DESIGNING *for humans

Fitbit - Tracking Physical Behavior

So here's my take on the "next big thing" in the little world of user research for product design.  Measurement of physical activity is typically tedious (e.g. time and motion studies), highly expensive, or inaccurate (participant self-reporting).  Despite these limitations, it has the potential to be very valuable in quantifying user behavior, such as level of exertion, or rest/motion periodicity in shifts.  For example, the ROI for a new system or product may depend on measuring before and after differences in user physical effort or movement.

I recently learned of the soon-to-be launched Fitbit, what one of my colleagues described as a "pedometer on steriods".  And it is marketed towards the health/fitness marktet.  But what makes its particularly useful to user research are its accuracy, battery life (claimed at 10+ days) and reporting features.  According to the Fitbit web site:

"The Fitbit Tracker contains a motion sensor like the ones found in the Nintendo Wii. The Tracker senses your motion in three dimensions and converts this into useful information about your daily activities. The Tracker measures the intensity and duration of your physical activities, calories burned, steps taken, distance traveled, how long it took you to fall asleep, the number of times you woke up throughout the night and how long you were actually asleep vs just lying in bed. You can wear the Tracker loosely in your pocket or clipped to your clothing, even bras."

Here's a screenshot of the tracking web interface...

 

 

Launch date is "late Dec- early Jan". Well if they're anything like LiveScribe, maybe March or June, but I'd love to be surprised

Casio Launches Lower-Cost High Speed Camera (EX-FH20)

Applying high-speed imagery to study user performance has been a topic that I have written about and presented on in recent weeks.  Earlier this year I purchased the Casio Exilim Pro EX-F1, and now Casio has announced a comparable, lower-cost mode, the
EX-FH20.

The EX-FH20 does not have "Pro" in its name, and does not reach the speeds of the EX-F1, but for studying human behavior, the newer model is probably more than adequate, and in fact excels over the EX-F1 in certain characteristics (e.g. higher resolution for stills, but not video, greater zoom, slightly more compact body).  Most importantly, it has an estimated list price ($599) that is $400 less than the Pro model ($999).  In either case, they are very similar, versatile cameras (still, HD video, high-speed video) that offer capabilities unavailable in any other cameras near their price range.

Here's a breakdown of some key performance difference between the two models - for more info, go to the Casio Web site:

The High Speed EXILIM EX-FH20

• 40 Frames Per Second Burst Mode
• High-Speed Movie Recording up to 1000 Frames Per Second
• 20x Optical Zoom
• High-Definition Movies 720p (1280 x 720 pixels)
  

The EXILIM Pro EX-F1

• 60 Frames Per Second Burst Mode
• High-Speed Movie Recording up to 1,200 Frames Per Second
• 12x Optical Zoom
• Full High-Definition Movies (1080i)

On a feature basis, I can't say I have buyer's remorse, although the price difference is pretty significant - but the early adopter really can't complain about price.

 

FieldCREW - A User Research Technology Concept

At this past weekend's Design Research Conference(DRC2008), I presented on the topic of user research technologies -  what's currently in use and some of the newer tools that can be applied to research (if you read this blog with any regularity then you know what I'm talking about). 

One of the key points I discussed is the lack of tools that are specifically and intentionally designed around the needs of user researchers with respect to data gathering, analysis and communication of findings.  To address that need, I've been working with the design team at Bresslergroup on creating a concept user research technology platform.  While still under creative development, I took the opportunity of the DRC to present our work in progress.

The field-based contextual research workstation, or FieldCREW, is primarily targeted at improving data collection efficiency, particularly when studying complex, multi-dimensional work situations such as surgery in an operating room or a construction crew.

FieldCREW brings together a number of "near-future" technologies to support user research in two contexts:

• When a researcher is working by him/herself and needs to play the role of both note-taker and videographer

• When a team of observers is working together and needs a way to synchronize their observations around multiple events

The Workstation consists of the tablet and several wireless data gathering components (see illustrations in the slideshow below).  The components include:

• Wireless, remotely controlled tracking video cameras for audio and video recording
• Handheld wireless taggers that allow each observer to tag key events of their choosing for later review - tagging is synched to a common timeline on the tablet
• Subvocalization sensor allows the researcher to silently dictate notes that are automatically transcribed to text and stored on the tablet

The tablet manages and receives data from these wireless components and provides features including:

• Video notation (i.e. telestrator) for annotation of events as they happen
• Speech-to-text translation of recorded audio (and subvocalizations)
• Access to stored and online project and research reference materials
• Built-in storage and recharging for wireless components
• Synchronization of all input sources (video, tagging, notes) for streamlined analysis

In a research scenario the lead researcher (or an associate) can manage the data from multiple observers and utilize tagging and annotation features to prioritize key observations, speeding up the analysis process.  Similarly, a single researcher, working alone, can do the work of a team by coordinating input from multiple sources.

And while FieldCREW has the capabilities to support complex field research situations, it can also be used by a single researcher conducted a one-on-one interview, much like a clipboard is used.

We'd appreciate your questions, comments and suggestions as we continue to develop this new platform for facilitating user research.

Design Research Conference Recap

[added Sept. 28th - for an "outsider" view of the the recent Design Research and IDSA conferences, read the Conference Crasher blog]

Rather than giving a play-by-play of DRC2008, I refer you to John Kolko's well-written review, which includes his detailed notes from all of the presentations.  While I didn't agree 100% with all of John's opinions (e.g. I'm not "equally as witty" as Don Norman), we both found the conference to be excellent.  John's analysis includes a comparison to the recent IDSA national conference, but I feel that's like comparing apples to oranges.  That is, a small, focused conference like DRC is always going to have an advantage over a large , multi-focused event like a national conference, and given the choice, I'd go for the smaller conference (a choice I made this year).

Some of the highlights of the DRC for me were:

• The workshop that John Kolko and Ashley Menger gave on "Design Synthesis".  Though it had to be rushed through, they provided valuable guidance and materials for diagramming and visualizing concepts and research findings - certainly an area that needs this kind of guidance.
• Liz Sander's presentation that provided a framework for the various types of research-led an design-led methods.  This actually built off of an article she wrote for Design Research Quarterly a couple of years ago.
• Luis Arnal's anecdotes on conducting research in Latin America - including do's and dont's for visiting Favelas(slums), an interesting cultural perspective.
• Don Norman talking about social design, which includes social aspects of systems (like waiting in line at a bank), as well as the "social" relationships between products (e.g. products that are designed well independently, but fail technically and/or aesthetically when put together).

The conference schedule, pacing, location and materials were all thoughtfully chosen and effective.  Highly recommended for next year.  And for those who didn't make it this year, I'll let you know when the conference presentation videos are put online.  In the meantime, you can check out the growing number of photos tagged to the conference on Flickr (displayed above).

Product Design Focus at Human Factors Conference

Just a reminder, the annual meeting of the Human Factors & Ergonomics Society (otherwise known as the HFES conference) will happen in New York City this week.  See the PDTG Summer 08 Newsletter  for a summary of the relevant presentations and activities a the conference, including the User-Centered Product Design Award on Tuesday afternoon, and the combined IDSA-NYC/HFES get-together on Tuesday evening.

MVIP Cards for Sustainable Mobility

 

Creating specialized card decks seems to be a trendy way to support design brainstorming.  Earlier this year I discussed nForm's user experience trading cards, which like IDEO's Method Cards, provide inspiration or guidance for the user-centered design process.

This year, the Art Center College of Design won two IDEA awards for the Mobility Vision Integration Process.  This is a set of cards specifically designed to "support rapid future scenario development on the topic of sustainable mobility so that groups and individuals can quickly enter a dialog and brainstorm about possible outcomes, solutions and strategies".  I'm not entirely sure about the definition of "sustainable mobility", but it seems to be centered around developing mobile technology solutions (e.g. cell phones) in diverse contexts.

The site provides detailed instructions, but the basic concept seems to be to randomly select cards from a range of categories (e.g. customer, ecology, technology) that serve as requirements and constraints for driving brainstorming and concept generation exercises.

A printed deck of cards may be purchased, or even better (in terms of sustainability), a free online Flash version is available.

The Design (Researchers) Accord

I just wrote a posting for the new Bresslergreen blog on how design researchers can modify their practices and methods to support the environment, based on the guidelines provided by The Designers Accord.

IDSA/HFES Networking Event in NYC

For those attending the upcoming Human Factors & Ergonomics Society meeting in New York in a couple of weeks, or anyone in the NYC area who might be interested:

The IDSANYC – HFES Product Design Technical Group networking event has been set for the Garden of Ono restaurant/bar at the Gansevoort Hotel - http://www.hotelgansevoort.com/restaurants-bars-lounges/index.cfm. 

The hotel is located at 18 9^th avenue, at the corner of 13^th street.  It is easily accessible by subway—take the A/C/E to 14^th street, and walk one block west, and one block south.  The entrance is complete with a red carpet and is easy to find, as it’s the only opening in the wall.

Design Science has provided a generous sponsorship which will provide for hors d'oeuvres for the group.  Any contribution from PDTG would also be appreciated.  We will not have an assigned place to congregate, but we will put up a sign to mark our area.

Event details at a glance:

• Date: Tuesday September 23, 7:30 PM – after the PDTG business meeting at the conference

• Location: Garden of Ono, at the Gansevoort hotel: 18 9^th avenue, corner of 13^th street and 9^th avenue.  Just follow the red carpet in!  http://www.hotelgansevoort.com/maps-directions/index.cfm

• Food and drinks are a la carte, aside from hors d’oeuvres.

For more info, contact David Miller - [email protected]

 

Morae 3 Launches

Techsmith has launched the new version of Morae  usability testing software. 

This version goes beyond the screen-based limitations of the preceding versions, by allowing research facilitator's to connect a digital video camera (versus just a web cam) and use two cameras simultaneously.  This allows, for example, for video capture of the a research participant's face with one camera at the same time the user's hands-on interactions with a product or concept are recorded with the second camera. 

Like previous versions, Morae 3 provides basic video editing and production features.  A very convenient tool if you don't need high-resolution output.

I wrote a preview article  after seeing a beta version demonstrated a few months ago, which covers some of the basic features, pros and cons..

Simplicity Continued...

The concept of "simplicity" in design continues to interest the design and business communities.  Don Norman furthers his discussion of the topic in the latest issue of Interactions, Simplicity is Not the Answer, and you can read a version of that article on Norman's web site.  I also published an article in Appliance Design magazine, Clarity & Complexity.

What both articles have in common is addressing a misconception (either real or perceived) that users want simplicity - when in fact what they want is ease-of-use of complexity, or clarity (i.e. high functionality paired with high usability). 

Norman and I address this challenge from slightly different perspectives - while I focus on human factors aspects of "complexity management", Norman suggests design principles to address complexity:

"Good design can rescue us. How do we manage complexity? We use a number of simple design rules. For example, consider how three simple principles can transform an unruly cluster of confusing features into a structured, understandable experience: modularization, mapping, conceptual models."

September Issue of Interactions

 As usual, the September/October issue of Interactions contains many interesting articles and commentary, but there are two items of particular note to product design researchers (subscription required to access full articles):

• Gretchen Anderson of LUNAR discusses the the convergence of interaction design and industrial design in Let's Get Physical.  She includes a set of constraints to consider when pairing a UI with hardware such as size & placement, differentiation and iconic appearance, "controls will be like facial features that make the product instantly recognizable."
  
  
• I (Rob Tannen) have an article that covers some of the latest technologies that can be applied to field research in The Researcher-Tool Mismatch: Improving the fit between user researchers and technology.  The article takes a look at several tools, including video (high definition, high speed video) and audio technologies like the LiveScribe Pulse Pen, "For ethnographic observations, both conversations and environmental sounds can be unobtrusively recorded (in stereo) while taking notes. While the device does not provide the highest-resolution audio quality, it increases the working bandwidthand accuracy of the design researcher."