Agile ethnography in New York’s secret public spaces

by Chris Holmes at UX Australia 2013. In this presentation, I will be talking about a unique user research project which sought to explore the user experience of public spaces in New York City. I will describe the challenges we faced in adapting research methodologies traditionally used in the digital space to the physical world, dealing with hostile stakeholders, the mistakes we made along the way, and ultimately the success we achieved. I will also describe the methodology we developed (loosely described as ‘agile ethnography’) and provide practical examples of how it can be used in other user research projects.

Transcript

1. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX
2. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX •Qualitative UX researcher •Brooklyn, NY •Archetypal middle child •Lead guitar, 80’s hair metal •Los Angeles, CA •Alcoholic douchebag   Who is Chris Holmes?
3. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX What are POPS?
4. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX What are POPS?
5. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX What are POPS?
6. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX What are POPS?
7. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX What are POPS?
8. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX What are POPS?
9. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX What are POPS?
10. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX What are POPS?
11. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX
12. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX Challenges… • Scope – 500+ spaces across all five boroughs of NYC. • Methodology – No time and no budget. • Recruitment – Finding a representative sample of users across a city of 7 million people. – Identifying users who could potentially be using these spaces but weren’t. • Precedent – Could digital solutions solve real-world problems? – Would traditional qualitative research methodologies translate from the digital to the physical space? • UX of meat space – What is the user experience of a physical space? – How do you qualify it / measure it / determine if it’s been improved?
13. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX “We don’t know how to find out about things we don’t know about.” – Dana Chisnell, Convey UX 2013
14. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX The Methodology…
15. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX Ethnography…
16. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX Agile…
17. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX “How do we reconcile a labour intensive and detail oriented science like ethnography, which focuses on holistic contextual understanding of people in a situation, with something like Agile, which has a structured approach to quick and dirty development with shiny results?” – Alicia Dudek, ‘Agile Ethnography: A proposition’ http://aliciadudek.wordpress.com/2012/07/23/agile-ethnography-a-proposition/ Agile Ethnography…
18. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX Agile Ethnography… Just f#cking do it!
19. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX Where to start? • Assemble research team • Interview stakeholders • Explore the spaces • Identify the users • Establish the current user experience • Unearth the current problems
20. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX Everyone’s a Researcher…
21. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX Everyone’s a Researcher… • Cover more ground • Collect more artifacts and user stories • Shared knowledge • No need for deliverables • Interns gained valuable field experience
22. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX The Spaces… The Spaces…
23. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX Top of the POPS… Top of the POPS…
24. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX Top of the POPS… Top of the POPS…
25. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX Top of the POPS… Top of the POPS…
26. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX Top of the POPS… Top of the POPS…
27. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX Top of the POPS… Top of the POPS…
28. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX Slop of the POPS… Slop of the POPS…
29. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX Unexpected Challenges…
30. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX Stakeholder Hostility…
31. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX Unexpected Challenges… • Stakeholder hostility • Lack of awareness of rules of use by building owners and security • How to analyze findings • No time for deliverables • Discovering new audiences and avenues of enquiry at every turn • Size of the problem went way beyond digital
32. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX The Findings…
33. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX Advocates & Users • Social Media • Empty Space for use • About this Space • Map & Location Finder • Schedule of Events • Rate a Space • Report a Problem • Suggestions Owners & Advocates • POPS case studies • Nearby vendor & local business guide for potential partnerships • Press kit • Affiliated programs • Marketplace to rent/lend empty POPS space City Government & Owners • Resource library with robust search & filters • Tips & ideas for updating a space • Directory of local developers, architects, landscapers & designers • Rules & regulations for various types of POPS • Furniture ideas & options • Guidelines for maintaining POPS • Adopt a Space program • ROI calculator application Owners & Users • Social media interaction • Reporting hotline • Suggestions and comments • Schedule of events • Photo gallery • Direct user feedback • Comparative rankings Solution: Improve Relationships
34. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX Solution: Context of Use… Solution: Context of Use…
35. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX
36. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX Solution: Centralized Resources…
37. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX Solution: Centralized Resources…
38. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX The Outcome…
39. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX Link to POPS video: http://db.tt/lpQTFgPk
40. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX The Outcome…
41. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX
42. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX Tips for Young Players… Tips for Young Players…
43. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX Tip 1: Everyone’s a researcher
44. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX Tip 2: Adjust your expectations
45. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX Tip 3: Who the f#ck are you?
46. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX Tip 4: The Frog March
47. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX Tip 5: Soylent Green is people
48. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX Useful Techniques… • CGBs (Creepy Guy in the Bushes) • The Noob Tube (or The Rookie Monster) • Local Yokel (or Look Ma, I’m On TV) • Boat Show Bikini Theory • In the Pipe, 5x5 ($5 for 5 Minutes)
49. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX Resources… ‘Privately Owned Public Space : The New York City Experience’, by Jerold S. Kayden http://goo.gl/RelCSC Privately Owned Public Space in New York http://apops.mas.org/ Municipal Arts Society http://mas.org/
50. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX Thank you… Acknowledgements: Amaani Hamid Chris Michaud Huge Studio (Mea, Matt & Christian) Alexis Taylor, MAS Jerold Kayden, APOPS E: cholmes@answerlab.com T: @Chris_Holmes_UX