Assignment Three: Design Probe

The Task:

Figuring out how to improve the learning experience in lecture theatres using any user study method taught.

The Approach

Semantics Semantics

One of the earliest problems we encountered with this assignment was semantic in nature. What exactly does “improving learning experience” mean? It could be a variety of things – improving the environment in which to learn, improving the amount of things learn, or enhancing the pleasure of learning.

After some pondering we realised that all of these aspects are inter-related. By focusing on improving the physical environment in which to learn, it is most likely that the other aspects will be affected positively as well. There is no end-all solution that will enhance all aspects of “improving learning experience”, and there is no reason to wrack our brains over finding the ideal solution that solves everything.

In the end we decided that our solutions be varied enough to tackle all of these aspects.

The Average Undergraduate

All types of research with users/consumers in mind nowadays place much emphasis on target audience research. User Experience Design is no exception. In fact I would have expected it to place stronger emphasis on user research, since it is all about the user.

In the case of this assignment, we were rather fortunate. The target user is extremely familiar to us, because we are the target user. Being the target user however does not mean that the job will be a piece of cake. We might be blinded by the fact that how we feel, represents the target user. This is likely to be false. We also have to start thinking of ourselves from the designer’s point of view instead of from the user.

The best way to do this, in my opinion, is to forget the fact that we are the target user. Research should be done as if we are bystanders or outsiders. This is one way to alleviate the bias that our personal insights might cause.

Research Method of Choice

Having identified the target user, we had to decide on the most suitable method of research. Of the methods taught in the lecture, two struck us as the most efficient – Ethnographic studies and Laddering technique.

Conducting an ethnographic study was easy because we had access to the empirical learning environment. We could easily act as an observer in these environments and take down notes or record happenings. Unfortunately, this meant that our attention was spent on students rather than lecturers.

The Laddering technique was more intrusive compared to our observation studies. The face-to-face interviews we conducted were somewhat awkward at first, due to the interrogative nature of the technique. It took awhile for the interviewers to get the hang of it, and once that was down, everything went smoothly. Rather than having to decode our surroundings, the Laddering technique allowed us to practically dig out what our users thought.

In this case, there is hardly room for misinterpretation.

Problems First, Solutions Next

Coming up with solutions was next. This was actually pretty difficult. It was not too hard to come up with a so-so solution, but the elusive great solution was nowhere in sight.

The brainstorming sessions gave birth to a few not too bad solutions and since time was running out, we settled on presenting those. In an ideal situation, we would have gotten back to our target user and asked them for their opinion on our solutions.

Assuming that we had a lot more time, the process of analyzing problems and coming up with solutions should be an iterative one.

E-learning Week Fun

Taking advantage of the fact that it is e-learning week, we decided to do a video presentation. This was actually a lot of fun. I got to learn about using the blue screen for video effects, plus other bonus lessons not covered in lecture.

Takeaway lessons

• Factors of User Experience are usually interlinked
• Researching familiar target users can sometimes be a disadvantage
• Different research methods give vastly different findings
• Perhaps the best is to use as many research methods as possible
• Design should always be an iterative process
• Knowing a research technique does not mean you will be good at it
• Some research techniques require practise, a lot of it