Knowledge Base Repository
In addition to research papers, the Design Society is developing several valuable resources for those interested in the study of design. These include a repository of PhD theses, a library of case studies and transcripts of design activities, and an archive of our newsletters. Please note that these resources are accessible exclusively to Design Society members.
THE PSYCHOLOGICAL EXPERIENCE OF USER OBSERVATION
Gerber, Elizabeth
Type:
Year:
2011
Editor:
Culley, S.J.; Hicks, B.J.; McAloone, T.C.; Howard, T.J. & Badke-Schaub, P.
Author:
Series:
ICED
Section:
Human Behaviour in Design
Page(s):
468-479
Abstract:
While scholars have studied what design practices accomplish, few have considered how people feel when enacting these practices and the implication of these feelings on design work. An eighteen-month ethnographic study of a high-tech firm examined the psychological experience of engaging in the practice of user observation. The study finds that user observation supports regular exploration. Regular observation supports curiosity, or the tendency to focus attention and seek answers to unanswered questions. Results suggest how design work practices can be designed to help employees manage in uncertain conditions.
Keywords:
