formulated guide when interviewing. Question Flow is important. 19

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What time is it? 20

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Workshop!–Write an interview guide for each of the interviews you can conduct with people you have access to–Write a survey to send out to people you have access to 21

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Homework!–Conduct research (conduct interviews, send out surveys) and come to the next class ready to formulate findings 22

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Questions?CovertA@newschool.edu @ Abby_The_IA www.Abbytheia.com