Throughout my project I used varied methods to generate ideas and to evaluate my work. Here’s what they were and how I conducted them.
Focus Group part 1 – for the first part of the focus group I enlisted the help of 4 people that fall within my target age range of 18 to 45. To begin with I didn’t tell them anything about my project, so as they wouldn’t be led by my thinking. I asked them about their TV watching, and exercising habits. This was to some base research into whether or not my project was viable, or even necessary.
Focus Group part 2 – In this part of the focus group I told them the concept of my project. I then asked them to think of pieces of furniture they would have in their living rooms, write them on post-its and them stick them on a board. Then I got them to do the same with types of exercise. Finally I asked them to combine them as they saw fit, and draw sketches of their ideas. This part of the focus group was to help me in the idea generation process, and to give me an idea of what kind of exercise techniques were out there.
Individual testing 1 – In the first run of individual testing I got the participants that took part in the focus group to use the table and then answer questions on a questionnaire about aspects of the table, such as the weight of the lifting mechanism, the type of exercise and the number of repetitions they would be willing to do.
Individual testing 2 – The second round of individual testing will be a follow up on the first. The participants will used the finished table and give comment on similar topics as the first session of testing. It will also include questions on aesthetics and on their opinion as to the success of the project.
Ethnography – I conducted a simple ethnographic study, in which I watched the TV viewing habits of my family over a couple of days. This was to see what type of shows they watched, and for how long.
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Time Management – At the start of the project I created a Gannt chart depicting all the tasks I had to complete, and a rough timeline of when each task should be done. I tried to follow it to throughout the year.
Degree Show – At the degree show, despite the project being over, I want to see how the table be used in the context of the exhibition. It will be a interesting thing to gauge peoples reaction to the project, and will be a good indicator of its success.