Session 8: Participatory Approach of Design -> Theory vs Reality

Participatory Design: This is an approach used to design technological and organizational systems incorporating end user as a member of design team. By involving end user as active participants in the design process makes design effective within the context of usability.

Alan Dix (2004) suggest three specific characteristics of the participatory design. [1] This makes the design work oriented instead of system oriented as it tries to improve work environment. [2] This is based on the collaboration of design team and end user as a designer. [3] This is an iterative approach, which makes it flexible.

This design proscess uses different methods for effective communication between designer team and users. (Alan Dix, 2004). few of them are

1. Brainstorming Sessions
2. Story Boarding
3. Workshops
4. Pencil and paper exercises and so on.

Analysis of PD in reality: While writing this blog i come across very good websites which are very good examples of PD. few of them are as follows:

• Conversations That Work http://www.conversationsthatwork.net/
• Information & Design http://www.infodesign.com.au/usability/participatorydesign.html
• Interface Hall of Shame by Isys Information Architects Inc. http://www.iarchitect.com/mshame.htm

While browsing through these, i come across few examples of bad designs from real world. Let us have a look on few of them (Taken from http://www.baddesigns.com/index.shtml)

Example-1

Men's room sign This sign is on a men's room door at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. I was going to go in, but it seemed that maybe this restroom was for handicapped men only. Just to be sure I watched some guys walk up to the door, look at the sign and then walk away, presumably to go down stairs to the IMAX lobby, like the sign says. Other guys went on in, so I did too. It was a perfectly normal men's room. I don't really know what I was expecting!

Design suggestion: The words Men and handicapped need to be separated on the sign. By putting them next to each other and giving them about the same amount of salience, one is misled into thinking that the room is only for handicapped men.

Example-2

This is my cell phone. In addition to using it as a phone, I use it to see the time of day. The cell phone has the time on the display, so all I have to do it pull it out of my pocket and look at the display (See photo C.) Like many other people who carry a cell phone, I don't wear a wrist watch anymore.
The cell phone has a keypad lock feature which keeps buttons from accidentally being pressed and making "pocket" calls, while the phone is in my pocket. When the phone is not in direct light and you want to see what time it is, you can not easily read the display without the display light on (See photo A). If you press any button, the display will light up (See photo B.) Unfortunately, this also brings up a message instructing you how to unlock the phone, which covers up the time. You have to wait for two seconds until the message disappears and reveals the time (See photo C.) Two seconds doesn't seem like much time to wait, but it is annoying because it happens frequently.

Design suggestion

One solution would be to make the message smaller so it doesn't cover up the time (See photo D.) This could be done by having the message only describe how to unlock the phone, since that is what the person needs to know to use it. For me, and probably many others, seeing the time immediately is important, since this is our primary way of telling time.

Excellent videos on participatory approach:

References:
1. http://www.baddesigns.com/index.shtml
2. Dix Alan, Finlay Janet, Human Computer Interaction, second edition.
3. http://www.youtube.com

Session 7 Workshop: PART B

We continue working as two companies (U and Q). In your company, you are about to develop a new training event. You need the input of your company staff as well as input of the other company's, in order to make your design robust.

The following are three alternatives with some (only some) features:

• Participatory Design. Rapid prototyping, consultation with users
• Soft Systems Methodology. Build a model of the human activity of the training system; validate it with the mnemonic CATWOE
• Ethnography. Observe people when they plan a new training event. Take notes.

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Company U (the buyer/indian company) is going to organise a training event for members of both companies. The objective of the combined event is to understand the needs of both companies, and provide a solution or model that is suitable to both. The event is going to be developed by a trainer in the company U, making use of Participatory design, to ensure the users/participants in the event are involved from the design stage itself, and that the event caters to everyone's requirements.

The participatory design will involve consultation with the users, and rapid prototyping.

1. The trainer creates a plan for the training event, including what all areas he's planning to cover, and in how much details he intends to cover each portion.
2. He then sends his prototype (plan for the training event) and explanations to employees of both companies, and their trainers, so that he can receive their feedback.
3. The employees and trainers of both companies, respond by adding their suggestions to the prototype, and also listing further areas that needs to be focussed upon.
4. The trainer uses the feedback provided by the employees and trainers, to create another prototype, that includes their requests. He then sends this prototype again to all the employees and trainers involved in the event.
5. If there are further suggestions, or changes needed to be made, the users inform the trainer about them.
6. After reviewing the suggestions, the trainer changes the design to include the suggestions. He sends the modified prototype to the employees.
7. This procedure continues, until a satisfactory agreement can be reached among all the users.
   
8. Once the users have agreed upon a prototype, the trainer can go ahead and design the training event, which will be catering to all the users needs, as they were involved in the design phase also.
   

Session 7: Revised design of video conferencing using participatory approach !!!!!

Background: The previously proposed video conferencing design was presented to the company Q and company U employees. They had been asked for their own expectation from this design as well as for their view point on the presented design. They provided some valuable comments in order to modify the proposed design.

Participatory Approach: Considering all the attendee from both the companies, and asking for their ideas and expectations from the new video conferencing design, we came to know some very useful aspects which were missing in earlier design. {From our group of 4, 2 people participated as company Q employees and rest 2 as company U employees.}

Revised design of earlier proposed video conferencing: Active participation of employees from both the sides come up with missing aspects. After having a close look of suggestions, following modified design is proposed.


Step 1-9. ... Same as earlier ...

Step 10. While communicating the final mail of conference with all the relevant details, brief profile of all the attendees should also be communicated. This profile might contain some basic information of an employee such as Name, designation, department etc.

Step 10-16. ... Same as earlier .....

Session 6: Workshop -> Learnings from it.

Background: In the last session workshop we organized a video conferencing with the company who bought our company. The work shop explored the idea of 'Coordination' in designing of communication system.

Objective: In this workshop we have to reorganize the same video conferencing using the concept of co-ordination designs such as

1. Common ground approach
2. Affordance
3. Space
4. Deictic references etc.

and also, we have to keep in mind the emotional, technological aspect of the people and available resources.

Proposed design of Communication system for the given case: In order to achieve the goal of the video conferencing meeting and to make it successful, a proper communication needs to be put in a place prior to the meeting. We suggest to use the following system for effective communication.

Note: Steps written in blue should be followed by the child organization (company Q), and which written in red should be followed by parent company (the buyer one, company U).

Step 1. As this video conference is going to be organized by Q company, Q company is the responsible for the success of the conferencing and for the co-ordination of the meeting.

Step 2. Company Q should have very clear objective of this conference. Company Q should do some research about the background of company U, so that they can have better idea of the people whom they are talking.

Step 3. Before planning anything company Q should check whether they have all the required equipments to execute this conference, if not, such a meeting should not be planned on the first place.

Step 4. Once objective are clear, company Q should identify the people from their own organization as well as from the company U who they want to be in meeting, who are going to attend the conference.

Step 5. After identifying their own people, company Q should organize an internal meeting so that each of them can have the better understanding of the objective of the video conferencing. and should prepare an clear agenda of the conference. {Common Ground Approach}

Step 6. Company Q then ask company U for the video conference and its necessity. This information can be communicated using an email. Also Q company should ask company U for the date and time suitability as well as the availability of equipments required.

Step 7. Company U should analyze the objective and should discuss the same with their people. Also they should check the availability of required equipment/technology. If everyone agrees then they should come up with 2-3 different date and time schedules for the meeting, keeping in mind the time zone difference and convenience of the company Q people as well as their own and should sent the information to company Q using an email.

Step 8. After receiving the confirmation, different schedule of the meeting, Q company should consult their own people and pick one schedule. The same should be intimated back along with the agenda of meeting to company U.

Step 9. Once company U receives the confirmation information, they should ask their own people for agreement. Once all agreed, the final confirmation mail should be communicated.

Step 10. Both the Companies should ask their people to gather all relevant information and data. And they should decide their meeting place depending on the number of attendees. They should look for the equipments required such as smart board, video conferencing setup, computers, mike, speakers, pointing etc. If they don't have any required one, they should request other to use theirs, and should sent the required piece of information for the equipment. Similarly both the organizations should ask their people to follow meeting guidelines such as dress code, they should request their people to be at the place 15 minutes earlier than the scheduled time.

Step 11. On the meeting day, both the companies should start and check their equipments 15 minutes prior the meeting. They should place all the required information in place, as well as keep the resource sharing system such as net meeting, meeting-place ready. They should also assign one person as the controller of equipments.

Step 12. Being an organizer of the meeting, company Q should initiate the meeting. If possible all of them should greet each other in their own language (in most cases it is just a single word) and vice versa. Company Q should show the enthusiasm, excitement of becoming a part of company U, similarly company U should show the welcome and gratitude.{Emotional Aspect}. Also they should introduce each other with their designation. (Generally it is good in video conferencing if everyone wears a tag of their name, so that it become easy to point out.)

Step 13. Both the sides should adjust their language accent, use simple sentences/words.

Step 14. Attendees from both side should take care of the following to make the meeting for effective.

• Less noise level in the room.
• At a time only one person should speak.
• Should address people by their names.
• Should not speak in their own language, during the meeting.
• Should not chatter, if someone else is speaking. etc
  

Step 15. Equipment controller should take care few following things to make session more interactive.

1. Camera should always focus on the person who is speaking.
2. If complete room is not being covered by single camera, time to time different views should be used, it keeps audience engaged.
3. Noise level in the room.
   

Step 16. After the end of the meeting, a general email (minutes of meeting) of conclusions, decisions, discussions should be sent over to all attendees by company Q.

Session 5: Video Conferencing - A new look.

Cisco Telepresence Magic: A new innovation in video conferencing world. Have a look, it is worth watching.

References
[1] Website - www.youtube.com

Session 5. video conference

Video Conference


Session 5

Your company are going to set up a video conference with another company (they bought your company) you are going to discuss how people will be re-assign some staff to other job.

Think of following element:

- preparation : which element you need to consider? (room and equipment)
- content : how will you structure the video conference? Will you send some material in
advance, will you have an agenda?
- Closing : what will be the planned outcome, what happens if you do not achieve it?

Use the ideas explored in today’s lecture
Write a narrative with the above elements in 300 words in your blog

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Video Conference Narrative

In order to make a video conference, a well preparation and organization on both companies is required to make sure everything will work properly. For instances, how is the sound? Where should the microphone position be placed to make the voice clear? How was the LAN to do the data transfer? How does the webcam? What the room lay out? So in this section, the company will check on the equipment such as decoder, modems, webcam, microphone, projector, network to ensure it will run as it should be.

A suitable time arrangement such as deciding on day, date, and time for both companies will be one of the most important things to do especially with the time differences and schedule between our company and another. However, it might be difficult to find a convenient time for both companies. Therefore, we have to be more flexible about the time and have a clear discussion about it with both perspectives previously by phone or email. We need to consider meet the convenient time for us might be the inconvenient to another.

Because we held the meeting from a distance, both companies have to make the meeting in a comprehensive way to avoid any unambiguous. In this case, material and agenda will be certainly useful to be spread beforehand as it will inform participants about what each to prepare. Our company will make sure that all the participants should have the access of our employee information that will be shifted in advance, to give them a process to learn and make a consideration about it. The information will include their detail to gives a view of who they are, how their performance in our company, what are their achievement, etc. We also will use agenda to organize our meeting so it will not waste the time and keep the participant stay on focus. It also gave the participant a gist about how the meeting will happen and certainly it will give them a process to learn about the meeting schedule itself. To prevent a noisy along a meeting, the meeting will be conducted by a chairman on both sides. However, the other participants will be also welcome to speak up their opinion and added their point of view during the meeting.

After all the preparation are finished and the video conference ready to be held, what will happen on the meeting are both sides will introduce each other, who are the participants and their role on the company. After it finished, our company will explain about the agenda of meeting. We will introduce the employee background (from the slide) and give the other company some perspective about it. Then, our chairman will give the reason or reference why they are being shifted and how we will use the approach. Finally, we will do an open discussion about it, hearing what other side perspective, and it will lead us to the conclusion at the end. Nevertheless, there is always a failure possibility in order to deliver the information from video conference although the preparation had been done properly. If this happen, the chairman could speak each other in a closed discussion afterwards or they arrange to make a real meeting.