Você está na página 1de 73

audience

research methods
kelly ludwig, assistant professor
kcai graphic design department

design process
1. Examine (setting goals)
2. Understand (researching)
1. gather information
2. interpret information
3. Ideate (prototyping)
4. Experiment (testing)
5. Distill (implementing)

02 Understand

Conduct audience research

Understand your research

Go deeper and find patterns

Establish open questions to build on

This is the analytical phase

We tend to project our


own rationalizations
& beliefs onto the actions &
beliefs of others.
Don Norman, cognitive psychologist and author of The Design of Everyday Things

Combat the desire to design for ourselves (or the client) rather than designing for the target audience

design research > purpose

How do designers operate in a world of perpetual


change?

What is the relationship between future speculation and


todays very real, very immediate challenges?

And how might such conditions generate new practices


in design?

design research

The process is both iterative and cyclical

Solutions are proposed based on observable phenomena


related to the problem

then a design solution is agreed upon,

followed by a prototype

then tested against the target audience

design research cycles


environment

design/research

people
organizational systems

build design
artifacts & processes

technical systems
relevance cycle
building
research

problems &
opportunities

design cycle
between building
design artifacts &
building and
evaluating
research
evaluate

knowledge base
scientific theories
& methods
experience & expertise

rigor cycle
evaluating
research

design products &


design processes

After you have set your goals, the first step is found in the understanding/research phase.
you then move into the ideate/prototyping phase, and you will be taking those prototypes back into the environment for more
experimenting/testing.
Once you bounce back and forth between research, prototyping and testing, you will distill and implement

3 stages of design research

pre-design: evaluating the existing design or lack


thereof.

during-design: testing in-progress design with viewers.

post-design: validates the eectiveness of a final design.

design research
Investigative techniques are used to add context and
insight to the process

User research: done before or during the design phase

Attempts to answer questions such as: who will use


this design and how does this concept work in the
context of our audiences needs?

User testing: after the initial design phase

How eective is this design?

quantitative
Quantitative design research:
building statistically significant data
from a large pool (usually 100 or
more people)

good for establishing large-scale


trends for simple issues (ex: 54% of
people prefer chocolate)

surveys (non-experimental design)

qualitative
Qualitative design research:
learning about the audience by
listening, watching or experiencing
their lives firsthand.

allows designers to connect with


individuals and addresses needs
in a more direct way

narratives

ethnographies

case studies

primary
Primary design research:
collecting data that does not yet
exist; creating new knowledge

the researcher is making direct


contact with subjects, or
directly interacting with the
subject matter

secondary
Secondary design research:
collecting and synthesizing
other peoples research

this includes any reading or


watching you may do ...
internet or library

malleability
Design research is full of unanswered questions

How many people should we interview before we can


conclude their collective needs?

What kind of research should we conduct?

Should it be qualitative or quantitative?

No one approach is right or wrong

design research > analysis


The design team is responsible for the analysis
of research

Analysis turns collected data during research into


actionable information

Personas

Mental models

Storyboards, etc.

research / design process


1. Gather information
2. Interpret information
3. Design connecting
Enter the ideation/rapid prototyping phase

gather information

how is audience research


done?
Identify potential users (ideally done during user research)

Recruit potential users

Create test guidelines

Schedule test sessions with potential users

Administer the test

Analyze the results

some info gathering tools


camera
note-taking
video camera
voice recorder

research methods
Several research methods can provide data upon which we
can build user archetypes, including:

surveys

ethnographic research

interviews

surveys

A combination of quantitative and qualitative data,


depending on how we structure the questions.

Their purpose is usually to generate a relatively large


data set in an ecient manner.

Survey responses can also be eectively meaningless


for example, when a respondent doesn't understand
a question

ethnography = observation
A research approach that produces a detailed, in-depth
observation of

peoples behavior

beliefs

customs and preferences by observing and interacting


with them in a natural environment
We get to see what people actually do, rather than what
they say they do

ethnography = observation
The primary method of gathering qualitative information
on an audience, and is primary research

researchers look at the actions and behaviors of


participants

they interpret what they see rather then asking


participants

Ethnographic studies provide an excellent source of real


insights into the audience for a product or service were
designing.

ethnography is
human-centered
Human-centered design research is a way of
looking at a population with the intention of
making a positive impact and addressing the
needs expressed by that population.

(from blux.la website)

what does ethnography look


like?

Watching, listening,
talking

Photos, notes,
interviews,
questionnaires

case study art center


tween research

case study art center


tween research

art centers graduate-level tweens


research

In 2004, the media design program at Art Center College of Design was sponsored by HP to conduct research of tweens (11-14)
in relation to technology, personal agency and engagement. The course focuses on the importance of conducting research as
designers.
The focus was on the ability for media designers to bring unique insight into the different aspects of the world through design.
Designers see the world differently and can communicate their ideas through visual representation. This enables us to capture
and convey the emotional aspects of research, which are often difficult to glean when reading a more traditional type of research
report.

qualitative & narrative


Students were asked to photograph
their rooms, inside their bags,
friends, family and anything else
important to them so researchers
could learn more about them from
their point of view

case study art center


tween research
Designers then compiled research photos into a larger
portrait of the subjects

interviews
The interview format allows some flexibility for researchers
to explore ideas and motivations that are not accessible to
an observer

asking potential or current audience members a series of


open or closed questions sits partway between surveys
and ethnographic studies

interviews are a good method for gaining insights into


users opinions, thoughts, and ideas

non-directed interviews
Simply set up some rough guidelines and talk with your
audience

ask open-ended questions, avoid yes or no answers

frame questions that focus on experiences

be non-judgmental

survey
A word exercise with tweens.

circle words that describe


the future (blue)

circle words that describe


your future (red)

circle words that describe


your ability to influence
your future (green)

mark the most meaningful


word in each color (black)

survey
A word exercise with tweens.

circle words that describe


the future (blue)

circle words that describe


your future (red)

circle words that describe


your ability to influence
your future (green)

contextual inquiry
Observing what people do as
they go about their day (not what
they say they do)

boys sample bedroom

questionnaires
Invite people to say

Who they are

What they do

Where they go, etc

thoughts on interviewing

Prepare beforehand

Its not a dialogue, its about the interviewee

Ask open-ended questions (no yes/no questions)

Start with easy questions (background info, etc.)

Allow time to respond. silence is okay

Be ready to ask follow-up questions

Ask if there is anything else theyd like to add

interpret information

some interpretation tools


1. Audience persona(s)
2. Scenarios/storyboards
3. Reality maps/journey maps
4. Mental models
5. Influence maps
6. Infographics

personas
Personas are fictional characters that represent patterns
and clusters of traits based on real people

they are characters that embody the ideas of who the


audience is, including values, concerns, desires,
priorities, preferences

personas
Personas help designers:

determine what a product should do and how it should


behave.

communicate with stakeholders, developers, and other


designers.

build consensus and commitment to the design.

measure the designs eectiveness.

contribute to other product-related eorts such as


marketing and sales plans.

personas
it is important to recognize that any audience is diverse
and all people are unique individuals.

persona with technology layer

personas

psychological layer

psychological layer
aspirational layer
social layer

aspirational layer

social layer

personas
more in-depth research projects will build multiple
personas to reflect more finely-tuned audience categories

social layer

social layer

personas

psychological layer

psychological layer, technology layer, aspirational layer

technology layer

aspirational layer

scenarios/storyboards
Scenarios are
detailed illustrations
of moments and
activities that
engages the audience.

Multiple moments can be combined together to form a meaningful narrative of what the audience member might experience in
daily life.

reality maps/journey maps


Visualizations of the steps or stages of a significant
experience for a person with additional details for
each step.

examples of experiences might be going to


college, traveling for business, or having a
child.

Reality/journey maps may include more discrete


activities, locations, channels and emotions for
each of the stages.

reality maps/journey maps


Realities are a distillation of research findings that map the
key issues that define the audiences lives.
They provide a conceptual framework thinking about the
audience members .

reality maps/journey maps

mental models
Mental models are visualizations of task analysis.

they allow teams to align existing features, functions and


content with user activity.

because of the depth and detail of analysis, carefully


consider the commitment required to successfully create
a full mental model.

it can be very powerful, but often comes at a high cost in


eort and expertise.

mental models
Simply put they are the models people
have of themselves, others, their
environment and the things that they
interact with.

Indi Youngs Mental Models, published by Rosenfeld Media

influence maps
Influence maps help to visualize
who and what is impacting and
shaping an audience member
and in what ways
In most institutional change,
theres usuallya handful of
relationships that play
adisproportionatelylarge role in
bringing those changes about.

These particular influences are from more art center design research; this time into 6-year-old boys.
Thats part of the reason its hard to truly separate institutional change from personal change. Finding the key influencers will aid
your project immensely. It can be a community leader in position or just on the block.

influence maps

influence maps

influence maps

influence maps

infographics
Infographics are detailed visual pictures that describe your
findings.

they may be idea- or data-driven.

idea-drive infographics use pictures to describe ideas


like concepts, stories, processes and relationships.

data-driven infographics visualize quantitative


information.

ideas and data can be combined in the same infographic.

infographics

20% is remembered after reading text


90% of information transmitted to the brain is visual
200% more images are liked on Facebook over text
87% read text on an infographic

Data-rich visualization of a story


or thesis

Tool to educate and inform

Build brand/cause awareness

First presentation:
design concepting

Include
1. Research summary & statement
2. Problem statement or question
3. Audience definition and characteristics
4. What social behavior you want to change
5. How will you measure the results of that change?

relevant imagery
Include as much relevant imagery as possible and relevant.
You are visual people, so make your presentation reflect
that. Each group, will have 5 minutes to present, and will
have up to ten minutes for feedback (15 minutes total).

(Here is a good example of a project proposalhttp://jjohnsrud.blogspot.com/


2011/10/ivanhoe-project-proposal.html)

1. research summary
Fairly obvious - summarize the research that lead to your
problem statement

2. problem statement
or question
This is a concise statement of the issue you have
researched and determined to be a problem.
It may be phrased as a statement of fact -- too many teens
are being bullied in the classroom, or it may be phrased as
a question to explore through your creative process -- how
can creative problem solving help eliminate bullying in the
classroom?
Either approach is acceptable.

3. audience definition
& characteristics

Include basic demographic info such as age range,


ethnicity, etc, as is relevant to your issue.

More importantly, include qualitative information that


explains the whys and hows behind your issue.

Ideally this is gleaned from your initial interviews and


audience observations.

3. audience definition
& characteristics
Explain their relationship to the problem, mentioning
where they fall on thereceptivity gradient as well as
specific input you have received from your audience
contacts.
A few examples:
the audience is apathetic (not ready to know) to the
issue and distracted by xyz;
the audience is interested (ready to know) in the issue
but does not have the time to get involved.

4. what social behavior


do you want to change?
Be as specific as possible here, framing it in terms of
behavior and not in graphic design artifacts.
Example: I want to eliminate bullying in the classroom
by making potential bullies realize the emotional
damage they inflict on others.

idea receptivity gradient


not ready
to know

ready to know

knows facts

accepts ideas

acts on
the opinion

by David Rose

becomes an
advocate for
the cause

Moving audiences forward relies on utilizing appropriate rhetorical strategies that


properly position the artifact or issue in the mind of the viewer.
Both the message content/structure and the rhetorical positioning of the message
how one says what they say may change based on audience receptivity.
It is likely that multiple intersections of audience and message need to occur before
there will be any change in behavior.

5. how will you measure


the results?
List any ideas you have for how to evaluate the
eectiveness of your creative work. How will we be able to
tell your project did what you intended? Again, be as
specific as possible.
Example: at Westport High School 9th grade classes, the
number of bullying incidents will decrease, as opposed to
the increases from previous years.

deliverables
Presentation

5 minutes with 10 minutes for discussion

Keynote presentation (with presenter notes) posted to


your blog

Any printed materials used in your presentation turned


into me after the presentation.

sources

Tweens: technology, personal agency, engagement by media design


program, Art Center College of Design. Faculty Dr. Brenda Laurel,
Lisa Nugent, Anne Burdick http://www.designmattersatartcenter.org/
projects/

Complete Beginners Guide to Design Research http://


www.uxbooth.com/articles/complete-beginners-guide-to-designresearch/

Communicating Design http://howtomakelightning.com/


communicating-design

A Three Cycle View of Design Research http://


community.mis.temple.edu/seminars/files/2009/10/hevner-sjis.pdf

Mental Models by Indi Young http://rosenfeldmedia.com/books/


mental-models/

Você também pode gostar