Talk%@%Nokia%Innova-on%Center%Tampere,%Finland%22nd%November%2012%%

Theore&cal*Roots*of*UX*Research:*Towards*a*Stable*Future?*(Marianna%Obrist)%

Born*in*Italy*

Studied*/*worked*in*Salzburg*

Now,*I*am*in*Newcastle*

UXCodes(@(Newcastle(

My*Marie*Curie*Project(on*‘Decoding(User(Experience(Quali:es(with(and(through(Technology(over(Time’(

(

(

Theore&cal*Roots*for*UX*Research*Reykjavík)/)NordiCHI(2010(

UX(research(is(dominated(by(Babylonians,(

where(are(the(UX(Ionions?((Kari(KuuL)(

hNp://www.tol.oulu.fi/users/kari.kuuL/(

Babylonians:(prac:cal(empiricists(

Ionians:*specula:ve(theorists(

Example(pictures(found(through(Google(Pictures.(Original(source(unknown.(

We(need(UX(theories((

to(help(us(to(make(sense((

of(empirical(observa:ons.(

“It(is(unlikely(that(any(single(theory(will(

meet(all(the(needs(of(every(HCI(

researcher(and(prac::oner.(Thus(

rather,(than(strive(toward(unifica:on,(

we(should(seek(to(capitalize(on(our(

current(theore:cal(pluralism”(

Baumer,(E.P.S.(and(Tomlinson,(B.(2011.(Comparing(ac:vity(theory(with(distributed(cogni:on(for(video(analysis:(

beyond("kicking(the(:res".(In(Proc.(CHI('11(.(ACM,(NY,(USA,(133c142.(

SIG(@(CHI’11(

What(Theore:cal(Roots(do((

we(build(on?(–(If(Any?(

Star:ng(Point(

(focus(on(the(

product;(what(

checklists(and(

criteria(are(used(

during(design?)(

(focus(on(the(

user;(what(do(

people(find(

relevant?)(

(focus(on(the(

interac:on;(how(

do(people(

engage(with(

products?)(

Productccentered(

Framework(

Userccentered(

Framework(

Interac:onccentered(

Framework(

John(Zimmerman,(Jodi(Forlizzi,(and(Ilpo(Koskinen.(2009.(Building(a(unified(framework(for(the(prac:ce(of(experience(design.(In(Proc)CHI(EA(

'09).(ACM,(New(York,(NY,(USA,(4803c4806.(

?(

Something)

missing??)

•  122(individual(items(collected(

•  Itera:ve(categoriza:on(resul:ng(in(56(items(

distributed(over(7(major(

theory(categories(and(9(

disciplines(

A.  Human/user(focus((B.  Product/ar:fact(focus((C.  User/ar:fact/environment(rela:ons(D.  Social(nature(of(UX(E.  Design(focus(F.  Frameworks(involving(several(themes(from(A(to(E(G.  Even(broader(frameworks(related(to(human(

existence(

Disciplines:(

(

Psy(=(Psychology(

Soc(=(Sociology(

Mar(=(Marke:ng(

Phil(=(Philosophy(

Com(=(Communica:on(

Edu(=(Educa:on(

Art(=(Art(

Anth(=(Anthropology(

Des(=(Design(

Obrist,(M.,(Law,(E.(L.cC.,(VainiocMaLla,(K.(V.,(Roto,(V.;(Vermeeren,(A.(and(KuuL,(K.((2011).(UX(Research:(What(Theore:cal(Roots(Do(We(Build(On(–(If(Any?((

Special(Interest(Group(at(CHI2011.(In(Proc.(CHI(EA’11.(ACM,(New(York,(NY,(USA,(165c168.(

Obrist,(M.,(Roto,(V.,(Vermeeren,(A.,(VäänänencVainiocMaLla,(K.,(Law,(E.LcC.,(KuuL,(K.((2012).(In(Search(of(Theore:cal(Founda:ons(for(UX(Research(and(

Prac:ce.(In(Proceedings)of)the)2012)ACM)annual)conference)extended)abstracts)on)Human)Factors)in)CompuIng)Systems)Extended)Abstracts((CHI(EA(

’12).(ACM,(New(York,(NY,(USA,(1979c1984.(

A.(Human/user(focus(

•  Largest(category((•  Understanding(the(user((e.g.,(emo:ons,(mo:ves,(cogni:ve(processes)(

•  Psychological(models(and(theories(domina:ng(•  Mainly(momentary(experiences(•  Examples:)–  Cogni:ve(load(theory(–  Emo:onal(response(theory(– Maslow’s(hierarchy(of(needs(–  Theory(on(behavior(change((

B.(Product/ar:fact(

•  Formalist(aesthe:cs(and(product(semio:cs(as(basis(to(explore(product(characteris:cs(

•  Mainly(expert(judgments(used(for(evalua:ng(user(experiences((

•  Examples:)– Long(tail(model(– Semiology/semio:cs(in(product(design(

Rose,(G.((2007)(Visual)methodologies:)An)introducIon)to)the))

interpretaIon)of)visual)materials.)2nd(ed.(Los(Angeles:(Sage.(

hNp://ldeare1.wordpress.com/2011/06/14/17/(

hNp://www.coloribus.com/adsarchive/prints/pumacfootwearcelephantcmousec7806955/(

C.(User/ar:fact/environment(rela:ons(

•  Interplay(between(user(and(product(•  Combina:on(of(design(and(psychological(theories,(highligh:ng(context(and(situa:on(in(

UX(forma:on(

•  Push(towards(inves:ga:ng(UX(in(real(life(•  Examples:)– Hedoniccpragma:c(model(– Distributed(cogni:on( hNp://uxdesign.smashingmagazine.com/(

D.(Social(nature(of(UX(

•  Theories(focusing(on(the(rela:ons(and(communica:on(between(people(

•  Experience(as(a(social(phenomenon((•  Reflec:on(on(and(recoun:ng(of(experiences(•  Examples:)– Cocexperience(– Communica:on(accommoda:on(theory(– Social(network(theories(– Social(translucence(

Example(of(CocExperience(in(sharing(a(Nintendo(DS((pictures(anonymized(due(to(involving(children)(

E.(Design(

•  Smallest(category,(only(two(items(•  Focus(on(art(and(design(field(•  Examples:)– Design(Ra:onales((Carroll)(– Performance(as(interac:on((grounded(in(anthropological(theories)(

INTERACTION(AS(PERFORMANCE(Cases(of(configuring(physical(interfaces(in(mixed(media(

Giulio(Jacucci((PhD(2004)(/(hNp://users.tkk.fi/~giulio/phd.html(

(Exploring(poten:al(of(facial(expressions((pictures(anonymized(due(to(involving(children)(

Obrist,(M.,(Igelsböck,(J.,(Beck,(E.,(Moser,(C.,(Riegler,(S.,(and(Tscheligi,(M.(“Now(You(Need(to(Laugh!(”(–(Inves:ga:ng(Fun(in(Games(with(Children.((

In(ACE2009:(Proceedings(of(the(Interna:onal(Conference(on(Advances(in(Computer(Entertainment(Technology((2009).(

F.(Frameworks(involving(several(

themes(from(A(to(E(

•  Interrela:onship(between(users(and(their(roles(in(interac:on(situa:ons((

•  Theories(suppor:ng(a(more(holis:c(descrip:on(of(UX(in(terms(of(its(interconnected(aspects(

•  Examples:)–  Technology(adop:on(models(– Ac:vity(theory(–  Phenomenology(–  Symbolic(interac:onism(

G.(Broader(frameworks(related(to(

human(existence(

•  Philosophical(views(on(human(existence(•  Broader(perspec:ves,(such(as(value(based(design(and(feminist(discussions(

•  Socialctechnical(system(discussions(•  Examples:)– Cri:cal(theory(– Feminist(theory(– Construc:vist(learning(theory(– Marxism(

hNp://ninapaley.com/mimiandeunice/2010/10/08/cri:calctheory/(

Food(for(Thought(

•  Experience(itself(has(been(studied(by(different(disciplines,(such(as(sociology,(psychology,(

management,(marke:ng,(ergonomics,(etc.(

•  UX(defined(according(to(specific(disciplinary(jargon(and(conceptualized(by(own(

understandings(and(findings.((

•  Our(data(from(the(SIG(@(CHI’11(shows:(– Domina:on(by(psychology(–  Poten:al(of(social(science(theories(–  Philosophical(theories(hold(strong(poten:al(to(change(our(ways(of(designing(for(and(studying(UX(

More…(

Obrist,(M.,(Roto,(V.,(Vermeeren,(A.,(VäänänencVainiocMaLla,(K.,(Law,(E.LcC.,(KuuL,(K.((2012).(In(Search(of(Theore:cal(

Founda:ons(for(UX(Research(and(Prac:ce.(In(Proceedings)of)the)2012)ACM)annual)conference)extended)abstracts)on)

Human)Factors)in)CompuIng)Systems)Extended)Abstracts((CHI(EA(’12).(ACM,(New(York,(NY,(USA,(1979c1984.(

hNp://www.allaboutux.org/(

What(are(the(Challenges?(

•  Applicability(and(appropria:on(of(theories(and(theore:cal(concepts(in(UX(design(and(

evalua:on.(

•  Transferability(of(theories(and(theore:cal(concepts(from(research(to(prac:ce.(

•  Usage(of(theories(for(studying(UX(in(different(seLngs(and(contexts.(

Towards*a*Stable*Future*Workshop(@(CHI’12(

Theories(behind(UX(Research(and(

how(they(are(used(in(Prac:ce(

Viewpoints(covered:(

•  Holis:c(vs.(reduc:onist(view(•  Phenomenology:(theory(&(methods(•  UX(&(Context((•  Theory(&(Design((•  Temporal(nature(of(UX((•  Evalua:on(frameworks((

14(papers(presented(

(

(

Workshop(Website:(

hNp://di.ncl.ac.uk/uxtheory/(

Agreed(Usefulness(of(Theories(

•  Theories(are(useful(to(explain(observa:ons((e.g.,(emo:onal(reac:ons(to(products/

services)(

•  Theories(as(sensecmaking(tool((the(process(can(be(different(from(psychologists,(

sociologists,(designers..)(

•  Difficult(to(apply(theory(in(design(•  More(useful(for(evalua:on(than(design(

Discussion(

•  Defini:on(of(theory(– Plurality(of(defini:ons(out(there(already(– Natural(versus(social(science(understanding((– Both(defini:ons(relevant(for(UX!(

•  We(do(not(lack(of(theories,(but(a(lack(prac:cal(guidelines(

– How(to(help(prac::oners(to(understand(theories?(– To(define:(What(prac:ces(do(we(mean((researchcprac:ce,(prac:cecprac:ce)(

Big(Prac:cal(Challenge(

“I)don’t)have)Ime)to)read)or)digest)papers”)

•  Packaging(seems(necessary(to(reach(

out(to(prac:ce(

•  Packaging(theories(can(be(dangerous;(

it(can(be(

misleading(and(

prone(

misinterpreta:on(

TheorycPrac:cecExample(

Hassenzahl’s(ANrakDiff(is(a(widely(used(

measurement(in(prac:ce(incorpora:ng(

hedonism(philosophy((thoughts(of(pleasure)(

Epikur(&(philosophy(of(hedonism(

hNp://www.aeria.phil.unicerlangen.de/photo_html/(

portrait/griechisch/denker/epikur/epikur5.html(

A(Handful(of(Challenges(

•  Bridging(different(theore:cal(viewpoints((reduc:onist(vs(holis:c(perspec:ves)(

•  Encouraging(the(combina:on(of(theories(from(different(fields(/(disciplines(

•  In(which(phases(of(design(can(theories(be(useful,(if(at(all((rather(in(the(later(than(early(design(

phase)?(

•  Making(theories(more(accessible(but(not(oversimplified(for(prac:ce.(

•  Using(theories(to(predict(experiences(in(specific(contexts((structural(and(measurement(models)((

Not*easy*challenges*but…*

“The)baRles)that)were)fought)and)the)gallant,)but)oUen)in)vain,)efforts)to)bridge)the)theoryWpracIce)divide)already)seem)like)a)distant)past.)Instead,)we)are)beginning)to)learn)to)be)tolerant,)open)and)transdisciplinary.)[…])Theory)may)even)lead)pracIce)rather)than)lagging)behind)it”((Yvonne(Rogers(2012,(p.89)(

Rogers,(Y.(2012.(HCI(Theory:(Classical,(Modern,(and(Contemporary.(Synthesis(Lectures(on(HumancCentred(Informa:cs.((

Morgan(&(Claypool(Publishers((May(2012).(

(

hNp://hci.stanford.edu/courses/cs547/(

speaker.php?date=2011c02c25(

“I)suggest)that)we)be)less)

demanding)of)our)theories,)and)

more)demanding)of)our)pracIce.)

[..])Theories)may)play)a)more)

humble)role)in)successful)

experience)design)research)than)

the)HCI)community)seems)to)

assume)”)(Bill(Gaver(2006).((

Gaver,(W.(2006.(Learning(from(Experience:(The(Humble(Role(of(Theory(in(Prac:cecbased(Research.(CHI’06(Workshop(paper(for(

Theory(and(methods(for(experience(centered(design.(

hNp://www.designinginterac:ons.com/(

interviews/BillGaver(

“If)we)focus)only)on)pracIcal)usefulness)and)exclude)explanaIon)and)interpretaIon,)we)do)serious)harm)to)our)very)nature)as)researchers.)The)purpose)of)research)–)at)least)the)research)done)in)universiIes)–)is)to)develop)beRer)understanding)of)the)world)around)us”)(Kari(KuuL(2010,(p.(718).((

KuuL,(K.(2010.(Where(are(the(Ionians(of(user(experience(research?.(In(Proc.)NordiCHI)'10.(ACM,(NY,(USA,(715c718.((

My*Future*Agenda:**“PuMng*Theory*and*Prac&ce*in*a*Dialogue”*

UX%Research%will%benefit%from%building%Bridges%Thanks*for*your*APen&on!**Ques&ons,*Comments?*

Marianna.Obrist@ncl.ac.uk((

Newcastle(University,(UK(