LUMA Institute - Innovating for People Handbook of Human-Centered Design Methods

Innovating for People Handbook of Human-Centered Design Methods Everyone designs who devises courses of action aimed at changing existing situations into preferred ones. HERB SIMON Nobel Laureate in Economics This is your essential resource for innovation. Its a collection of methods for practicing Human-Centered Designthe discipline of developing solutions in the service of people. The thirty-six methods in this handbook are organized by way of three key design skills: Looking, Understanding, and Making. We invite you to develop these skills in earnest and work with others to bring new and lasting value to the world. 2012 LUMA Institute, LLC and its licensors. 2012 LUMA Institute, LLC and its licensors.

All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. First edition, July 2012 No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. Published by LUMA Institute, LLC, Four Gateway Center, 444 Liberty Avenue, Suite 1600, Pittsburgh, PA 15222. ISBN 978-0-9857509-0-9 CONTENTS Looking ................................................................................ Methods for Observing Human Experience ETHNOGRAPHIC RESEARCH Interviewing ..........................................................................................

Fly-on-the-Wall Observation ................................................... Contextual Inquiry .......................................................................... Walk-a-Mile Immersion ............................................................. PARTICIPATORY RESEARCH Whats on Your Radar? ............................................................... Buy a Feature ...................................................................................... Build Your Own ................................................................................

Journaling ............................................................................................. EVALUATIVE RESEARCH Think-Aloud Testing .................................................................... Heuristic Review ............................................................................ Critique .................................................................................................... System Usability Scale .............................................................. CONTENTS (CONTINUED) Understanding ...................................................

Methods for Analyzing Challenges & Opportunities PEOPLE & SYSTEMS Stakeholder Mapping ................................................................. Persona Profile ................................................................................. Experience Diagramming ...................................................... Concept Mapping ........................................................................... PATTERNS & PRIORITIES Affinity Clustering ......................................................................... Bulls-eye Diagramming ..........................................................

Importance/Difficulty Matrix ............................................. Visualize the Vote .......................................................................... PROBLEM FRAMING Problem Tree Analysis ............................................................... Statement Starters ........................................................................ Abstraction Laddering ............................................................... Rose, Thorn, Bud ...........................................................................

Making ............................................................................... Methods for Envisioning Future Possibilities CONCEPT IDEATION Thumbnail Sketching ................................................................. Creative Matrix ................................................................................ Round Robin ...................................................................................... Alternative Worlds ........................................................................ MODELING & PROTOTYPING Storyboarding ...................................................................................

Schematic Diagramming ........................................................ Rough & Ready Prototyping ................................................ Appearance Modeling ............................................................... DESIGN RATIONALE Concept Poster .................................................................................. Video Scenario ................................................................................. Cover Story Mock-up ..................................................................

Quick Reference Guide ............................................................. vi Looking Methods for Observing Human Experience Innovation begins and ends with people. It calls for keen and caring observation. LOOKING The disciplined practice of Human-Centered Design involves careful investigation. It requires curiosity, objectivity, and empathy. You need to engage all of your senses (looking, listening, and so forth) in pursuit of meaningful findings.

This page intentionally left blank. CATEGORIES OF LOOKINGETHNOGRAPHIC RESEARCH Stepping out of your native environment to learn what people do in the places they inhabit is a great way to discover opportunities for innovation. The methods in this grouping are good for studying human behavior in its natural setting. Interviewing Fly-on-the-Wall Observation Contextual Inquiry Walk-a-Mile Immersion PARTICIPATORY RESEARCH Innovators offer solutions that people dont even know they want. This cluster of methods allows you to engage with your intended audience by equipping them with creative ways to express themselves. If you pay close attention youll discover critical and latent needs.

Whats on Your Radar? Buy a Feature Build Your Own Journaling EVALUATIVE RESEARCH When you look at things critically, with an eye toward improvement, you set your course in the direction of making things better. These methods are good for assessing the usefulness and usability of solutions meant to serve people in new and better ways. Think-Aloud Testing Heuristic Review Critique System Usability Scale ETHNOGRAPHIC RESEARCHLOOKING: Interviewing A technique for gathering information through direct dialogue Methods for Observing Human Experience PEOPLE GENERALLY enjoy telling stories about their experiences. A good interview helps you take advantage of this natural inclina-tion in order to gather valuable information. Interviewing gives you an opportunity to speak directly with the people who can help you make informed decisions. Through these interviews you gain a better sense of people and their views of the world by subtly eliciting their true feelings, desires, struggles, and opinions through a few carefully crafted questions.

An additional sensitivity to the unplanned and unscripted aspects of an interview can allow for equally illuminating discoveries. A good interviewer needs to be attuned to the interviewee to know when to probe for more information, when to redirect the conversation, and how to parse what is meant