CSE 440 - Introduction to HCI - Autumn 2024

Assignment 2.2: Design Research Check-In

Due: Thursday, October 17, 3:00pm

This assignment is a component of Milestone 2. Be sure you have reviewed that larger context for this assignment.

The goal of this assignment is to begin your design research, reflect on what you observe and learn, and iterate in your approach as you continue in additional design research.

Complete at least two design research activities prior to this check-in. If you have completed more than two design research activities, you may include findings from additional completed activities. These will not affect your score on this assignment, but can allow you to receive additional feedback on your findings. You hopefully learned something about the needs of people who might use a design. You may have also learned about effectively conducting your design research.

For each completed research activity, provide details of participants and method, followed by a set of specific findings.

  • What did you do?

    • For example, who you interviewed or observed, why their background or context makes them relevant.
    • What method you employed, including some of the most relevant details. You will not be able to describe your entire method, so convey aspects of your method that are most important to understand as context for your findings.

  • What did you learn?

    • List six specific findings based on what you heard, learned, or observed (e.g., specific breakdowns, problems, opportunities, tasks, or tensions you uncovered).
    • In support of each finding, provide specific evidence collected in your design research.

We expect findings to be short but concrete, complemented with direct evidence from an activity. Each finding should be structured as a short summary statement, followed by more direct evidence that informed or supports the finding (e.g., a participant quote, a contrast between two participant quotes, a description of a critical incident in an observation).

Note that we fully expect you will need to iterate in your design research method, as design research can be difficult to get right and important topics are often left unresolved. For example, you might iterate in your method as you gain more experience with it, might iterate in your method because you find an element of it is not effective, or might iterate because a finding evolves your understanding of your research questions.

Be sure to keep notes on how and why you evolve and iterate in your design research method. Milestone 2 report will ask you to reflect on your method in the context of your findings.

Submission

Due: Thursday, October 17, 3:00pm

Within the Drive folder for course project files:

  • Identify the Slides deck corresponding to this assignment for your group. The deck provides a template for this assignment. Edit the deck in-place, so that you can easily share it in critique.

  • Prepare a Slides deck with the following structure:

    For each design research activity (at least 2):

    • 1/2 slide: Participant details.
    • 1/2 slide: Method details.
    • 3 slides: 6 design research findings (i.e., 2 per slide).

Reminders and requirements:

  • Submission via Canvas is also required, in support of grading.

    • Remove instruction slides and template markings from your deck before submission.

    • Export a PDF of your deck, via the menu: File -> Download -> PDF Document (.pdf).

  • This is a group submission. Ensure your section and names of all group participants are appropriately clear.

  • Review and follow guidance on Clarity and Presentation.

  • Names of participants should be replaced with pseudonyms in all documents. It is important to protect participant anonymity, even in the case that reporting seems harmless.

The Drive folder for course project files is here:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Sm12CpuMNsKBqk6E_Ri875hfFs0A-IRS?usp=drive_link

Submit via Canvas here:

https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/1746586/assignments/9730293

In Class

Be prepared to discuss your design research process and findings.

Completion Grading

This assignment will be graded on completion of 3 components:

  1. Participant and Method Details

    Provide details that convey why participants are relevant.

    Convey aspects of your method that are most important to understand as context for your findings.

  2. Specific Findings and Supporting Evidence

    Present specific findings based on what you heard, learned, or observed.

    In support of each finding, provide specific evidence collected in your design research.

  3. Clarity and Presentation

Prior Samples

Samples are from prior offerings that had different requirements. Samples are also intended only to illustrate a variety of approaches, and were not selected to be ideal or exemplary. These may help to see how prior students approached elements of a project, but be sure to understand and consider requirements and feedback in your own work.