TAPO Interactive Experience
Transforming Attitudes, Polices, and Organizations
Graduate Student Services Research Fellowship Award, IQE Pitch Winner, DAAP cares finalist
Designing an Interactive Experience to facilitate conversations, create empathy, change attitudes on race and motivate users to take action by providing learning prompts, questions and activities.
Master’s Thesis, Design Research, Social Impact
Master Student: Nichole Chaney; Committee Chair: Ashley Kubley; Committee Member: Tia Sheree Gaynor; Committee Member: Matt Wizinsky
Miro, Figma, Zoom, Google Sheets
Background
WHY
Why don’t we talk about race?
White supremacy and white privilege
Fear and emotional discomfort
Color-blind ideology
Implicit bias
Systemic racism
HOW
How do we overcome racial obstacles according to research?
Conversations
Interracial contact
Data and facts related to race
Counter narratives
The creation of brave spaces
These practices lead to transformation at an individual and systemic level.
WHAT
What are the advantages of having these conversations online?
Safely socially distancing during the pandemic
Bridging long distances
A comfortable environment
Gamification
DESIGN OPPORTUNITY
Provide meaningful content to facilitate conversations in an engaging interactive format
PRIMARY RESEARCH
8 expert interviews
Vice President of Equity, Inclusion & Community
EdD, CDP, Diversity and Inclusion Leader
Executive Director of Equal Opportunity and Access
Director Equitable Strategies
Assistant Professor of Political Science
Senior Director of Marketing and Communication at a non-profit
Executive, Global Technical Capability Development Leader
Diversity and Inclusion Trainer
PLANNING MODULES / LEVEL / CONTENT
The content was built based on Critical Race Theory (CRT) and topics in racial equity with co-participation in Miro from committee members and experts.
METHODOLOGY
PRELIMINARY TESTS
3 preliminary tests were conducted before participant testing to:
determine the average time needed to complete the experience
test the functionality of the interface
test the content and dialogue questions
narrow down the audience
PRELIMINARY TEST INTERFACE
For 3–4 players
7 timed modules
board & cards
pull-down instructions
feeling wheel
Preliminary Test: The pull-out drawer with questions was confusing to users.
PRELIMINARY TEST INSIGHTS
Insights:
Time limits, relationships, and knowledge of racial topics can foster in-depth conversation or hinder it
This insight determined the audience
The following revisions were made to the preliminary interface to develop interface A and B:
Clicks were reduced
Board and cards were streamlined
Pull-down (drawer) menus were removed
Progress bar was added at the top
Fact cards were removed because of redundancy
Feeling wheel was replaced with the Geneva Emotion Wheel
PARTICIPANT TESTS: INTERFACE A & B
Interface A:
To take interface A for a test ride click here.
For 3–4 players
7 timed modules
board & cards
better graphics
more streamlined
self-guided
alarm notifications added
Geneva Emotion Wheel
Interface A: Showing how the board and cards work with 4 participants.
I wanted to test a simplified interface that featured a spinning wheel versus a game board and cards. I wanted to know if the spin wheel with 6 modules would take less time and would be easier to navigate; therefore, Interface B was developed. A and B testing was done to try and find out which interface was better according to participants.
Interface B:
To take interface B for a test ride click here.
For 3–4 players
6 timed modules
spin wheel
participant markers
self-guided
Interface B: Showing the wheel function.
RESULTS
DISCUSSION
Interactive Experience Guidelines
General and Set-up
participants/groups must be diverse
participants must thoroughly read instructions beforehand
must have diverse groups (recording for testing) set up beforehand
leave ample time to engage in conversation (ideally no time
limits, 2 hrs min)must have engaged participants
Content
multiple levels of content
be careful of redundant content
videos and stories are important
more reminders to be open and speak to encourage participants
Technology
must have a working timer
ability to go full screen automatically
ability to embed content (video / help cards)
smart links
progress bar is essential
Design is finding a seat at the table in policy development, traditional non-profits, international development, social impact consulting, corporate social responsibility, social enterprise, social good think tanks, community regeneration and in advocacy and activism. Though it’s fair to say, that only a few places in the world have made Design mainstream in those spaces. It remains experimental, or at least emergent, amongst the players who see Social Change as their traditional business.
–Jethro Sercombe, Social Impact Designer
Sercombe, J. (2019). The power of Designing for Social Impact: An Intro to Social Design (or whatever it’s called.) Medium-HCD. https://medium.com/this-is-hcd/the-power-of-designing-for-social-impact-429a76110a79
As designers, we have to be careful with the power and influence we have to create these tools. We must not reinforce disparities, cause more harm, or reinvent the wheel on solutions that have been developed.
That is why so much time and effort was spent in reading and studying race in the United States, the obstacles that can overcome racial injustice, and how conversations can be vital to humanizing people who do not look or have the same experiences.
Conclusion
The interactive experience IS beneficial in facilitating conversations on race, creating empathy, and begin changing attitudes on race. However, more work and research is needed to develop a better tool and to recruit the right participants / audience.
Next Steps
Further Testing with non-profits and organizations
Development from Figma prototype to functional application
Expand Scope
Small groups of individuals in organizations, non-profits, and businesses to use as part of their diversity training
Include more people of color in both in participatory design and testing.
Recruit interested participants (vs students who may not have been interested in this study) for more accurate data.