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Agile ethnography in New York’s secret public spaces

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.

uxaustralia

August 29, 2013
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  1. #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?
  2. #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?
  3. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX “We don’t know how to find out

    about things we don’t know about.” – Dana Chisnell, Convey UX 2013
  4. #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…
  5. #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
  6. #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
  7. #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
  8. #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
  9. #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)
  10. #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/
  11. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX Thank you… Acknowledgements: Amaani Hamid Chris Michaud

    Huge Studio (Mea, Matt & Christian) Alexis Taylor, MAS Jerold Kayden, APOPS E: [email protected] T: @Chris_Holmes_UX