Cultural Probes Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Probes are used as a design method in user-centred design to allow end-users to inform design by collecting data from their lives. Probes are potentially useful in service innovation, but current probing methods require users to interrupt... more

Probes are used as a design method in user-centred design to allow end-users to inform design by collecting data from their lives. Probes are potentially useful in service innovation, but current probing methods require users to interrupt their activity and are consequently not ideal for use by service employees in reflecting on the delivery of a service. In this paper, we present the ‘wearable probe’, a probe concept that captures sensor data without distracting service employees. Data captured by the probe can be used by the service employees to reflect and co-reflect on the service journey, helping to identify opportunities for service evolution and innovation.

This paper calls for a new way of understanding and using methods in human-centred design. Design researchers have recently been active in developing new types of methods aimed at greatly improving their empathic understanding of people’s... more

This paper calls for a new way of understanding and using methods in human-centred design. Design researchers have recently been active in developing new types of methods aimed at greatly improving their empathic understanding of people’s holistic experience, and their design imagination. The strong motivation for a new methodology stems from critical reflection on scientific rationalisation of human-centred design, which attempts to pin down the design process and develop abstract user models. Despite this, the design community has shown a tendency to use a conventional, scientific rationalisation when applying a stream of new design methods. In this paper, I analyse misinterpretations of the new design methods, which I call ‘empathic design methods’, and seek a more constructive way of understanding and describing how they actually work, going beyond ‘method-recipe’ convention. By analysing design students’ learning diaries, I investigate what learning is going on in method-making processes and demonstrate how those processes help design students to gather contextual knowledge of a design project and to develop their empathic understanding of users.

Given the significant potential of shared book reading to promote children's learning, the design of e-books has focused on maximising this learning experience. However, recent studies have begun to show that shared reading is a broader... more

Given the significant potential of shared book reading to promote children's learning, the design of e-books has focused on maximising this learning experience. However, recent studies have begun to show that shared reading is a broader opportunity for the family to spend quality time together. Our study aims to explore this perspective further, focusing on the types of parent-child interactions during shared reading and the ways in which shared reading may foster intimacy when parents and children read digital books. We used cultural probes and contextual interviews to capture the shared reading experiences of 7 parents and 6 children in their homes. We discuss the different nuances of the shared reading practices identified. We use these findings to suggest new design opportunities that support the complex practices of shared reading with technologies at home.

Intimacy is a crucial element of domestic life, and manyinteractive technologies designed for other purposes have been appropriated for use within intimate relationships.However, there is a deficit in current understandings of... more

Intimacy is a crucial element of domestic life, and manyinteractive technologies designed for other purposes have been appropriated for use within intimate relationships.However, there is a deficit in current understandings of howtechnologies are used within intimate relationships, and how to design technologies to support intimate acts. In this paper we report on work that has addressed these deficits.We used cultural probes and contextual interviews and other ethnographically informed techniques to investigatehow interactive technologies are used within intimaterelationships. From this empirical work we generated athematic understanding of intimacy and the use of interactional technologies to support intimate acts. We used this understanding to inform the design of intimatetechnologies. A selection of our design concepts is also presented.

This thesis presents the development of persuasive design theory to effect behaviour change amongst patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). Drawing on research from the disciplines of design, social psychology and healthcare, this study... more

This thesis presents the development of persuasive design theory to effect behaviour change amongst patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). Drawing on research from the disciplines of design, social psychology and healthcare, this study defines ‘persuasive design’ as an area of design research which seeks to change a person’s attitude or behaviour for the benefit of their health and in concordance with their own ambitions. The research aim is to support patient engagement with long-term therapeutic exercise recommendations specifically for the hand. This is achieved byidentifying ‘designable factors’ ideas, objects, and environments (virtual and real), which are specific to people with RA and can be identified, examined, understoodand selectively influenced to increase the ability and willingness of users to engagewith long-term therapeutic exercise recommendations. The research explores existing motivations and interests, embedded within daily life activities that can be targeted to incorporate therapeutic exercise interventions. To achieve this aqualitative research methodology was adopted, consisting of photographic ‘culturalprobe’ and ‘photo elicitation’ methods, which were utilised within a focus group setting. The research demonstrates that traditional product specific approaches to designand those which focus primarily on ‘desirability’, ‘inclusivity’, and ‘mass market’ are not, in their current form, adequate to address the complex therapeutic needs of people living with RA. Three original contributions to knowledge are presented: an advancement of design research methodology; a model of behaviour change theory which is specific to the needs of people with RA, and two practical design solutions: a patient assessment tool and a therapeutic exercise device designed to extend user engagement. Results are also relevant to other areas of healthcare where improvedpatient engagement with treatment recommendations is required.

In order to understand what a game is and how to design good games, we need to understand the players as well as the act and the experience of playing. However, the players are not typically very much involved in game design processes,... more

In order to understand what a game is and how to design good games, we need to understand the players as well as the act and the experience of playing. However, the players are not typically very much involved in game design processes, especially in their early stages. To develop and evaluate methods of player research and ways to integrate

Este artículo se basa en el trabajo realizado como proyecto de doctorado del autor, y se ha nutrido de la idea del biocentrismo para generar nuevas espacios de encuentro entre el diseño y las ciencias que estudian la naturaleza, en... more

Este artículo se basa en el trabajo realizado como proyecto de doctorado del autor, y se ha nutrido de la idea del biocentrismo para generar nuevas espacios de encuentro entre el diseño y las ciencias que estudian la naturaleza, en particular sobre maneras sustentables de producir color. Como parte de este proyecto se han creado herramientas de integración multidisciplinaria que podrían contribuir a desarrollar mejores métodos
de investigación y trabajo para la biomimesis, así como también nuevos canales de comunicación entre científicos y diseñadores con interés en implementar la biomimesis de manera tangible. Este artículo describe el proceso que conllevó este proyecto y ofrece reflexiones sobre presente y futuro de esta experiencia.

The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) outlines what constitutes equality of citizens, based on equal opportunities for all people to access services, places and social participation. Understanding what... more

The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) outlines what constitutes equality of citizens, based on equal opportunities for all people to access services, places and social participation. Understanding what constitutes equal opportunities to buildings necessitates a radical investigation to what can contribute to feelings of marginalisation and stigmatisation in these environments. Emerging design paradigms such as inclusive design, and particularly universal design (UD) seek to represent in a totalising way the sum of experiential factors that contribute to “positive” experience for a universal constituency of citizens, which includes people of all ages, sizes, shapes and abilities. The urgency of these design approaches is underscored by the evolving demographics of Ireland, and other countries of similar or greater wealth, demonstrating a tendency toward increasingly older populations, a growth in the population of people with morbid conditions such as obesity and diabetes, and a resultant increase in the level of impairment in the population as a whole. Pursuing a design of the built environment that allows the greatest range of people to participate in the social realm and minimises dependence on others where possible will have an increasing effect on economic growth and on well-being over the next century. It is probable in this context that many of the principles and aims of UD will be adopted in mainstream design schools, and will contribute to a paradigm shift in architectural design thinking.
UD is considered as a process by its most vocal advocates, although this postmodern characterisation of a constantly changing paradigm is undermined by the urge from many of those same advocates to codify universal design in guidelines and regulations and to “set” standards which define whether or not universal design is met, and by viewing building interventions as causal and predictable in their outcomes.
This paper outlines a methodology for interrogating the predictive assumption of universal design/accessibility guidelines. This involves engaging a number of intersecting techniques, based around a selection of buildings and introducing a participative dimension to understand how buildings can be evaluated in a manner that addresses social equity. These methods include a meta-review and reconceptualization of international design standards in this area; participant walking tours involving people of a wide range of capabilities aimed at understanding visitor experience of buildings; questionnaires and self-directed diary and photograph studies aimed at people embedded everyday in specific buildings. The results and conclusions of these studies are summarised.

The recording and sharing of family stories remains an important aspect of what it means to be a ‘family’. Existing research has shown that such stories help family members to maintain close bonds. Additionally, the sharing of personal... more

The recording and sharing of family stories remains an important aspect of what it means to be a ‘family’. Existing research has shown that such stories help family members to maintain close bonds. Additionally, the sharing of personal experiences can help family members to create and present individual and family identities. Traditionally, these stories have been shared face-to-face. However, for a variety of reasons, more families are geographically distributed. While there has been extensive research into how migrant workers make use of ICTs for social support or interpersonal communication, there remains a gap in understanding how these workers use ICTs specifically for family storytelling. To address this, we conducted two rounds of ethnographic interviews with twenty-five Filipino domestic helpers in Singapore. At the same time, we wanted to examine the types of stories these women currently share. As such, we deployed cultural probe packs which consisted of a disposable camera and writing materials. The interview findings show that factors such as cost or limited access to technology resulted in fewer opportunities for family storytelling. In addition, interviewees also described themselves to have ‘nothing interesting to share’ and that they were ‘unable to do more’ in terms of sharing their experiences with their families back home. Interestingly, the cultural probe findings suggest that this perception may not always be accurate, as evidenced by how the participants were able to reflect upon their daily lives and record numerous personal experiences using the probes.

When reason is away, smiles will play. --- Paul Eluard and Benjamin Péret

The recording and sharing of family stories remains an important part of what it means to be a “family”. While there is prior research into supporting storytelling for families living apart, there remains a gap in understanding and... more

The recording and sharing of family stories remains an important part of what it means to be a “family”. While there is prior research into supporting storytelling for families living apart, there remains a gap in understanding and supporting family storytelling for migrant workers. To address this gap, we explored how technologies could be designed for domestic helpers. Nine domestic helpers were recruited and divided into three design teams. The participatory design sessions and cultural probe findings led to the design of Kwento, a prototype mobile application that uses prompts to encourage helpers to reflect upon their personal experiences.

In this article we present the findings of two ethnographic studies embedded into two broader projects on interactive television in the home environment. Based on previous research on the home context and inspired by ongoing trends around... more

In this article we present the findings of two ethnographic studies embedded into two broader projects on interactive television in the home environment. Based on previous research on the home context and inspired by ongoing trends around interactive television, we explored basic concepts, such as the extended home, and new interaction techniques, in particular those related to future developments of the remote control. For the two studies we also developed two variations of the cultural probes method: creative probing and playful probing. This methodological approach proved to be appropriate for gathering in-depth data on participants' opinions, attitudes, and ideas in a way favorable to the participants. Overall, our results support existing research data on user media behavior and expectations and show trends in and beyond the living room, concerned with personalization, privacy, and security as well as communication.