week 7. observation methods

Questions:
1. What is Observation in Design Process?
2. What observation methods are there?
3. What is the method of Cultural Probes?
4. How to design Cultural Probes ?
5. How to collect/analyse/interpret data?

Interaction design methods from Timo Arnall p. 20~

smart things by M.

Chapter 14. Observation and Ideation


A bAsic observAtion method



1. Define the scope of the observation
2. Pick an audience
3. Observe for an extended period
4. Document observations
5. Interview representatives
6. Organize observations
7. Identify patterns
8. make recommendations


SPECIFIC METHODS:

14.1.2.1 digital ethnography and Public Photos

Ethnography and Design from The Added Value Group p. 24~

14.1.2.2 diary studies
14.1.2.3 design Probes
           Cultural Probes
           Technology Probes

14.2 iDeatiOn

     IDEO methods cards
     IDEO methods cards app
 
     www.interactioncards.org


14.2.2 new ideAtion tools
14.2.2.1 crowdsourcing


1. Invite people to generate ideas using a fixed set of criteria.
2. generate hundreds or thousands of ideas.
3. Invite other people to evaluate the quality of the ideas generated by the people in the first
group. Use multiple people to evaluate each idea (or set of ideas) and average the results.
4. Use the highest rated ideas as seeds for further ideation in-house.

14.2.2.2 bodystorming

Methods intro diagram from Goldsmiths design

Reference:
Gaver: Design: Cultural Probes, 1999
Wallace: How Design Probes Work, 2013

Designing Memory Probes to Inform Dialogue (DIS18)

Peekaboo Cam: Designing an Observational Camera for Home Ecologies Concerning Privacy

Designing PhenoProbe: An Interview Tool for Inquiring into the Phenological Knowledge of Taiwanese Elders (CHI24)

AI Cat Narrator: Designing an AI Tool for Exploring the Shared World and Social Connection with a Cat (DIS24)

Re.Dis.Cover Place with Generative AI: Exploring the Experience and Design of City Wandering with image-to-image AI (DIS24)

(Gaver, 2004)

Exercise

Choose a design topic that interests you (e.g., everyday life topics such as breakfast or dreams, as in the examples above), an object (e.g., a traditional Chinese almanac or a photo album), or an activity (e.g., playing hide-and-seek or urban strolling). Design your own Cultural Probes kit.

Hints: As shown in the examples, a Cultural Probes kit typically includes items such as maps, stickers, booklets, cards, colored pens, tape, disposable cameras, and small games, among other things. However, these are just suggestions, not limitations. Use your imagination to create a set of probes that encourages people to explore, reflect on, and express their experiences in unexpected ways.

Discussion

• Which of the examples above used AI, if any?

• If you were to use AI in your own Cultural Probes kit, how would you incorporate it, and what role would it play?

Final Project (ACM Poster/SRC Project Probes): stage 1 (initial probes design & interview)

(see week 1 introduction for submission info.)
1. Design you Probe Package (deadline 2026/11/2)
    Shoot all your package elements in row and column, upload to google drive.
2. Conduct Probing
3. Interview and Report (Deadline 2026/11/9)