Group Analysis

In our group we analyzed very different ways of interaction at museums. Niklas took a closer look at certain interactive games with questions, Marcus has checked out mobile applications. Linn wrote her analysis about the National Museum of Natural History’s website. Erik focused his research on a specific game at the museum about speed and Adam did his research on portable audioguide-systems.

We have come to the conclusion that different forms of interactive environments affects people on very different levels. For example the website, with it’s simple form and relatively easy to use layout can lure people into visit the museum without actually knowing to much about it. A mobile application on the other hand is used almost exclusively a tool to use at the museum but has trouble persuading users into going.

The games which Niklas and Erik checked out connects with different people, from little children to adults, since one uses simple geometric shapes and visual feedback in a competitive environment and one uses a more intellectual form of learning where you test what you've learnt.

We think that the way museums has chosen to interact with it’s customers comes from a great thought but does not really reach it’s users in the most effective way it could possibly do without small tweaks. As said the different areas of the exhibits connects with different people but somehow they need to interlace to create a new form of interaction with it’s users that reaches out to everyone. This includes our target group, non-Swedish speakers.  

Interview and analysis - Erik Forsberg

I conducted my interview with a man from France in his 30’s at Naturhistoriska Riksmuseet.

Do you mind if I ask you a couple of questions? It’s about the future and how we can make musem visits better?

Yes of course, I can try.

How often do you usually go to museums?

Each time I visit a new city.

If you imagine all the museum you have been to, what has been the best part?

I usually like natural history stuff and about animals

Could you imagine using an application or something on your phone to make the museum better?

Maybe there will be some application you can download that give all the information about the thing you’re watching on your phone and give details about it so you can listen to it. Sometimes it’s not easy to find all the details and information about the thing you’re watching.

Okay, so you would use some sort of app to give you more information about the exhibit?

Yeah, more detailed!

Do you think this museum (NRM) is good for tourists?

Yes, absolutely.

Do you think there’s too much information or too little?

Actually not so much information, maybe just the names but I think it’s one of the better ones I have seen and I’ve been in so many cities and museums.

Is there any museum that you have been to that is better than the rest because of one thing?

I was in Lisboa, there was a kind of water museum where I could see real animals. That’s why it was so good.

Analysis of interactive material at the museum

My analysis is of an interactive game at the Swedish Museum of Natural History. It was a reaction based game where you had twelve buttons scattered across a wall, each with a different fruit on it. When the game starts, one of the buttons lights up and you are supposed to press it as fast as possible, so that another button lights up and so on. If you are not fast enough, you miss your chance on that button and thus miss the chance of a point. The goal was to press as many lit buttons as you could in 50 seconds.

I actually think that the game was supposed to teach the player about something, but I didn’t really catch what that was while playing since you were so focused to press the button that was lit at the time. This exact problem, or occurrence has been talked about in the course, and the recommendation was to try and just make a game fun - not something that is centered around learning because the joy is usually lost then.

This game doesn’t necessarily target tourists, which is our target group, but I guess they would be just as inclined to play the game as anyone else in the museum, as long as they have some sort of interest in competing with their friends. That was what got our group’s attention - the competition. We immediately understood that we could beat each other in the game, which made almost everyone in the group willing to play at least once. I also believe that a lot of younger people would play the game, as older people are less into looking silly while mashing buttons on a wall and would see the game as childish.

The game obviously works well at catching people’s attention - you really can’t miss someone playing the game if you walk past and it does look fun. If you stand back a little bit and watch someone play, you get the impression that they are doing a terrible job since you can see all the buttons much easier from a distance and they can only look at one at a time which makes it very hard to hit every button that lights up.

So in conclusion, the game works well at just being a fun game, but if it in a way could include some sort of clear teaching process while still keeping the competitive focus and the fun in the game, the game would be brilliant and a great hit at the museum. A suggestion I would give for the game designer is to keep a daily high score so that you can compare yourself to other people who has visited the museum.

Interview and state of the art analysis - Adam Nyberg

Interview

I interviewed a tourist at Naturhistoriska Muséet in Stockholm who wished to be anonymous. I recorded our interview but at her request I will only use it for writing this text.

Where are you from?
Me and my husband are from Germany, we're from Hamburg.

How long have you been in Stockholm?
A week, This is our last day and we haven't been to any museums yet, and we have heard of Naturhistoriska before.

Do you often visit museums when you are abroad or is this the first time?
We usually like to see at least one museum in the country we visit when we are on vacation.

Was there any specific exhibit you wanted to see?
Yes, the polar one.

How easy did you feel it was to find when you got to the museum?
It was easy, you just follow the sign in English when you come in. Or, it was easier for me than my husband, he doesn't know English that well.

Did you find any information in German?
No, not much.

Since you and your husband visit a lot museums when you are traveling, how easy is it usually for you to find information in German when you are at a museum?
Well in Switzerland and Belgium it is easy *laughs*. Actually it is often hard if you don't know English.

Would you be interested in any applications that could help you find more information at the museum in any language?
Yes.

State of the Art Analysis

I have decided to analyze the Array AG 300-10, a portable tour guide system and translation device. The device consists of a transmitter, that a tour guide connects to their microphone, as well as up to 40 receivers connected to headphones that each tourist can wear during the tour. As well as giving everyone on tour an easier time hearing the tour guide the receiver can also use up three different prerecorded translations of the the tour in different languages.

This device can be a great alternative for non-native language speakers when tours are not available in that language. One advantage that the device has if you are listening to a recording is that you do not even have to go on a tour, you can just listen to it as you walk through the museum. A problem I see is that you can not ask the recording questions about the exhibits as you would usually do during a guided tour. Also, three different languages may cover some major languages but it will not be enough. Lastly, by using this device you might lose out on any special audio that an exhibit might use to enhance the feeling you get from it since you are using an audio device.

Interview and state-of-the-art analysis - Linn Lahtinen

Interview

I have interviewed a person at National Museum of Natural History who wished to be anonymous.

Is this your first at this museum?

-Yes

Why did you choose to visit this museum?

-Because I am very interested in dinosaurs and paleontology. Also entomology

How often do you visit museums?

-As often as I can

And how often is that?

-Almost every time I travel, so maybe three times a year or so

What kinds of museums?

-All kinds of museums, but mostly natural history

How do you do to make the most of your time at a museum?

-If there is one I usually use the audioguide or get a guided tour

Anything else?

-Not really. Walk around and read the signs

What could make your experience even better?

-Segways

Do you think this museum is adapted for tourists?

-If you can speak English, yes. Otherwise it’s not so easy to understand what the signs say

Can you imagine using a tool or application to enhance your experience?

-Maybe an application for my iPhone.

How did you find this museum?

-A friend recommended it to me

Did you have a hard time finding the museum?

-No, I used my phone

What would you do to find more information about an exhibition?

-I would probably look online on the website or something

State-of-the-art analysis

I have chosen to analyze the website of the National Museum of Natural History ( http://www.nrm.se/english.16_en.html ). At first glance, it looks a lot like other websites nowadays (kth.se for example) with a banner and navigation menu at the top, “random” information and news in the middle, and more concrete information and links at the bottom. The look of the design is somewhat modern, but it is quite obviously designed to fit both adults and a younger user.

I find it pretty easy to navigate the site and the most important information that a user would look for, such as address or open hours, are written on the first page. If you would want more information about it there is several links to get where you want, which can be seen as a good thing since it increases the chance of finding it, but it can also be perceived excess information.

There is also a search box, which is kind of hard to miss. To try its functionality I typed in a couple of words that I would expect a tourist to enter. The search engine gave a big variation of answers, but the first one always contained the answer I was looking for, which is enough to get my seal of approval.

There is some differences between the Swedish and the English page, especially when it comes to information. The English version has significantly less buttons to push and some things aren’t even translated from Swedish, which is a sign of it aiming more at Swedish-speaking people than foreign tourists.

Another important aspect from a tourist point of view might be the accessibility using a smartphone. Based on research, the site does not have a version for the phone or any other handheld device, which can make navigation a bit difficult.

Marcus Frisell interview and state of the APP analysis

Hello, we are students from the mediatechnology program at KTH and are currently doing a study, mind if we interview you?

No that’s okay.

Do you usually visit museums?

Yes, when I go to other countries i want to learn as much as I can about them.

Allright, why do you usually visit museums?

As I said, I want to learn as much as I can.

What goal do you have coming to a museum?

The answer is the same, haha, I want to learn.

Do you think there is enough information about the exhibitions here?

I think that there actually is very little information about all the exhibits, I would like more.

Oh okay! Do you think that can be improved upon somehow?

Haha, if they add more information.

If technology wasn't a problem, do you think some sort of technology could be helpful for this?

I think so, maybe something interactive at the museum or an application or something.

What do you think this app or computer should be able to do?

Show me information, maybe by putting my phone next to the exhibited object.

Would you download an app like that for the museum, even for a small cost?

Absolutely.

State of the APP analysis.

My main focus in this analysis is oriented at the developement and continually increased usage of mobile applications for visitors at the museum. I chose this subject because I think applications are an absolute vital part of visiting a museum, yet it does not exist at most of the larger Swedish museums.

Exhibitions are often interesting and a great way to learn new things. The issue is often that most exhibits, at least the ones we visited, were lacking of ways to interact in a motivating learning environment and therefore became uninteresting and forgetable. I think that an application developed specifically for a museum or exhibit could give the costumer new ways to process the information and reach greater levels of interaction. This in turn will help the customer to remember a greater part of the information presented at the exhibit.

As mentioned, most of the Swedish musems have not developed applications to accomodate their exhibitions. However, Moderna muséet is an exception. Their application is exclusively an audioguide, and provides audio feedback at exhibited objects. An appliction developed for visits at museums like Moderna muséet needs, in my opinion, a intuitive, easy and fun interface to interact with all the different exhibitions, which unfortunately is something that Moderna museéets application lacks, mainly because it has no other features than the audioguide. But it is definitely a great start.

Another application I have examined is the one at Etnografiska, where they have a more refined user experience where the costumer can do more with the application than to just listen. In their application you can play little games, learn about exhibited objects at a very detailed level and easily get an overview of the museum. I think they are on the right track but even though they have done many things right, there are certain parts of the application that can be elaborated. The interface is relatively un-intuitive and does not really have an appealing layout either. The design is somewhat outdated, something a newly developed application cannot afford to be. Museums often have the connotation of being old and boring, and to develop a mobile application is a perfect opportunity to breake away from that feeling and bring the museums new life.

In conclusion I believe that mobile applications developed for museums often miss one of the main purposes of user interaction. They include the obvious part, which is the information about the exhibitions. The problem is that no one is going to use an application if it is boring, unintuitive and difficult to interact with. If the application looks stale or old fashioned, the user is going to get the same feeling and then the visit might not be what it could have been.

Niklas Gustavsson interview and state of the art analysis

Museum interview!

I conducted my interview with a spanish man in his late 20's, the focus of my interview was to find out what he thought could be improved in museums. We have decided to target tourists, and went to naturhistoriska riksmuseet to find tourists to interview!

The interview went like this:

Hello, we are students from the mediatechnology program at KTH and are currently doing a study, mind if we interview you?

Not at all, I will try to answer any questions I can!

Do you usually visit museums?

Every time I am in a new city, I try to visit museums!

Allright, why do you usually visit museums?

Because I like to know more about the countries history. I like going to armory museums, and national history museums!

What goal do you have coming to a museum?

My goal is always to learn more about the country, and the history of the country. I want to know as much as possible.

Do you think there is enough information about the exhibitions here?

I think this museum is good, because it has a lot of information – but I would like to have more, sometimes there is not enough information about what I am looking at!

Oh okay! Do you think that can be improved upon somehow?

Maybe if they add more information.

If technology wasn't a problem, do you think some sort of technology could be helpful for this?

Yes! Maybe if they make like an application that I can look at the things, and more information pops up, or maybe they have some computer that I can look about what I want more in detail.

What do you think this app or computer should be able to do?

It doesn't have to be something big.. just that maybe I can take a picture of something in the museum, and the app tells me where it is from and the history about it. This would be really good in armory museums, because there is a lot of information about everything there, which isn't in the museum.

Would you download an app like that for the museum, even for a small cost?

Yes! But I think that maybe I would stay in the museum for a very long time, because I want to know everything about everything, haha!

State of the art analysis!

I decided to look at a computer game at the naturhistoriska riksmuseet, which basically was that you get 10 questions about the exhibition you are currently at, which have 3 different answers for each question, which one of them is correct.

For my usergroup, tourists, this piece of device was absolutely horrendous. There were several games like this in the museum, and some of them (if not all of them) did not have an option to do the quiz in English – rendering it useless.

However, if we decide to look away from the fact that English speaking tourists could not do the quiz, it had good and bad parts. First of, it is always very good to have interactive things in a museum, as people want to play games and get very happy when they answer the questions correctly.

It was very slow, and people lost interest halfway through, because you had to wait 20-30 seconds between each question for the next one to load. But I strongly believe that if you would have had a decent computer run the quiz, it would have attracted a lot of people. Everyone likes going around in a museum, and trying out every piece of technology they can find, which makes this application target almost everyone (except maybe older people who feel they do not understand the product).

So what I took from this piece of technology is that it is always good to have something interactive, because it really helps in attracting people to use the device. Also, it is essential that it is multi-language compatible, so that everyone has the opportunity to use it. People also lose interest in slow things, because they get very bored, and therefor move on to the next exhibit.

So what our group needs to focus on is to make some sort of a product that moves very smoothly, that is interactive enough for people to want to use it which is also compatible for several languages, making the target group bigger!

Reading Seminar 1 - The Return of the Sick One (a.k.a. Adam Nyberg)

Having read the chapters about interaction design; everything from how to start working to how to decide on a prototype, I can safely say that creating a smooth design can be a difficult task and something that can be achieved in a number of ways.

The reading in the book starts by explaining four common approaches to working with design which are: user-centered design (UCD) where you always keep in touch with the users throught development, activity-based design where you focus on the task that your design needs to achieve, systems design where a functional system is the end goal and the users will need to adapt if they wish to use it effectively, and finally genius design a work form that is highly controversial since it heavily relies on the designers intuition and knowledge of “what users want” rather than asking them.

When doing research for your design you need to, in general, decide upon what your end goal is and what you need to research to get there (a.k.a your hunt statement) and then decide what method of research you want to conduct; qualitative research (a subjective choice of a small group of research candidates) or quantitative research (a more objective method since you use a much larger amount research candidates). After that it is important to consider how you choose your research candidates, what questions to ask or what activities you want them to perform.

Having collected a sufficient amount data you now need to make more choices, this time on how to analyze your data, and what you can do with that data. In short you need to organize your data into structures, search for patterns and work step by step until you know what elements need to be incorporated into your design and what your ideal user looks like.

The texts on ISO-standards for ergonomics regarding visual display terminals and human-centered design for interactive systems gives a great insight into what attributes to focus on when designing using vague data. Lastly the text on UCSD (user-centered system design) felt like a great complement to working with classic UCD since the user focus remains until the systems life cycle ends. Though UCSD can be a chore to follow there is potential in using it. Something I would like to discuss more is genius design, does it really work is it a fluke?

User-Centered Design intensifies

Now that we have let our initial thoughts sink in and have spent a few days reflecting, we have reached new levels of achievement. Our new product design view is truly revolutionary and the way we apply it makes it almost magical. 

The seamless incorporation of both the care of design development and the way we interact with our innovations will make us truly euphoric, not because we have learned new things but we are enlightened with our own intelligence. M'DI. 

Reading seminar 1 - Erik Forsberg

Most people probably do not think about UCSD (user-centered system design) as a part of their everyday life - or even at all when, in fact, they are constantly using systems designed for users. Whether it is when you go grocery shopping, lying in the sofa watching TV or playing video games - someone has designed the different systems you are using with you - the user - in focus. If you are constantly irritated while using your TV because the remote control just is not working the way you want, you are probably experiencing a poor UCSD. Either that, or you are just not the right user group that the company who made the TV and the remote control are interested in pleasing.

Reading the parts of the texts where the different approaches to user design were talked about, I understood why many designers think that the 'genius' approach is the way to go. It's just that much simpler to only have one person's opinions (being your own) telling you where to go with your design, rather than having to test every single design change with a user group, receive and interpret feedback and put that into use. However, it is very risky to be the only mind working on a project, which I believe is something that our group will have to keep in mind during the project. We can not just do what we want because we like the way it looks - it has to make sense to the user as well! So what I am suggesting for our future project is a mix between having a clear design idea, while also keeping an open mind for any changes proposed.

Today we had a very informative seminar where we discussed everything we interpreted from the text-assignments. We have all felt that the texts were very informative, and we believe that there is a lot to gather from the articles. With the information gathered, we can form our future product to be the best it can be.

For this course, we believe that the only logical design philosophy to go for is the user centered design - why? Because of the fact that we are targeting a specific group, and in order for them to get the most use out of our product. Obviously we would want to focus on the genius centered design, because of the fact that we are 5 narcissistic students who believe that our ideas will conquer the world, but sadly that might not be the case.

So where do we start? First we must decide what product would make the greatest impact on our focus group. And in order to find that product, we must locate where there is a gap in the market. If we manage to pinpoint that gap, we have every opportunity in the world to fill it - and become the geniuses we believe we are.

In order to start our journey, we must first travel to ground zero - the museums! When we are finally there, we need to gather information about our market! How do we find the gap that needs to be filled? Time will tell, but we will manage - and we will reign supreme!

In conclusion, we have a lot of work ahead of us, and it will be a glorious journey - one which we must travel together. Because remember, five minds (plus the assistance of Pedro) is stronger than one.

Reading seminar 1 - Linn Lahtinen

As explained in these texts, there are many different ways to approach projects involving interaction design. According to Saffer, there are four major approaches; User-centered design (UCD), activity-centered design, systems design and genius design. Despite focusing on different aspects, they can all be used to create successful products. The decision of which approach to use is most often up to the designer. Designers usually have one way they feel most comfortable with but it is important that they are aware of the approaches to be able to choose the best one for the project in question.

The two approaches I found most interesting are user-centered design and genius design, which generally are each others opposites. UCD’s focus lies, as you could guess, in the user and his/hers needs and goals. The user is a big part of the project and is there every step of the designing process. This means that designer shouldn’t let his/her own preferences interfere with the project and they should think in the terms of “you are not the user”. UCD does not always give the best result, though. If the focus group isn’t ideal, the designers might be basing their work on the wrong type of user, which means that the product won’t be adapted for the actual users.

Unlike UCD, genius design is a bit less complex approach with only one or a few determing forces, i.e. the designers. However, for genius design to really work the designer must be incredibly experienced. They use their personal knowledge to make the design decisions and don’t involve the user until the end of the process. There can be several different reasons why someone would choose this way of design making, two of them being shortage of resources and privacy. Genius design is a considerably faster way of working than UCD, which is one of the big advantages.

My question for discussion is if there can come a point where you have involved users too much in the design process, and in that case, when is that point?

Reading seminar 1 - Marcus Frisell

UCSD or User Centered System Design is a part of our everyday normal life. Wherever we go, whether it is to work, to visit a friend, go to school or just stay at home we probably come in contact with multiple instances of UCSD we don’t even acknowledge. Our lives are filled with design thoughts, the care about ergonomics and in which way certain products can impact us. 

When I read the articles for this weeks seminar there was one question that kept coming back to me. Which sensory system is the dominating one in this type of interaction? Is it possible that we are overlooking interaction in ways that could be beneficial for the user? In todays interfaces we mainly rely on visual and tactile feedback but isn’t there more areas to be explored?

I think that a new era of product development will sort this kind of questions out and bring new innovation, new levels of human computer interaction to light. But to get there we have to first establish what we are trying to change for the better and which elements of already prominent design standards to keep. We need to initiate new development processes to accommodate for the new varieties of innovation that is taking place today, and doing so we can improve the things that we use in our daily lives in such a way that would be revolutionary for the ordinary consumer. We are enabling goals of perfect design. 

Reading seminar 1 - Niklas Gustavsson

After reading the texts about UCSD and ergonomics, I have come to the conclusion that UCSD is in fact everywhere, even where we do not think about it. It is a major part of our life that makes our lives a hell of a lot easier. Not only is it found almost everywhere on the internet, it is a part of how the entire world functions. How should we design this X? The first question that a manufacturer should ask is ”how would a customer/user want this product?”. You always have to focus on the user. Also, while designing products it is important to constantly be able to shift your focus depending on what users need - and a prototype might have to change several times before the final product is released, because there might be several improvements to be made depending on what the user needs. By constantly evaluating what you are designing, you are far more likely to have a product that is superior to your original idea.

By specifying what you want, it is far easier to strive towards that goal. And during the design process, you need to update your specifications to accommodate for new ideas! And by constantly measuring how close to your goals you are (by measuring efficiency, goals, satisfaction) by using groups that try your products and measure these things, it is easier to understand which way your product has to take in order to succeed. 

Reading this literature I started wondering how we are to design our future product. How can we alter our product during the course in order to reach the (close to) perfect design? 

A question about the texts: There are several ways to customize a product in order for it to satisfy user centered designs, but sometimes you have to focus more on some design aspects resulting in that other aspects are ”left behind” and not focused on as much. How do you know which aspects to focus on, in order to have the perfect product?

Our first post.

Welcome to our blog, it's not about lemons (hehe). It's about somehing much greater. MDI.