Cultural Probes

– an experimental method for research insight

by Malene Lyng Jørgensen, Lori Webb and Kikki Nielsen

A paper by Bill Gaver, Tony Dunne and Elena Pacenti at the Royal College of Art from the Journal Interactions, Volume 6, Issue 1, Jan./Feb. 1999. Describes a novel experiment to use "cultural probes" to better understand perspectives and problems among aging communities in Europe.

Abstract

The cultural probes method is an experimental research method used for the purpose of information gathering for design inspiration. Can one present this method as a sound research approach according to Sørensen’s definition and what are the points to substantiate or delineate from this definition. Is there additional information beyond Sørensen’s guidelines, which are relevant for reader comprehension for the methods usage.

Introduction

• Why is “cultural probes” interesting? It is a creative method for doing research through design – looking for ways to open new spaces for design.

Background for Cultural Probes

• A European Union-funded research project, “The Presence Project”, looking at novel interaction techniques.
• Looking for new approaches of inspiration and knowledge to be used in design projects

• New methods should facilitate exchange between the people who experience products, interfaces, systems and spaces and the people who design for experiencing. (Touch me, Hit me s.2)

• The method was developed as a way to lead a discussion with a group toward unexpected ideas without dominating the group.
• The approach acts as a design intervention that elicits inspirational material while avoiding the understood social roles of researchers and researched - familiarizing with the “researched” similar to ethnographic research methodology.

Introduction to cultural probes

• A cultural probe is a information gathering package which in the case of Gaver, Dunne and Pacenti contained i.e. postcards, a camera, questionaires etc.
• The probes are handed out to the user/target group – an open way to involve the user group and their ideas and thereby to get to know them better (instead of using surveys or interviews)
• The original usage of the probes were for design inspiration rather than information but in 2002 the probes are currently also being used for information gathering. Hemmings, A. et al.

• The probes are not to be used exclusively but, as an integral part of the design process
• Designing context for experience.

• Actions as the source of information to get to emotions: Trying to reach an impressionistic account of beliefs and desires, aesthetic preferences and cultural concerns (the goal is NOT to reach an objective view of target/user group)

• The probes were part of a strategy of pursuing experimental design in a responsive way. They address a common dilemma in developing projects for unfamiliar groups and are a way of better understanding local cultures.
• A way to reach beyond the quantitative demographic data - being able to freely explore many different aspects.

Define Problem

· How can the method be used?

o It can be used to ascertain information in an unobtrusive manner, which then can be utilized as inspiration in the design process.

· What are the methods strengths and weaknesses?

o It gives insight and helps to overcome cultural, ethnographical and intimate boundaries in an unobtrusive way.

o There is a great risk that the results can be overly diffused and overly receptive too varying subjective interpretation.

Define Method

• An introduction of the probes is given to the user/target group

• The probes = a package containing an assortment of tasks – which could be maps, postcards, cameras, booklets (media diary and photo album) etc.
• Some of the items which the probe may contain:
• Postcards: (i.e. with questions on the back)
• The questions could i.e. concern the user/target groups attitudes towards their lives, cultural environments and technology.
• Why postcards? – They are an attractive medium for asking these sorts of questions because of their connotations as an informal, friendly mode of communication
• Maps: (i.e. a worldmap, local map etc.)
• Marking zones on a local map showing i.e. where they would go to meet people, to be alone etc.
• Why maps? – They were used with an accompanying inquiry exploring the user/target groups attitude toward their environment
• Camera: (disposable)
• Unassigned pictures and a list of requests for pictures such as: your home, something boring etc.
• Photo Album: Use a specific number of pictures to tell us your story.
• Media Diary (one week): Used by the user/target group to record their television and radio use, including what they watch, with whom, and when. Incoming and outgoing phonecalls, their relationship with the cakller, and the subject of the calls.
• The user/target groups are supposed to carry out a number of tasks and then return the different items from the probes.
• The probes are not designed to be analyzed or summarized upon – but the reflections are essential and relevant i.e. in design proposals.

Where it is relevant…

• if you need to know a group of people in a certain set of preferences
• if you need the users involved
• if you need other information than one you get just by talking with/observing the user group

• bridging the gaps between what we say and what we mean.

Constraints

• in bridging the gaps between what we say and what we mean through interpretation, the results can be incorrect.
• this method can’t stand alone

Define Problem Domain

• It can possible have a problem domain in all kind of sciences where you need to understand some one from more than just the words. So far the method has been used in the field of interaction design – more concrete for a design group working with the design of apartments for aging people in Norway, Holland and Italy.

Research Approach

• Based on the Harvard Business School research categorisation outlined in "The Information Systems Research Challenge" according to C.Sørensen, the Cultural Probes research approach falls under the first empirical analytical categorisation of Experimental Research (Benbasat,1989).

What Others Are Doing... a comparative


Cultural Probes
"The cultural probes-these packages of maps,
postcards, and other materials-were
designed to provoke inspirational responses
from elderly people in diverse communities.
Like astronomic or surgical probes, we left
them behind when we had gone and waited
for them to return fragmentary data over time.
The probes were part of a strategy of pursuing
experimental design in a responsive way.
They address a common dilemma in developing
projects for unfamiliar groups."


Other People..
Wensveen, S.A.G. Overbeeke, C.J. and Djajadiningrat, J.P
"Touch me, hit me and I know how you feel. A design approach to emotionally rich interaction."Proceedings of DIS'00, Designing Interactive Systems.(pp.48-53). Delft: Delft University of Technology


Usage and Derivation:

Probing the Probes:
Hemmings, T., Clarke, K., Crabtree, A., Rodden, T. and Rouncefield, M. (2002) "Probing the probes", The 7th Biennial Participatory Design Conference, Malmö, Sweden: Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility.

[PDC 2002: 7th Biennial Participatory Design Conference
Participation and Design: Inquiring into the Politics, Contexts and Practices of Collaborative Design Work
June 23-25, 2002, Malmö, Sweden]
http://pdc2002.interactiveinstitute.se/
http://www.cpsr.org/conferences/pdc2002/


Probe objects:
include cameras, household rules packs, a
pinhole camera, a family and friends map,
photogram paper, a domestic routine diary and
camera, a listening glass, a floorplan, a dream
recorder, a bathroom pad, a visitor's log and a
telephone pad.

Probe design activities (not necessarily in order)

1. Planning
2. Recruiting Participants.
3. Selecting Volunteers.
4. Assembling Domestic Probes.
5. Deploying Domestic Probes.
6. Retrieving and Analysing Probes.
7. Speculative Design.

http://www.mrl.nott.ac.uk/~axc/documents/PDC_2002.pdf


also checkout:
in Denmark
http://www.daimi.au.dk/edesign/text/alt_brug.pdf

at our own IT-C from F2001
http://www.it-c.dk/courses/UE/F2001/tasks/exercises/02/description.html


comments on cp incl. author interview
http://www.i3net.org/ser_pub/services/magazine/march98/art2.html
."There is a strong emphasis on user-centred research in Presence. "It's less important that a method is scientifically sound, than that it be effective," said Elena Pacenti from the Domus Academy's design team. It is more important that research generates new ideas and stimulates the creative process. Getting at what people want and need - even if they are not aware of or able to articulate this themselves - is the primary goal.

Design scenarios can proactively anticipate or discover needs people did not realise they had. One novel technique for eliciting a more impressionistic understanding is the 'cultural probe', a term coined by Tony Dunne and Bill Gaver from the RCA's CRD department for packages given to the three communities of older users.

Containing maps, postcards and disposable cameras, the probes gave people tools and prompts: they were asked to return pictures and stories of how they saw themselves situated in their social and physical milieu. The data returned is used to help break down the stereotype of 'needy old people' by focusing on the richness and variety of their lives."

Old Users, New Insights
Jules Marshall
Netherlands Design institute
jules@design-inst.nl


http://www.multimedia.au.dk/~pold/medie.html

Biographical/CV

BILL GAVER
w.gaver@rca.ac.uk

Bill Gaver is a Senior Research Fellow at the Royal College of Art in London. He gained his Ph.D. in experimental psychology for work on everyday listening, which he applied in the form of auditory icons for Apple Computer and Xerox EuroPARC. Over time, he became increasingly interested in broader issues concerning mediated social behaviour, helping to develop EuroPARC's mediaspace (an audio and video communications network) and developing several experimental systems for supporting social activities over distances.

For the last five years, he has been pursuing research as a designer at the RCA, leading the Psychosocial Design group, concerned with finding new cultural and emotional territories for digital devices. Projects have included the Schedule Project, with Apple Computer; the Presence Project, with Tony Dunne, and the Appliance Design Studio, with Heather Martin.

Gaver has published and lectured extensively, and consults internationally for a number of clients. 

ANTHONY DUNNE
a.dunne@rca.ac.uk

Dr Anthony Dunne is a Senior Research Fellow in Computer Related Design and a Senior Tutor in Design Products at the Royal College of Art, London.
He is also a partner in the design practice Dunne & Raby. His background is in Industrial Design and Interaction Design. He was recently awarded an honorary visiting Professorship by Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design, London.

ELENA PACENTI
pacenti@domac.it

Elena Pacenti, architect and PhD in Industrial Design, since 1995 Elena Pacenti works as service designer and interaction designer at the Domus Academy Research Center (DARC). She deals with the design of services, design of service interfaces, design of new media for everyday use and design for elderly. Her role in the Klee&Co project is to coordinate the DARC design team and keep relations with other partners. Parallel activity in DARC included coordination of other I3 research projects, like "Presence" and "Campiello". She's responsible for the service design area and developed research projects in the area of services and new technologies for private and governmental entities in Italy and Europe.

References and ”citing” of relevant research

Summation

Sources

• William Gaver (Royal Institute of Art, London): Cultural Probes &Johan Redström (Interactive Institute, Göteborg): Informative Art.
• Litt: Johan Redström et al: "Informative Art: Using Amplified Artworks as Information Displays", in: Proceedings of Designing Augmented Reality Environments (DARE) 2000, ACM Press, 2000.
• William Gaver & Anthony Dunne: "Projected Realities, Conceptual Design for Cultural effect.", in Proceedings of CHI '99, 1999, p. 600-607.
• William Gaver & Heather Martin: "Alternatives, Exploring InformationAppliances through Conceptual Design Proposals", in Proceedings CHI 2000,2000, p. 209-216.
• Of additional interest:
  http://www.hum.au.dk/ckulturf/pages/archive/conferences/digitalisering.html
  http://www.ntticc.or.jp/pub/ic_mag/ic014/huhtamo/huhtamo_e.html