Facilitating Data-Based Decision-Making in Business This project was intended to find new ways to help knowledge workers gain

more value from business information. The project incorporated multiple methods, including focus groups and contextual design research, including extended research sessions with 50+ knowledge workers representing a range of roles and industries. As in many other projects we have done, the research led to modifying an existing definition of the target audience while at the same time identifying needs and opportunities for that audience. Outputs included: An industry-independent typology of business tasks A typology of fundamental obstacles that limit the value users get from business data, applicable across the categories of business tasks A revised model of the potential audience for new tools A large, structured collection of realistic scenarios to use as test cases for design ideas We used our findings as the basis for an intensive design ideation workshop with our clients team, focused on creating experiences to actively and incrementally engage users in exploring and discovering value in new analytical capabilities. We developed storyboards and new UI solutions based on a subset of scenarios from our research-derived collection, and then did walkthroughs to evaluate the design concepts against other scenarios in the collection. The design we developed will be the basis for a proof-of-concept process. Helping Families Manage Their Lives We have done many field studies on family/household management and coordination practices to support development of new online services. These studies led to a range of outputs, including personas to help the teams better understand the universe of users, recommendations for enhancements to existing tools, enhanced understanding of opportunities, and requirements for new products and services. Topics we have addressed include communication and family coordination, scheduling and calendaring, provision of personalized and context-sensitive information, micro-payments for online services, family financial management, and others.