Conducting Primary Research Observations

Book Chosen to use:

Design as future-making.  /  Yelavich, Susan  &  Adams, Barbara  (2014)

- Has chapters and index, would be interesting to see how this impacts the user experience.
- How does the audience navigate the book, do they go straight to reading it or do they flick through it first, have a little investigate? 

Set up: 

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Observation: Charlie

Looked at the front cover, then turned and looked at the back cover, reads the blurb. 

Flicks through pages back to front. Cuts to contents page, goes to next page then checks contents page again. 

Turns to first page and starts to read, skims page, flicks to page with image. 

Goes back to look at the back page and starts reading from the page, flicking through pages. Finds image of interest and looks, flicks through pages, finds another image looks briefly. Flicks through pages again scanning that pages, finds images and looks at them (roughly for 2 seconds). Flicks through bok (still going from front to back). Finds another image, stops for (3 seconds) keeps flicking through book. Stops on page of interest and starts to read, then flicks page, scanning at images, continues flicking. 

Goes and reads contents page again, more thoroughly. Then closes book and looks at the back page (blurb, and reads it through). Goes back to contents page and reads, navigates to specific chapter and begins to read pages traditionally. Image on right hand page, text on the left, reads text doesn't look at image and turns the page. 

End. 

Link to video: https://youtu.be/4ONae-yohR0

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Observation: Heather

Picks up book, goes to look at front inside page but instead turns to the back and begins to read the blurb.

Turns book over to look at the front, looks at the spine, opens book and navigates the first few pages. Reads page. 

Turns page and keeps reading. Turns page and reads. Turns page and reads. 

Turns book upside down to keep open while ties hair up.

Returns to reading. Flips to the front to check something (I assume title), then continues reading. 

Reading pages at traditionally would, reflt to right. 

Holds page ready to turn in the top right hand corner while reading. 

Turns page and notices colour change of paper, checks what's on that page, then returns to reading page she was on.

End. 

Link to video: https://youtu.be/CBP2YUNOHtk

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Observation: Rosie

Picks book up and looks at the front, then turns around and start reading the blurb. Reads the blurb briefly then opens book up at front. 

Looks over first few pages and glance over contents. 

Picks book up off the table to read, uses page numbers to navigate to a specific page, flicking through book to find page. 

Puts book back down on table. 

Finds page, glances at images on the pages, turns page a few times looking at images, then flicks back to page she wishes to look at. 

Keeps finger pinned at desired page while flicking through pages front to back. Once done flicks to thumb marked page and begins to read. 

Turns page from bottom right corner. 

Holds pages along edges rather than corners. 

Keeps reading for a short while then turns pages, only glancing at the content. Continues to turn page and scan content. Turns page and scans.

Places thumb on page, closed book to check cover, then returns to thumb marked page. Flicks the page and starts to read thoroughly. Turns page, scans initially then continues to read. Turns page, and scans. Then continues to flicks page. Flicks pages and looks at images, reading information related to that image. Continues to do this for a few more pages, bypassing pages with no images. 

Returns to initial pages she looked at by quickly flicking page, and reads. Continues to flick back to start of chapter (I assume) and reads.

End.

 

Link to video:  https://youtu.be/vrZJHQeaOlk

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Observation: Sophie

Opens book, turns to first page and starts reading. Turns a couple pages and pauses on a page and looks at it for a little longer. 

Holds book at the top pages and turns pages along the top short edge.

Reads page with book flat on the desk. Tapping thumb on page. 

Flicks through a couple of pages. Then collects section of pages in left hand and flips through them stopping on pages with images, spends more time looking at these images turns the page to find more info about them but gets distracted by the ticket I left in the book (issue on my behalf).

Closes book and starts to read the blurb on the back, opens the back page and reads the book back to front for a couple pages. Tapsa spine with thumb. 

Flicks through book back to front until finds something of interest and looks at page for 3 seconds, continues to flick back to front. Keeps pausing on pages of interest. 

Looks at the top of the page then the bottom quickly after. Flicks through pages. Finds interest and starts to read. 

Turns page and keeps reading, then flicks though pages. Pauses and flicks back then reads.

Flicks a few pages, looking for something in particular it seems. then flicks pack through pages just looked at. Flicks forward a few pages (going from back to front). Stops and looks at page, then continues to flick through pages at a slow pace (back to front). Flicking gets quicker. 

Realises fast flicking through pages is entertaining so cuts to back of book and flicks quickly through all the pages. Does it again back to front, then again from front to back.

Places book on table, starts to read blurb with chin on book.

End.

Link to video: https://youtu.be/IdRRxmc9YSY

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Link to video comparing the observations: https://youtu.be/QLAgN0m47m8

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Comparison, similarity between Rosie and Heather when looking through books:

They both stopped reading at a point (both just over 4 mins in) to looks at the cover, remind self of the topic potentially?

 

Similarly the way Heather and Charlie initially interacted with the books:

Both looked at the cover, then turned it over and looked and the blurb, read the blurb then entered the text. 

Charlie began to flick through pages first, however, Heather started reading from the beginning.