Cultural Probe.
You want to understand how your user/target audience think in order to solve the problem, unfortunately they are not going to allow you to observe them because you might look like a stalker, psst! This tool allows you to get responses from participants in environments that are difficult to observe directly. They contain a set of tasks that which the users will complete through which you can get valuable insights.
Time Taken
1 – 2 weeks
Level of Difficulty
Hard
Materials Needed
Can be physical or digital
Participants
End users
- Effectiveness 90%
Step by Step Instructions
#1
Understand who your target users are and how they influence the problem statement. Contact them and get their consent to participate in the activity.
#2
Create a package (physical or digital) with tasks and information required to complete them. There should also be a small incentive for the participant to complete it.
#3
Send the package to the user and wait for them the return it. Specify by when you need it back.
#4
Analyze the answers provided by the participants and gather insights from them.
Template
View/download the template to better understand how the tool works and use it accordingly. The template is only for reference, you can modify the structure to better suit your requirements.
How did I use it?
This tool came in handy for the research phase of my MA Strategic Design 1st semester. The project was related to climate change and as a team(3 members) we were able to collect huge amount of data on the subject, requirement, client and target group.
We created a Google presentation with a storyline making the participant a protagonist in a post apocalyptic world. The participant has to answer few questions to complete the tasks and finally travel back in time to save the world. We were able to get valuable information about how people perceive climate change and their attitudes towards it. These insights paved path for our ideation process.
