HITD 201 Empathy and Understanding Users

Mark Billinghurst HIT Lab NZ

December 10th 2013

Design Thinking Process

5 modes iterated through

Empathize

Goal

Create a deep understanding of the user and problem space

Why Empathize   Need to understand end users

  You’re solving their problems

  Watching people what people do  Understand what they think and feel

  Engage to uncover unexpected insights  Uncover needs – conscious and unconscious  Guide innovation efforts   Identify right users to design for

Empathize   Empathy: Foundation of Human-Centered

Design Process  Observe; Users and their behaviour in context   Engage: Interact with and interview users   Immerse: Experience what users experience

Consider the Whole User

Methods Learn from people

Learn from analogoussettings

Learn from Experts

Immersive yourself in context

Learn from People   Who

  Brainstorm interesting people to meet   Think of extremes

  How   Plan the interaction and logistics   Invite participants   Create a trusted atmosphere

  What   Pay attention to your environment   Capture your immediate observations

Learn from Experts   Experts have in-depth knowledge about topic

 Can give large amount of information in short time

  Choose Participants   Expertise, radical opinion, etc

  Set up for productive conversation   Plan, capture, document

Immersive yourself in Context   Observing the problem space around you   Plan observations

 What emotions do you experience?  What challenges?

  Explore and take notes   Sketches, notes, photos

  Capture what you have seen   Reflections, post-it notes

What? How? Why?   Observation analysis   Start from Concrete Observation

 What is the person doing?

  Move to Understanding  How are they doing it?

  Finish with interpretation  Why are they doing it?

What? How? Why?

Seek Inspiration in Analogous Setting   Inspiration in different context than problem space

  Eg redesign library by going to Apple store

  Think of Analogies that connect with challenge   Similar scenarios in different places

  Make arrangements for activities   Logistics

  Absorb experience  Observe, ask

Analogous Empathy

  Analogies provide way to get fresh perspective   Identify key aspects of problem space   Look for opportunities for analogies

Interviewing

Interviewing

  Understanding people’s thoughts, emotions, motivations   Understanding people’s choices and behaviours   Key way to identify needs

Build Your Question Guide   Identify topics   Organize questions   Create a question guide

Word questions strategically   Build tangible conversation starters   Confirm your plans   Assign roles

Interview Process   Open specific

 Comfortable, non threatening questions

  Go broad   Tell me about?, What if?

  Probe deep  How did you feel?

Interview Process

Interviewing Techniques Good interviewing is a skill and needs to be

done properly to ensure you maximize the opportunity you have with your users

Tips for interacting with end users: 1. Listen 2. Watch 3. Create Trust 4. Inform Design

Most important part of interviewing. You are not there to train the user or to demonstrate how much you know. You are interviewing an expert to gain knowledge. Treat them like a precious partner and remember they know a lot more about their work then you do.

1. Listen

24 www.id-book.com

Interview Questions •  Two types: −  ‘closed questions’ have a predetermined answer format, e.g., ‘yes’ or ‘no’

−  ‘open questions’ do not have a predetermined format

•  Closed questions are easier to analyze •  Avoid: − Long questions − Compound sentences - split them into two −  Jargon and language that the interviewee may not understand − Leading questions that make assumptions e.g., why do you like

…? − Unconscious biases e.g., gender stereotypes

Interview Tips   Ask why   Encourage stories   Look for inconsistencies   Pay attention to non-verbal cues   Don’t suggest answers   Don’t ask binary questions   Short questions (no more than 10 words)

Remember users will tend to want to say what they think you want to hear. Create opportunities to observe users rather than ask users.

2. Watch

Case Study – A usability professional is interviewing a user: Professional: “Do you know how to set the margins?” User: “Oh yes, I do that all the time.” Professional: “Could you show me how to do it?” User: “Sure.” (user presses a series of buttons unrelated

to setting margins – the button sequence is actually changing a different setting).

“See it beeped so the margins are set.”

Users will be nervous that they will appear stupid or incompetent. “We are testing design, not you” To get good data, user must feel relaxed and trusting.

3. Create Trust

A user’s perspective: Well okay, today’s the day. I have to report to some building on 14th street. I must admit I’m a bit

nervous. When I spoke to the woman on the phone, she asked me a whole lot of questions about my background and experience. She seemed particularly gleeful that I wasn’t competent using computers and equipment. I’m glad she is happy but for me it’s a recurring problem.

I’ve always felt intimidated with electronics. She wants me to use something on the computer while

some people watch me. Well, it’s an easy $50 bucks and seeing that I don’t know the people, it can’t be too embarrassing…

On the other hand, what if I’m the first person in the world that doesn’t understand how to do

whatever I’m supposed to do? What if I totally bomb? What if they ask me a question that is embarrassing and they find out how stupid I really am. Well, I’ll give it a go this time but I don’t think I can do this again.

User research does not dictate your design but rather informs you so that you design better.

4. Inform Design

Woodblock Study Example

Users were asked to place stickers representing functions On a block model. Resulting design did not copy word for word where the users placed buttons. Resulting design was informed by how users grouped buttons and by observation of users interacting with the stickers.

Other Interview Techniques   Show me

 Get the person to show you something

  Draw it  Draw processes, information, etc,

  5 whys?   Ask why questions to five consecutive answers

  Think aloud   Talk why doing a task

Tips   Establish Trust

  Listen, use non-verbal gestures

  Get the most out of your interaction   Show space, drawing, why questions

  Know what to look for   Say vs. do

  Capture what you see   Photos, notes, quotes, thoughts

Capture Your Learnings   Find space and time

 Group meeting

  Share impressions with team   Review important topics

-  Motivations, interactions, frustrations, etc

  Document thoughts  Notes, post-its, sketches

Other Methods

Self Documentation

  Design Probes   Provide cameras, notebooks, etc