Design Thinking and Innovation course - Day 3 - Design Ethnography

TEK495 - Design & Innovation

Day 3DESIGN ETHNOGRAPHY

TEK495

Kira Krämer, Lisa Carlgren, Fredrik Garneij, Jan Schmiedgen, Ingo Rauth

September 9, 2015

TEK495 - Design & Innovation 2

Slide/Exercise Time Material Facilitator

PrepareRe-Arrange room to work group island mode

Print: Facilitator instructionsBring: Marshmallow material

All

Warm-up 10 min none Ingo

Group reflection diary conversation 10 min none / use new process Ingo

Design Ethnography intro & test your interview skills

25 min Kira

Coffee break 15 min none

Group interivew (Q&A) with challange/project owner

marker, whiteboard Kira - Lisa, Fredrik (support)

LUNCH

Interview basics - iterating theoretical inputs and testing by interviewing each other - based on the desk research and own experience

50 min Kira - Lisa, Fredrik (support)

Coffee Break 15 min

Interview with students, administrators and supervisors which come to class

45 min Interview questions developed during the previous 45 min

Kira

Coffee Break

Reflection on interviewing, summary and observation (marhs mallow exercise)

20, 20, 5min (homework intro) Kira, Ingo


Reflection#2 Interviewing

Think about one reflection you want to share in 30 sec.

4-5x share reflection in 30 sec, the others try to sketch the main idea.

Reflect upon your reflections

2 min

5 min

5 min


WARM-UP

SPOT ALIE

Image Source: pxiabay.com

https://pixabay.com/en/baron-munchausen-tall-tales-74043/


Introduction1#


Learn to askbetter questions!

THE GOAL


Design Ethnography

Better questions, better understanding.

Ethnography literally means “writing about people groups”.

Ethnography is a method (discipline) that helps tounderstand the social, politcal and environmentaldimensions of a society from a member’s perspective.

#1 Introduction


Design Ethnography#1 Introduction

People: behavior, choices, emotions, mental models

Personal context: life situation, social environment like family, friends, colleagues and peer-groups

Broader context: institutions, processes, society as a whole, ecosystems

Interconnectedness of these factors


“Better understanding = better problem-solving = better products, services, processes and

institutions”.

“Shit understanding = shit problem-solving = shit products, services, processes and

institutions”.


Why we need ethnography … #1 Introduction

Clear Vision

Team Alignment

Stakeholder Communication

Better understanding, better documentation: user perspective becomes more powerful


Design ethnography in the process#1 Introduction

PROTOTYPE

explore the problem redefine the problem

develop & learn about ideas & problems

EMPATHIZE IDEATE

idea generation

DEFINE TEST


Three ways to gain understanding#1 Introduction

Listening

Looking

Experiencing


Three ways to gain understanding

#1 Introduction


INTERVIEWING2#


CHALLENGE:

“How to improve the preparationfor the master thesis experience.”

#2 Interviewing


Your first interview

Dan Paulin

▪ Vice Head of Department for Education, Technology Management and Economics

▪ Senior Lecturer, Technology Management and Economics

▪ Senior Lecturer at the Division of Operations Management.

#2 Interviewing


Your first interview: Exercise

Collect questions silentlywrite down each on one sticky note

Share in team

Discuss briefly and select 5 questions

#2 Interviewing

2min

5min

4/5x 1min


BREAK

18


Hi Dan,We’ve got some

questions for you!

19


LUNCH

20


Reflection


Experts & Stakeholders


Experts & StakeholdersA helpful but biased view?

Enable Limit

(Insider) Knowledge

Meta-View

Power & Connections

Deeply rooted inexisting system

“Blind” for user perspective

Reluctant to profound changes

+ -

Image Credit: Straight Face by Clara Joy, The Noun Project

https://thenounproject.com/term/straight-face/99179/


Understanding the topicExpert and newbie at the same time?


Existing Material

Stories from friends

Desk ResearchDan’s Input

Your experience

Own thoughts

Understanding the topic

…


Knowledge DownloadUnderstanding the topic

Preparation for interviews

Empty your mind

Find something you didn’t know yet!

Open up to kill your assumptions


Knowledge Download: Exercise

Write down areas of interest“Finding a topic for master thesis”

Write down hypotheses“Students have difficulites to find a topic.”

Share with team

Understanding the topic

1min

1min

4/5x 1min


Questionnaire


Questionnaire

▪ Our guide for interviews

▪ Simple

▪ Flexible

#2 Interviewing


Topic

Opener

Hypothesis

#2 InterviewingQuestionnaire


Finding advice for master thesis topic

“Where did you look for advice when searching for a thesis topic?”

No one knows about the consultation services offered by the faculty. True?


Topic

Opener

Hypothesis


QUESTIONNAIRE: EXERCISE#2 Interviewing

Select 3 topics

Add hypotheses to each topic

3min

3min


General opening quesion






Are you working on a master thesis currently?

Are you planning to write your master thesis in the next 6 month?

...






Questionnaire: Exercise#2 Interviewing

Select 3 topics

Add hypotheses to each topic

Add general opening question(s)

5min

3min

1min


User Interviewes Round 1: Exercise#2 Interviewing

Split in subteams of two (three) and grab your questionnaire

Go outside and try to conduct one or two interviews with someone

Goal: Try to fond something interesting in one of the three topics

1min

15min


BREAK

37


Reflection


The Art of asking questions


The Art of Asking Questions

1. Setting

2. Questions

#2 Interviewing


Setting

▪ Aim for a facilitated conversation

▪ Pay attention to:▪ Space▪ Roles▪ Mindset

#2 Interviewing


Setting: Space

▪ Choosing the right space

▪ Take care of drinks & snacks

▪ If necessary, meet users in their environment

#2 Interviewing


Setting: Roles

Agree on

▪ Conversation Lead

▪ Documenter

▪ Observer

#2 Interviewing


Setting: Mindset

Be a true Listener!

▪ Non-judgemental

▪ Non-teaching

▪ Empathy, not necessary sympathy

▪ Beginner’s Mindset

#2 Interviewing


Quesitons

Asking the right questions & asking them right!

Pay attention to:

▪ Types of Questions

▪ Way of Asking

▪ Mindset

#2 Interviewing


Types of questions#2 Interviewing

Facts:

▪ What, Where, When

▪ How many, How often,

How long etc.


Story & Emotional: How? helps to get user into narrating a sequence or a story

Why?▪ explore the underlying

motivations or influences▪ to dig deeper

Types of questions#2 Interviewing

Facts:

▪ What, Where, When

▪ How many, How often,

How long etc.


Tipps & Tricks

▪ Don’t stop with your first “Why?”

▪ Ask for best / worst experiences instead of

“What do you like / hate?”

▪ Switch between emotions and facts.

▪ Listen and save a keyword.

#2 Interviewing


Way of asking: Demo

How to do a proper interview … NOT

#2 Interviewing


Rules: Way of Asking#2 Interviewing

▪ 80/20 - accept silence

▪ Open questions

▪ Clear questions, one question per time

▪ No interpretations yet

▪ Digging deep, not jumping topics too quickly

▪ No solutions at this point of time (Park them)

▪ Not asking for solutions (People don’t know)

▪ Clear roles


The Anatomy of an Interview#2 Interviewing


Mindset

▪ Following the stories

▪ Leading with questions

#2 Interviewing


User interviews round 2: Exercise#2 Interviewing

Grab questionnaire. Choose an interview partner from this course - someone you don’t know yet

Interview him/her

Goal: Get one interesting story

2min

2x3min

1min


Cheat Sheet

▪ Introduce yourself▪ Get the newbie attitude

▪ Start with your conversation

▪ 80/20▪ Open questions

▪ Aim for stories▪ Ask Why?

▪ Build on what your interviewee tells you.

#2 Interviewing


User interviews round 2: Exercise#2 Interviewing

Second round interviewsTry to dog deeperGoal: Ask 3 times Why in a row

2x3min

3min

1min


Iteration & Putting it all together


Iteration and putting it all together

Write down your most burning topics / questions / hypotheses

Share with team

Iterate questionnaire with max 5 topics

Prepare settings & decide on roles

#2 Interviewing

2min

1min

10min

2min


BREAK

58


User interviews round 3: Exercise

15minSplit in sub-teams & lead one interview

Second interview

#2 Interviewing

15min


BREAK

60


Reflection


Wrap Up INTERVIEWING


Storysharing#2 Interviewing


Documenting

▪ Notes▪ Pictures▪ Recording

#2 Interviewing


Selecting interviewees

Look for:▪ Extreme users▪ people outside your target group

#2 Interviewing


OBSERVATION

3#


OBSERVATION

Start noticing the little things


OBSERVATION



OBSERVATION



Marshmallow exercise

Action Team (10min)▪ Build the Tallest Freestanding Structure▪ The Entire Marshmallow Must be on Top: The entire

marshmallow needs to be on the top of the structure. Cutting or eating part of the marshmallow disqualifies the team.

▪ Use as much or as little of the Kit▪ Break up the Spaghetti, String or Tape

Observing Team (2min):Watch the teams. What dynamics can you notice? Body language?

#3 Observation


IMMERSION4#



Summary


Three ways to gain understanding

What people experience.

What people do.What people say they do.

Summary


When applying Design Ethnography

Summary


Prototype testing


Readings

Hall, E. (2013). Just Enough Research. New York.

Portigal, S. (2013). Interviewing Users: How to Uncover

Compelling Insights (1st edition). Brooklyn, New York:

Rosenfeld Media.

Young, I. (2015). Practical Empathy: For Collaboration and

Creativity in Your Work (1st edition). Brooklyn, NY: Rosenfeld

Media.

#2 Interviewing


Your take-aways?

Summary


Thank you!


Homework

1.) Write your reflections2.) Practice interviewing: Do 1 Interview with 1 master

student from Chalmers (15min+). TAKE NOTES!3.) Practice immersion by trying to understand:

a.) Master Thesis webpage at Chalmersb.) �Master Thesis at Dept of TMEc.) Ask yourself if you would know what to do after getting

these informaiton.

The better your notes, the better your synthesis.

Design Ethnography

https://student.portal.chalmers.se/en/chalmersstudies/masters-thesis/Pages/masters-thesis-work.aspx

https://student.portal.chalmers.se/en/chalmersstudies/masters-thesis/Pages/masters-thesis-work.aspx

http://www.chalmers.se/en/departments/tme/education/masters-thesis/Pages/default.aspx

http://www.chalmers.se/en/departments/tme/education/masters-thesis/Pages/default.aspx


HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAHASIN!!! ☺


“Focus on the user.”IDEO, Stanford d.school


Interview fail script (facilitator)Faciliator’s sheet

Theme: Grocery shopping & cooking

1. We only talk to each other.

2. Involve the interview but ask questions that already entail the answer: „You

like cooking, right!“

3. Ask open questions, but interrupt.

4. Let them finish talking, but summarize in a judgemental statement, „Aha, so

you are an eco-fanatic!“

5. Don’t follow up on what was answered, but jump to the next question.

6. Think in solutions right away: „She needs an eco friendly ...“

7. Ask for solutions

8. Roles are unclear.