Customer-focused design data in a large, multi-site organization

Abstract

Qualitativeuser-centered design processes such as contextual inquiry can generate huge amounts of data to be organized, analyzed, and represented. When you add the goal of spreading the resultant understanding to the far reaches of a large, multi-site organization, many practical barriers emerge.In this paper we describe experience creating and communicating representations of contextually derived user data in a large, multi-site product development organization. We describe how we involved a distributed team in data collection and analysis and how we made the data representations portable. We then describe how we have engaged over 200 people from five sites in thinking through the user data and its implications on product design.

Using Affinity Diagrams to Evaluate Interactive Prototypes

“…Beyer and Holtzblatt [2], [13] adapted the original KJ method to analyze observational and interview data gathered during contextual inquiries [5], [9], [20,21]. Affinity diagramming is often used as a starting point for design [20], helping keep design teams grounded in data as they design [9].…”

Computer support for collaborative data analysis

“…However, Curtis et al [2], and Holtzblatt, Wendell and Wood [3] do provide detail on actual affinity practice. Additionally, Judge et al describe a user study observing the diagramming stage of the process [4].…”

Creation and application of mobile media design drivers

“…The diaries, ethnographic data and interviews were then analyzed. The data was analyzed using affinity-diagramming methods [2]. Interview transcripts were divided into individual sentences or remarks and insight from observations and analysis from the diary data were noted down.…”