Week 3 – Exploring Context Lecture

Exploring
Context & Users
Laura Santamaria
Design Innovation | Week 3

Session structure
Part 1 –Why explore context?
Part 2 – Methods & tools
Part 2 – Context mapping for
your project

Actors/
stakeholders
Resources
Service ecosystem
(servicescape)
My
Service
System User
Experience
Actors
Resources
Service
System User
Experience
Actors
Resources
Service
System User
Experience
Actors
Resources
Service
System User
Experience
Brand
Brand
Brand
Brand
Brand
Context in Design for Services
Peoples’ habits, values,
behaviours & aspirations
Socio-Cultural Context

based on Zingale & Domingues, 2015
The ‘things’ we design bear
consequences for user and context
DESIGNED
ARTEFACT
User
Logic
Design
Logic
IntentionInterpretation
user context design context

Studying context allows us to
be informed about the possible
interpretations, meanings and
uses the innovation may
bear in that space
[consequences]
DESIGNED
ARTEFACT
User
Logic
Interpretation
user context
User LogicInterpretation

DESIGNED
ARTEFACT
Design
Logic
Intention
design context
Design Logic Intention
But it also
allows us to align the
innovations with the
values, aspirations and
identity of our particular
user group, and so aim
to improve
their quality of life
[user experience]

Creating great services
Desirability
Usability
Pleasure-
ability
Utility
We create value through 3 key ingredients
today’s lecture
“Pleasurability is
about how the whole
solution makes you
feel. It relates to a
sum of the details
within your service
and often relates this
to culture from the
world outside”
– Simon Clatworthy, This is Service Design
it has a
purpose
it works
it makes
me feel
good

touchpoints
Designing the right thing
Decode context
Designing things right
(incorporate clues to design)
Getting to know
the culture of
our users by
researching
‘the world
outside’
value proposition

Studying the context
is about understanding users
as social beings
• Cultural expectations & norms
• Ideals of achievement & worth
• Social adequacy/inclusion
• Their identity
• Cultural values
• Influences (peers, media, etc)
on their own
• Personal habits & routines
• Behaviours & preferences
• Cognitive aspects common
to all humans
• Personal values
• Feelings
• Needs and wants
and

User and context research
Indirectly
Researching the
‘cultural landscape’
where the users are
immersed
Directly
• Interviews
• Observations
• Questionnaires
• Focus groups
explicit
evident
conscious
implicit
imperceptible
unconscious
on their own
(Meroni & Sangiorgi, 2011)
as social beings
and
Human-centered approach

What do we look for?
Researching the ‘cultural landscape’
where the users are immersed
implicit
imperceptible
unconscious
social rules,
conventions and
aesthetic associations
called ‘cultural codes’
we analyse the representations where
tacit meanings materialise
Indirectly
Stop/Go
Celebration
Glamour
Female & male
users as social beings

Representation
DESIGNED
ARTEFACT
Regulation Identity
ProductionConsumption
Representation
The establishment of cultural
meaning through language,
both oral and visual.
Regulation
How does the artefact break or conform
with established legal and regulatory
boundaries? How does the artefact
challenge notions of public and private
space? How does regulation impact the
design and development of the object?
How does regulation shape its usage?
Consumption
How is the product used?
What does the product
come to mean for those
using it?
Production
How the object is produced
technically, but how that
object is produced culturally;
how it is made meaningful?
Identities
How individuals, consumer
groups, corporate, national
and international identities
established an identification
with the object.
A design artefact in context...
(du Gay et al., 2014)
... is subject to a ‘circle’ of cultural reproduction
User LogicInterpretation Design Logic Intention

Let’s try it out ...
1. Analyse these products
using the Circle of Culture
Representation
DESIGNED
ARTEFACT
Regulation Identity
activity 1
30 min

2. Analyse these services in
the same way, by looking at the
touchpoints provided
Representation
DESIGNED
ARTEFACT
Regulation Identity
activity 1
30 min

Methodological
approach for mapping
contextual codes

Good morning
ladies and gentlemen
Welcome.

Hi guys,
how are you
doing?
Good morning
ladies and gentlemen
Welcome.

How representation works
DOGSignified
Sign
Signifier

Code mapping – Themes
Small car category themes
methods

Positioning in culture
Youth culture brands positioning
methods

Emergent codes
New meanings and themes, or old meanings
played in new ways in popular culture
methods

A four pillar approach to sustainability
Environmental
SocialCultural
Economic
Social
Value
Service Design for Social Innovation
Environmental innovation provides environmental
benefits (e.g. low resource
consumption)
Economic innovation is economically viable and
self-sustainable
Social innovation provides social value (e.g.
social cohesion, job generation, social
inclusion)
Cultural innovation is assimilated in its context
and adds to users’ quality of life
Design Logic Intention

activity 2
Analyse these services’ features
using the chart provided
15 min

To summarise,
Code mapping is widely used by large brands and
corporations to develop and position products, services
and brands successfully in the market
Code mapping is not widely used to strategically
construct symbolic features that enhance the appeal of
social innovations
These tools can help us develop innovations that bear
greater ‘cultural resonance’ users, thus increasing their
potential to become more popular and widespread and
contributing to switching lifestyles

Part 2
Tools for exploring
context and
summarising insights

Service Blueprint
Spotting capacity
and requirements
to serve a wider
customer base

Embed relevance
Highlight personal, rather than
environmental benefits
Participatory Design
Co-design
Global Level
Map macro societal change
in trends, values and
meanings
Embed desirability
Use the most favourable and aspirational
contextual associations
Traditional market research
Local Level
Map contextual codes
(local take of macro trends and
meanings)
Seek to legitimise and reinforce intrinsic,
rather than extrinsic values
Code
Mapping
Prototype
Analysis and
mapping of
favourable
codes
Codes inform
design and
communications
Meassure,
assess
and iterate
Step 3
User
experience
Step 1
Research
Step 2
Design
encode
innovation
decode
context
assess
& iterate
Theoretical framework
of process
(Santamaria et al., 2016)

Map category themes
What are the key concepts
currently being used in your
sector?
The ‘small car’ category
© Laura Santamaria. Do not reproduce without author permission.
Example
Urban
modern Adventure
First car Singles
Young
couple
Retro
Revival

Map the strongest
global trends
Map here how these
relate to your brief
Example
Example
Mobile & smart
tech use
Gaming
Sharing
Digitally-enabled engagement

Mapping global
trends
Local
foods
Healthy
lifestyles
Pre-
industrial
era
digital
networked
savvy
Make-do
and mend
Vintage
Craft &
artisan
Experiences
over stuff
authenticity
Example

Broad category analysis
How does is this market shared?

Broad Category Analysis
nutrition pleasure
alone
together a special occasion
a guilty pleasurewholesome
necessity
quality
special
luxurious
infrequent
smooth
prepared
a treat
take control
wholesome
authentic
natural
energising
restorative
preventive
a healthy life
convenient
habitual
frequent
unavoidable
errand
a routine
let go
treat
occasional
me time
naughty
feels ...
What food consumption is about (UK context)
Example

Limited
choice
Wide
choice
Aspirational
Convenience
Market positioning
Wholesome foods

Retro Modern
Convenience
Price
Market positioning
Map your solution and
your competitors
Our
solution
Example

Residual Dominant Emergent
How are the meaning associations changing?
Classify images according to these three categories
• Around for some time, dated
• Out of step with cultural
context
• Potential to revive residual
meanings
• Heavily played codes
in popular culture
• The mood of today
• Current norms
• New ways of thinking
and styles of
communication
• Not always consciously
identified by users
• First clues and
expressions of future
norms

Global
Mass-produced
Local
Craft & Artisan
Sub-Category Analysis
Who offers wholesome foods?
convenience speciality
Wholesome foods

Global Local
Offer definition
Map on the right column
key characteristics of your
solution.
On the left column, list the
opposite concept
Example
crafted
personal
mass-produced
generic

Global Local
Artificial Natural
Present Future
Individual Collective
Ordinary Luxurious
Common Special
Affordable Expensive
High-tech Low-tech
Immediacy Nostalgia
Familiar Rare
Habitual Infrequent
Mass-produced Artisan
Prepared Raw
Smooth Rough
Unoriginal Authentic
Quantity Quality
Defining the Local as an
opposite to the Global
Offer definition
What does it mean to
be a ‘local’ provider?

Exploring potential user groups

20–25 6.8%
25–34 20.7%
35–49 25.8%
Population by age
0.0
2.0
4.0
6.0
8.0
10.0
12.0
AllAges
0
1-4
5-9
10-14
15-19
20-24
25-29
30-34
35-39
40-44
45-49
50-54
55-59
60-64
65-69
70-74
75-79
80-84
85-89/85+
%
Haringey
London
Age Group Haringey % London %
All Ages 225000 7825200
0 4100 1.8 127900 1.6
1-4 14200 6.3 458500 5.9
5-9 13900 6.2 456900 5.8
10-14 10600 4.7 406800 5.2
15-19 11000 4.9 418500 5.3
20-24 15300 6.8 556300 7.1
25-29 22300 9.9 744000 9.5
30-34 24400 10.8 756800 9.7
35-39 21400 9.5 677900 8.7
40-44 19700 8.8 631100 8.1
45-49 16800 7.5 553100 7.1
50-54 12300 5.5 443100 5.7
55-59 9300 4.1 357800 4.6
60-64 8300 3.7 334100 4.3
65-69 6100 2.7 244200 3.1
70-74 5600 2.5 215900 2.8
75-79 4500 2.0 177200 2.3
80-84 2700 1.2 133400 1.7
85-89 / 85+ 1600 0.7 85200 1.1
90+ 1000 0.4 46400 0.6
Singles and young couples
Young &
progressive
families
Settled families
The Haringey People
Crop Drop wants to sell a larger
volume of veg (or larger bags).
We need to look into which
households are more likely and
willing to eat veg on a more
regular basis, but also open to
the concept of eating seasonal,
unconventional veg, which means
they are resourceful and creative
with their cooking.
Exploring potential user groups

Personas
Lifestyle references
Job: Creative, flexible, part-time, freelance.
Kids: 1 or 2, aged under 7.
Household Income: £30–40K
Mobility: Car, but don’t use it much; cycles to work.
Kids in local school. Shop locally and online.
Eats organic, likes the outdoors, craft beer, artisan
bread, artisan coffee, design, home interiors and
small, quirky brands and charity shops.
Life is all about experiences. Feels young and
energetic, but acts laid back and casual.
This type of family is
our preferred customer,
because their values align
closest with Crop Drop’s
proposition. Many Crop
Drop current customers fit
this type. By studying their
lifestyle choices, we can
tailor Crop Drop’s products,
service and communications
to ‘speak their language’,
and so ensure a better
customer experience.
The progressive young
family of north London

User Persona
Map lifestyle in visual references
By studying the user lifestyle choices,
we can tailor the service offer and
touch points to ‘speak their language’,
and so ensure a better customer
experience.

Contextual code map
make your
service
desirable
Aesthetic
Codes
Popular Lifestyle
Practices
Appreciated
Values
Summarise your insights
in this map, so you can use
it during the design and
prototyping phases

Contextual code map
Example
Local &
Authentic
Photography
Textures/images
Colours
Typography
Aesthetic
Codes
Popular Lifestyle
Practices
Creative Communities
FoodieVloggers
Role model’s blog
Artisan Craftsmanship
Genuine &
refined
Passion, dedication & pride
Uniqueness
Ingenuity
Appreciated
Values
Value
Proposition

Paper
Craft stock
Print style
Reminiscent of manual and
old-style printmaking
Illustration style
Pattern, flat,
woodcarving style
to convey authentic
and handmade.
References to
nature’s bounty and
crops
Message
Positive and welcoming, reinforce
‘embracing the season’
Logo
Played down and embedded,
rather than prominent
Typography
Friendly (open, lower case)
Informal and vintage (cursive)
Refined (Roman style)
Colour
In line with brand, but
enhanced for reference to
artichokes and purple carrots
Codes application to design
Example

Brief
Frame problem
Explore issues
Select idea
Test & iterate
Service presentation
Start prototypes
DISCOVER
DEFINE
DEVELOP
DELIVER
Decode
Collect
& analyse
clues
Encode
Incorporate
clues to
design
Using the activity templates
touchpoints
value proposition
GLOBAL
LOCAL
ServiceValue Proposition
Problem
(your users have)
Define your value
proposition
Benefits
A value proposition is a
promise of value to be
delivered. It’s the primary
reason a prospective client
should buy from you.
It explains how your product
solves customers’ problems,
improves their situation
(relevancy) or delivers
specific benefits (quantifiable
or intangible value).
· It’s for ... (target customers), who are dissatisfied with ... (the problem)
· Our service is a ... (service kind description: platform/app/system/etc)
· That provides .... (key problem-solving capability/gains/benefits)
· Unlike ... (the product alternative/existing options)
· Because, it’s the only way that ... (USP: unique selling point)
· Describe the problem / situation
you are trying to improve.
· Remember you think from your
user’s point of view.
· Describe in which ways that your
service solves the user problems
· What other benefits does your service
provide that other options don’t?
Why should
prospects use
your service?
1 2
3 4
6
5
7
8
9
10

ServiceValue Proposition
2
3
Problem
(your users have)
Define your value
proposition
Benefits
(your service offers)
A value proposition is a
promise of value to be
delivered. It’s the primary
reason a prospective client
should buy from you.
It explains how your product
solves their problems,
improves their situation
(relevancy) or delivers
specific benefits (quantifiable
or intangible value).
· There are ... (target customers), who are dissatisfied with ... (the problem)
· Our service is a ... (service kind description: platform/app/system/etc)
· That provides .... (key problem-solving capability/gains/benefits)
· Unlike ... (the product alternative/existing options)
· Because, it’s the only way that ... (USP: unique selling point)
· Describe the problem / situation
you are trying to improve.
· Remember to think from your user’s
point of view.
· Describe in which ways your service
solves the user problems
· What other benefits does your service
provide which others don’t?
Why would
customers
want your
service?
1

What to do with your
contextual map
• You can improve and develop it as your research progresses
• You can to refer to it during ideation & prototyping, to ensure that
• your service offer (value proposition) is in line with the user’s
values, aspirations and expectations.
• your design representations (brand + touch points) speak the
user’s ‘language’. If they don’t, they will be out their ‘radar’
• Use Prezi.com or RealTimeBoard.com to create an online
version so you can all share and contribute

Further reading
Barthes, R. (2013) Mythologies: The Complete Edition, in a New Translation. Hill &
Wang; Reprint edition. ISBN: 978-0809071944
Chandler, D. (2007). Semiotics: The Basics. Journal of Pragmatics (Second edi., Vol. 35).
Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group.
du Gay, P., Hall, S., Janes, L., Madsen, A., Mackay, H., & Negus, K. (2013). Doing Cultural
Studies:The Story of the SonyWalkman (Second Edi.). London: SAGE.
Floch, J. (2000). Visual Identities. London: Continuum.
Lakoff, G. & Johnson M. (1981) Metaphors We Live By, University of Chicago Press;
New edition edition. ISBN: 978-0226468013
Oswald, L.R., 2015. CreatingValue:The Theory and Practice of Marketing Semiotics
Research. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK.
Oswald, L. R. (2012). Marketing Semiotics: Signs,Strategies,and BrandValue. Oxford, UK:
Oxford University Press.
Rapaille, C. (2007). The Culture Code:An IngeniousWay to UnderstandWhy People
Around the World Live and Buy as They Do (Paperback.). Crown Business
Santamaria, L., Escobar-Tello M. C., Ross T (2016). Switch the Channel: using cultural
codes for designing and positioning sustainable products and services for mainstream
audiences. Journal of Cleaner Production. 123, 16–27

Week 3 – Exploring Context Lecture

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