Cultural probes, or diary studies, provide a way to conduct user research when we can't directly observe their behaviour. This slideshow was presented at UPA Europe, 2008, by Gerry Gaffney.

1. Cultural Probes in Real Life
Information & Design
Gerry Gaffney www.infodesign.com.au

2. “Time spent in reconnaissance is seldom
wasted” (孙子)
Probes are “…designed to prompt and elicit
information from people about their lives and
Photo: I, Shane, flickr, creative commons license
local culture” (Bill Gaver)

3. We can’t observe if…
• The area or subject is
sensitive
• Our presence may interfere
too much
• We need to observe over a
long period.
Image: NASA

4. A “probe” may contain
• Diary (or blog)
• Camera
• Video recorder
• Audio recorder
• Postcards
• Anything that enables participants to self-
report

5. Analysis?
“We don’t analyse the data… we’ve got real
returns from real people…
It’s nice to work with the… raw materials
because they force you to re-interpret
them pretty much every time you look at
them.”
– Bill Gaver, in an interview with Gerry Gaffney

6. Commercial necessity
• The objective is likely to be more
immediate than in an academic context
• A focus on deliverables
• Frequent or ongoing re-interpretation is
not encouraged!
• So analysis and synthesis are
necessary.

7. Case study
• www.linkme.com.au
• Studied 6 people who were looking for
employment (key part of the target audience)
• Asked them to keep a diary over a three-week
period
• Interviewed them during & after the study
• Analyzed the diaries and associated materials.

9. Handling the
flood of data
Photo: Alexis Rondeau
flickr, creative commons license

14. How to estimate?
• Comparable to contextual enquiry in terms
of:
– Preparation time
– Recruiting time (but requires more care)
– Quantity of data
– Analysis method and effort.
• Participant payment/incentives more costly
• Amount of consultant time theoretically
may be reduced.

15. Conclusion
• Relatively simple technique
• Needs careful planning
• Deliverables include
– Personas
– Scenarios
– Artefacts.
• A useful technique to add to your toolkit –
applied to the appropriate projects.