End User Creativity in Design

This project evaluates factors in participatory design.

User-evaluation and user-design are two common techniques in user-centered system design practice. These two methods yield different types of information from users, however sometimes they need to be combined in one session. The sequence they are applied in could influence the design and evaluation results. In this study, we compared two different sequences of user critique and design tasks. The results showed that participants behaved very differently in sessions with different sequences of steps. Users who critiqued interfaces first, then designed their own were ready to borrow design ideas from existing system. Participant who designed first then critiqued and finally redesigned their original suggestion were much more reluctant to borrow ideas. They felt ownership over their designs, they were threatened by professional designs, and they were more critical of those. The results of our study provide pointers to sequencing evaluation and design steps in participatory design sessions. The student in this project will participate in the study design to follow up on these results, collect and analyze data, and participate in the writing of a paper presenting the results.

The student will assist with qualitative data analysis. No specific skills are required.