expensive than other flashlights on the market (Giesecke et al.,

2011).

3.1.8 Are We Gathering Data on an Existing System or a New System? When gathering data and thinking about designs for a new system, analysts and designers can be strongly biased toward thinking about only the new system. Students sometimes ask, "Should we be modeling the existing way they do it or as it would be done with the new system?" This is asking whether to do modeling in the problem domain or the solution domain, the work domain or the design domain. At the end of the day, the answer might well be "both," but the point of this particular discussion is that it must start with the existing way. Everything we do in contextual inquiry and contextual analysis in this chapter and the next is about the existing way, the existing system, and the existing work practice. Often team members get to thinking about design too early and the whole thing becomes about the new system before they have learned what they need to about work practice using the existing system. In order for all this to work, then, there must be an existing system (automated, manual, or in-between), and the proposed new system would then somehow be an improvement. But what about brand new ideas, you ask, innovations so new that no such system yet exists? Our answer may be surprising: that situation happens so rarely that we are going to go out on a limb and say that there is always some existing system in place. Maybe it is just a manual system, but there must be an existing system or there cannot be existing work practice. For example, many people consider the iPod to be a really innovative invention, but (thinking about its usage context) it is (mainly) a system for playing music (and/or videos). Looking at work activities and not devices, we see that people have been playing music for a long time. The iPod is another in a series of progressively sophisticated devices for doing that "work" activity, starting with the phonograph invented by Thomas Edison, or even possibly earlier ways to reproduce "recorded" sound. If no one had ever recorded sound in any way prior to the first phonograph, then there could not have been an "existing system" on which to conduct contextual inquiry. But this kind of invention is extremely rare, a pure innovative moment. In any case, anything that happens in sound reproduction after that can be considered follow-on development and its use can be studied in contextual inquiry.

3.1.9 Introducing

an Application for Examples

As a running example to illustrate the ideas in the text, we use a public ticket sales system for selling tickets for

entertainment and other events. Occasionally, when necessary, we will provide other specific examples.

The existing system: The Middleburg

University

Ticket Transaction

Service

Middleburg, a small town in middle America, is home to Middleburg University, a state university that operates a service called the Middleburg University Ticket Transaction Service (MUTTS). MUTTS has operated successfully for several years as a central campus ticket office where people buy tickets from a ticket seller for entertainment events, including

concerts, plays, and special presentations by public speakers. Through this office MUITS makes arrangements with event sponsors and sells tickets to various customers. The current business process suffers from numerous drawbacks: • All customers have to go to one location to buy tickets in person. • MUITS has partnered with TicketS4ever.com as a national online tickets distribution platform. However, TicketS4ever.com suffers from low reliability and has a reputation for poor user experience. • Current operation of MUITS involves multiple systems that do not work together very well. • The rapid hiring of ticket sellers to meet periodic high demand is hampered by university and state hiring policies.

Organizational

context of the existing system

The desire to expand the business coincides with a number of other dynamics currently affecting MUITS and Middleburg University. • The supervisor of MUITS wishes to expand revenue-generating activities. • To leverage their increasing national academic and athletic prominence, the university is seeking a comprehensive customized solution tha t includes integration of tickets for athletic events (currently tickets to athletic events are managed by an entirely different department). • By including tickets for athletic events that generate significant revenue, MUITS will have access to resources to support their expansion. • The university is undergoing a strategic initiative for unified branding across all its departments and activities. The university administration is receptive to creative design solutions for MUITS to support this branding effort.

The proposed

new system: The Ticket Kiosk System

The Middleburg University Ticket Transaction Service (MUITS) wants to expand its scope and expand to more locations , but it is expensive to rent space in business buildings around town and the kind of very small space it needs is rarely available. Therefore , the administrators of MUITS and the Middleburg University administration have decided to switch the business from the ticket window to kiosks, which can be placed in many more locations across campus and around town. Middleburg is home to a large public university and has reliable and well-used public transportation provided by its bus system operated by Middleburg Bus, Inc. There are several bus stops, including the library and the shopping mall, where there is space to add a kiosk for a reasonable leasing fee to the bus company. A number of these bus stops seem good locations for kiosks; buses come and go every few minutes. Some of the major stops are almost like small bus stations with good-sized crowds getting on and off buses. In addition to an expected increase in sales, there will be cost savings in that a kiosk requires no personnel at the sales outlets. The working title for the new system is Ticket Kiosk System, pending recommendations from our design team.

The Ticket Kiosk System will have a completely new business model for the retail ticket operation.

3.2 The system concept statement A system concept statement is a concise descriptive summary of the envisioned system or product stating an initial system vision or mandate; in short, it is a mission statement for the project. A system (or product) concept statement is where it all starts, even before contextual inquiry. We include it in this chapter because it describes an initial system vision or mandate that will drive and guide contextual inquiry. Before a UX team can conduct contextual inquiry, which will lead to requirements and design for the envisioned system, there has to be a system concept. Rarely does a project team conceptualize a new system, except possibly in a "skunk -works" kind of project or within a small invention-oriented organization. The system concept is usually well established before it gets to the user experience people or the software engineering people, usually by upper management and/or marketing people. A clear statement of this concept is important because it acts as a baseline for reality checks and product scope and as something to point to in the middle of later heated design discussions. • A system concept statement is typically 100 to 150 words in length.

• It is a mission statement for a system to explain the system to outsiders and to help set focus and scope for system development internally. • Writing a good system concept statement is not easy. • The amount of attention given per word is high. A system concept statement is not just written; it is iterated and refined to make it as clear and specific as possible. An effective system concept statement answers at least the following questions: • What is the system name? • Who are the system users? • What will the system do? • What problem(s) will the system solve? (You need to be broad here to include business objectives.) • What is the design vision and what are the emotional impact goals? In other words, what experience will the system provide to the user? This factor is especially important if the system is a commercial product. The audience for the system concept statement is broader than that of most other deliverables in our process and includes high-level management, marketing, the board of directors, stockholders, and even the general public.

Example: System Concept Statement for the Ticket Kiosk System Here is an example of a system concept statement that we wrote for the Ticket Kiosk System.

The Ticket Kiosk System will replace the old ticket retail system, the Middleburg University Ticket Transaction

Service, by providing 24-hour-a-day distributed kiosk service to the general public. This service includes access to comprehensive event information and the capability to rapidly purchase tickets for local events such as concerts, movies, and the performing arts.

The new system includes a significant expansion of scope to include ticket distribution for the entire MU athletic program. Transportation tickets will also be available, along with directions and parking information for specific venues. Compared to conventional ticket outlets, the Ticket Kiosk System will reduce waiting time and offer far more extensive information about events. A focus on innovative design will enhance the MU public profile while Fostering the spirit of being part of the MU community and offering the customer a Beaming interaction experience. (139 words)

This statement can surely be tightened up and will evolve as we proceed with the project. For example, "far more extensive information about events" can be made more specific by saying "extensive information including images, movie clips, and reviews about events." Also, at this time we did not mention security and privacy, important concerns that are later pointed out by potential users. Similarly, the point about "focus on innovative design" can be made more specific by saying "the goal of innovative design is to reinvent the experience of interacting with a kiosk by providing an engaging and enjoyable transaction experience." Usually a system concept statement will be accompanied by a broader system vision statement from marketing to help get a project started in the right direction. None of this yet has the benefit of information from customers or potential users. However, we do envision the customer being able to find event information, select events to buy tickets for, select seats, purchase tickets, print tickets, and get information and tickets for transportation while enjoying the overall experience interacting with the kiosk. Upon interacting with the customers and users, some of our objectives in this system concept statement will be adjusted and assumptions corrected.

Exercise See Exercise 3-1, System Concept Statement for a System of Your Choice

NB: All exercises are in Appendix E, near the end of the book.

into one's life and lifestyle. The more people carry the camera with them everywhere they go, the stronger the phenomenological aspects of their usage.

Phenomenological

Aspects of Interaction

Phenomeno logical aspects (deriving from phenomenology, the philosophical examination of the foundations o experience and action) of interaction are the cumu lative effects of emotiona l impact considered over the long term, where usage of techno logy takes on a presence in our lifestyles and is used to make meaning in our lives.

What does the camera's brand mean to people who carry it? How about the style and form of the device and how it intersects with the user's personality and attire? What emotions do the scratches and wearing of edges in an old camera invoke? What memories do they bring to mind? Does the user associate the camera with good times and vacations, being out taking photos with all his or her worries left behind? What does it mean to get one as a gift from someone? What about reuse and sustainability? How can we design the camera to facilitate sharing among friends and social networks? You may have to observe longer -term usage. It usually takes longer to address these emotiona l and phenomenological factors in contextual inquiry because you cannot just visit once and ask some questions. You must look at long-term usage patterns, where people learn new ways of usage over time.

MUITS MUITS is the acronym for Middleburg University Ticket Transaction Service, our running example for most of the process chapters.

Example: User Data Gathering for MUITS We performed contextual inquiry sessions, interviewing MUITS employees and customers. We had three analysts separate ly interviewing several groups of one or two users at a time and came up with a fairly rich set of raw data transcri pts. At the end, we also expanded the inquiry by asking customers about experience with other kiosks they might have used. In most examples throughout this book, we cannot include all the details and you would not want us to. We therefore call on the reader for a kind of dramatic suspension of disbelief. The point of these examples is that it is not about content, especially completeness, which we deliberately abstracted to reduce the clutter of details. It is about simp le

illustrations of the process. For simplicity, in most of our examples we will focus on MUITS customers, whom we interviewed in the context o using the ticket office. Here are paraphrased excerpts from a typical session with a MUITS customer: Q: We want to begin with some questions

about your usage of the ticket service, MU'I'I'S. What do you do for a living? Tell us about your typical day.

A: I have a 9 to 5 job as a lab technician in Smyth Hall. However, I often have to work later than 5PM to get the job done.

Q: So do you use MU'I'I'Sto buy tickets for entertainment?

A: I work long hours and, at the end of the day, I usually do not have the energy to go to MUITS for entertainment tickets. Because this is the only MUITS location, I cannot buy tickets during normal working hours, but the MUITS window is not open after 7PM.

Q: How often and for what have you used the MU'I'I'S service?

A: I use MUITS about once a month for tickets, usually for events on the same weekend.

Q: What kinds of events do you buy tickets for?

A: Mostly concerts and movies.

Q: Describe the ticket buying experience

youjust had here at the MU'I'I'Sticket office.

A: It went well except that I was a little bit frustrated because I could not do the search myself for the events I might like.

Q: Can you please elaborate about that?

A: My search for something for this weekend was slow and awkward because every step had to be a series of questions and answers through the ticket seller. If I could have used her computer to browse and search, I could have found what I wanted much sooner. Also, it works better if I can see the screens myself and read the event descriptions. And I also felt I need to answer quickly because I was holding up the line.

Q: Did you know you could search for some of these events on Tickets4ever.com?

A: No, I did not know they had local events.

Q: While you were looking at the seating chart, you seemed unsure about what the ticket seller was expecting you to do with it. Can you please walk us through what you were thinking and how that fit

in with the way the seating chart was laid out.

A: Yeah, that was a problem. I could see it was a seating chart but I did not understand what seats were still available and could not quite put the layout of the seats in perspective. I had to ask her what the colors meant on the chart, and what the price difference was for each of those colored regions.

Q: Walk us through a couple of other experiences

you have had at the ticket office and do not skip any

details.

A: Last week I bought two movie tickets and that was very smooth because I knew what movie I wanted to see and they are usually the same price. Generally, buying movie tickets is very easy and quick. It is only with concerts and special events that things get somewhat complicated. For example, a couple of months ago, I wanted to get tickets to a concert and I could not get to this office for a couple of days because I was working late. When I eventually got here, the tickets were sold out. I had to fill a form over there to get added to a waitlist. I do not know how the waitlist works, and that form was very confusing. Here, let me show you ...

Q: What do you like most about MU'I'I'S?

A: Because I am an MU employee, I get a discount on tickets. I also like that they feature the most popular and most current local events.

Q: What do you like least about MU'I'I'S and what concerns

do you have about using MU'I'I'S to buy

tickets?

A: MUITS seems to have a limited repertoire of tickets. Beyond the most popular events they do not seem to handle the smaller events outside the mainstream.

Q: What improvements,

if any, would you like to see in MU'I'I'S?

A: It would help me if they were open later at night. It would be great if I could get football tickets here, too!

Q: Do you buy football tickets regularly?

A: Yes, I go to about four to five games every season.

Q: Do you buy tickets to any other athletic events? Can you describe a typical transaction?

A: Yes, I also get MU basketball tickets for at least a few games every season. For athletic tickets I have to be on the lookout for the dates when the lottery opens for the games I care about. I sign up for the lottery during the three days they are open and if I win, I have to go all the way to the other side of campus to the MU Athletics Tickets Office. When I am looking to buy tickets to MU basketball, I like to look at different seating options versus prices; I sometimes look for an option allowing several friends to sit together. But that process is very complicated because I have to coordinate lottery signup with some friends. We get to buy only two guest tickets if we win the lottery.

Q: What difficulties

do you experience

in using MU'I'I'S as the main source of tickets for events?

A: The main problem is that it is too far away from where I live and work.

Because the envisioned kiosk -based ticket system is so different from the existing MUITS ticket window, we also wanted to get their thoughts on the proposed kiosk system. Q: Now we want you to imagine a new service where you can buy tickets at public kiosks located across campus and the town. In particular we are planning to have ticket kiosks conveniently located at major bus stops in Middleburg. Have you had any experience with ticket kiosks in other places,

other towns?

A: That is interesting! I never bought tickets at a kiosk before.

Q: Have you had any experience

with other kinds of ticket kiosks at places like bus stops or in Metro-type commuter train stations in any big city?

A: Yes, I lived in New York for a couple of years and I used the MTA kiosks to buy metro cards all the time.

Q: If we were to put kiosks at places such as university

parking lots, the university mall, and other public locations across campus to sell tickets that you get at this office, would you use them?

A: I would be willing to at least try a ticket kiosk located at the Burruss Hall bus stop because I take the bus there every day. I would also try one near the University Mall because I live near there.

Most of my free time is outside normal business hours, after many businesses are closed, so a kiosk might be convenient.

Q: What type of information

A: When I look for entertainment

would you like to see in such a kiosk?

options, I want to see the most current events (top picks for today and tomorrow)

on the first screen so I can avoid searching and browsing for those.

here at the MU'I'I'S office today, you asked if Unspoken Verses is like the Poet Boys band. How do you envision getting information like that at a kiosk?

Q: In your transaction

Middleburg

A: That is a good question! I am not sure. I guess the kiosk should have some sort of related items and good description of events. Perhaps even recommendations

of some sort.

Q: Can you envision yourself using a kiosk to do what you did today at this office?

A: Yes, definitely. I guess I would expect some form of detailed description of the events. I should be able to look for different types of events. If there are pictures, that would help. I should be able to see a seating chart.

Exercise See Exercise 3-2, Contextual Inquiry Data Gathering for the System of Your Choice

3.4 Look for emotional

aspects of work practice

Look for the impact of aesthetics and fun in work practice, and look for opportunities for more of the same. When you are visiting workplaces, observing work practice, and interviewing people in work roles, you may find that customers and users are less likely to mention emotional aspects of their work practice because they think that is about personal feelings, which they might think is inappropriate in the context of technology and functional requirements. As a result, you must try harder to uncover an understanding

about emotional and social aspects of work practice. For each different work or other role studied in contextual inquiry, try to get at how emotion might play a part. You have to