Thursday, 5 November

Week 11: User-Centered Design 1/4

Invitation to participate in Master's Project Study of Microsoft

Mentor Ceci Gutknecht to Present

Review Project 4.1 Issues

Introduce Project Research, Prototype Design and Testing

Each group will do a near-complete version of their Case Study including:

Process, adopting the seven mindsets and working through the five design process modes identified in the dSchool documents, applying the relevant methods at each stage.

Methods, choose relevant methods, such as those from the dSchool Bootcamp Bootleg document (page numbers (in parentheses)). Note: methods without page numbers will be introduced in class.

Research Context

•  Adopt the Seven Mindsets (on third actual page of PDF) 

• Assuming a Beginner’s Mindset (p. 6) 

• Literature Survey

Empathize

• Extreme Users (p. 11)

Observation

•  Physical Traces 

• Environmental Behavior 

• User-Camera Study (p. 8) 

• Shooting Video (p. 42) 

• Video Editing (p. 43)

Interviewing

• Interview Preparation (p. 9) 

• Interview with Empathy (p. 10)  

Define

• Saturate and Group (p. 14) 

• Composite Character Profile [Personas] (p. 17) 

• Impose Constraints (p. 32)

Ideate

• Brainstorming (p. 28) 

• Facilitate a Brainstorm (p. 29) 

• Selection (p. 30)

Prototype and Test

• Prototype for Empathy (p. 33) 

• Prototype to Test (p. 34) 

• Testing with Users (p. 35) 

• User-Driven Prototyping (p. 38)

Findings, based on what you found in your research create a “Composite Character Profile” (or Persona) of the potential users of your design.

Design Brief, What are the parameters for your prototype design project? In other words, what (specifically) are you trying to accomplish through your design? What is the key question in the design, i.e. what must be addressed for your design to be a success? (You may find it useful to apply the “Impose Constraints” method from the Bootcamp Bootleg document at this stage).

In this interim phase each team should start with their Design Brief and develop and test a paper prototype with your client/user group.

Each group’s write up should show the evolution of your prototype – its iterations, indicate the rationale for them, highlight the response from testing, and indicate how your understanding of client needs improved through the prototyping process. Video might well be usefully incorporated here.

Group Meeting Time

Assignment for Tuesday, 10 November:

Begin work on Project 4.2, specifically:

1. Identify your organization to work with
2. Do structured observations of the physical space
3. Observe the activities taking place
4. Prepare to conduct interviews of relevant stakeholders

Read Standford dSchool Bootcamp Bootleg [read from beginning to page 6, and read page 17 as well (linked to Canvas Assignment page for Project 4.1)] and UXD pp. 114 - 119 "Personas" through "Scenarios" and pp. 166 - 169 "Build a Prototype" and prepare for a quiz on the following possible questions:

1. What are the five modes of design thinking according to the dSchool? Please summarize the nature and characteristics of each mode.
2. What are Personas, or Composite Character Profiles? What are their characteristics and what purpose do they serve? 
3. What is the relationship between Personas and Scenarios? Please be specific. 
4. What, according to your textbook's authors, are the five steps in building a prototype? 
5. What are the benefits of assuming a beginner's mindset?