Prototyping for user research

Hi again! This is an update of what I’ve been up to for half of week 40 (took two days off because of my move to Malmö!), up until now (Wednesday week 41). I’ve been making prototypes using Figma. The purpose of creating these prototypes is to be able to aid me in user research, when I investigate patterns of interactive behavior when users that will undergo my study try to behave with these interfaces when they’re not allowed to use touch.

Basically, my idea is to create different interfaces (in different contexts, and different service procedures), and ask interviewees to behave accordingly. I will display an interface in front of them, observe how they behave with it, and try to wizard of oz their behavior and help control the interface manually, I don’t really know exactly how it will be carried out but for now that’s my idea. For example, if a tester decides to use their thumb as an “air cursor”, I’ll try to use the cursor and follow their thumb, pretending that there’s some sort of AI behind the camera but it’s just me 😉 mostly I’m interested in their first instincts of behaving, eg, raising up their hand or fingers? nodding? pointing? waving?

The four contexts I’ve chosen are flight infotainment screens, grocery store waking a screen and also scanning/payment, navigating a ticket buying booth, as well as an info kiosk in a mall. From tomorrow (Friday w41) onwards for a week, I’ll be testing these interfaces with people an analyzing the results as I go. With these interfaces, I can even just iterate on them and maybe eventually using them as final prototypes.

How do I know when I’m “done” with these prototypes? Thomas asked. I’m definitely a finisher, so I would say that when it’s pretty enough, and the functionality works. Basically I would want it to look and mimic the real thing as well as possible. But for this part, I felt done when I got all the “procedures” in, meaning, enough so that I can properly observe how people interact in these specific contexts. (infotainment: reaching to the movie playing screen, ICA: up to screen when payment is complete, Info mall map: where all the buttons I offered on main interface can be “interacted” with > clicking on stores listed / zooming in and out of map, and finally when you’re able to navigate to checking your time and prices for the train tickets).