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HCI. Assessment 2: Individual Report 2 Ethnographic Research

S123 HIT381 HUMAN-COMPUTER INTERACTION AND DESIGN

Individual Report 2 Ethnographic Research

Limin Ni

S264102

STEP 1: OBSERVE

Project Brief

The project aims to provide a convenient, easy-to-use and practical mobile application for users who like to grow flowers. The app will provide multiple functions to help users manage and care for their flowers and plants for better growth and maintenance.

Some activities which relate to my brief.

· Selection of flower varieties

· Plant flowers

· Fertilizing and watering

· Care for flowers

· Join the flower community.

Observe People

Person 1 (housewife)

Yesterday, I found that my aunt in her yard had some wrong behaviours with planting flowers. Among them, the most common problem is overwatering. She still insisted on watering the plants according to the original watering plan on wet or rainy days, which led to the plants being in a humid environment for a long time, causing root rot, leading to the death of the plants. Another common problem is lack of light. By placing pots in the shade of indoor corners or Windows, she ignores the plants' need for light, resulting in slow growth and even death. As well as her excessive fertilisation, resulting in the absorption of too many nutrients, fertiliser burning root situation, affecting the growth of flowers and plants health. And she pruned the flowers too much, resulting in the flowers cannot grow properly and lose beauty.

Person 2 （student）

I was standing by the window, watching a young student, about 17 years old, trying to plant a pot of green plants in the yard. The student carefully poured the soil into the pot, and then carefully transplanted the green plants into it. He put so much soil in the basin that it looked loose and not firm. This results in plants that cannot grow firmly and are easily blown over by the wind. He did not pay attention to the water quantity and frequency when watering; the water overflowed the basin bottom; he also did not pay attention to the smooth drainage hole; he lacked the necessary flower knowledge and experience.

Interview People

Interview subject: person 1: Yaya, a housewife who likes to grow flowers.

Interviewe r: Hello, Yaya. I am designing mobile software for plant flowers. Would you like to be interviewed by me?

Yaya : Well, I can do that.

Interviewer : Great, thank you. So, why did you start growing flowers? What does growing flowers mean to you?

Yaya: I started growing flowers because Growing flowers helps me feel more relaxed and in touch with my surroundings.

Interviewer: That's interesting. What kinds of flowers do you raise, and how did you choose them?

Yaya: I grow various flowers, such as roses, and cacti, mainly for their beauty. I choose them based on their colours and shapes and how they complement each other in my garden.

Interviewer : Have you encountered any difficulties while growing flowers, and how did you solve them?

Yaya: Yes, I have faced some challenges, such as improper watering, pests, and diseases. I rely on my experience in flower cultivation to solve these problems. However, sometimes I feel helpless when the issues are severe or require more knowledge than I possess.

Interviewer: can you tell me about how you take care of your plants? Any tips or experiences to share?

Yaya : Sure. I think it's important to control the amount of watering. Providing a suitable light.

Interviewer: Thank you for sharing that. How do you think growing flowers has affected your life?

Yaya: Growing flowers It's not just about adding beauty to my surroundings, but it's also a process of learning and growing.

Interviewer: Thank you for sharing your experiences with me, Yaya.

Interview subject: person 2: student

Interviewer: Hi, may I interview you about your experience planting green plants in the yard?

Student: Sure, I don't mind.

Interviewer: I noticed you were planting a pot of green plants earlier. Can you tell me a bit about the process?

Student: Yeah, I was trying to plant some green plants, but I'm not sure if I did it correctly.

Interviewer: Do you have any idea where you can find more information or resources to improve your skills?

Student: Actually, I'm not sure where to start. I've been trying to do some research online, but there's just so much information out there that it's hard to know what's reliable and what's not.

Interviewer: Do you have any idea how to solve these problems?

Student: No, I haven't thought about that.

Interviewer: Great, thanks for sharing your experience with me. Good luck with your future planting!

STEP 2: BRAINSTORM NEEDS

brainstorm user needs and goals.

Plant recognition: Using image recognition technology, users can obtain the basic information, maintenance methods and growth environment requirements of the plant by taking or uploading photos.

Feel frustrated if the app does not accurately identify the plant or if the information provided is confusing.

Feel grateful when they receive Accurate information

The user may think that they need to be able to identify plants for gardening or environmental purposes. Accurate information.

I need to identify a particular plant and learn more about it. Need explanations and reference materials."

User: Student

Take photos of plants and upload them to the app for identification. also use the app to search for specific plants and browse through the information provided.

I need to learn more about plant care to successfully maintain their garden.

Provide conservation guidelines: For each plant, provide detailed conservation guidelines, including advice and precautions on watering, fertilising, pruning, pest control, etc.

I feel relieved and grateful when they receive clear care suggestions and reminders to help me take care of my plants.

I use the app to input the types of plants I have and receive care suggestions. set reminders for watering, fertilizing, pruning, and other gardening tasks.

User 2: Retired elderly person.

I struggle with caring for my plants and need help, want an easy-to-use app that provides clear care suggestions and reminders.

I feel stressed when trying to keep up with their gardening tasks. I feel relieved and organized when using the app to manage their care schedules.

User: 3 busy gardeners

I want an app that is easy to use and provides detailed care instructions.

I think that they need a customized care schedule for each plant to ensure proper care.

Provide maintenance calendar: According to the growth cycle and needs of the plant, provide customized maintenance calendar to remind users when they need watering, fertilizing, pruning, etc.

I use the app to create customized care schedules for each plant and receive reminders for important tasks. may quickly add new plants and update care tasks as needed.

4. User Community: Provides a user community where users can share their maintenance experiences, photos, tips and problems, and get suggestions and help from other users.

I feel excited, when they connect with other flower enthusiasts

I use the online community to connect with other flower enthusiasts and share their knowledge and experiences.

I share photos and videos

I want to be able to share photos and videos of my gardening experiences. I also want to see other people gardening experiences and plants photos.

User5: flower enthusiast

I want to connect with other flower enthusiasts through an online community. I want a platform that allows me to share their knowledge and experiences with others.

Planting record: Allows users to record their flower plant maintenance for better tracking and management.

I feel relieved and organised when help me keep track of my planting activities.

I use the planting record tool to input and track important information about my plants.

I need a tool to input and track important information such as planting dates.

User 6: famer

I need a reliable tool to help me keep track of their planting activities.

Ask questions about my living space from app; find what the temperature and humidity levels.

Personalised plant recommendations: help users solve maintenance problems

Excited to care for new plants and make sure they survive.

I don't want to waste money on plants that won't survive in my living space. I'm not sure how to determine how much light my living space receives.

7.someone who loves flowers

what types of plants would be best suited for my living space.

wants to learn how to care for my plants

I feel confident in caring for my plants.

Excited to see my plants thrive and grow.

I want to make sure I'm doing everything right to keep my plants healthy.

Reminders for watering and fertilizing: To save time and reduce stress by having all their plant care information in one place.

To set reminders for watering and fertilising. Input information about plants to receive customised care advice.

User8

I always forget when I last watered my plants.

marketplace: allows users to showcase with search and filter options for customers to easily find and purchase flowers.

I feel excited and motivated about expanding their customer base through the online marketplace.

Upload images and descriptions of my products onto the online marketplace. And interact with customers through the platform's messaging system.

The app needs to have high-quality images and detailed descriptions of each product.

User: flower merchant

I need an online marketplace to showcase and sell my products.

Improved brief

STEP 3: FIND INSPIRATION:

9. Water and fertilizer reminder: set reminders according to the specific situation of users to avoid excessive or insufficient maintenance.

8. Planting record: Allows users to record their flower plant maintenance for better tracking and management.

1. Plant recognition: Using image recognition technology, users can obtain the basic information, maintenance methods and growth environment requirements of the plant by taking or uploading photos.

2. Provide conservation guidelines: For each plant, provide detailed conservation guidelines, including advice and precautions on watering, fertilizing, pruning, pest control, etc.

3. Provide maintenance calendar: According to the growth cycle and needs of the plant, provide customized maintenance calendar to remind users when they need watering, fertilizing, pruning, etc.

4. User Community: Provides a user community where users can share their maintenance experiences, photos, tips and problems, and get suggestions and help from other users.

5. Expert consultation: If users encounter maintenance problems, they can ask and get answers from experts. In addition, experts can publish articles on conservation techniques and the latest plant research results to improve users' conservation level.

6. Flower mall: Classify all kinds of plants and maintenance tools, provide a variety of different varieties of flowers, soil, fertilizer, flower POTS, etc., to help users choose the right products.

7. Personalized recommendation: Recommend the most suitable plants and conservation suggestions for users based on their conservation habits, environmental conditions, local areas and other factors.

Develop user stories for the solutions from Trello with screenshots and links.

https://trello.com/b/L1YFRi67/user-stories

Theory and practice

Ethnography description (in your own words)

· A research method for studying and understanding human cultures and social groups.

Role of observation

· Identify, explore, and link social phenomena (BMJ 2008, Published 7 August 2008)

· The central aim of ethnography is to provide rich, holistic insights into people’s views and actions (BMJ 2008, Published 7 August 2008)

· Generating a rich understanding of social action and its subtleties in different contexts. (BMJ 2008, Published 7 August 2008)

Reflection

Through studying this practice, I can better understand the needs (Smith et al., 2022) and the behaviours of users in designing products. When designing a mobile application for growing flowers, the 6 Principles of Design, can guide the development process to ensure that the app is easy to use; Feedback (Donald Norman, Enginess. 2018.) can be provided through alerts and notifications that let the user know when their actions have been successful or if they need to adjust. Constraints (Donald Norman, Enginess. 2018.) can be used to prevent users from making harmful or irreversible changes to their plants. Visibility (Donald Norman, Enginess. 2018.) is an important consideration in participant observation (BMJ 2008, Published 7 August 2008); For example, researchers should clearly explain the study's purpose to study participants and obtain their informed consent before beginning the study.

The most challenging thing for me is observation and ethnography because they require a deep understanding of the user's behaviour, needs, and preferences. In the case of designing a mobile app for growing flowers, it is important to observe how users interact with plants and how they approach plant care. This involves not only watching users but also conducting interviews to gain insights into their motivations. In addition, conducting participant observations (BMJ 2008, Published 7 August 2008) to understand how users interact with the app in their natural environment could be challenging, as it requires gaining access to their daily routines and observing them without disrupting their activities.

References

BMJ (Published 7 August 2008) BMJ Ethnography [PDF].

Institute of Design at Stanford. (n.d.). What to do in need finding [PDF].

Enginess. (2018). The 6 Principles of Design, a la Donald Norman.

https://www.enginess.io/insights/6-principles-design-la-donald-norman