A Project Guide to UX Design by Ross Unger and Carolyn Chandler

User Interviews

Ross Unger and Carolyn Chandler describe user interviews as structured conversations with potential users of your site, or in my case product. A factor that should be considered when conducting an interview is the environment. Will interview take place over the phone, a video call, in person at a neutral location, in the environment that product will be used. Ideally, in-person interviews in the environment the product will be used is best. It is also advised to do any usability testing at the end.

I have created a list of interview questions following the below process outlined by Unger and Chandler:

• Ask questions about relevant experiences (related to learning, science and playing games)
• Ask questions about attitudes towards school, learning, science, playing games on devices, playing educational games
• Ask questions about common goals or needs, what makes games fun e.g. what’s their favourite aspects of games are i.e. what makes the game fun, how do they like to learn
• Questions about their environment when playing games and other’s involved

I have also reviewed my questions to ensure they aren’t leading questions or overly complicated. I’ve also tried to keep my questions as open-ended as possible.

A Cheatsheet for User Interviews and Follow Up Questions

I also found a great blog that provided lots of information about how to carry out the interviews and what follow up questions to ask. This caused me to review my interview questions once again, reviewing and making the following additions:

• Pain points- what’s their least favourite part about school, what do they do when they can’t complete a games
• Open discover questions
• Questions aimed at understanding
• Recalling the past and anticipating the future.
• Opinions and attitudes

Interview Questions

Parent Interview

1. What does your child learn about in school?
2. What does your child learn about in science?
3. What are your child’s favourite topics/activities in school? Follow up with why?
4. What is your child’s least favourite thing about school/science?
5. Which of the following activities does your child engage in most? (reading, doing activities, watching videos, listening to someone talk, listening to music, looking at pictures, asking questions, answering questions, talking in a group)
6. What does your child know about elements and the periodic table?
7. What does your child like to do for fun? Follow up with why
8. What devices does your child mostly use?
9. Tell me about how your child uses these devices?
10. Tell me about the games your child plays on these devices? (describe how it works)
11. What do you think is your child’s favourite aspect of the games?
12. What makes your child want to play games on this device?
13. What is your experience of your child playing game apps on tablets/any device?
14. What do you think about tablet app games that are educational for children?
15. Tell me about your child’s last experience of playing an educational game?
16. Why was your child playing the game?
17. Are there any requirements that device games must-have for you to allow your child to play them?
18. How do you feel about your child playing educational tablet games?
19. Where/when does your child play games on the device?
20. Does your child play games on devices with other people in the room?
21. Does your child generally have the volume on when playing on a device?
22. Does your child play games with others on the device? How regularly?
23. What does your child do when they are struggling to work a game?

Prototype- usability testing

1. What do you think of the following logo/ app design?
2. What do you think the logo looks like it’s for?
3. On first impressions, do you think by looking at this app/ logo design that the game will be appropriate for your child?
4. How do you think your child would respond to the following logo/ app design?

Show sketches and illustrations of the app and opening text

The earth is under attack! You and Tommy have escaped to Mars. Use elements to stay alive.

1. What do you think about this premise?
2. How do you think your child would respond to this premise?
3. What do you think about the inclusion of Tommy?

1^st sketches- by looking at these sketches can you tell what needs to be done to complete the task? (explain if required)

1. Do you think your child would be able to complete the task? (if not why?)
2. What do you think this task teaches children about elements?

2^nd sketches- by looking at these sketches can you tell what needs to be done to complete the task? (explain if required)

1. Do you think your child would be able to complete the task? (if not why?)
2. What do you think this task teaches children about elements?

 

Children’s Version

1. What do you learn about in school?
2. What do you learn about in science?
3. What do you like best about school?
4. What’s your favourite thing to learn about in school?
5. Can you remember the best thing you’ve learnt about in science? How did you learn about it?
6. What is the worst thing you have to do in science/ school?
7. What do you like doing best in class? (e.g. activities, reading, watching videos, listening to someone talk, listening to music, looking at pictures, asking questions, answering questions, talking in a group)
8. What do you know about elements?
9. What do you know about the periodic table?
10. If you could turn something you learn about in school into the best game ever what would it be?
11. What do you like to do for fun? What makes this so fun?
12. What devices do you like to use? Like a TV, Computer, Gameboy, Mobile etc.
13. Tell me about what you do on this device?
14. Tell me about the games you play on this device? (describe how you play them)
15. What’s your favourite thing to do in this game? (can you show me)
16. Why do you enjoy playing games on this device?
17. Tell me about the last time you played a game that taught you about something?
18. Why were you playing the game?
19. Are there any apps your parents don’t let you play? Why not?
20. What do you think about playing games that teach you something?
21. Where/when does do you play games on the device?
22. Do you play games on devices with other people in the room?
23. Do you like to have the volume on when playing a game?
24. Do you like to play with other people in games? How regularly?
25. What do you do when you’re playing a game and you can’t get to the next level?

Prototype- usability testing

1. What do you think of this app?
2. What do you think the app is about?

Show sketches and illustrations of the app and opening text

The earth is under attack! You and Tommy have escaped to Mars. Use elements to stay alive.

1. What do you think about this story?
2. Should it be just you or do you think it’s good to have Tommy there too?

1^st sketches- by looking at these sketches can you tell what needs to be done to complete the task? (explain if required)

1. If they understand how to complete the task after it’s explained ask them is there anything that could be included in the image that would help them?
2. Do you know why you need to move the level to help you and Tommy breathe?

2^nd sketches- by looking at these sketches can you tell what needs to be done to complete the task? (explain if required)

1. If they understand how to complete the task after it’s explained ask them is there anything that could be included in the image that would help them?
2. Do you know what these things are that you’re putting in the bottle?