Kicker is a brand of audio equipment, and its products include audio in car, home and marine. In order to design a sound system that would reach out to the public on a functional and an emotional level, our project team conducted a contextual inquiry into the everyday lives of people.

Define Target user group

Affinity Diagram

Definding the focus ...

Brain Storming

• Generation Y members• Profession: - College students - High school graduates• Age: 18 to 25 years old• Although active user of Internet

Target user group

TRANSCRIPTS

INTERVIEWS

INTERVIEW .

KICKER Audio System

• Lifestyle: - Lead a city life, live in apartments - Have part-time jobs (cafes, restaurants, college departments etc. ) - Drive secondhand cars - Spend most of their time with friends at theaters, malls etc. - Have atleast one gadget on them (cell phone, Ipod, Iphone )

CONTEXTUAL RESEARCH

WORK MODELS .

KICKER Audio System

Based on the videos and transcripts from the interviews, work models of the target user were built. These models help designers to discover the break downs in the process of using to be designed produts.

Flow Model contains the individuals involved, artifacts, the places, breakdowns and the informal processes and structures invented to get the work done.

Task Flow serves as an anatamy of the user’s work process, involving the artifacts, places, time and physical structure of the environment.

CONTEXTUAL RESEARCH

WORK MODELS .

KICKER Audio SystemCONTEXTUAL RESEARCH

WORK MODELS .

KICKER Audio SystemCONTEXTUAL RESEARCH

ANALYSE .

Aspects

Sca

le

Rate the importance of the following aspects when you buy a new audio system. Scale 1 to 5. 5=highest/best

Their preference of the portability of their devices, their way of living in temporary settlements further provided us with evidence regarding their need for smaller, compact and portability-wise enhanced sound systems.

Persentage of various audio systems use

which audio system fits your current living condition

How long have you been living in the current house

Headphone VS. Speaker Prefer to use portable audio system

Radio7%

CD Player9%

PC12%

MP3 Player34%Laptop

38%

Speakers76%

Headphone 24%

Yes82%

NO18%

An online survey was send to 81 indivuduals. Based on the survey, we came to conclusions and had some of our previous hyperthesis proved.

KICKER Audio SystemCONTEXTUAL RESEARCH

Computer speakers

60%

Home theater23%

portable audio82%

Boom-box4%

car audio2%

2 years18%

4 years 2%

5 year 2%

> 5 years8%

less than 1 year 70%

CULTURE PROBE .

A Cultural Probe is a method of investigating the life and the varied perspectives members of a target group have over time. Through a kit provided, the participants are made to use the contained items over a period of days so as to bring in minimalistic intervention and a more realistic point of view of each person.

Participant A Participant B

KICKER Audio SystemCONTEXTUAL RESEARCH

CULTURE PROBE .

FINDINGS: Design Opportunities

SimplicityFunctionality

CompactPortable

Cord-ReelWireless

Mobile Speaker

that can accessorize with

laptop,backpack and bicycles

Green Speaker

use the solar or bio-kinetic power

ScreenVisualbility

A soudsystem

caters to

home,school,travel

needs

A soudsystemthat can be

coneected to

computer,music player,game devices

KICKER Audio SystemCONTEXTUAL RESEARCH