32405 Human-Centred Design Research Methods
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particular session, location and mode of offering is the authoritative source
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Subject handbook information prior to 2025 is available in the Archives.
Credit points: 6 cp
Subject level:
Postgraduate
Result type: Grade and marksThere are course requisites for this subject. See access conditions.
Anti-requisite(s): 41020 Human-centred Design Methods
Recommended studies:
It benefits students to be familiar with the basics of human-computer interaction, human-centred design and evaluation methods, and the principles and use of iterative design cycles of reflection, prototype (re)design and evaluation; familiarity with issues relating to data gathering and analysis is useful but not assumed
Description
When designing an interactive product, the designer should know who they are designing for and their needs, wishes and abilities. This is how human-centred design makes people central to the design process. There are many
human-centred design methods and several of them are touched on in other interaction design subjects. In this subject we give an overview of the breadth of these methods and focus on two different methods: interviewing and probes.
Interviewing is one of the most popular methods in human-centred design. The many reasons include the fact that interviewing provides direct information from interviewees, is relatively easy to do (though difficult to do well) and is inexpensive. The interviewing method is flexible in its use, exists in a large number of variations and can be used at any stage of the design process.
Probes, by contrast, is a design method that requires sets of props (probes) which are specifically created or collected to be issued to participants to elicit their response. This method is open and creative, and needs more preparation, but has the potential to generate inspirational responses that can inform design.
In this subject students implement both the interviewing method and the probe method, step-by-step through guidance. Students are given a brief to guide their interviewing and probe implementation. Examples are shared of different types of interview and probe methods, and the student can choose to implement the ones that fit their goal best. Students have to recruit their own study participants, at least three to interview and one for the probe study.
Subject learning objectives (SLOs)
Upon successful completion of this subject students should be able to:
| 1. | Demonstrate knowledge of human-centred design methods. (B.1) |
|---|---|
| 2. | Demonstrate an ability to plan, design and carry out small user research projects. (C.1) |
| 3. | Develop an analysis of the findings from user research suitable for use in professional projects. (B.1) |
| 4. | Explain results and outcomes to others in their cohort and to broader audiences through paper writing, poster and video presentations. (E.1) |
| 5. | Apply positive and respectful ethical practices, such as the AIATSIS Code and NHMRC’s ethical code for researchers. (A.1, B.1) |
Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)
This subject also contributes specifically to the development of the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs):
- Indigenous Professional Capability: FEIT graduates are culturally and historically well informed, able to co-design projects as respectful professionals when working in and with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. (A.1)
- Socially Responsible: FEIT graduates identify, engage, and influence stakeholders, and apply expert judgment establishing and managing constraints, conflicts and uncertainties within a hazards and risk framework to define system requirements and interactivity. (B.1)
- Design Oriented: FEIT graduates apply problem solving, design thinking and decision-making methodologies in new contexts or to novel problems, to explore, test, analyse and synthesise complex ideas, theories or concepts. (C.1)
- Collaborative and Communicative: FEIT graduates work as an effective member or leader of diverse teams, communicating effectively and operating autonomously within cross-disciplinary and cross-cultural contexts in the workplace. (E.1)
Teaching and learning strategies
Learning in this subject is comprised of three elements: self-directed study, class meetings (1.5 hours, 7 times), and practical tutorials (2 hours, 11 times). First and foremost, this subject requires a significant amount of self-directed study and work outside of class hours.
Self-study will include watching videos about the subject material and reading state-of-the-art papers on
human-centred design methods used in research, which will be made available through Canvas and the UTS Library. These should be studied as preparation before each class meeting.
The class meetings will be with both cohorts 32405 (PG) & 41020 (UG), and will include a mix of activities, such as presentations, Q&As, discussions, a quiz and an interview. The information offered during self-directed study and class meetings are necessary input for the students to be able to participate in the tutorials.
Tutorials will be with smaller groups,and are designed to support and guide the students through the necessary steps to implement human-centred design methods for the main deliverables. Students are encouraged to discuss, critique, and learn from each other. Tutors are available to stimulate such discussions and provide guidance and formative feedback.
Interactivity, as in conversation between teaching staff and students, is important in this subject. Students are highly encouraged to ask and answer questions, be active and proactive, for example by sharing things they have learned (both in class meetings as well as tutorials). The more interactive each class meeting or tutorial is, the more the students will learn (especially the ones being interactive), but also the better the teachers can tailor the subject material to the students’ needs. Therefore, it is in the students’ interest to participate in class.
Please note that:
- Students are expected to carry out reading for the subject before and during its delivery. It is highly recommended to read beyond the provided materials.
- This subject is intended to give students practical experience in user research projects using methods widely used in industry and academia. Most of the actual research and the preparation of data for analysis will be done outside of class time. In class students will be guided through the set-up of these projects, they will be prepared for a practice run, which will be discussed in class, all preparing them to head off and execute the project themselves. Again, in class it will be explained how to analyse the findings, they will try one example together, to then analyse their own findings outside of class.
Students will be expected to produce work of significant depth.
Content (topics)
Throughout the session students will become familiar with the following topics:
- Interviewing
- Probes
- Ethics in user research
- Recruiting and engaging with participants
- Analysis of qualitative research data
- Reporting and communication of research findings, both in written and visual material
Assessment
Assessment task 1: Quiz on subject
| Intent: | To provide students with an awareness of human-centred research methods as taught in this subject. |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses the following subject learning objectives (SLOs): 1, 2 and 5 This assessment task contributes to the development of the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs): A.1, B.1 and C.1 |
| Type: | Quiz/test |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 10% |
| Length: | 1 hour |
| Criteria: | 1. Demonstrated knowledge of the subject through preparation and teamwork |
Assessment task 2: Poster on interviews
| Intent: | To provide students with the opportunity to put into practice and further develop skills in human-centred research. This includes literature research, developing relevant questions, performing interviews, qualitative data analysis, and communication of findings. |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses the following subject learning objectives (SLOs): 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 This assessment task contributes to the development of the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs): A.1, B.1, C.1 and E.1 |
| Type: | Report |
| Groupwork: | Group, individually assessed |
| Weight: | 30% |
| Length: | One A2-sized poster, with A4- appendices including all transcripts, all thematic analysis details, coversheets and signed informed consent forms. |
Assessment task 3: Short report on probe design
| Intent: | To provide students with the opportunity to put into practice and further develop skills in human-centered research. Following the direction set out in task 2, this task approaches similar research questions with another qualitative research tool, namely probes. Students will learn its application and analysis, and communication of findings. |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses the following subject learning objectives (SLOs): 1, 2 and 5 This assessment task contributes to the development of the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs): A.1, B.1 and C.1 |
| Type: | Report |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 10% |
| Length: | Report: A 3-page template will be provided that needs to be filled in. |
Assessment task 4: Short paper and video on probe study
| Intent: | To provide students with the opportunity to put into practice and further develop skills in human-centered research. Following the direction set out in task 2, this task approaches similar research questions with another qualitative research tool, namely probes. Students will learn its application and analysis, and communication of findings. |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses the following subject learning objectives (SLOs): 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 This assessment task contributes to the development of the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs): A.1, B.1, C.1 and E.1 |
| Type: | Report |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 50% |
| Length: | Paper: No more than 1500 words, using the provided template, with appendices. Video: not exceeding 90 seconds |
Minimum requirements
In order to pass the subject, a student must achieve an overall mark of 50% or more.
Required texts
These texts are about different human-centred design research methods:
- Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101.
- Gaver, W., Dunne, A., & Pacenti, E. (1999). Cultural probes. Interactions, 6(1), 21–29.
- Gaver, W., Boucher, A., Pennington, S., & Walker, B. (2004). Cultural probes and the value of uncertainty. Interactions, 11(5).
- Mattelmäki, T., Lucero, A., & Lee, J.-J. (2016). Probing – Two Perspectives to Participation. In Markopoulos, P., Martens, J.-B., Malins, J., Coninx, K., & Liapis, A. (eds). Collaboration in Creative Design (pp. 33–51). Springer.
- Chapter 7 in: Rogers, Y., Sharp, H., and Preece, J. (2015). Interaction Design: Beyond Human-Computer Interaction, 4th Edition. Wiley UK
These texts are about ethics in research when working with or for indigenous peoples:
- Australia Council for the Arts (2019). Protocols for Using First Nations Cultural and Intellectual Property in the Arts. https://australiacouncil.gov.au/investment-and-development/protocols-and-resources/protocols-for-using-first-nations-cultural-and-intellectual-property-in-the-arts/ [In particular Principle 3 - Communication, consultation and consent].
- Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) (2020). AIATSIS Code of Ethics for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Research (the AIATSIS Code). https://aiatsis.gov.au/research/ethical-research/code-ethics
- National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) (2018). Ethical conduct in research with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities: Guidelines for researchers and stakeholders. https://www.nhmrc.gov.au/about-us/resources/ethical-conduct-research-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-peoples-and-communities
Recommended texts
Boehner, K., Vertesi, J., Sengers, P., & Dourish, P. (2007). How HCI interprets the probes. In Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems: CHI’07, ACM.
Braun & Clarke. (2012). Thematic analysis. APA Handbook of Research Methods in Psychology: Vol. 2. Research Designs.
Golsteijn, C., van den Hoven, E., Frohlich, D., and Sellen, A. (2012). Towards a more cherishable digital object. In Proceedings of the Designing Interactive Systems Conference (DIS '12). ACM Press, pp. 655-664.
Golsteijn, C., Wright, S. (2013). Using Narrative Research and Portraiture to Inform Design Research. In Proceedings of the Interact 2013 conference. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 8119. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg.
Petrelli, D., Bowen, S., & Whittaker, S. (2013). Photo Mementos: Designing Digital Media to Represent Ourselves At Home. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 72, 320–336.
Petrelli, D., Hoven, E., van den, & Whittaker, S. (2009). Making history: intentional capture of future memories (pp. 1723–1732). Presented at the Proceedings of the 27th ACM Conference on Human-Computing Systems, ACM Press.
Thoring, Luippold, Mueller. (n.d.). Opening the Cultural Probes Box:?A Critical Reflection and Analysis of the Cultural Probes Method.
(Scan for ideas) Mattelmäki, T. (2006). Design probes. Helsinki: University of Art and Design Helsinki.
(Scan for ideas) IDEO Human-Centred Design Toolkit. Available online: http://www.designkit.org/resources/1
Writing about the grounded theory method in Chapter 6 of Urquhart, C. (2013). Grounded theory for qualitative research: A practical guide, Sage. Online available: https://search.lib.uts.edu.au/permalink/61UTS_INST/1pcagsl/cdi_sage_books_10_4135_9781526402196_n8
References
A detailed and current subject reading list will be made available on Canvas. Published academic papers and books are available (for download or otherwise) via the UTS Library website.
Other resources
Canvas will be used for general announcements and course materials. The subject coordinator will assume that every student is checking Canvas very regularly to familiarize yourself with the online course materials and at least weekly for subject announcements. The online class meetings and the online tutorial will take place in MS Teams, while all other tutorials are held at UTS. Class meetings will be recorded and posted on Canvas (with the exception of the guest speaker), tutorials will not be recorded.