Tutorials

Most practitioners are familiar with the need to engage in field methods to better understand the domain they are designing for and to capture user requirements. However, methods for observation, recording and analyzing that data remain ad hoc leaving practitioners ill equipped to meaningfully utilize data captured. This tutorial presents structured data observation and collection methods built upon applied ethnographic methods. Students will gain experience utilizing interview templates, observation meta models, framework analysis and taxonomic analysis. Varied applications of this applied knowledge to interface design, marketing campaign and strategy will be discussed.

PARTICIPANT KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE EXPECTED

No experience in field methods or design is required for this tutorial. This tutorial will give hands-on experience in field methods for data collection and analysis. Participants will be shown ways to utilize the information in their day-to-day work but will not actually be taught interface or advertising design.

GOALS FOR THE SESSION:

Participants in this tutorial will:

• Learn new ethnographically based interviewing techniques that maximize domain understanding and minimize researcher bias
• Understand the science of taxonomy design and its application in catalog, navigation, interface and flyer design

HOW THIS TUTORIAL WILL BE CONDUCTED

The instructor will introduce each method, explaining both the theoretical underpinnings and the practical steps needed to achieve the desired objective. Participants will spend at least 70% of the tutorial time trialing and utilizing the methods and discussing the results of the exercises.

TUTORIAL SCHEDULE WITH TIME ALLOCATION

SPEAKER BIO

Joseph Kramer
Senior Application Development Analyst
IBM T.J. Watson Research

Joseph Kramer is a Senior Application Development Analyst at IBM T.J. Watson Research Center. Joseph has been researching consumer behavior utilizing qualitative and quantitative methods, including ethnography, psychometrics, and structural equation modeling. Prior to working for the IBM, Joseph was a developer and UCD practitioner at the New York Stock Exchange and Bellcore, where he was involved in methodology development, performing task analysis, GUI design, and usability testing on numerous software products for the securities and telecommunications industry. He has executed and facilitated design activities in workshop format on many real projects in industry, and has facilitated tutorials in workshop formats at CHI 96, UPA 95, UPA 96, APCHI96 and HFES 96. Joseph participated in a workshop at CHI 96 on methods for bridging the gap in design (Wood & Zeno, 1996) and co-authored a book chapter describing the results (Dayton, McFarland, & Kramer, 1998).