Probing the Probes

Probing the Probes ‘Inspiration is not the special property of an elite but can be found in everyone’ Jean Dubuffet Terry Hemmings, Andy Crabtree and Tom Rodden Karen Clarke and Mark Rouncefield The School of Computer Science and Information Computing Department Technology SECAMS Building The University of Nottingham Lancaster University Jubilee Campus Lancaster Nottingham NGI 8BB, LA1 4YR UK UK. + 44(0) 1158466512 k.m.clarke, [email protected] tah,axc, [email protected] ABSTRACT Ethnographic studies of technology INTRODUCTION have focused on trying to understand the In October 2000, the UK Engineering and socially organised, naturally occurring uses of Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) technological artifacts in socio-technical launched the Equator IRC (Equator #1). The six- systems. This paper describes the design work of year programme is a collaborative venture two separate research groups utilising ‘cultural spanning eight research partners1 and multiple probes’ as a mode of participatory design for disciplines including computer science, domestic settings. The first group created electronics, social science, psychology, art, specially designed probes to analyse the design and architecture. motivations that shape home life, to inspire future designs. The second group used a cultural probe Equator research groups are creating devices and derivative as an adjunct to an ethnographic software platforms to interweave the physical study of a sensitive ‘home’ setting – a sheltered and the digital in new ways. Research groups are housing complex – and used them for developing innovative methods for designing ‘information’ rather than ‘inspiration’. The and evaluating these technologies. From the authors will contribute an innovative evaluation outset, the Equator programme has been of the use of these probes for a participatory committed to combining these technologies and approach to design and explore the ways in methods in a series of large-scale ‘collaborative’ which cultural probes and probes hybrids might projects that directly engage users in the design present alternative strategies for exploring process. In practice, this grounded approach has ‘sensitive’ settings. resulted in a series of practical evaluations that directly involve the participation of users Keywords through collaborations with museums, Methodology, participatory design, cultural performance groups, community support groups, probes, domestic probes, ethnography, art and care organisations, schools and other user design, design practice, home, workplace. collectivities. One of the fundamental challenges facing the Equator programme is to devise methods for understanding interaction for the purposes of design. In this paper, we discuss how two design groups responded to the challenge, through an exploration of their work. Both these design-oriented workgroups are The Cultural Probes approach [7] has recently involved in separate but related experience gained some prominence as means of ‘inspiring’ projects. Firstly, we discuss the design and interactive design. We use the notion of a interpretation work of the Computer Related Cultural Probes approach as a generic term here, Design (CRD) group based at the Royal College incorporating technology probes, domestic of Art, UK. They are led by Bill Gaver, who probes etc. Within a domestic context, the pioneered the development of Cultural Probes approach is concerned to address both what role [6]. This group of designers is involved in technology might play in the home of the future Domestic Environments Project that is and, specifically, how it can support existing developing innovative applications of domestic values. The Cultural Probes approach, technologies in the home. This is followed by an Gaver argues, “act[s] as a design intervention introduction to the work of members of the that elicits inspirational material while Cooperative Systems Engineering Group (CSEG) avoiding the understood social roles of in the Department of Computing at Lancaster researchers and researched” [6]. For Gaver, the University, who have pioneered the use of ‘inspiration’ approach utilized by the CRD team ethnography in design [4]. This group employs a brings the user closer to the design space in a multidisciplinary research team to facilitate the way that is seemingly different from conventional development of enabling technologies to assist ethnographic methods widely used in domains care for specific user groups with different such as Computer-Supported Cooperative Work support needs. The Digital Care Project is (CSCW) to uncover, elicit or validate concerned with improving the quality of ‘requirements’ for technologies. everyday life by developing supporting technologies based on a comprehensive This initial analysis is based on an ongoing understanding of user needs. The CSEG group investigation of the design domain and has an eclectic approach to methods and is incorporates what can best be described presently utilising a number of cultural probe methodologically, as taking the techniques. ethnomethodological turn to studies of work. Following Sharrock and Hughes Our investigation of the work of these two recommendation, our approach places an groups is not simply concerned with evaluating emphasis upon the extent to which our reports the methodological rationale that underpins the are joint productions; things that have been use of the cultural probes approach. The aim is to orchestrated by us and those under study [12]. promote an understanding of the ways in which Secondly, it emphasizes the “extent to which the methods and procedures, strategically combined, organisation of the social setting is also a ‘joint produce beneficial outcomes for collaborative construction’, something that is done between design work. and together by the participants in the setting” [their emphasis]. We would argue that it might also be useful if the notions of participation and CULTURAL PROBES collaboration further elaborated to include to The initial impetus for this paper arose from a inter-collaboration- with the ‘subjects’ of study methodological interest in ‘Cultural Probes’. and intra-collaboration- between researchers. Particularly the ways in which non-scientistic art and design methods might lend themselves to INFORMATION OR INSPIRATION? design studies of socially sensitive settings. We It is important to point out that each workgroup were curious to understand the relationship adopted Cultural Probes for different reasons. between (a) the Cultural Probes and the more The theoretical and methodological concerns conventional collaborative approaches to design manifested in the Cultural Probes approach research procedures such as ethnography and developed by Gaver and Dunne [7] is located in (b), how practitioners from different disciplines the philosophical tradition of the artist-designer. go about the practical work of operationalizing Given the CRD group’s pedigree it is not Cultural Probes’ novel non-scientific approach to surprisingly that Cultural Probes play a central design. role in the CRD approach to design. Alternatively, the CSEG group has a Computer An appreciation of the putative aesthesis and Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) sensitivities of the then unknown volunteer background and concentrates on bringing adjunct researchers/participants, also ethnographic findings to bear upon design demonstrates the skills required in constructing matters. In the Digital Care project, however, the cultural probes. These skills are combined with a group’s ethnographer has made a pragmatic range of more mundane contingent matters adaptation of the CP approach in order to be including a working knowledge of material costs sensitive to the context of the research setting. and availability. Introducing a probe package has provided CSEG designers with ways of collecting contextual Designers were regularly involved in informal ethnographic information unobtrusively from a and impromptu discussions in the studio and socially sensitive setting. other locations. During these conversations, ideas for probe objects were ‘worked up’ Cultural Probes have been deployed recently in a through a process of organising a working number of innovative design projects, for division of knowledge and labour. Visualisations example the Presence Project [5]. Essentially, in the form of crafted prototypes, models, cultural probes are purposefully designed to sketches and/or verbal descriptions of objects provoke, reveal and capture the motivational were all considered fit material for design forces that shape an individual and his/her home discussions. Talk was central to the design life. Cultural Probes are kits of provocative process; in that assessing ‘just what counted’ as materials meant to elicit inspiring responses from ‘appropriate’ for a probe object, was a negotiated people. They are used to learn about people's matter. A tacit local working agreement, on what home lives for our research on domestic functional and aesthetic qualities were relevant technologies. Designers draw upon probe returns for an object to be classified as a candidate for as “inspirational data” for design. Probe objects inclusion, was arrived at and maintained in and include cameras, household rules packs, a through the talk of the designers. pinhole camera, a family and friends map, photogram paper, a domestic routine diary and We now move on to describe how the work of camera, a listening glass, a floorplan, a dream designing and constructing

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