Interaction Design Method - Cultural Probe

ASSIGNMENT 8 | Broken Probes
| Jernettie Burney, Sourjya Sinha Roy, Melissa Tang

1
Target User Group and Research Objectives
For this project, we decided to focus on pre-loss (the emotional experiences
before loss is encountered.). We wanted to focus on the connections and
emotions experienced between two people before they are separated. The
separation could be caused for different reasons, but we chose to focus on
loss because of distance separation.
Our subjects are twin sisters who have never been separated since birth.
We decided to simulate a scenario in which they are graduating college and
moving to different cities. Since it is a hypothetical scenario, we decided to
ask them to reflect on the things they have done together in the past.
We are exploring the bond they have with each other. This way, we will get
a look into the relationship that people have, and it may explain why we feel
loss the way we do.
Note: We gave the each one probe with similar content and task.
CONTENTS
Target User Group 1
Overview 2
How to read this document 6
The Design Process 7
Probe content 8
Reflection 24

Overview of Probe Content
The package case is a travel bag. We have the contents below:
1. Boarding pass with instructions
2. A soft toy (worn)
3. A CD case
4. A picture frame and photo paper
5. Menus of restaurants
6. A notebook
7. A handmade movie slate
The package itself was also a worn object (deliberately)
Worn Objects
Carry-on bags: These bags in which held all of our probe objects were also worn. This bag
gave the subjects a more realistic feeling that their travel was real, especially when the bags
were first brought to them. Immediately we could see that they actually thought they were
leaving. Every time they would opened the probe bag, it would remind them that their time
with their sister is going by and as they complete the tasks they do so as a final token to their
sibling they they have never been separated from.
Stuffed dolls: Our worn objects consisted of the stuffed toys given for taking pictures in their
memorable places. These objects gave them a sense of reminiscing mainly because they
have not owned stuffed toys ever since entering adulthood. The dolls caused them to enter a
state of recollection much easier since toys have a genuine way of making a person want to
remember the past.
3
The Unboxing Experience
Top left: What the container looks like from the outside. We added travel stickers to make ti more aesthetic
Top middle: Item 1: The boarding pas is the first visible item. At this stage this is the only thing they can see
Top right: Special handles were created to reveal the contents. We see the use pulling on the handle
Bottom left: The user uses a flap to lift the cover
Bottom middle: The contents are revealed
Bottom right: All items are packed in groves to make it tidier and to provide a sequence of un-packing

The Unboxing Experience
In this picture we see that the items were packed away neatly. They were also arranged in a particular order, the items we
wanted them to reflect on towards the end were placed at the bottom, while the earlier reflective items were placed on the top.
We wanted them to reflect at first on the relationship they already had before they reflected on leaving them.
Bottom left: Item 5: Menus
Bottom middle: Item 6: Notebook
Bottom right: Item 7: Movie slate
Top left: Item 2: a soft toy
Top middle: Item 3: A CD case
Top right: Item 4: A picture Frame
5

How to read this document
Since there were repetitions in explanation, we decided to merge the
sections together.
We start by talking about the design process of the bag and what we
were hoping to get out of it.
We then look at the design of the package and how the users reacted to
it. The reflection on how we could have done it better is then explained.
We then look at each item in the probe, the rationale for that particular
item, followed by what the users did with it and our reflection on that
item.
At the end, we reflect on the entire package and the insights we got
regarding pre-loss. Then we critique culture probe as a method.
The design process
We tired to figure out our own take of the project. Since loss and grief
were very open ended, we affinity diagrammed to figure out what areas
of loss we were interested in.
We were not really interested in dealing with very heavy emotions and
wanted to explore emotions and connections people have before they
lose something.
After we narrowed down on what we were exploring and once we knew
who the subjects were, we quickly created a short summary on who
they were based on questions we asked them.
We wanted to craft a culture probe that was more meaningful for them
in the hopes to provoke deeper reflections.
We broke down possible areas of loss due to travel and concepted
several ideas. We then selected the ones we liked the most based on
our understanding of the users.
Top: Part of an Affinity
Middle: Idiation
Bottom: Sketches
Background: Working together
7

Probe Container: Travel Bag
Rationale:
We chose a travel bag because people
already know what it is used for. We also
used bags that had traveled around and
have tags from previous flights. This way
the container itself was a worn object
and had the power to provoke the user
into thinking that this was real.
Reactions and Perception of Subjects:
The subjects when first given the package
were very intrigued at the way they could
open up the package and were surprised
when the package was brought in the
form of a carry-on bag.
They both commented on how “the
suitcase made it feel real” even when
they knew it was not. Jeane claimed that
she knew the project was not real, but at
the same time it got her to think that if it
were, “what would I do?”
They also liked how we
compartmentalized the bag. Jeane
reflected on opening the bag and seeing
the ticket first and then she had to open
the secret compartment to get to her
personal items, and she felt that it made
it more personable to her.
Reflection:
The suitcase was provocative as a
container. It made the project seem
realistic.
Overall, we were satisfied with container
and the reaction they got from it.
9

11
Probe Content: Boarding Pass with Instructions
Rationale:
The moment you open the probe/bag,
you see the boarding pass. It was crafted
specifically for each individual, with their
names and destination. On the back of
the pass were instructions as to what
they were supposed to do with the
remaining items.
We wanted them to only see the
boarding pass at first. This would give
them an opportunity to understand the
project but more importantly understand
that they were leaving their sister for the
first time.
They both liked the boarding pass, “First
of all the thicket with my name on it, the
time and the date, made me feel like I
was going for real.” Jeane even said the
boarding pass helped her remember
what she needed to do.
Joyce thought that the items in the pack
“made it feel like I was leaving and I was
preparing to go”.
Reflection:
The boarding pass was another way of
trying to make the scenario feel more
real and it did its purpose.
However, the boarding pass did not
serve any other purpose. Joyce made
the boarding pass her own and decided
to add her picture on it. We could have
had some sort of interaction with the
boarding pass to maybe get more
reflection from them.

13
Probe Content: Soft Toy
Rationale:
Through this object, we wanted the user
to reflect on places they like to visit with
their sibling (and get an idea of what they
like to do together). This was another
worn object. The idea was to replace
their sibling with this toy. We wanted
them to take a picture with the toy in a
location that either they both like to visit
together, or a place the user wants to
take her sister. this would get them to
reflect on the time they had together.
The open ended instructions made their
interpretations interesting. Jeane focused
on areas they wanted to visit together
and created Photoshoped images,
whereas Joyce focused on places they
had visited together and gave a collection
of images of them together in Chicago.
Reflection:
The open ended prompt with this
provided two different reflections.
It did give us an idea of what they wanted
to do and what they did, however, it
did not really bring out the connection
between the sisters all that much.
This did not really provoke a strong bond
between the sisters compared to other
items.
Left: Jeane took her soft toy and put it in a location that she thought the two of them would visit
Right: Joyce submitted various pictures of themselves together in Chicago

15
Probe Content: A CD Case
Rationale:
Name songs that you enjoy listening
with your sister. Another way to provoke
the user to think about the time they
had together. This gives her a chance
to realize the things they have in
common. What they could miss about
each other and the memories that they
shared through the song. Perhaps some
memorable event happened when they
heard the song, or the song was played
at an important milestone in their life.
Whatever the reason, now that their
sister is leaving, when they hear the song
and recall those times, it cannot be the
same and they will associate the times
they had together with the song.
They both mentioned that this was a
hard task. Jeane sort of made it into
a “how well do you know your sister”
challenge. “I was trying to think of a song
she liked”. When they showed us the CD,
the first thing they did was to compare
the songs to see if they knew each other
well. They did have a lot of common
songs. This again made them reflect on
the time they had together and shows
us the bond that is created over time
and how being together creates similar
tastes.
Reflection:
We were hoping to see milestones, and
memorable events attached to the songs.
This did not come out through this item.
Although a different type of reflection
came out. We see that both of them were
more interested in trying to come up
with a list that would be important to the
other sister alone.
This was to an extent a surprise as we
did not expect this to be a difficult task
or that thought provoking. We can thus
say, that music plays an important part in
their lives as they wanted to get it right.
This also shows that bond between the
two sisters as they are willing to spend
time on each other.
Jeane’s album list

17
Probe Content: A picture frame
Rationale:
Both subjects were asked to print off
their favorite picture of their sister
and place it in the frame. The frame
represents preservation, to keep
something for a long period of time
without bringing damage to the item that
they are protecting: the memory of their
sister. The reasoning for asking them to
print off their favorite picture of their
sister is to make them question what is
it about their sister that the photo does
well to bring out the best in them.
Jeane used the picture her sister uses
all the time on facebook. She said she
would use this picture to remember her.
What is interesting is that Jean did not
understand why Joyce kept using the
picture of facebook all the time, although
she picked it because it reminded her of
Joyce the most.
Joyce picked a baby picture of Jeane.
They had a backstory regarding the
picture and how for a while they were
not sure if it was Jeane or Joyce in it.
What is interesting is that they both
picked pictures that were meaningful
in someway to them. It was the
connection they had they wanted to hold
onto. Something to remember the other
person’s personality by.
Reflection:
Just like the soft toy, this one also did not
provoke much thought.
It would be interesting to see what they
would have done had they not been
provided with any instructions. If we
had made this totally open ended, we
may have provoked very contrasting
reflections.
We got them to reflect on their
connection with each other, but it could
have been more provocative.
Left: Joyce adding a picture of Jeane as a child
Right: Jeane added a picture of Joyce that she uses all the time on facebook

19
Probe Content: Menus
Rationale:
Participants will have menus from
different Bloomington restaurants
where they will select different dishes
that they have enjoyed eating with their
sister or dishes they would want to eat
with their sister. This task will call for the
participants to focus both on not just the
dish but the memories that was shared
with their sister that made the dish much
more fulfilling. With also giving them
the option for selecting dishes that they
would like to share with their sister, it
makes them realize that graduation is
around the corner and that with the
potential of the sisters traveling to
different states, they must savor the time
that they have left before parting ways.
They were asked to select restaurants
they would take their sister too. Jeane
originally wanted to rank the restaurants,
but then only selected one. She picked
Buffalo Lowie’s because that is the one
restaurant Joyce always picks.
Ironically Joyce picked the same
restaurant because she thought its the
restaurant that would remind Jeane
of her the most. Although she did pick
Jimmy John’s as a second option to
which Jeane claimed “you do know me!”
This reflection could show that being
together creates similar tastes.
Reflection:
It did get them to reflect on each other
and their connection.
It also brought out the idea that living
together may create similar tastes and
likes (although not guaranteed).
We could have researched a little more
about them and provided them menus
to restaurants they had not visited.
This may have provoked very different
reactions.
Alternately, we could have asked them to
tell a story of a good or bad restaurant
experience to reflect on events that had
brought them together.
Our item did give us what we were
looking for, but this was sort of an
opportunity space to explore a lot more.
From the given menus they both selected the same one. In the above image you see how they were arranged in the box

21
Probe Content: A notebook
Rationale:
Both participants are movie script
writers. This notebook was given to them
with the task of writing a short script or
story to depict the scenario of how they
would tell their sister they would leave
and how their sister would react. For
writing movies, script writers must pan
out in their minds how a certain scenario
would play out and the believable
emotions that would take place in that
situation. The purpose of doing this is to
not only allow the participants to explain
the scenario in a fashion that would most
please them, but to put themselves in a
situation where they would have to think
very deeply and realistically of how they
would react to this scenario.
Since this item was left open ended, they
did it differently. Joyce wrote a script,
while Jeane wrote a story.
What is of note was that they both
created a very similar scenario even
though they worked on it separately.
They both created a scenario in which
they were told to move on a short notice.
Both of them agreed that it was the most
realistic because they tell each other
everything.
The other thing that stood out was
the fact that neither the story or the
script had any complications or strong
emotions in it. They claimed that they
were not the most emotional people,
and that they would feel happy for the
other person.
They both agreed that it would be
difficult for them to explain that
they were leaving, but they expected
the other person to be supportive and
understanding.
Reflection:
This was an interesting item, as it was
the first item that really made them
reflect on leaving their sister. Both of
them mentioned that they felt anxiety
in trying to explain the situation to the
other but at the same time expected
an unemotional reaction. They are very
supportive of each other.
This item was provocative in nature and
got them to reflect on how they would
feel more that how the other would feel.
Their anxiety shows how they feel about
each other. Even when they know the
other person is going to be supportive,
at some level they feel uncomfortable
telling the other that separation is
imminent.
It may have been better to ask them
to write a letter or note to the other
to explain the situation. This way we
could have seen more of the personal
reflection and how they personally felt
about leaving the other person.
Notebook in which they were asked to write a store or a script

23
Probe Content: A handmade movie slate
Rationale:
The movie slate contained the directions
for the task of the subjects making a
video to explain to their sister that they
are leaving. The slate was made in this
form primarily to keep the consistency of
using movie terminology but secondarily
to remind them of their dream and that
their dream is the reason of why they
must depart from their sister.
Jeane said that the video was the
hardest thing for her. If it was a real
scenario, she would not know what to
say. Joyce agreed with her. Both their
videos were quick short best of luck
videos. Both of them interestingly said
“call me when you get off the plane”,
which again shows the bond between
the two. Again they created a scenario
in which they had to leave quickly. This
shows again that they talk to each other
usually. Jeane said that she was trying
to be realistic and goofy. “you don’t say
goodbye!”.
They both said that the video was hard
to make, when we inquired further, they
said that they did not really know what
to say. They are not very emotional and
struggled with what they wanted to say.
So they ended up wishing each other
good luck.
This may show that accepting loss is
hard.
Reflection:
This was not a very compelling object as
far as sharing emotions goes, although
they both did struggle with it. They
struggled with it because they were
finding it difficult to express themselves.
What makes this item really interesting is
that it brought out a big insight for us.
Accepting loss is hard, even when it is
a hypothetical scenario. As far as the 5
stages of grief goes, they were either
in denial that everything would be the
same, or they were bargaining claiming
that they would have a place for each
other.
The last task. for videos go to https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B2rlN2HWFxEALXRmbHRzTkc2WE0&usp=sharing

Reflection: Culture Probe
It can highlight and reveal behaviors that a user otherwise may not have thought about.
We think a culture probe can be very useful for research that is more interested in seeing
how an individual or a group actually perceives their environment. If they take the time to
do something, it reveals something about them. If they don’t do something, it still reveals
something about them.
If not crafted properly, users may not be engaged. It is sort of similar to creating a rapport
with the user before an interview. Even if something is provocative, it may not excite the user
and no reflection may come about.
A lot of thought and time has to be spent on crafting the items. The level of thought that can
go into the construction may actually take more time than the user spends on it. There is a
risk involved that you may not get back what you are looking for. This is not necessarily bad,
in fact if you are exploring a culture that is completely new to you, this method can be useful
to see how they use items differently. It could even be used to test materiality of different
objects. Do people come up with novel ideas of using an item, or do they stick to what they
know? what if they have never used an item? what affordances does a foreign object have?
The information from a culture probe (as in our case) is not conclusive, but it does provide
avenue for future exploration.
25
Reflection: Broken Probes
Our take on the probe was to discover the connections between two people before loss is
encountered. From that point of view, our probe was pretty effective in highlighting the
bond between the sisters. The open ended instructions did provoke different reflections.
Some of the items did not provoke strong reactions as we had expected.
We provided several items with instructions and maybe next time we could have more open
ended items. It would give the subjects more freedom to explore the artifacts. If more items
were open ended, there would be a risk that they would not interact with some of the items,
but then again that would still tell us something about who they are and how they connect
with each other.
Problem Space
We definitely stepped away from loss and grief. We wanted to see how people experience
relationships. What was interesting, is that loss seemed to be foreign to their entire
relationship. When they interacted with the tasks, there was no sense of loss associated with
any of the tasks. They reflected on it truthfully, and realistically, and even admitted that it felt
real, but none of their reflections said they would miss each other, or recognize what
they are about to lose.
We understand the stages of grief and we believe that by nature people may have a
predisposition to not accept loss (at least for the sisters it seemed true). They reflected on
all that they have, but never on what they would miss. We realize that this may be because
our probe may not have provoked such reaction, but that is the point; without loss actually
happening, it does not seem to be something people realize or accept or even consider.
Denial seems to begin a long time before loss is actually felt. We feel that more information
regarding pre-loss may lead to designs that help people prepare for loss before it actually
happens.

Interaction Design Method - Cultural Probe

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