Date post: | 26-Jan-2015 |
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Commercial Ethnography
Innovating Information Experiences
James Kalbach
User Experience Design LexisNexis
LIS Degree Rutgers University
Direct Observations
Natural Setting
Participant Observers
‘Thick Descriptions’
Life is Complex
Image from: www.pbase.com/drasko/mindoro_tribes
Holistic
Observational
Ethnography is…
Qualitative
Context
Engagement
Naturalistic
Subject centredNaivety
Flexible
Evolving
Thick Descriptions
a.k.a. Field Studies, Workplace Studies, Cultural ProbesImmersive Research, Design Ethnography
Commercial Ethnography
Meet business needs1. Accelerated time scales2. Focused themes3. Directed observation
Strategic impactInnovation
• Beyond what people say
• Unexpressed needs
• Real world visible
• Longevity of data
• Fuels creativity
• Innovation opportunities
Informs your intuition
Benefits
1 Evangelise
2 Prepare
3 Conduct
4 Analyse
5 Ideate
6 Validate
Our Approach
Demonstrate value
Cost = Usability test
Make business arguments
– Business literature
– Competitors
– Success stories
Find a champion
1. Evangelise
P&G spends for more time living
with people in there homes,
shopping with them in stores,
and being part of their lives. This
total immersion leads to richer
consumer insights, which helps
identify innovation opportunities
that are often missed by
traditional research.
“
„
Start small - 6 participants
Outside of project lifecycle
Recruiting
Interviews at workplace
Define business objectives
2. Prepare
Observational interviews
Open questioning, but semi-structured
Exemplary tasks & typical day
Critical incident
Record audio and take photos
Bring sponsors
3. Conduct
EnvironmentIndustryOrganisationPhysical EnvironmentTechnical Setup
OpportunitiesPains/Pleasures Known Needs & Ideas
Effectiveness/Ineffectiveness Efficiencies/Inefficiencies
Workarounds Novel Technologies
ArtefactsToolsResourcesWork Products
People & WorkActorsRolesWork Activities
Observations
4. Analysis
I prefer directed observation:
search out the workarounds,
hacks, and clever
improvisations of everyday
life. That’s where the answers
lie: someone else has already
encountered the need,
someone else has already
hinted at a solution.
“
„“Workarounds and Hacks – The Leading Edge of Innovation,” interactions (Aug 2008)
Long Way1. Transcribe session2. Code text with
themes3. Find patterns
Effort for a 2-hour interview
• Transcription: very long
• Coding: 8 hours
Analysis
Short Way1. Spreadsheet with
themes2. (Re-listen to
interviews)3. Fill in columns4. Find patterns
Effort for a 2-hour interview
• Transcription: none• Coding: 2-4 hours
Data = Text + Observations
WorkshopMake findings visibleBrainstorm
OutcomesIdeas for new products and
servicesEnhancements to existing product
Assign ownership
Delivering a report is not the goal
5. Ideate
Re-visit users Discuss findingsShow them deliverables
PersonasScenariosDiagramsProduct ideas
In groups or individually
6. Validate
Why do lawyers prefer paper?– Habit– Reading online– Security – Backup– Dependency on third party – Portability– Annotations
Information Experience
Why do lawyers prefer paper?– Overview of information– Comparison of multiple sources – Visual aspects for organisation
• Colour coding– Physical aspects for workflow
• Piles to prioritize and sort• Location indicates task• Size shows how much work
Information Experience
One thing I find
helpful is sometimes
when matters cross
boundaries, you can
have three books
open on your desk at
the same time and
refer to all of them
at once.
I don’t know whether
that would be
possible if you were
looking online.
“
„
“Redefining the Reading Experience”
“With LexisNexis, everything is the same”
We had to out-book the
book “„
Tangible UI
Easy to Recognize
Shareable
Online > Offline
“Whenever we are organizing information, the book is too
powerful an idea to do without in some form or other.“ - David
Gelernter
• Observe the information experience
• Spend time on location
• Do user research
• Seek workarounds and hacks
• Create ‘thick descriptions’
• Focus research for business impact
• Involve stakeholders
Empathy for Users = Design Intuition
Conclusions
Thank You
www.experiencinginformation.com