User Testing
 

User 1: Male  
PAM3.3

• “If I knew what it was, I’d pay attention. But if you were on the floor, you probably wouldn’t really want not to be disturbed.”

• “This is really well constructed. I can’t really see it or feel it, though. Maybe ball bearings that you could feel push in. Or if it was all the way up, then Id’ know that that was when it would be red.”

• “It feels like a yolk. I don’t think I’d wear it. But if it was fashionable, I’d wear it and be like, ‘check it out!’”

• “It wouldn’t be the most innate thing to use. But I might get into it.’”

• “One thing is that you have to be pretty close to me to see this. If you already got that close, you’re already distracting the person wearing the necklace”

PAM3.2

• “I’m more used to a zipper, but buttons could work. Maybe not magnetic and with brass on it.”

 Other thoughts

• Maybe something on your computer that you don’t have to remember to take with you

• Maybe you could add Bluetooth to it and have a page that would show info about who’s on the floor and who’s available or not.

User 2: Female

PAM3.3

• Needs feedback on what state its in

• Lights should be lower

• Put an identifier on the medallion

User 3: Male

PAM3.3

• “It’s a nice analog to putting up my hoodie. It feels like I’m being closed.”

• It's fun

• Looked down at lights to see what state they are in first

PAM3.2

• Not quite as analogous to the button-up notion as Tom’s is to the zipper” 

User 4: Male

PAM3.3

• Mentioned the social scene: single vs. taken.

• Good idea, but a lot of extra stuff to remember if you have it put it on. What if I forget to make it red? I might cause more problems than solutions.

• If I got into the habit of doing it, I might get used to the idea of closing up.

• It’s necessary in a closed environment. You’re in high traffic areas no matter where you are. But it still depends on how obnoxious the other person is. It’s not an actual wall.

User 5: Female

PAM3.3

• For an environment like this, it’s totally useful.

• This could work for public servants, like policemen who are there to serve, but may sometimes be busy with something else.

PAM3.2

• I don’t like it for nightlife. Some things should be private

 
User Feedback on PAM3.1

• Some people felt it was comfortable (the premade trim), but there were complaints about the LEDs getting in the way with a strong suggestion to use surface mount LEDs instead.
• They generally liked the materials use, but the loop seemed too obviously like magnetic tape - it would have been better with a cloth loop that matched the braid.
• The signals that people got from it were that it had two states, but no idea of what it signified. One person said that it reminded him of sailing: at night, red and green signals are used for sailboats to know to turn left or right.
• Most said it was aesthetically appealing in some way: there was an admiration for the hidden circuitry and a comment that it reminded one person of S & M.
• I have yet to encounter a person who interprets the device as a physical away message without being told that it is.
• Most said they would respect the signal that was given by the device (ex. if someone did not want to be disturbed), but a few said they would use it as a point of ridicule (ex. OH, you’re red, you can’t talk to me right now? *heavy sarcasm*)
• I asked if people felt that the device changed interpersonal relationships, and most said no. One person specifically stated that the folks at ITP were not always apt to pick up on basic social cues as it is (because of their immersion in projects), so a device like this would be an extra step up from that.

General Impressions
- Most stated that the zipper was a familiar motion, similar to zipping up a hoodie. 
- A few mentioned that maybe it would be a more effective signal if it was, in fact, built into a hoodie so that it was a “louder” signal that actually physically isolated the user.  
- Some said that the buttoning action was also familiar, but that in general buttoning takes more effort, and the execution of Heather’s prototype was awkward.  
- Some were initially hesitant to say they would actually wear the zipper prototype, but seemed to grow fonder of the prototype as the interview went on. Toward the end of the interviews, most users stated that they could get used to it and might actually use it all the time.  
- Most users stated that it was useful in the ITP environment, where many people are forced to be in close quarters, no matter how much they do or do not want to be disturbed. Users were unsure whether it would be effective in other environments.  
- A couple of users mentioned the possibility of using the device as a “single” or “taken” signal in social settings. One user disliked this idea, saying that “some things should be private.”