Transcript Reimagine what online research can be

MindCanvas
Reimagine what online research can be..
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MindCanvas is a research service that
empowers designers to make product
design decisions quickly & convincingly…
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MindCanvas is..
– web based research solution
– for high quality research
– uses gamelike methods for collecting design
feedback from users
– packs the findings into intuitive visualizations
– rapid turnaround times
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Death by HTML…..
Feature Prioritization Study
HTML surveys – mainstay of
online research worldwide
HTML – boring, cumbersome,
‘click & wait’
Product design based on data
from bored users clicking
through HTML surveys like
mechanical robots
Why use HTML in the age of
GoogleMaps, Flikr & Ipods
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MindCanvas interpretation
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Why we built MindCanvas..
Inefficiencies
Design Research Process
Data Collection
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Qualitative research is great, takes a lot of
time
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Online tools suck, get used anyway
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Business stakeholders respond to
quantitative analysis & large sample sizes
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Deliverables do not cater to designers
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Research findings remain locked up with
analyst
Analysis
Reports/Findings
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Guiding principles…
• Online data collection
– users should enjoy giving design feedback
– simple, intuitive research methods
– ability to collect data even from non tech-savvy users who can just
about use computers
• Analysis
– designers should not need to know any statistics
• Findings
– present to business stakeholders via user-friendly, intuitive deliverables
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MindCanvas Research
Interactive
Visualizations
GameLike
Elicitation Methods
Data Mining &
Statistical Analysis
- mix of proprietary, offthe-shelf & open source
APIs and algorithms
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GameLike Elicitation Methods (GEMs)
• GameLike Elicitation Methods
– online surveys do not engage people
– games are fun ! everybody loves to play games
– frame questions into gamelike tasks; use tasks rather than simple selfreport
– games allow you to ask complex questions & get complex answers
– game like elements in MindCanvas
• Interactive animations, visuals, screen build up, graphics, sounds
– we tested GEM methods thoroughly and got excellent results
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• Another demo for Gamelike
Elicitation Methods
Typical ClosedSort Interface
• ClosedSort
– Categorize items in a
predetermined hierarchy
– Used extensively in
information architecture
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MindCanvas focuses on the mind
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Inspiration from cognitive
anthropology, psychology,
market research
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Capture users’ thoughts &
feelings by use of associative
methods
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Explore the subjective, the
implicit & the unconscious
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Users ‘do’ instead of ‘tell’ ;
bridges gap between what
people say & what they do
Language
Preferences
Mental
Models
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Rich Interactive Visualizations
• Large datasets need statistical analysis &
data mining
• Visualizations-to-go
– say goodbye to pie-charts, bar graphs etc
– interactive visualizations based on contemporary designs
• adjust with slides & knobs !!!
– get ‘helicopter view’ as also allow ‘deep dive’
– visualization-to-go (self-contained .swf files can be emailed,
shared, embedded into PowerPoint )
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Technology powering MindCanvas…
• Rich Internet Application
– “Enterprise-Level” Flash
– 1000s of lines of ActionScript code
• AJAX UI for Client tools
– Still under development
• Server: XML over HTTP
– Xml, java, SQL
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Where MindCanvas could help…
• Web Product Development
– prioritizing features / outcomes users care about
– initial understanding of domain from user’s perspective &
vocabulary
• Information Architecture
– understanding how people think for information design
– design, test & validate information architecture
• Product & Brand Positioning
- understanding how people think about your product & brand
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MindCanvas - current & future….
• Current Research Methods
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OpenSort : Dendogram, VocabularyBrowzer, SimilarityBrowzer
TreeSort : ClusterBrowzer, SimilarityBrowzer
Divide-the-Dollar : WeightMap
FreeList : ListMap
Utility Questions : MultipleChoice, EssayType
• Upcoming Methods
– address every stage of the design cycle
– MenuTrace, MindMontage, LikertSort, ImageAnnotate, ClickPath
• Upcoming Visualizations
– OnionMap, CategoryMatrix, MDS
• Also looking at the mobile space
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Who could use MindCanvas…
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usability & user experience professionals
information designers, interaction designers
user interface designers
product/brand managers
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Thank You !!!
url
: www.themindcanvas.com
email : [email protected]
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