ITP Blog – Fernando Cervantes

As part of my work for a course on user-centered design I took at ITP in Spring 2006, I, along with fellow student Jonathan Cousins, developed a product idea using ethnographic and qualitative research methods. We started our development process with an investigation of the nature of household errands and shopping in New York City. Our informants consisted of four families living in different parts of the city (Brooklyn, Upper West Side, Astoria, and the West Village.) Through interviews, user observations, user diaries and photographs, we developed a product concept entitled, The Errand Manager, an online errand list manager that could be shared with family members, friends, co-workers, etc. In addition, the list manager would also be accessible on mobile devices and would make use of geocoding data to trigger reminders.

Documentation for the project can be downloaded from the following links:

• User Research (PDF)
• Product Concept Storyboards (PDF)
• Final Presentation – User Scenario (Flash .swf)

Presentation (Flash SWF)

Presentation (PDF)

User Scenario 1: “Dynamic Inventory Scanner” (PDF)
User Scenario 2: “Online Errand Manager” (PDF)

Household Shopping Errand Product Concepts (PDF)

Midterm Presentation (PDF)

The following is the revised final version of the user diary questionnaire we will be using in our research study. Besides clarifying some of the questions, the most important change was the way in which we loosely define a “household errand” for the purposes of this study, while still leaving the user free to classify any number of activities under that description.

Instructions

We are doing a study on the nature of household errands in the five boroughs of New
York and we would like your participation. Please fill in the following questionnaire each time you complete an errand that involves either leaving the house or an online activity. For example, if you make a trip to a convenience or grocery store or use an online store or vendor for household items, we would like you to fill in this questionnaire. Your name will not appear in this study.

1. Date/time? _______________________________________________________

2. What items did you purchase?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

3. Was this shopping trip planned in advance? If so, did you make a list?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

4. Did you forget any items?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

5. Where do you typically store these items and why? Did this affect what or how
much you bought?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

6. How long did this trip take? Did it take less time or more time than expected?
If so, why?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

7. Did you purchase these items from a store or online service that you routinely
visit for these items? If so, why?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________
Study conducted by Fernando Cervantes and Jonathan Cousins for NYU’s Interactive Telecommunications Program.

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Link to PDF version

Map of Subject Residence Neighborhoods

Laundry in a Small Urban Apartment

As a result of the inclement weather we suffered this weekend, my project team member Jonathan and I were unable to perform the shadowing assignment together. As a result, we both completed the assignment separately, but chose activities that directly relate to our final project idea – the process of performing common household errands in a small urban dwelling in New York City.

I shadowed my wife, Stephanie, on Sunday afternoon as she did laundry using the washers and dryers in the basement of our pre-war apartment building. This is actually an activity that I have no direct experience with since I send my clothes out to be washed.

The preliminary questions I asked elicited some of the most interesting responses. For example, when I asked what steps would be taken in order to complete this activity, I received an answer that involved multiple steps, particularly concerning the sorting of clothes before taking them down the basement and the sorting of clothes after washing but before drying. Specifically, sorting clothes required not only organizing them by color and type of garment, it also included separating out items that needed to be dry cleaned and larger items that would not fit in the machines.

Delicate items requiring gentle cycle washing were separated in a pile and placed in a small bag that she purchased several years ago for washing undergarments. Surprising to me was the fact that this bag was then placed in the washing machine along with other normal cycle clothing items and washed together.

During the course of the activity, I inquired why she continued to wash her clothes using the machines in the building, despite the fact that sending clothes out was not that much more expensive. The major theme she kept referring to was one of “control.” She spoke about how she liked being able to sort the clothes herself and ensure that delicate items would not be thrown together with other items and washed the same way. She also spoke of how she felt better knowing what type of detergent was being used.

Along the same theme as “control,” she also talked about enjoying the fact that she did not have to wait days to get her clothes back from a laundry service. She spoke about how she liked knowing that her clothes would be clean in matter of hours and would be able to wear these clothes tomorrow if she so desired.

Another interesting theme that emerged was one of “time.” As the activity required 3 total trips to the basement, one to take the clothes down, one to transfer the clothes to the dryer, and one to pick them up, I noticed she was constantly checking the time. When I asked about this, she mentioned that it was crucial to not only to begin the washing process with enough time to spare before the laundry room was closed (4 PM on Sundays), but it was also important to go back down and empty the machines of one’s own clothes as soon as they were ready. She expressed a fear of having her clothes removed by someone else wanting to use her machine. This was something that she said she had done herself to other people’s clothes on past occasions.

Near the end of the activity, when she was picking up her clothes for the final time, she came across two different apartment residents, both male. She did not talk to either one or interact with them in any way that was apparent to me. When I inquired about this, she talked about the laundry environment in the building as being one of “dog eat dog.” The small number of machines appears to have created an atmosphere of competitiveness where people hoard the machines that are known to work the best and rush down when washing cycles are done to make sure they find a vacant dryer.

The major factor that appears to determine Stephanie’s preference for doing her laundry in our building appears to be one of being able to feel in control of the process. In addition, she also enjoys the fact that she knows her laundry will be done and back in her closet in a matter of hours. However, the issue of time also served as a source of constant concern given how quickly she felt she had to complete the task. Most importantly, I found the lack of adequate numbers of machines to foster an environment that did not encourage social interaction, despite the apparent high probability of running into fellow neighbors during the course of this activity.

Hunt Statement

We are trying to understand the nature of errands in a small urban apartment where space and methods of transport are limited in many ways.

Research Objectives

• How does the nature of performing household errands differ or not depending on the socio-cultural makeup of a neighborhood?
• How do vendors support errands and the particular needs of that neighborhood? Are they very specific to that neighborhood or not?
• What role does transportation play in this process?
• What is the relationship between people and communication tools (e.g. telephones, computers, Internet, etc.)?
• How do multiple people living together interact with each other to support this activity?
• What role do toting devices such as backpacks, shopping bags, and bags in general play in supporting the completion of errands?
• How does income level and socio-economic status affect attitudes about this activity?
• How do storage concerns play into this process?
• How does the availability of online and home delivery services affect the completion of household errands?
• How does this activity differ when applied to different categories of household errands? For example, how does shopping for groceries differ from shopping for bathroom and personal care items?

Research Methods

Primary research methods will consist of observations and shadowing. We also plan on using photographs and video to document our research. Photographs will be particularly useful for documenting specific areas of inquiry we are interested in such as storage, and how it is utilized.

Research Participants

Potential research subjects will include both of our spouses, whom reside in different areas of Manhattan (Upper West Side and the West Village). We are planning on interviewing each other’s spouses to try and eliminate the possibility of asking leading questions.

Other potential subjects will include individuals from our network of friends. At least 2-3 of these participants will not reside in Manhattan. We plan on having a total of between 5-8 subjects.

Logistics

One of the major challenges we must overcome is selecting a broad range of neighborhoods to select our research subjects from. Since we are very interested in how the makeup of a particular neighborhood affects the completion of household errands, and the role that local resources and vendors play, we need to ensure that we represent a diverse range of neighborhoods.

We also feel we must be careful when shadowing and interviewing people we know, particularly when discussing activities that we are familiar with.

PDF version of this document available here: CousinsCervantes-PrelimResearchPlan.pdf

“Grocery Shopping”

For my observation assignment this week, I observed my wife conducting the household grocery shopping for the upcoming week. Depending on our schedules, this is an activity that we sometimes engage in together or separately. This is also an activity that encompasses online commerce since we have been using FreshDirect, an online grocery delivery service, for the past year. The observation took place in two separate segments that included the ordering of food on one day and the delivery of the order on the following day.

Ordering Groceries
Date and Time: Saturday, February 4, 2006 – 1:07 PM
Location: Living Room, Kitchen

Informant turns on her laptop and opens her web browser. Web browser opens up to Yahoo! News and she views this page for about one minute. She then opens up the FreshDirect home page and logs in. She immediately clicks over to a link entitled, “QuickShop.” The page appears to contain a list of all previous items ordered. She then grabs her notepad and walks over to the kitchen. In the kitchen, she looks inside the refrigerator and begins pulling out a few items, some of which she discards in the trash. She does the same with the pantry. She jots a few things down on a notepad lying on the kitchen counter. She returns to her laptop with the list and clicks through items appearing on the QuickShop page. She checks her notepad a few times and writes in it periodically. She gets up and goes back into the kitchen and looks in the refrigerator and pantry once more. She returns to her laptop and mentions a few food items out loud, such as “garlic.” She also says something about not ordering any vegetables this time because there are so many left over from last time. She types and clicks for about another minute on her laptop before closing it.

Groceries Delivered
Date and Time: Sunday, February 5, 2006 – 12:40 PM
Location: Front Door, Kitchen

At the start of the expected delivery time window, the informant opens up the refrigerator and pulls some items out and places them back in a new arrangement. A few minutes later, the phone rings with a distinct tone that appears to signify someone is buzzing at the door in the lobby. Informant picks up the phone, presses a key, and hangs phone up. She goes over to the front door and opens it. She peers out of the door towards the elevator. After about a minute, she calls out, “over here.” The delivery person comes in carrying a couple of boxes, and the informant directs him to put down the groceries in an area just in front of the refrigerator. Delivery person leaves and returns with a few more boxes. He asks informant to sign at someplace on his clipboard. She does so and hands the delivery person a tip. She opens the bottom drawer of the cabinets adjacent to the refrigerator and pulls out a pair of scissors. A single side of the scissors is used to open up one of the boxes. As she pulls items out, she appears to read the labels, but only on a few select items. The items she chooses to inspect appear to be meat, poultry, and fresh vegetables. She proceeds to place items in the refrigerator and pantry. She repeats this process with each subsequent box until they are all empty. She places the empty boxes in a pile by the front door and leaves the kitchen area.

Supporting Documents (incl. photos and scanned field notes)