Workshop Overview

This workshop will examine a series of case studies from user researchers who have modified classic user research methods or created new methods to meet the demands of emerging design challenges. The workshop will focus on three dimensions of methods development:

(1) What was the impetus for creating the new method or revising an existing method? We will ask participants to characterize the problems or circumstances in understanding design challenges that were not met by pre-existing methods.

(2) How was the method implemented? We will ask participants to unpack their reasoning about the method design and discuss the challenges they encountered during implementation. This discussion covers the process for developing the method, the means used for addressing problems that arose during the methodological process, and the assessment of the quality of the method and resulting data.

(3) What was the impact of the method on the design process? We will ask participants to assess who was actually affected as a result of employing the new or revised user research method, the extent of the impact, how the impact of the method was tracked, and what aspects of the method or circumstances of use limited its impact on design.

Goals of the Workshop

The workshop offers a venue for collaborative reflection on methods-design experiences. Participants will share detailed case studies that will help us understand the dynamics and challenges of creating or modifying methods to address new contexts. The published workshop findings will provide guidance to others facing the same challenges in the future.

Submissions

Submit a 4-page paper plus a short bio to jramey@u.washington.edu by 12 January 2007. At least one author needs to register for the workshop and for one day of the CHI 2007 conference.