Lost in Privately-Owned Public Space: Agile Ethnography in New York's Secret Hidden Spaces

#lostinspace | @Chris_Holmes_UX 11


•Qualitative UX researcher•Brooklyn, NY•Archetypal middle child

• Lead guitar, 80’s hair metal• Los Angeles, CA•Alcoholic douchebag

Who is Chris Holmes?


What are POPS?


Challenges…• Scope

– 500+ spaces across all five boroughs of NYC.

• Methodology– No time and no budget.

• Recruitment– Finding a representative sample of users across a city of 7 million people.– Identifying users who could potentially be using these spaces but weren’t.

• Precedent– Could digital solutions solve real-world problems?– Would traditional qualitative research methodologies translate from the digital to the physical space?

• UX of meat space– What is the user experience of a physical space?– How do you qualify it / measure it / determine if it’s been improved?


“We don’t know how to find out about things we don’t know about.”

– Dana Chisnell, Convey UX 2013


The Methodology…


Ethnography…


Agile…


“How do we reconcile a labour intensive and detail oriented science like ethnography, which focuses on holistic

contextual understanding of people in a situation, with something like Agile, which has a structured approach to

quick and dirty development with shiny results?”

– Alicia Dudek, ‘Agile Ethnography: A proposition’http://aliciadudek.wordpress.com/2012/07/23/agile-ethnography-a-proposition/

Agile Ethnography…


Agile Ethnography…

Just f#cking do it!


Where to start?

Assemble research teamInterview stakeholdersExplore the spacesIdentify the usersEstablish the current user experienceUnearth the current problems


Everyone’s a Researcher…


Everyone’s a Researcher…

Cover more groundCollect more artifacts and user storiesShared knowledgeNo need for deliverablesInterns gained valuable field experience


The Spaces…The Spaces…


Top of the POPS…Top of the POPS…


Slop of the POPS…Slop of the POPS…


Unexpected Challenges…


Stakeholder Hostility…


Unexpected Challenges…

Stakeholder hostilityLack of awareness of rules of use by building owners and securityHow to analyze findingsNo time for deliverablesDiscovering new audiences and avenues of enquiry at every turnSize of the problem went way beyond digital


The Findings…


Advocates & Users• Social Media• Empty Space for use• About this Space• Map & Location Finder• Schedule of Events• Rate a Space• Report a Problem• Suggestions

Owners & Advocates• POPS case studies• Nearby vendor & local business guide for

potential partnerships• Press kit• Affiliated programs• Marketplace to rent/lend empty POPS space

City Government & Owners• Resource library with robust search & filters• Tips & ideas for updating a space• Directory of local developers, architects,

landscapers & designers• Rules & regulations for various types of POPS• Furniture ideas & options• Guidelines for maintaining POPS• Adopt a Space program• ROI calculator application

Owners & Users• Social media interaction• Reporting hotline• Suggestions and comments• Schedule of events• Photo gallery• Direct user feedback• Comparative rankings

Solution: Improve Relationships


Solution: Context of Use…Solution: Context of Use…


Solution: Centralized Resources…


The Outcome…


Link to POPS video:http://db.tt/lpQTFgPk

http://db.tt/lpQTFgPk

http://db.tt/lpQTFgPk


The Outcome…


Tips for Young Players…Tips for Young Players…


Tip 1:

Everyone’s a researcher


Tip 2:

Adjust your expectations


Tip 3:

Who the f#ck are you?


Tip 4:

The Frog March


Tip 5:

Soylent Green is people


Useful Techniques…

CGBs (Creepy Guy in the Bushes)The Noob Tube (or The Rookie Monster)Local Yokel (or Look Ma, I’m On TV)Boat Show Bikini TheoryIn the Pipe, 5x5 ($5 for 5 Minutes)


Resources…‘Privately Owned Public Space : The New York City Experience’, by Jerold S. Kaydenhttp://goo.gl/RelCSC

Privately Owned Public Space in New Yorkhttp://apops.mas.org/

Municipal Arts Societyhttp://mas.org/

http://goo.gl/RelCSC



http://apops.mas.org/

http://apops.mas.org/

http://mas.org/


Thank you…Acknowledgements:

Amaani HamidChris MichaudHuge Studio (Mea, Matt & Christian)Alexis Taylor, MASJerold Kayden, APOPS

E: [email protected]: @Chris_Holmes_UX

Lost in Privately-Owned Public Space: Agile Ethnography in New York's Secret Hidden Spaces

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