Moblogging as a cultural probe technique?

Cultural probes generally consist of a package containing such articles as disposable (or more commonly these days, digital) cameras, diaries, maps, stickers, pens, drawing paper, &etc--essentially any item the recipient might need to carry out the study's requirements. The methodology was designed to compel creative reactions from a population of interest. For example, one of the earliest reports of the use of cultural probes involved a comparison between levels of community support for aging citizens who were living in different cities (ie, near Oslo, Pisa, and Amsterdam). In this case, the probes were used to offer a (highly subjective) glimpse of the daily lives of the study participants; the purpose was to gain some early inspiration for later design concepts. Thus, the method has traditionally been used exploratively and therefore early on in the (iterative) design process.

Cultural probes, however, are not only inspirational for the designer--it can be argued that they are inspirational for the participant, as well. Assignments included in the aforementioned study included tagging locations on a map that identified areas where the participant felt both at ease and unsafe. A colleague here at TI told me about a cultural probe study that he had participated in; in that study, he was asked to draw an "onion" of human connections in which closer connections appeared towards the center and those who were more distant at the outer layers. Arguably such exercises are more enjoyable--and certainly more personal--for the participant than filling out a survey regarding his or her daily activities.

It could be argued that the strength of surveys lies in their ability pin point highly specific target information. Cultural probes are indeed messier, but also richer in the depth of information that they provide. And, some have argued that it is fallacy not to consider the methodology an informative data collecting procedure, as well (Hemmings et al, 2003; Boehner et al, 2007).

It is because this method can provide both inspiration and relevant information that I'm in the process of designing cultural probes for the current project. This strategy is well suited to the population of interest--that is, folks who are constantly working on the move and/or in different locations--as well, because it might be difficult to pin them down for an one-on-one interview. The problem, however, is that I don't want to hamper their mobility by bogging them down with a box of objects and assignments. That is why I'm considering the use of moblogging (i.e., mobile blogging) tools as a possible means of gathering information from participants. The benefit of moblogging is that pictures, text, videos, and other content can be quickly shared, oftentimes with little effort and few resources (all one needs is a laptop or smartphone--objects mobile workers already oftentimes carry--and a wifi connection).

The downside of moblogging is that it is not sufficient as a cultural probe technique (a point that was wisely brought to my attention by my coach here at TI). Part of the fun of cultural probes is that they are tangible, and invite a more intense level of physical interaction. So, in creating the probes (an activity which I hope to have done by next week), I need to strike a balance between finding quick and mobile solutions and contrast them with assignments that require more dedicated effort (such as drawing or the type of reflecting that is done in longer diary entries).

I used my last blog post as an opportunity to try moblogging in hopes of getting a sense of how easy it is to share information while on the go. I'll continue looking into other means of sharing content, so expect some of those efforts to appear here in the coming days.