Research Phase

SYS 214 - Principles of HCI

Agenda

• Diverge and Converge Feedback
• Picking a Context
• Research
  • Research Goals
  • Qualitative vs. Quantitative
  • Research Methods
• Assignment

Diverge and Converge

• Diverge
  • Write everything down
  • Everyone needs to be able to see the list
  • Going for lots of ideas!
  • You should be firing ideas one after the other
  • Build on other's ideas
• Converge
  • Use criteria — have a reason for every decision you make!
• Creativity mistakes: going with your first idea

Why Diverge

Project Next Step

• Choose a context
  • Diverge
  • Converge
• Stakeholder Diagram
• Research Plan

Discuss the context and plan with me!

Why are we researching?

Why are we researching?

• Understand constraints of the problem
  • Environment (context of use)
• Understand the people we are designing for
  • See the problem / challenge through their eyes
  • Goals of the stakeholders
• Understand "What is"

Question

What is the difference between qualitative and quantitative research?

Which is better?

Quantitative vs Qualitative Research

• Quantitative
  • How much
  • How many

Quantitative vs Qualitative Research

• Qualitative (explanatory)
  • People
  • Context

Qualitative Research

• Qualitative (explanatory)
  • People
    • Behaviors
    • Attitudes
    • Aptitudes
    • Desires and Needs
    • PERCEPTIONS
  • Context
    • ...

Qualitative Research

• Qualitative (explanatory)
  • People
    • ...
  • Context
    • Technical
    • Business
    • Environment
    • Existing product use

Qualitative Research

• Qualitative (explanatory)
  • People
  • Context

• How does the product fit people's lives?
• Goals / motivations for using the product
  • Mental structure of the tasks needed to meet the goals
• Problems / challenges of the current way

Choosing a context

Choosing a context

• People are accessible
• There are multiple view points to consider
  • Designing for multiple roles
• You have never worked to design something for that group of people before
• People will be available to give you feedback later

You may want to observe a few places before making a choice

Contexts from years past

• The Grille
• Grounds staff
• Students and professors
• Restaurants
• Sight-impaired people

Contexts from years past

• The Grille
• Grounds staff
• Students and professors
• Restaurants
• Sight-impaired people

Note: Contexts are not problems, but there is probably an opportunity or challenge in them.

Contexts from years past

• The Grille
• Grounds staff
• Students and professors
• Restaurants
• Sight-impaired people

Note: Contexts are not necessarily places, but they can be bounded by a type of work or a characteristic that people have in common.

Stakeholder diagram

Answers the following questions

• Who is involved?
• Shows some hierarchy
  • Who is most closely involved

Changes as more information is gathered

What do we want to know

• Do a diverge on what you might want to know about that context.

Qualitative research

• Open-ended and NOT yes or no questions
• Designed for explanatory responses
• The people are talking, showing, doing and the researcher is doing minimal talking!

Designed to answer specific questions:

• What do you like about your job?
• What frustrates you?
• If you could change one thing, what would it be?

Research methods

Research plan

Research plan — Grille Example

Grille Managers:

• What do they think challenges their workers?
• What would make the job better?

Research Considerations

Special Populations

Respectful of Privacy

Project Next Step

• Choose a context
  • Diverge
  • Converge
• Stakeholder Diagram
• Research Plan

Discuss the context and plan with me!

JIBO