Observer Briefing [Client]

Innovation Games Focus Groups Briefing for [Client] Observers

Prepared by Nancy Frishberg, Ph.D. – January 2009

Feedback from Users Is

•  Helpful to improving products •  Surprising in content •  Easy to collect •  Challenging to interpret •  Worth gathering at every stage of

product development

2 Prepared for [Client] by Nancy Frishberg, Ph.D.

Traditional Focus Groups

•  Moderator uses script to stimulate discussion •  Participants report their behavior and preferences

–  We find out how they want to appear –  They influence one another –  Vocal participants stifle less assertive ones

•  Ideas which are not in the script may be missed •  Observers sit behind mirrored glass with no direct

contact with participants


Design Games

•  Games can shed light on issues such as –  What customers donʼt like about your product –  Customerʼs definitions and dimensions of success –  Time of day and context of use –  Priorities for features –  Important artifacts created using your product –  Hidden needs and essential functions


Goals for the February 2 & 3 Design Games

•  Present proposed features of a cellphone + web plan to support personal program for weight loss and increased physical activity –  Which combination of features is desired? –  Which are higher priority, which are less preferred?

•  Invite participants to project themselves into a successful future and describe their steps to success (in an imagined progress through the program) –  Learn about their ideas of key milestones, barriers


Participants

•  All ages (20’s - 60’s), diverse professions, mix of men and women in all groups

•  All have stated desire to lose weight and increase physical activity

•  Two groups Spanish-speaking (probably bilingual, Mexican or Mexican-American); two group English-speaking (unknown other languages, cultures)


February 2009 – 4 Sessions

•  Monday, February 2 –  8:30 - 11:30 am (English Speakers) –  5:30 - 8:30 pm (Spanish Speakers)

•  Tuesday, February 3 –  8:30 - 11:30 am (Spanish Speakers) –  5:30 - 8:30 pm (English Speakers)


Agenda for a Session

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Game: Buy a Feature

•  Divide group into 2 for each session –  Get more data about

willingness to invest in features

•  Dollar amounts assigned to each feature –  not directly tied what the

program will cost •  Observe order of

purchase by whom –  Collaboration & reasoning

•  Results expected –  Assess which features to build or

offer first; which to offer later or not build

–  Understand multiple motivations for preferring the same feature

–  Predict usage patterns for product as contributed by cross-cultural, age, sex (and other demographic) factors & individual behaviors


Game: Remember the Future •  People work individually •  They contribute items

phrased in the “past tense” to describe

–  progress toward goal –  specific difficulties in making

changes •  Items are placed on timeline

divided into monthly intervals “Tried a new fruit this week” “Missed my treadmill

appointment, but took a walk on the beach”

•  Review at end of set time

•  Results –  [Client] understands more

about changing habits of diet and exercise from the participant’s perspective

–  Participants begin to visualize success in steps rather than solely a start and an end point

–  Dimensions introduced in previous game are re-mixed by participants

•  Technology involvement •  Timing of prompts •  Peer support •  Professional guidance


[Client] Staff and Friends as Observers

•  In the room with participants •  No direct spoken interaction with participants*

–  No corrections, clarifications, discussion •  Typically, one Observer plays role of “bad

wedding photographer” with digital camera –  We are limited to photos that do not identify

individuals –  We will document end results


* Ice-breaker game “Human Treasure Hunt” is the exception

Role of Observers

•  Capture specific verbal and non-verbal behavior –  Quotes from participants –  Side remarks of participants –  Reactions to speakers –  Actions (including laughing, head-shaking, pointing, etc…)

•  One observation per notecard –  You may need more than one notecard to record your

observations about a single interaction –  Let each card stand by itself (completeness)


Observers DO

•  Identify who said what about which items

•  Record reactions by whom to what

•  Refer questions to Nancy (and Tyler) and/or Sarah


Donna: “I hate vegetables” (in response to item urging her to try new foods)

Ramon grunted and shook his head when Maria offered to buy “group exercise sessions”

Observers DON’T •  Make interpretations

•  Judge the participants

•  Join the group to “help” or “fix something” or “just explain a little”

•  Wander in and out of the room


The daily reminders should be thrown out because Group 3 hates them.

Jaime obviously has unrealistic weight-loss goals, so why should we listen to him?

Expected outcomes

•  Shared and deepened understanding of consumer engagement with digital technology (cell phone, text, web, photos) in service of self-reported goals

•  Confirmation and surprises about beliefs, behavior, and values related to weight-loss and exercise

•  Differences and similarities among men/women; English/Spanish speaker; age groups; occupations; etc.


Debriefing

•  Immediate (~30 min after each session) –  Quick impressions, review notecards, start to categorize,

note points of agreement and disagreement (both for participants and observers)

•  Soon thereafter (within the following week) –  Nancy will catalog all materials (cards, photos) and will

prepare summary for [Client] review


Questions?

Your turn…

Prepared for [Client] by Nancy Frishberg, Ph.D. 17

Nancy Frishberg [email protected]

Observer Briefing [Client]

Design

Transcript of Observer Briefing [Client]