MS 2306 – NEW MEDIA RESEARCH CONCEPTS and METHODOLOGIES

2013/14

MS2306Lecture one

• MS 2306 – NEW MEDIA RESEARCH CONCEPTS & METHODOLOGIES

• MODULE LEADER: TONY SAMPSON

• Tuesday Lecture 3.00 – 4.30 in EB 1.03

• Seminar with Tony (MMDT, IMD, MCI) 5.00 – 6.30 in EB.2.45

• Seminar with Stacey (CGD and CGT) 5.00 – 6.30 in EB.3.11

• Full Module Guide: http://homepages.uel.ac.uk/T.D.Sampson/DocLand/MS2306/MS2306.htm

• Lecture Notes http://ms2306.blogspot.com/

• Finding the blog and guide via Google

Introduction to module

• Aims and objectives

– To enable you to approach new media concepts, methods and practice in a research context

– To identify a user experience to research

– To think through how user experience can be researched as part of the design process

– To prepare you for level 3 projects

Terminology

• Thesis– A set of ideas

(concepts) posed as a research question(s)

• Dissertation – Vehicle for ideas

• Methodologies– Testing the idea– Series of research tools

• Concepts – Framework of ideas

Researching User Experience

Specific aims• To develop awareness of

• Concepts – experience/affect/emotion/ cognition/pervasive/ubicomp /flow/gamification

• Methods – questionnaires/focus groups/user testing/biometric testing

• To help you expand knowledge of digital media field (interactive, multimedia, games etc)

• To critically assess research methods, concepts in relation to new media forms and experiences

• To produce credible new media research proposals

Assessment• CW1 Illustrated Essay setting out

a conceptual approach to user experience. Printed essay of 2000 words with a minimum of 3 good quality printed colour images used to support analysis

• 60%

• DEADLINE: SED April 29th

• Formative assessment: There will be a compulsory but informal pitch of chosen experience on Tuesday March 18th

• CW2 development of research proposal (Printed and bound 1,600 words) - including reference to the following: title, aims, context, method, theoretical framework

• 40%

• DEADLINE: SED May 13th

CW1 = Essay• Illustrated Essay: “Apply a conceptual approach to a defined new

media user experience.”

• As design students you will be expected to submit a hardcopy written essay that uses images to illustrate and support your analysis. These images can be original and/or sources images (fully referenced).

• 2,000 words with a minimum of 3 good quality printed colour images (60%)

• SED DEADLINE: April 29th

CW1: 4 StepsStep one: • Choose and define an experience. • This might be an analogue game,

entertainment pursuit or everyday task which you intend to make into a video game or interactive software.

• It must be described as an experience, not as a completed design or product.

• For example, the experience of waking up in the morning including your interaction with various hardware, like an alarm clock or toaster. The idea is to learn from the experience so that you can go on to design a software version of it. Illustrations might include a storyboard or images that represent the user experience.

CW1: 4 StepsStep two• Referring to the lecture notes,

select a conceptual approach (affect, emotional design, user experience design, funology, flow, ubiquitous computing, gamification for example).

• Clearly identify and describe how it can support the development of…

• (a) a theoretical understanding of the experience

• (b) an experience that relates to a practical outcome (something you can design and make)

• Include illustrations - examples of the experience or evidence of ethnographic research.

CW1: 4 Steps

Step three• Evaluate the strengths and

weaknesses of your chosen conceptual approach in terms of how it can be used as a research tool to better understand the chosen user experience.

• For example, how useful is the concept of affect or ubiquitous computing to the development of a better understanding of user experience

• Again, illustrations might include practical examples of ubi comp, for example.

CW1: 4 Steps• Step four: Reflect on how

your conceptual approach responds to the notion of a third paradigm of human computer interaction research*

• *See Harrison, Tatar and Sengers, (2007) “The Three Paradigms of HCI,” Proceedings of CHI, San Jose, CA,. Archived at: http://people.cs.vt.edu/~srh/Downloads/TheThreeParadigmsofHCI.pdf

• *See McCarthy and Wright (2004) Technology as Experience, MIT Press

• Read chapter one online: • http://mitpress.mit.edu/sites/default/

files/titles/content/9780262633550_sch_0001.pdf

CW1 = Illustrated Essay

• For more detail see full module guide and discuss with seminar tutor

• See MS2306 Blog• Full Module Guide:

http://homepages.uel.ac.uk/T.D.Sampson/DocLand/MS2306/MS2306.htm

CW2 = The Proposal (7 parts)• Assignment MS2306B1: Research Proposal – 1,600 words (40%)

• SED DEADLINE: May 13th

• “Researching a New Media User Experience: Theory and Practice.”

• It is very important that the proposal relates the research question to BOTH the proposed written thesis and practical project (discuss with seminar tutor)

• A full research proposal agreed with your seminar tutor(s). This will include the seven elements introduced in the module.

CW2 = The Proposal (7 parts)

1. Research question2. Clear aims and objectives 3. Specific research questions 4. A project summary 5. Research concepts6. Methodology 7. List of references

CW2 = The Proposal (7 parts)

1. One research question covering both conceptual approach and practical outcome. The question must have a clearly identifiable independent and dependent variables.

2. Clear aims and objectives - what you want to achieve and how you intend to achieve it!

3. Specific research questions - a list of no more than six subsidiary questions you think your project will also address

CW2 = The Proposal (7 parts)

4. A project summary - a short introduction to your research topic which provides both a description of the user experience you are researching and context for the research – say why it matters

5. Research concepts - developing on the work you carried out in coursework one, what concepts/ideas does your project draw on? Is there a certain game design theory or design theory you intend to apply, or are you drawing on ideas from other disciplines, like psychology (affect or emotion e.g.).

CW2 = The Proposal (7 parts)

6. Methodology - Set out a clear and logical set of research tools (focus groups, user testing, prototyping, ethnography e.g.) which tests the variables described in your research question.

7. List of references for published work you think you will use in the project - this list must evidence an extensive literature search in both the library and online. Books and articles must be credible academic texts and relate to the above sections.

MS2306 Week-by-Week

Four Blocks

1. User Experience2. Concepts3. Methods4. Assessment (focus on proposal)

1. USER EXPERIENCES

USER EXPERIENCESWeek One

4th Feb Introduction to MS2306 Assessments & New MediaFrom HCI to User Experience TS

Seminar: What is Experience?Brainstorming and discussion on potential project ideas

Cw1 and 2 require students to identify a user experience

Week Two

11th Feb The Three Paradigms of HCI – locating your research in a shift from ergonomics to user experienceTS

Seminar: What is Experience Two?Research Context.Locating concepts and methods in the fieldPrepare to pitch idea on 12th March

Cw1 and 2 require students to identify a user experience and consider how to make it part of a research project

2. CONCEPTS

CONCEPTSWeek Three

18th Feb New Media Concepts – Affect – Part One TS

Seminar: Testing Affect Part One

Cw1 and 2 require the identification of an appropriate conceptual approach to the user experience

Week Four

25th Feb New Media Concepts - Affect – Part Two TS

Seminar: Testing Affect Part Two

Cw1 and 2 require the identification of an appropriate conceptual approach to the user experience

Week Five

March 4th

New Media Concepts – Ubicomp – part oneSocial ContextTS

Seminar: Connecting concepts to project work – examples from current projects

Cw1 and 2 require the identification of an appropriate conceptual approach to the user experience

Week Six

March 11th

New Media Concepts – Ubicomp – part twoSoftware Space.TS

Seminar:The future of interactive design video followed by discussion. Looking at project examples from past and current cohort current Level 3

Cw1 and 2 require the identification of an appropriate conceptual approach to the user experience

Week Seven

March 18th

The Concept of FlowSP

Seminar: Students pitch their user experience idea

Informal/mandatory pitch of user experienceCw1 and 2 require the identification of an appropriate conceptual approach to the user experience

3. METHODSMETHODSWeek Eight

March 25th

New Media Methods Part One: How method relates to the research question (variables etc)Provide examples of toolsGK

Level 3 presentationsFocus on application of method

Cw2 requires students to formulate a doable research question

Week Nine

April 1stNew Media Methods Part TwoThe Right Tools for the Right Job- focus on quantitative and qualitative methodsGK

Level 3 presentationsFocus on application of method

Cw2 requires the logical design and application of a methodology to research the user experience

Two Week VacationWeek starting April

7thVacation

week starting April 14th

Vacation

3. METHODS Continued

Week Ten

April 22nd

New Media Methods Part Three: Focus on Data CollectionGK

Level 3 presentationsFocus on application of method

Cw2 requires the identification of an appropriate methodological tools to research the user experience

Week Eleven

April 29thNew Media Methods Part Four: Focus on Presentation and AnalysisSP

Level 3 presentationsFocus on application of methodConfirm Pre booked tutorials with seminar tutors (compulsory) May 7th

Coursework one DeadlineEssay

Cw2 requires the identification of an appropriate methodological tools to research the user experience

4. ASSESSMENT

FOCUS ON PROPOSALWeek Twelve

May 6thModule evaluation Pre booked tutorials with

seminar tutors (compulsory)

to discuss proposals Tony and Stacey

Pre booked tutorials with seminar tutors (compulsory)

to discuss proposals Tony and Stacey

Cw2 tutorials

Final Week

May 13thResearch Proposal

DeadlineStudents must attend New

Media Talk on Thursday 15th May (MMDT/IMD) and Show on Friday 16th May (all)

Coursework two Deadline

Research Proposal Deadline

User Experience Design

• What is an experience?

• “The apprehension of an object, thought, or emotion through the senses or mind: a child's first experience of snow.”

• “An event or a series of events participated in or lived through.”

Felt Experience• Experience as

something that is “felt”

• “… felt experience points to the emotional and sensual quality of experience.”

• McCarthy and Wright (2004) Technology as Experience, MIT Press http://mitpress.mit.edu/sites/default/files/titles/content/9780262633550_sch_0001.pdf

Technology as Experience?

Technology as Experience

• Why, for so long, have the designers of interactive computer systems failed to grasp the importance of experience?

Begins with Ergonomics

Definition: “The applied science

of equipment design, as for the workplace, intended to maximize productivity by reducing operator fatigue and discomfort.”

Ergonomics

General ergonomic principles which apply to the design of dialogues between humans and information systems (ISO 9241-110:2006)

See ISO website: http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/catalogue_tc/catalogue_detail.htm?csnumber=38009

1. Suitability for the task2. Suitability for learning3. Suitability for

individualisation4. Conformity with user

expectations5. Self descriptiveness6. Controllability7. Error tolerance

http://www.system-concepts.com/

Human Computer Interaction (HCI)

• Grew out of engineering, industrial design and computer science in 1970s

• HCI collaborates with psychology focusing on the cognitive processes of perception, attention, memory, learning and goals (action)

The history of “the user” in HCI

1970s-1980sUser as “a cog in a rational machine”

and “a source of error.”

1980s-1990sUser as “a social actor.”

1990s-to dateUser as “a consumer.”

(See Kuutti (2001) cited in McCarthy and Wright (2004) Technology as Experience, MIT Press http://mitpress.mit.edu/sites/default/files/titles/content/9780262633550_sch_0001.pdf

User as a Cog in a Rational Machine

“User as a Social Actor”

Lucy Suchman, 1987 (influence of sociology on

HCI)Ethnographic studies of humans

and technology

See slides on Norman’s seven stages: http://courses.cs.vt.edu/~cs3724/summer2-03somervell/lectures/cs3724-stagesofaction.pdf

Don Norman 1988

Why focus on the user?• “… usability is a necessary

condition for survival. If a website is difficult to use, people leave.”

• Clear Purpose• Easy to Navigate• Legibility

• “There are plenty of other websites available; leaving is the first line of defense when users encounter a difficulty.”

• (Nielsen, cited on the useit.com website http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20030825.html)

Usability (User Centred Design)

• Research User Requirements

• “Testable” user actions of usability that can be measured (See Bennett (1984) and Shackel (1990) in Stone et al).

(See chapter 6 of Stone et al (2005) User Interface Design and Evaluation (Morgan Kaufmann)

http://www.elsevierdirect.com/companion.jsp?ISBN=9780120884360

Four Heuristic ConceptsBennett (1984) and Shackel (1990)

Learnability The time and effort required to reach a specified level of use performance (also described as ease of learning).

Throughput The tasks accomplished by experienced users, the speed of task execution and the errors made (also described as ease of use).

Flexibility The extent to which the system can accommodate changes to the tasks and environments beyond those first specified.

Attitude The positive attitude engendered in users by the application.

Concepts updated by Nielson

Learnability How easy is it for users to accomplish basic tasks the first time they encounter the design?

Efficiency Once users have learned the design, how quickly can they perform tasks?

Memorability When users return to the design after a period of not using it, how easily can they re-establish proficiency?

Errors How many errors do users make, how severe are these errors, and how easily can they recover from the errors?

Satisfaction How pleasant is it to use the design?

Measurement Criteria (Tyldesley, 1988)

1. Time to complete task.2. Percentage of task completed.3. Percentage of task completed per unit time (speed metric).4. Ratio of successes to failures.5. Time spent on errors.6. Percentage or number of errors.7. Percentage or number of competitors that do this better than current product.8. Number of commands used.9. Frequency of help or documentation use.10. Time spent using help or documentation.11. Percentage of favourable to unfavourable user commands.

(See chapter 6 of Stone et al (2005) User Interface Design and Evaluation (Morgan Kaufmann) http://www.elsevierdirect.com/companions/9780120884360/casestudies/Chapter_06.pdf

Measurement Criteria (Tyldesley, 1988)

12. Number of repetitions of failed commands.13. Number of runs of successes and of failures.14. Number of times the interface misleads the user.15. Number of good and bad features recalled by users.16. Number of available commands not invoked.17. Number of regressive behaviors.18. Number of users preferring your system.19. Number of times users need to work around a problem.20. Number of times the user is disrupted from a work task.21. Number of times the user loses control of the system.22. Number of times the user expresses frustration or satisfaction.

(See chapter 6 of Stone et al (2005) User Interface Design and Evaluation (Morgan Kaufmann) http://www.elsevierdirect.com/companions/9780120884360/casestudies/Chapter_06.pdf

Morae

A New Paradigm?

McCarthy and Wright (2004) Technology as Experience, MIT PressRead chapter one online: http://mitpress.mit.edu/sites/default/files/titles/content/9780262633550_sch_0001.pdf

“User as a Consumer”focus on consumer experience

• Strong penetration of computers into the home

• Dotcom Boom• Games industry • Wireless• Mobile• Ubiquitous computing

IBM UX concept cited in McCarthy and Wright See also http://www-01.ibm.com/software/ucd/designconcepts/whatisUXD.html

The Experience of Living with Technology

• “A man who works in a library is having a normal working day: checking books in and out, helping people find the author they were looking for, organizing inter-library loans, and so on. Then he receives a mobile phone text message from a friend who is visiting New Zealand. It is a short message, no more than 160 characters, yet it feels like a very personal, intimate contact—a hug or an affectionate touch. He is moved to send a reply. It is even shorter than the message he had received, and it is in a personal, intimate style not typical of him. For a moment, the two friends, though a world apart, feel intensely present to each other.”

• (See chapter one of McCarthy and Wright (2004) Technology as Experience, MIT Press) http://mitpress.mit.edu/sites/default/files/titles/content/9780262633550_sch_0001.pdf

• A father comes home from work. As he rushes into the hall, he keys in the password to disable his house alarm. His daughter comes in behind him. He needs to get the dinner prepared, so he switches on the computer in the study for his daughter and sets up her favorite game for her. Once she is settled in, he goes to the kitchen, prepares the food, and places it in the oven. He listens to his phone messages while doing this. Eventually he sets the temperature and timer and leaves the food to cook. As he passes down the hallway to the sitting room, he pops his head into the study. His daughter asks him to play with her. “Back in two minutes love.” In the sitting room, he programs the VCR to record a drama that he and his wife want to watch later. Now he is heading for the study to play his daughter’s computer game with her.

Proposition

• We should try to interpret the relationship between people and technology in terms of the felt life and the felt or emotional quality of action and interaction.

Reading for Next Week

Harrison, S., D. Tatar, and P. Sengers, “The Three Paradigms of HCI,” Proceedings of

CHI 2007

McCarthy and Wright (2004) Technology as Experience, MIT Press

Read chapter one online: http://mitpress.mit.edu/sites/default/files/titles/content/9780262633550_sch_0001.pdf

Seminar 1• What is Felt Experience?• Look at the examples offered by McCarthy and

Wright and in groups discuss your experiences of living with technology

1. Can these experiences be measured by usability heuristics alone? Discuss.

2. How might you research these experiences?• Brainstorming and group discussion on

potential experiences you can use for cw1 and cw2 – focus on the felt or emotional quality of action and interaction

The Experience of Living with Technology

• (See chapter one of McCarthy and Wright (2004) Technology as Experience, MIT Press http://mitpress.mit.edu/books/chapters/0262134470chap1.pdf

• “A man who works in a library is having a normal working day: checking books in and out, helping people find the author they were looking for, organizing inter-library loans, and so on. Then he receives a mobile phone text message from a friend who is visiting New Zealand. It is a short message, no more than 160 characters, yet it feels like a very personal, intimate contact—a hug or an affectionate touch. He is moved to send a reply. It is even shorter than the message he had received, and it is in a personal, intimate style not typical of him. For a moment, the two friends, though a world apart, feel intensely present to each other.”

• “A nurse has just spent an hour caring for an extremely ill patient. Having ministered to the patient’s medical needs, she sat with him for a time, encouraged him to eat some yogurt, talked to him about his family, and helped him to get more comfortable in the bed. As she walks back to her station she feels sad for the patient, who has by now become something of a friend. Still involved with that patient, she starts to write up her notes from her morning rounds, recording carefully any changes in condition and any medication that she has administered. She is comfortable doing that. It feels like a few moments quiet time reflecting on her patients, how they are, what she is doing, and what more she can do for them. But now she must enter the relevant patient movement and bed management data on the hospital’s information system. Which patients are moving to another ward in the hospital? Are any patients due to move into this ward?”

• “Who is due to be discharged? Who is due for a procedure in the next 24 hours? Bed vacancies? What drugs have been administered, and to whom? It takes only 10 minutes twice a day, but this really frustrates her. She feels she is being taken away from her patients. This is time she could be spending with them. She feels this information system has nothing to do with her work.”

• A father comes home from work. As he rushes into the hall, he keys in the password to disable his house alarm. His daughter comes in behind him. He needs to get the dinner prepared, so he switches on the computer in the study for his daughter and sets up her favorite game for her. Once she is settled in, he goes to the kitchen, prepares the food, and places it in the oven. He listens to his phone messages while doing this. Eventually he sets the temperature and timer and leaves the food to cook. As he passes down the hallway to the sitting room, he pops his head into the study. His daughter asks him to play with her. “Back in two minutes love.” In the sitting room, he programs the VCR to record a drama that he and his wife want to watch later. Now he is heading for the study to play his daughter’s computer game with her.

McCarthy and Wright’s answer• “It is no longer considered sufficient to produce a computer system

that is effective, flexible, learnable, and satisfying to use—the characteristics of usability according to Shackel (1990)—it must now also be useful in the lives of those using it.”

• “The hospital information system mentioned above may have been technically state-of-the-art and may have been highly usable, but it was not experienced as useful by a nurse who wanted to get on with caring for her patients. In contrast, the tools for text messaging in many mobile phones would win no prizes for usability, yet text messaging is experienced by many adults and teenagers as instrumentally and expressively useful (Katz and Aakhus 2002). It augments people’s ability to organize complex and busy work, family, and social lives. For many it also provides an opportunity to express themselves, their feelings and emotions, in ways not previously available to them.”

Proposition

• We should try to interpret the relationship between people and technology in terms of the felt life and the felt or emotional quality of action and interaction.

• Reading for Next Week

Harrison, S., D. Tatar, and P. Sengers, “The Three Paradigms of HCI,” Proceedings of CHI 2007