ARTX-C1018 - Digital Service Design Project, Lecture, 6.9.2022-20.10.2022

Description of the assignment:
A discussion guide is the "script" you will use for conducting a semi-structured interview. It is a guide, not a questionnaire! The guide includes the topics to cover for the user interviews. These can be formulated as questions or themes. The discussion guide will help you to set clear research objectives and plan what you want to cover in your interview (approximately 1h long). This guide will also help all the group members to have consistency across all interviews, as interviews will be conducted by different group members and you will not necessarily be present in all of them. A reminder that each team will conduct a total of (3-4), as many interviews as team members. Each team member should participate in at least 2 interviews, one as a note taker and one as an interviewer. In all interviews, you will use the same discussion guide, but you could include small variations if needed. 

Along with the discussion guide, you must prepare an activity for the user to do during the interview. You can choose between a Visual probe OR a Task. Asking research participants to do something during the interview, will help them reflect on their experiences, and deep dive into their needs, and also it can help you to document them. 

Format of the assignment:

• Use the discussion guide template attached
• The discussion guide should be max. 1 page long in Word document or PDF. Name for the file: Group#_Discussion guide (Group1_Discussion guide) 
• If you choose to use a Visual probe, include it as a separate file in PDF. Name for the file: Group#_VisualProbe (Group1_Discussion guide)If you decide to use a visual probe should be a separate file in PDF. Name for the file: Group#_VisualProbe (Group1_Discussion guide) 
• If you choose to give research participants a task, you can add a brief description of the activity on another page in the same discussion guide file. In the discussion guide, indicate when the activity is planned and add the description of the task on the next page. 

The discussion guide should include:  

• Research objectives: What do you aim to learn?
• A clear structure, for example, highlight 3 blocks or themes. This is the main flow of the interview and everything you'd like to cover
• Outline the main high-level topics or questions for each block.
• Follow-up questions to help you dig deeper.
• Time of each topic section.
• A visual probe or task for the participant to do during the interview (e.g. card sorting exercise or a task, such as asking the participant to interact with a Posti Lockers, App, Web...). 

• Discussion guide template (file attached)
  
• Examples of the discussion guide and prompts (Thursday lecture slides)
  

Evaluation criteria