Ideate and Create
We conducted 4 techniques for ideation phase:
︎Brainstorming
After we had carried out all
these techniques, we brainstormed over all the
ideas we had and the outcomes from each
ideation technique
︎”Point of view” problem statement
Helps to ideate in a goal-oriented manner︎Brainwriting
One participant wrote their ideas down on a piece of paper and then pass it on to the next participant who uses them as a trigger for their own ideas;︎Worst possible ideas
Bringing out all the bad ideas we had in our minds for the identified user problems, as doing this can often lead you to the best one︎Brainstorming
After we had carried out all
these techniques, we brainstormed over all the
ideas we had and the outcomes from each
ideation technique“point of view” problem statement![]()
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/2a4e4fab5288860b106b9562136f49c186c08d5497b0d7b2014c70a7da7a4a07/Screenshot-2022-06-17-at-16.50.27.png)
Worst possible ideas
![]()
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/c159e0db208c21867119cc7668c006d70b6b643bf90040c63c416b03182fee87/Screenshot-2022-06-15-at-13.19.22.png)
Brainwriting
![]()
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/41a908cbb6d68cd4464085f56e7de78802fc610d4641f540ef1c24c299a76262/Screenshot-2022-06-15-at-13.19.18.png)
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︎Ideation results
Sleeping mode for a completely quite status
which requires haptic interaction to activate the device
Light feedback for the users
Being quiet and calm while providing feedback to make the device less annoying and interfering
Gesture control along with voice control
Guesture control fits well into the natural human instinct. Gesture could make up the context of misunderstanding given by voice control. Reversely, voice could help with gesture control fails. Apart from this, the device will become accessible to persons with a speaking disability.
Interaction Scanerios ︎︎︎
Gesture control instruction when voice couldn’t be understood
![]()
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/f9c5a067c214d48d15cc3207b34492dcb56002536fc9690a25f7a68ba4d83219/swiping.gif)
Sleeping mode with haptic wake up gives a complete quite environment
![]()
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/b99f5ccec0f9dd1bfd585a71cfa195a47b8cc5db1c5dd0ed7f5a87bed5030d47/wakingup-morning.gif)
︎ Experiential Prototype
We initially had three goals, namely ‘accessibility’,
‘control’ and ‘calmer approach’. As the users see
Google Home as a ‘warm friend’ to talk to and
who makes their life easier, we narrowed down
our focus to reduce the ‘annoyance’ in the users
and give more control while communicating
with the device
︎︎︎prototype
![]()
︎︎︎prototype
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/ff4668d708814fc187dc80e6febad2a7ff0165a21da5a3cd3cc1004fb80fe24b/Screenshot-2022-06-15-at-14.58.16.png)
︎ Interaction Design
We implemented five basic
functions that the user can apply on a regular
day using gesture controls. The gestures were
chosen such that the users can easily relate with
them in daily life and feel natural about it
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/45230d3901eae38a2f8cc64fcb7d21b1e6dcf2e04364e36c1ba2e9ed3b28e0fd/Screenshot-2022-06-15-at-15.03.25.png)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/7b98f14b61f540f106a0af4b20feab3982528043fcc05f39de4aff9c625d96ed/Screenshot-2022-06-15-at-15.03.38.png)
Evaluate and Communicate
︎User Test
Main questions:
- How does our
prototyped experience help the user to
communicate with Google Home?
- How much
control does the user have?
- And how does the new Google Home experience enhance the overall user experience as well as Google Home’s calmness?
︎Method
- Expert-based cognitive walkthrough:
- User-based A/B Testing by Wizard of Oz:
Cognitive walkthrough
Participants:
4 design-based university students
Flow:
4 design-based university students
Flow:
- Being acquainted with prototype: giving a manual with gestures they need to perform
- Asked them to perform actual tasks: playing the next song, reducing the volume, asking for the weather forecast and switching off the device.
- 1-7 scale to measure the finishing time(efficiency), completed rate(effectiveness), satisfaction rate (satisfaction)
Results ︎︎︎
Results from survey
![]()
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/3f7ff99c85579e4d6b49bf900cb64891a0794c5e98954932a8ab27014e551151/Screenshot-2022-06-15-at-16.34.31.png)
Results from interviews
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/a6f9172bfbc5ac8035866f9c00bc32ea587250de65f7943f3d9b0c1c3a4fffb8/Screenshot-2022-06-15-at-16.34.42.png)
A/B Test
Participants:
10 university students without design base
Contexts:
Cooking a meal at home and listening to music while doing so with the help of Google Home.
Flow:
10 university students without design base
Contexts:
Cooking a meal at home and listening to music while doing so with the help of Google Home.
Flow:
- Asked participants to accomplish the tasks, then fill a questionnaire at the end and a short
semi-structured interview regarding the
usability and user experience.
- 1st A/B test: gesture
control vs. voice control: Evaluate our
prototyped way of communication and user
experience
- 2nd A/B test: voice feedback vs.
light feedback: To measure the prototype’s calmness
Results ︎︎︎
Results from gesture vs. voice control
![]()
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/abeb3535c3de31b961ae9192ee4c002732a2fda0f3cb3f5d4dc8ff775f98fa98/Screenshot-2022-06-15-at-16.34.13.png)
Results from light vs. voice feedback
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/87c2582b4d9dcbc5aff5d75c440f3c8a6fffa96c6cd7073b17a0a004d477dddd/Screenshot-2022-06-15-at-16.36.18.png)
Inisghts from semi-structured interviews ︎︎︎
1. Previous Experience
Most of the users who test the prototype didn’t have previous experience with a voice assistant. The few users with previous experience used Alexa or similar.
2.Preferred Features
The preferred feature by the participants was the gesture control, especially music player controls. The led feedback was also liked. Both features were perceived less anoying than current feraturers.
3. Intuitive
Most of the participants felt the gestures natural and comfortable. While some found them unintuitive, all agreed that the gestures were easy to learn after some use.
4.
Overall Acceptance
Overall the prototype was well recieved and gesture control was
preferred by most participants as they felt uncomfortable talking to a device out loud.
5. Pain Points
The main concern was the difficulty on memorizing more gestures when new features will be included, and some actions are hard to translate into
6. Daily Use
Most of the participants think they could use the prototype in their daily routines and felt comfortable around it, but they don’t consider the prototype a necessity.
Discussion and refection
︎Reflection on Results
- Both tests yielded similar results and the overall experience perceived by the participants was positive
- Gesture commands as an alternative to voice commands, in general, provided a more natural experience according to the participants, as many participants consider it strange to talk to an IoT device
-
Among the
experiences, changing music with gestures was
the preferred interaction as most participants
felt these controls naturally comfortable
- Led lights feedback may not be necessary for every response of the device
-
Deactivating the device
completely through a button was felt secure. As most of
the participants mentioned this is mainly
because physical contact guarantees that their
command is understood without being
mistaken
︎
Reflection on Socially Responsible Calm
Technology
- Prototyped calm experience fits into the
users’ periphery in the calmest way possible
without being interruptive or annoying
-
Google
Home’’s interruptive and annoying nature is
taken care of by incorporating gesture control
and light feedback.
- Prototyped experiences helped in making the
interaction natural. This makes the device as a regular being in thedaily life
- More calmness helps the users carry out
their daily activities without being led on by the
device
-
More work can be done further to
ensure that the design keeps offering better
experiences with the changing societal and user
needs
︎Reflection on the Design Process
- User research is filled with listening, understanding and reflecting. Transfered “I think ...” and “I feel ...”, to ''People might feel ...”
and “The user might think...”
-
The thing persona guided us to create a calm
smart device with particular roles during
people’s daily life and distinct thing-personality.
- Difficulties is to avoid more problems
generating during solving existing problems
- Crucial to establish a rapport between the
human and the technology by coordinating the
conflict between expectation of users and limit
of the technology
-
Keep thinking and relecting in the daily life
Further development
- How to smoothly transfer and distinct voice
input mode and gesture recognition mode,
otherwise it makes the usability complex
- How to avoid
gestures being activated randomly by daily
movement? Physical touching activating may be
a possible solution, but it would make the
experience less convenient.