Many methods have been developed and adapted to help designers to understand, empathise with, and quantify users' situations, both through direct user involvement and more indirect use of user data. These methods vary widely, with different goals and suited for use in different situations. However, designers often find it difficult to select the most appropriate for their needs, often leading to inappropriate method use. We therefore propose a framework to help designers to make informed decisions about methods. The framework identifies the key information needs of designers in making these decisions, based on observations, interviews, card-sorting studies and a literature review. We further discuss how the framework may be populated, giving an example and discussing key issues.
@inproceedings{good*08c,
Author = {Goodman-Deane, J. and Langdon, P.M. and Clarkson, P.J. and
Clarke, S.},
Title = {User involvement and user data: A framework to help designers
to select appropriate methods},
year = 2008,
month = Apr,
BookTitle = {CWUAAT 2008},
pages = "23--34",
Address= {Cambridge, UK},
Publisher = {Springer},
Keywords = {methods-selection, methodology, user centred, user involvement,
information, design-models},
comment = {Presentation of a framework to help designers to make
informed decisions about methods for direct user involvement and more
indirect use of user data. This initial paper identifies the key
information needs of designers in making these decisions, based on
observations, interviews, card-sorting studies and a literature
review. We further discuss how the framework may be populated, giving
an example and discussing key issues.}}
Joy Goodman-Deane