Lightning talk for IAUXROC 12 Sept 2012.

1. Nondirected
Interviews
Mike Rice
Informoire.com

2. Empathy
Empathy means to be preoccupied by the
thoughts and feelings of other people,
putting yourself in their place, trying to
think like them.
Neculai Ioan Fantanaru

3. Empathy
“The deepest form of understanding
another person is empathy…[which]
involves a shift from…observing how you
seem on the outside, to…imagining what
it feels like to be you on the inside.”
From the book Difficult Conversations by Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, and Sheila
Heen of the Harvard Negotiation Project, Chapter 9, “Empathy is a Journey, Not a
Destination,” p. 183.

4. Define task-based audience
segments
• Brainstorm 150-200 distinguishing
behaviors, then consolidate duplicate and
similar (75)
• Group the behaviors by types
• Name the behavior groups

5. Chuck E. Cheese’s

6. Brainstormed behaviors
• Ride a monster truck • Play a game
• Play with a friend • Collect tickets
• Eat pizza • Choose a prize
• Get a soda • Buy tokens
• Play by myself • Order pizza
• Have a treat • Use the restroom
• Bring home a keepsake • Take a photo
• Check my email • Celebrate a birthday
• Keep track of my party • Play a game with a
• Be entertained companion

7. Distinguishing behaviors
• Ride a monster truck • Play a game
• Play with a friend • Collect tickets
• Eat pizza • Choose a prize
• Get a soda • Buy tokens
• Play by myself • Order pizza
• Have a treat • Use the restroom
• Bring home a keepsake • Take a photo
• Check my email • Celebrate a birthday
• Keep track of my party • Play a game with a
• Be entertained companion

8. Group and consolidate behaviors
• Experience rides • Play games
– Ride a monster truck • Play a game with a friend
– Ride a roller coaster simulator
• Buy tokens
• Eat and drink
– Order pizza • Win prizes
– Eat pizza – Collect tickets
– Get a soda – Choose a prize
– Have a treat • Take a photo
• Physical play • Bring home a keepsake
– Physical play by myself • Celebrate a birthday
– Physical play with a friend • Use the restroom
• Check my email
• Keep track of my party
• Be entertained

9. Use actors to group behaviors
Parent with Grandparent Child with Child with Teen with
child with child friend parent friends
Order X X X
pizza
Get a drink X X X X
Buy tokens X X X
Keep track X X X
of party
Play game X X X X X
with friend
Celebrate X X X X
a birthday
Take a X X
photo
Keepsake X X X X

10. Narrow your focus
Parent with Grandparent Child with Child with Teen with
child with child friend parent friends
Order X X X
pizza
Get a drink X X X X
Buy tokens X X X
Keep track X X X
of party
Play game X X X X X
with friend
Celebrate X X X X
a birthday
Take a X X
photo
Keepsake X X X X

11. Name the groups – task based
audience segments
• Responsible person
• Adrenaline junkie
• Guest of honor

12. Rules for nondirected interviews
• No words of your own
• Open questions only
• Follow the conversation

13. Words of your own
• “Would you call that a quality control
step?”
• “Oh, it’s like a mobile office!”
• “So, that’s kind of inefficient?”
Use instead:
AMPP: Ask, Mirror, Paraphrase, Prime

14. Closed questions
• “Do you always do that?”
• “Which one is most useful?”
• “Were you trying to get there fast or use less
fuel?”
Use instead:
“What were you trying to do?”
“Why did you do that?”
“Tell me more about…”

15. Leading the conversation
• “Let’s talk about that later. You were telling
me about…”
• “I’d like to ask you next about…”
Use instead:
Refer to what’s already been said.
Take notes to remind you to return to a subject
Let the subject talk most of the time.
Get contact information. Follow up later.

16. Collect information
1. Recruit participants
2. Non-directive interview
3. Transcript
4. Comb for tasks

17. Create content
Figure 12.9 from Mental Models: Aligning design strategy with human behavior by Indi Young;
Rosenfeld Media, 2008. http://www.rosenfeldmedia.com/books/mental-models/

18. Create a service

19. Mental Models, by Indi Young

20. Observing the User Experience, by
Mike Kuniavsky