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
   

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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?
   

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3. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX
   What are POPS?
   

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4. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX
   What are POPS?
   

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5. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX
   What are POPS?
   

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6. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX
   What are POPS?
   

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7. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX
   What are POPS?
   

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8. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX
   What are POPS?
   

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9. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX
   What are POPS?
   

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10. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX
    What are POPS?
    

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11. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX
    

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    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?
    

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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
    

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    The Methodology…
    

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15. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX
    Ethnography…
    

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    Agile…
    

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    “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…
    

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18. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX
    Agile Ethnography…
    Just f#cking do it!
    

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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
    

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20. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX
    Everyone’s a Researcher…
    

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    Everyone’s a Researcher…
    • Cover more ground
    • Collect more artifacts and user stories
    • Shared knowledge
    • No need for deliverables
    • Interns gained valuable field experience
    

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22. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX
    The Spaces…
    The Spaces…
    

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    Top of the POPS…
    Top of the POPS…
    

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24. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX
    Top of the POPS…
    Top of the POPS…
    

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25. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX
    Top of the POPS…
    Top of the POPS…
    

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    Top of the POPS…
    Top of the POPS…
    

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    Top of the POPS…
    Top of the POPS…
    

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28. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX
    Slop of the POPS…
    Slop of the POPS…
    

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29. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX
    Unexpected Challenges…
    

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    Stakeholder Hostility…
    

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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
    

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32. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX
    The Findings…
    

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    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
    

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34. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX
    Solution: Context of Use…
    Solution: Context of Use…
    

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    Solution: Centralized Resources…
    

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    Solution: Centralized Resources…
    

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    The Outcome…
    

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    Link to POPS video:
    http://db.tt/lpQTFgPk
    

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    The Outcome…
    

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    Tips for Young Players…
    Tips for Young Players…
    

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43. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX
    Tip 1:
    Everyone’s a researcher
    

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44. #lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX
    Tip 2:
    Adjust your expectations
    

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    Tip 3:
    Who the f#ck are you?
    

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    Tip 4:
    The Frog March
    

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    Tip 5:
    Soylent Green is people
    

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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)
    

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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/
    

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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
    

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