User Research: Focus group exploring presence and experiences

User discussion and research has lead to the development of interaction itself being a valuable type of memory which could be transmitted. The aim of this project is to 'notice the unnoticed'; to notice memories which would have originally been lost and to find a way to create new memories through interaction. Developing a new experience to connect people who are absent from each-others lives i.e. focusing creating presence where it is missed is a way in which people can 'notice the unnoticed'. The 'active memento' now is any object which is manipulatable in real-time and is visible to anther person; it doesn't have to necessarily be a data sharing device-perhaps just an experience sharing one. The two-part architecture developed is necessary to sharing memories; you need at least two parties-one to share and one to observe. It however doesnt necessarily have to be a secret system with 'keys'.

Previous prototypes have been developed and I can use these as examples for open discussion of further ideas with users. The methodology used for software development so far has been a pre-emptive one; I have identified a range of technologies and ensured that i understand them early on to make later prototyping easier. Prototypes can be made quickly. I have explored pachube and processing, but these may not be used. What they did do however was improve my knowledge of the arduino environment and get me used to solving problems. Next is user research into the types of ways that people notice the absence of other peoples presence.

User research aims:

DECIDE Framework

Determine goals: Explore ways in which people notice the absence of people and design solutions for them

Explore questions to be answered: Open discussion framework with prototype examples to guide exploration

Choose evaluation paradigm: 'Quick and Dirty'

Identify practical issues: Interaction with unfinished medium fidelity prototypes. Can instead use them as 'props' to illustrate concepts and guide further exploration.

Decide how to deal with ethical issues: Disclaimer stating right to anonymity and right to stop at any time. Explain how the discussion would be recorded: audio clips taken only and paper drawing from the session

Evaluate, interpret and present the data: Refer to 'Survey Research' for analytical methods. Will use quantitative analysis.