Zebra: exploring users' engagement in fieldwork

Participatory Design is a design approach that provides a popular set of techniques for designing interactive systems in collaboration with end-users. Technology probes are one of such techniques, developed recently to encourage users' engagement with design ideas while capturing interaction. In this paper, we describe a technology probe called Zebra, which aimed at exploring the design of an observation tool for fieldwork with busy professionals. We deployed Zebra in the coffee room of our lab and observed researchers' reactions to the proposed concepts it embodied, both as researchers and as participants. We found that participants engaged with the probe in ways ranging from playful performances, through to abandoning the social space. Based on analysis of the collected qualitative and quantitative data, we present our reflections on the Zebra probe, how it eased the burden of engagement in the design process, and helped us better understand the potential of the observatio...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2008
• Where: ACMDIS
• Authors: Yann Riche, Matthew Simpson, Stephen Viller
• Keywords: ACMDIS 2008, Human Computer Interaction, Observation Tool, Participatory Design, Technology Probes