IAT 333, Design: Practice and Methods
Week 2: Cultural Probes
Dr. Carman Neustaedter
based on course content by Ron Wakkary
Outline
cultural probes
informational probes
example probes
interviews
assignment
what is a cultural probe?
Cultural Probes
“We’ve brought you a
kind of gift.”
– Gaver et al
source: Gaver, Dunne, and Pacenti
Cultural Probes
how do you design something relevant for an unfamiliar group?
don’t want users to constrain design
don’t want users to reveal known needs
Cultural Probes
how do you design something relevant for an unfamiliar group?
don’t want users to constrain design
don’t want users to reveal known needs
provoke inspirational responses
pursue experimental design in a responsive way
Cultural Probes
how do you design something relevant for an unfamiliar group?
don’t want users to constrain design
don’t want users to reveal known needs
provoke inspirational responses
pursue experimental design in a responsive way
like “astronomic or surgical probes”
wait for data over time
hope for the unexpected
Types of Cultural Probes
Postcards
8-10 postcards with questions
attitudes of elders towards their lives, culture and technology
oblique wording and evocative images
provide space for people
informal and friendly (plus more
engaging) way of asking questions
source: Gaver, Dunne, and Pacenti
Types of Cultural Probes
Maps
7 maps with an inquiry exploring
elders’ relationship to their
environments
activity: marking zones, locales to
surreal situations
maps printed with textural materials
invited folding, handling, and tactile
responses
source: Gaver, Dunne, and Pacenti
Types of Cultural Probes
Disposable camera
repackaged with no commercial entity
simple photo requests written on
package
e.g., first person you see today,
something desirable, something
boring
source: Gaver, Dunne, and Pacenti
Types of Cultural Probes
Photo Album
assemble a story of 6-10 pictures
using pictures from the past,
friends, families, and other
meaningful things
Media Diary
chronicle of TV shows watched,
radio listened to, telephone
calls, etc.
source: Gaver, Dunne, and Pacenti
Cultural Probes
not scientific or engineering endeavor
focus on aesthetic control
focus on cultural implications
focus on impressionistic view of beliefs, culture, aesthetics
Cultural Probes
not scientific or engineering endeavor
focus on aesthetic control
focus on cultural implications
focus on impressionistic view of beliefs, culture, aesthetics
trying to open the design
not existing designs or existing technologies
speculative uses and boundary testing
Cultural Probes
probes were:
delightful but not childish or condescending
invaluable in providing individual views of each locale
a two-way dialogue between designers and the participants
informational probes
what is the difference between a
cultural probe and an informational probe?
how it is used: inspiration vs. information
Informational Probes
transforming cultural probes to informational probes - Crabtree et al
use of probes in sensitive settings
traditional ethnography is difficult
source: Crabtree et al
Informational Probes
transforming cultural probes to informational probes - Crabtree et al
use of probes in sensitive settings
traditional ethnography is difficult
focus on gathering information about
participants
participants act as self-observers
source: Crabtree et al
Informational Probes
transforming cultural probes to informational probes - Crabtree et al
use of probes in sensitive settings
traditional ethnography is difficult
focus on gathering information about
participants
participants act as self-observers
results used to focus user workshops
use probes to figure out what to look at
source: Crabtree et al
Informational Probes
postcards addressed to the researchers: residents express daily concerns
map of locale for residents to map daily geographies and unsafe areas
polaroid camera to document friends, objects
voice activated dictaphone for ideas
visitor’s book
scrapbook
daily diary
source: Crabtree et al
Tips for Making Cultural Probes
do
make it a gift
don’t
make it an assignment
Tips for Making Cultural Probes
do
make it a gift
engage people in conversation
don’t
make it an assignment
engage in a questionnaire
Tips for Making Cultural Probes
do
make it a gift
engage people in conversation
try to make a friend
don’t
make it an assignment
engage in a questionnaire
act as a data collector
Tips for Making Cultural Probes
do
make it a gift
engage people in conversation
try to make a friend
create a game
don’t
make it an assignment
engage in a questionnaire
act as a data collector
create tasks with a manual
Tips for Making Cultural Probes
do
make it a gift
engage people in conversation
try to make a friend
create a game
don’t
make it an assignment
engage in a questionnaire
act as a data collector
create tasks with a manual
ask who, what, where, when, why and how questions
capture the entire experience: first showing of probe to pick up
Tips for Designing Cultural Probes
recruiting is the first design decision
pick reliable participants
pick people you have access to
brainstorm possible audiences
Tips for Designing Cultural Probes
recruiting is the first design decision
pick reliable participants
pick people you have access to
brainstorm possible audiences
two strategies:
1. selective sampling: choose a particular type
e.g., soccer Moms
risk: you decide you can’t design for this audience
benefit: good in-depth information
2. general sampling: choose a cross-section or general type
e.g., Vancouver residents
risk: information gathered is too general
benefit: good cross section of interests
Cultural Probe Findings
no obvious results
implicit or inspirational meaning
certain responses are surprising, insightful
probes provide a perspective that can be hard to achieve
Cultural Probe Findings
no obvious results
implicit or inspirational meaning
certain responses are surprising, insightful
probes provide a perspective that can be hard to achieve
what surprised you the most?
what gave you the most insight?
what probe results will help future designs?
interviews
Interviews + Cultural Probes
optionally you can interview people when:
leaving cultural probes – ask questions about initial thoughts
and feelings
picking up cultural probes – ask reactions to the probes, talk
about the probes, e.g., pick one item and tell me about it
Types of Interviews
Unstructured / open
most like a conversation, no questions planned
pros: rich detail that interviewer may not have thought of
cons: hard to replicate, hard to analyze
good for cultural probes
Semi-structured
pre-select topic areas and potential questions
pros: can guide interview but not enforce what is discussed
cons: can go off topic
good for cultural probes
Types of Interviews
Structured
predetermined questions that are short and clearly worded
confirmatory rather than exploratory
pros: easy to replicate, get specific answers, easy to analyze
cons: restrictive answers, details can be lost
not recommended for cultural probes
Types of Interview Distortion
Internal distortion
problems internal to the interviewer
e.g., personal traits, lack of experience, listening skills
reduce by restating what people say, take notes, corroborate
with other sources
Types of Interview Distortion
External distortion
problems with interaction between interviewer and -viewee
e.g., distractions (finger tapping), violation of social norms,
conflicting messages (body language), emotional discomfort
reduce by analyzing own behavior, be aware of social norms,
arrange appropriate environment
assignment
Assignment
1. based on feedback in labs, redesign your probes (quickly!)
make at least four copies of them
2. deploy the probes to 4 or more participant groups/individuals
leave them with them for 5-7 days
3. design short interviews (10-15 min) to be used when:
you give the probes out and when you pick them up
Assignment
due next lecture
one-minute madness presentation of your final cultural probes
upload your presentation on to my laptop at start of class
due next week in lab
poster of final cultural probes
printed 18x24 inches and ready to present in lab
Assignment
due in lab in *2 weeks* - Sept 30
1. poster of cultural probe results
printed 18x24 inches and ready to present in lab
what was most insightful or inspirational?
what stories came to life?
why did you chose these findings?
2. interview analysis and summary
1-3 pages long, document your overall findings
major themes: back up with quotes/examples
discuss in lab
Examples
See examples on my laptop
Questions?
Stay after lecture if you are in a group of 2 or 3, or not in a group
Attendance
Attendance