Sean
H. Gao
Research
Research is a crucial component in graduate studies not only in the field of paper-writings but also finding new fields that we have rarely encountered with. This section focused on how research and analysis in digital fields provides a theme of information environments for audience needs, behaviors, and experiences through appropriate research methods in respect to data analysis.
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[ Referred Courses ]
Emotional Design - Pamela Pavliscak
Emotional Design class is a popular class in the program not only because of the high-related designer VS. users studies but also highlights how the information field interacts with the real human world with their senses and feelings. This class laid out the essentials for UX/UI designers to correlate with their users and provided very specific training and exploration topics in practice. This class pondered how aesthetics, interactions, and personalities of different emotions can bring people various stimulations physically and mentally. In further Emotion Research, it covered themes including current mental health and wellbeings in the design and illustration field. Research projects of this class include modes/moods board research, mood board layout, emotional interactions design, selective emotion research, emotional UX Research, CoDesign Activities, and Prototype and design recommendations.
Not only for the in-studio studies and practice, but this class also corresponds to three real-world project teams for students to get handle analytics and research on real user behaviors and collective feedback data in their relationships to what they will learn.
The client our group cooperated with was a wellness GPS combining voice + emotion AI Software App called Evrmore, designed for Gen Z’s digital mental health. Our basic outcome for the client is a mid-term report on Emotion Design Research and a final Case study on Co-creation Research & Personal research development. Our initial research methodologies include a pre-interview for recruiting Target Demographics and Personality Test; 14 Interviews for heavily structured questions and feedback gatherings, video indexer analysis, and communications in consolidating results. As a larger group, we integrated the starter questions and research goals from the index extract from our interviews. In this specific case, our research goals are defined as "processing & reflecting on life VS. behavior", "sharing habits", and " trust in others & technologies". We invited a pilot test and gathered data from sayings, thoughts, doings, and feelings.
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Our second-half research becomes more specific in reflection behaviors, sharing habits, and intuitive interactions as a smaller group. Throughout our process guidelines and user interviews, we came out with a three-phase co-creation workshop that allows participants to help regulates the pattern of what content people share and with whom are they comfortable sharing their personal memories. We noticed that:
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In Stage 1, participants like to draw to make hints to recall themselves, and drawings are more popular than written words when they illustrate their stories.
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In Stage 2, a diminished amount of participants draw for friends. Story details are more vivid and engaging. Participants mention the relationships and connections with whom they are writing to.
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In Stage 3, people choose to avoid drawings but arrange their written space direct and tidily The results for this stage are more like Stage 1.
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We then build up our persona and two findings specifically with our recommendations and potential expectations if the app implemented the recommendations. The reports and research are challenging but at the same time profound in paving way for future design and presentations. It is also a precious opportunity to awaken sights and thoughts professionally and bridge the balance between academic research with practical application development.
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[ Learning outcomes ]​
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Emotion Research Report[Download File]: Design for Stunning Artifactual
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Client Presentation: Emotional Research and Design
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Client Presentation[Download File]: Co-Creation Workshop and Persona Research
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