First Assignment

Before we meet you should conduct a user-centered exercise which brings you in touch with your user group. You can choose between a "shadowing" or a video interviews. Make sure to vary the demographics of your group based on user's different background and different habits they have related to your project/topic. Please follow the steps/guidelines for the "shadowing":

• You follow the person while he or she is performing the activity you are researching.
• If you have a specific user group, you can use a DAYLO method (day-in-life-of...) in which you spend the whole day following your user's activities
• You have to video-record the user's actions/behaviours. Record all the relevant steps before and after the activity takes place (for example the decision making process about engaging in that activity)
• You should not ask any questions during the shadowing, ie you should be a "shadow"
• At the end, you look at the video and ask your user to explain behaviors that were unclear to you or you would like to know more about.

Please follow the steps/guidelines for the video interview:

• Interview the person in the context where the product/interaction experience takes place
• Best is if you could make the interview while the user is performing the activity you are designing for, or shortly before or after. Ask the user to say what he or she is thinking while using an existing object or service that you are designing for.
• If your user is not saying much, provoke him or her by asking questions. For example you may ask question about the motivation, the quality, the content, the ease of use…

Deliverable 1: Field Video(s)

• Edit the the video to present the most interesting parts of the video interviews / shadowing exercise  (2-3 minutes). You will present the video and tell us about the insights you have gathered.

Deadline : 30.09.2010