Trotting the Globe: Evaluating and Categorizing Playful User Experiences of Google Earth
LINNA, MATTI (2011)
2011
Informaatiotutkimus ja interaktiivinen media - Information Studies and Interactive Media
Informaatiotieteiden tiedekunta - Faculty of Information Sciences
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Hyväksymispäivämäärä
2011-01-18
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:uta-1-21152
https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:uta-1-21152
Tiivistelmä
Playfulness has been one of the theoretical frameworks used to discuss human-computer interaction since the 1980s with the aim to understand why it is enjoyable to use digital technologies. Various theories have been developed and the phenomenon has been analysed in many studies throughout the years. The subject is still open to further research, as understanding of it remains incomplete.
The three main aims of this thesis are: (1) To establish a basic understanding of playfulness in human-computer interaction by reviewing previous discussion on play and user experience, (2) to conduct a user study of Google Earth to discuss playful user experiences in its context, and (3) to discuss methodological issues of user experience research, especially focusing on systematic categorizing of the data. Google Earth was chosen as the research object as it is an interactive open environment. This design aspect can hypothetically elicit user experiences that can be meaningfully discussed using playfulness as a theoretical framework.
The data of the thesis was collected from 18 study participants using web-based experience diaries and user interviews. The data collection methodology is based on design probes, a specific approach for collecting user experience data. The data was analysed using the affinity diagramming method, which is a type of data content analysis. The main purpose of the affinity diagramming is to sort data into clusters that are built around common themes. The data analysis produced a total of 12 experience categories, each denoting different aspects of the user experiences present in the data. These experience categories were analysed further to filter out the experiences that can be considered playful.
The main findings of this thesis provide proof that Google Earth can elicit playful experiences on its users: the openness and wide range of possibilities the application offers for the users form a kind of playspace where the users can express individual desires and goals interactively and associatively. The core user experiences are formed through representations of travelling, social interaction and the large amounts of factual information the application offers for the users. The study also provides insight into the problems of analysing user experience data systematically. The data analysis shows that the complexity of human experience renders overtly strict models of playfulness irrelevant to some degree. Rather, the results of the study suggest that user experience data should not be approached only with pre-defined models, as they can impair the reliability and validity of the research.
Asiasanat:play, game, playfulness, user experience, user research, human-computer interaction
The three main aims of this thesis are: (1) To establish a basic understanding of playfulness in human-computer interaction by reviewing previous discussion on play and user experience, (2) to conduct a user study of Google Earth to discuss playful user experiences in its context, and (3) to discuss methodological issues of user experience research, especially focusing on systematic categorizing of the data. Google Earth was chosen as the research object as it is an interactive open environment. This design aspect can hypothetically elicit user experiences that can be meaningfully discussed using playfulness as a theoretical framework.
The data of the thesis was collected from 18 study participants using web-based experience diaries and user interviews. The data collection methodology is based on design probes, a specific approach for collecting user experience data. The data was analysed using the affinity diagramming method, which is a type of data content analysis. The main purpose of the affinity diagramming is to sort data into clusters that are built around common themes. The data analysis produced a total of 12 experience categories, each denoting different aspects of the user experiences present in the data. These experience categories were analysed further to filter out the experiences that can be considered playful.
The main findings of this thesis provide proof that Google Earth can elicit playful experiences on its users: the openness and wide range of possibilities the application offers for the users form a kind of playspace where the users can express individual desires and goals interactively and associatively. The core user experiences are formed through representations of travelling, social interaction and the large amounts of factual information the application offers for the users. The study also provides insight into the problems of analysing user experience data systematically. The data analysis shows that the complexity of human experience renders overtly strict models of playfulness irrelevant to some degree. Rather, the results of the study suggest that user experience data should not be approached only with pre-defined models, as they can impair the reliability and validity of the research.
Asiasanat:play, game, playfulness, user experience, user research, human-computer interaction