UX READINGS FOR 1/25/11
Visual Communication by Johnathan Baldwin. 74-77, 96-97. What is culture? Critiques of mass culture. Sub and counter cultures.
Raymond Williams culture:
1. the process of a society’s intellectual, spiritual and aesthetic development.
2. The particular way of life of a people, period or group.
3. The works and practices of intellectual and especially artistic activity.
Popular culture is general perceived to be cynical process for engaging the masses in a cycle of consumerist desire.
(in popular culture advertising) critics identify a cycle of never-ending desire, fulfillment and eventual disillusionment.
Subcultures are groups of people with a set of shared beliefs, values or lifestyles.
Design Research edited by Brenda Laurel
First off I’ve got to say that before reading this chapter I wasn’t convinced how relevant research in design really was. I thought it sounded good but wasn’t really sure of the impact in could have. But our world is becoming more and more diverse. On a global scale we are becoming more and more open minded, this activates cultures we have not experienced. The statement by Malinowski in 1922 was articulated nicely, ” the final goal… is to grasp the native’s point of view, his relation to life, to realize his vision of his world.” In industrial design you wouldn’t be expected to design a tool for someone in a vacuum. It requires research. The same research is necessary for graphic design in order to understand how to better communicate to the people!
Designing for Interaction by Dan Saffer
P1
“Well, “research” is a pretty broad term. Exploration, investigation, looking around, finding out are all synonyms for research.”
“Design research helps give designers empathy with users.”
“Often, the success of a research program hangs upon how the question is framed.”
P2
Research requires planning; who are you researching and what do you want to discover?
The materials necessary for design research can be as simple as a notebook and a pen, or as complicated as specialized software and video-recording equipment.
Writing down those instructions (moderator script) will help make the sessions run more smoothly.
You should avoid leading questions
P3
Rick E. Robinson: 1. You go to them 2. you talk to them 3. you write stuff down
With an emphasis on hand writing notes because its simple yet effective.
get consent
“The newness of everything makes everything seem important. But the designer needs to focus on observing the things that are truly essential—namely, specific activities, the environment where activities take place, and the interactions among people that take place during activities”
look for patterns and phenomena
multiple researchers is important because one person can miss something
take notes: subject name>time and date> place> note. no personal opinions this minimizes bias. but have a separate area for thoughts and feelings.
photograph subject and context.
p4
observations, interviews, and activities,
observation: fly on a wall. shadowing. shadowing with questions. undercover agent.
wear something appropriate to not look like an observer.
interviews: directed storytelling. unfocus group. role playing. outlier interview. desk/purse/briefcasetour.
always be non-judgmental
activities: collaging. modeling. draw your experience.
have them explain there choices, but don’t tell them they will be doing that.
self reporting is an activity where the subject observes themselves. journals. beeper studies. photo/video journals.
p5
Jesse James Garrett noted in his essay ia/recon,3 “Research can help us improve our hunches, but research should inform our professional judgment, not substitute for it.”
Although I enjoyed reading the possible ways to accomplish research it seems there was a lack of exactly when to implement the contrasting styles of research. I guess those who know that make the big bucks.
All of these readings have completely altered my perceptions of design research and have persuaded me to a realm where I feel everything should be considered.