CS 247 takes many of the concepts you learned in introductory design coursework and deepens them. You are no longer an amateur, so we won't be treating you like one. We look forward to seeing you leap over our already-high expectations.
The goal of Part I: needfinding observation and interviews, and communicating ideas visually.
Needfinding is "deep hanging out". CS 147 focused on contextual inquiry-style user research. Needfinding is a much broader activity that involves more open-ended observation and interviewing. We'll begin getting comfortable with that here.
Design requires communication. The better your communication cuts to the core of the idea, the more effective you are as a designer. It's your responsibility to ensure that others see the same thing in your ideas that you do. If they see something else, you need to accept a mea culpa: there's something you're not communicating clearly. Visual communication is a kind of interface design: if the recipient doesn't rapidly get it, then the interface (communication) needs to be tweaked.
Your mission with Part I is to perform needfinding on the Caltrain rider experience and capture it visually in sketches. This quarter's theme is urban computing, so it's time that we pop the Stanford bubble, go off campus, and spend some time observing people waiting for the Caltrain and riding the Caltrain. Be a participant observer: ride the Caltrain yourself somewhere. Interview people to better understand how Caltrain fits into their commute and their lives. Visually capture the environment in sketches. Focus on observations for now, don't worry about deeper interpretations.
This is a pair assignment, so find a partner. While you will make one joint submission, both of you need to turn in observations and sketches for Part I.
Your assignment is to observe and interview Caltrain riders. Capture this information visually into your sketchbook. You'll use your observations in Part II to generate deeper interpretations. Break down your steps as below.
A good drawing pad or sketchbook is a critical part of the designer's toolkit. Make sure you've purchased a pad and pen you can take with you. Act quickly, because we are not the only class on campus that's asking you to buy a sketchbook and they do sell out.Important features: you must be able to easily tear out the pages (so we can tape them on the walls), no lines, no flimsy pages, no tiny pages (we recommend at least 5"x8"), no thin-lined pens (go for something with a reasonably thick ink stream), and no pencils. The Stanford Bookstore sells drawing pads, as does University Art and Accent Arts. If you get ahead of the game, use Amazon Prime Student to overnight some great ones from there.
You and your partner should think about: what are aspects of the experience that you want to make sure to see? Be broad. Don't just spend time on the platform. Plan to get on the train, take it somewhere, and observe what people are doing while they're riding. What do they do when they get off? Work to avoid any preconceptions you might have had about who is on the Caltrain and what they are doing.
Generate a few possible interview questions before you head out. A rough script can really help break the ice.
Once you're at your location, walk around and observe. Both of you take down some sketches to yourselves of what you see. Aim to capture at volume, don't worry about filtering to just great observations. Focus on specific stories and details. If you don't do this, it will be much harder to have the depth that you need for your later supporting evidence. Feel free to take pictures or audio recordings on your phone to complement for your own memory, but do not capture pictures and audio now and then sketch after the fact. You must sketch while you're there. For this section, you are not graded on your communication skills, mainly on your use of visual expression techniques from class and on observation.
Observe and sketch until it gets boring, then start talking to people. Without asking leading questions, see if the information you glean from them supports or refutes your observations. Make sure to sketch and capture important aspects of the conversation right after you finish talking to the person.
The deliverable here is a selection of no fewer than ten pages of your observations, per person, captured in a primarily visual form. Feel free to include other material as supplements at the end of the assignment submission — we will glance through them too.
Scan or take photos of your sketchbook and your partner's. Submit one combined PDF. Bring your sketchbooks to class — we'll be looking at each others' work!
If accessibility constraints would make it difficult for you to execute this assignment, please post (anonymously if you wish) to the class forum. In particular, please envision an alternate means of observing and communicating your observations to others, and share it in your post. If it sounds good to us, we'll OK it!
Please post any questions about this project or others to the class Piazza forum.
Part I is worth two points. You will receive two points for completing the assignment satisfactorily, submitting it, and bringing your sketches to class.
However, apart from the points, this assignment will also feed into Part II. So, the course staff will separately give you in-class feedback on the quality of your submission on a check-minus, check, check-plus scale. If you get a check-minus, strongly consider redoing Part I before moving on to Part II, since your foundation is shaky. A check is fine, and the rare check-plus means that you've exceeded our expectations.