Formative User Engagement

# Formative User Engagement
Disability inclusion in design

cse482a: Fall 2026; Jennifer Mankoff (Last Edited: 2026-10-12). <a href="/courses/cse482a/26au/slides/formative.html">Live View: /slides/formative.html</a>

Important Reminder: check zoom & captioning

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                  <li><a href="#3">Inclusive Client Engagement</a> (Slide 3)</li>
                
                
              
            
          
        
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
    
    
    
    
  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
      
        
        
      
    
      
        
        
      
    
      
        
        
          
            
            
              
              
                
                  
                  <li><a href="#7">First Person Accounts</a> (Slide 7)</li>
                
                
              
            
          
        
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
    
    
    
    
  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
      
        
        
      
    
      
        
        
          
            
            
              
              
                
                  
                  <li><a href="#17">AEIOU</a> (Slide 17)</li>
                
                
              
            
          
        
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
    
    
    
    
  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
      
        
        
      
    
      
        
        
          
            
            
              
              
                
                  
                  <li><a href="#27">Disability Inclusion in Formative Studies</a> (Slide 27)</li>
                
                
              
            
          
        
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
    
    
    
    
  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
      
        
        
      
    
      
        
        
      
    
      
        
        
          
            
            
              
              
                
                  
                  <li><a href="#32">Milestone 1</a> (Slide 32)</li>
                
                
              
            
          
        
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
    
    
    
    
  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
      
        
        
      
    
      
        
        
          
            
            
              
              
                
                  
                  <li><a href="#42">Coming up</a> (Slide 42)</li>
                
                
              
            
          
        
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
    
    
    
    
  
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---
class: center, middle, inverse
# Announcements

---
class: center, middle, inverse
# Inclusive Client Engagement

---
## Learning Goals -- first person accounts
- Why is client engagement so important to inclusive design
- What is a first person account

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## Learning Goals -- AEIOU Framework
- Why engage with clients? Need finding.
- The AEIOU framework provides the questions you will try to answer as part of this.

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## Learning Goals -- Accessible experiment design
- How to structure your needfinding process
- How to interview 
- How to fill out the  AEIOU framework.

---
class: center, middle, inverse

# First Person Accounts

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## The importance of Lived Experience

Lived experience should be the basis for your design work.

To learn about this you must talk to people, or at least listen to them

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## First Person Accounts as Background Research

You need to do background research on the topic

This also helps to fill in gaps if you cannot find participants

This is also your [first individual assignment](../assignments/first-person/)

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## User Understanding Via First Person Accounts

A description of an accessibility technology *by a disabled person who uses it* (first-person experience)

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## First person account requirements
Sufficiently detailed to answer the following questions
  - What are the barriers and opportunities the person described?
  - What technology did they describe using?
  - How might what you learned extend beyond this specific person, disability and/or technology?

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## Paired Activity: Is it a first person account?

Write your answers down on a piece of paper.

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## First Person Account? (Ex 1)

???
- [No] AAC mealtime
  - The AAC user never addresses the audience
  - The  AAC user never comments on the experience of using it

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## First Person Account? (Ex 2)

???
- Kit Autie [describes why they use AAC and  ableist reactions they get when using it](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3YQ9F4SFAQ)
- Shows the variety of options available over specific strengths
- I learned that "*languaging*" is a multi-person activity in which people can co-create access (or create ableism around access)
- Costs have come way down!! (free with in-app purchases)

---
## [if time] First Person Account? (Ex 3)

???
- [No] Dynavox
  - It is highly scripted
  - It doesn't really review the device at hand
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## [If time] First Person Account? (Ex 4)

???
- [Borderline] Street crossing
  - City-produced video with first person account (see 2:10)
  - Limitations: Not universally available; Does not support DeafBlind 
  - Designed for people with visual impairments to cross the street

---
class: center, middle, inverse
# AEIOU
---
## AEIOU Framework
A framework for organizing data collection and data analysis.

- Activities: goal-directed sets of actions (1-3 tasks)
- Environments: Where do the activities take place?
- Interactions: Who are the players? What is the sequence?
- Objects: What objects do they use and how? Are any of them accessibility tools? 
- Users: Who do you need to observe to understand?

---
## Why organize this way?

Supports Design

- Activities help you focus your project on supporting specific tasks
- Environments help you account for externalities
- Interactions helps you structure the tasks in order
- Objects helps you smoothly relate to other software or hardware
- Users tells you which stakeholders you ned to support.

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## Activities: Which ones should you focus on?

- Core to the domain you are studying
- Well defined and concrete
- Cover a range of things that are of interest to your users

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##  Environments

Where do the activities take place?

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## Interactions

Who are the players?

What is the sequence?

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## How is intersectionality missing from A/E/I?
- Consider how, if at all, are clients’ full identities harmed, or supported, during these activities?
-  What structural forces, or assumptions, are at play regarding client identities?
- What biases or assumptions might impact the client during these interactions?

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## Objects
What objects do they use and how?

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## Users

Who do you need to observe to understand?

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## How is intersectionality missing from O/U?
- How are cultural identity, gender identity, and disability identity represented in these objects, if at all?
- What sort of power differentials exist in these interactions?

---
class: center, middle, inverse
# Disability Inclusion in Formative Studies

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## Needfinding: required component of milestone 1

You will need to interview 2-3 satkeholders about your project area

You should use these interviews to fill out an AEIOU table

This in turn will guide your design

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## How does one interview?

Establish rapport – just be friendly

Listen actively
- Full attention
- Show you are interested (nonverbal cues; questions)
- Paraphrase to make sure you understood
- Avoid jargon; be reflective

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## Interview structure

Ask an open ended question on the general topic (“how did you get interested in paddling”)

Ask ``AEIOU'' questions (we'll get to these)

Share something you learned and ask if you understood

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## Let's practice

Find a partner. Interview them about a holiday they celebrated while at UW

- Activities: Focus on 1-3 things they did to celebrate
- Environments: Where did they celebrate
- Interactions: Who & order of events important
- Objects: Objects & uses? Accessibility tools?

Intersectional takes: How, if at all, was your interview partners’ identities harmed, or supported, during these activities? How did assumptions made by UW impact them? etc.

---
class: center, middle, inverse

# Milestone 1

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## Pre-interview work

Add your first person accounts to the ``User Need'' section of your project `index.html'.

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## Setting up to Interview

- You will need to email people (``recruit'')
- You will need to consent people 
- Some of these people may be disabled

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## Recruitment: considerations

- How are you finding participants? 
- How will you compensate participants? (food often works well)
- How much do you know about the group your are targeting and what to expect from/of them?
- Will they see you as trustworthy?
- Are you giving them enough agency in the study process?

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## Consent

- Informed consent means that you tell people about the study, and give them a choice about whether to participate
- You should also give them permission to stop at any time.

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## Making the study accessible
- Are your recruitment materials accessible (i.e. how you advertise the study, your consent form)
- Is your consent form accessible
- Is your stdy  accessibility *for evaluators* and *for participants*?

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## Accessible Study Planning Workflow

- Identify *Users*
- Identify *Activity*
- Assign *Activity*
  - Access needs
  - Effects of familiarity
  - Personal preferences
  - Institutional constraints

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## Example Accommodations
- Communication: Need to support screen readers? interpreters? etc
- Materials: Braille? Tactile graphics? sensory concerns?
- Time: Does anyone on your team need to limit engagement length? Standing time? etc
- Space: Do you need to be outdoors? Oriented to easily see or hear each other?

---
## Further considerations

Ensuring that you address access needs and communication support from recruitment onward

When engaging with participants
- Don’t be overly sensitive (don’t overcompensate)
- Don’t rely on useless cues (audio/visual) to convey encouragement
- Monitor participant fatigue and overall affect
- Understand when to help and when to end a task if participants have trouble

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## Reflection

After the interview meet as a team to discuss interview results. You may also want to reflect on interview accessibility, power dynamics, and so on.

Document this in `LOG.md' where you keep notes about each user engagement

---
class: center, middle, inverse
# Coming up

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## First Person Account Assignment

[First Person Individual](../assignments/first-person)

- In class (if time): 
   - Watch a first person account
   - Does it qualify as a good example?
   - Answer the questions on Canvas
- At home: Do the same a second time
- Pick the best one
- Try the technology out yourself

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## First Person Accounts for milestone one

Each person on the team should find one

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## Interview clients

Find clients, interview them, and do an AEIOU Analysis

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## Storyboarding

(we'll discuss this more on Monday)