Research Plan: Data Enthusiast Persona

[steffiekim]

Overview

We need to create a research plan for understanding data enthusiasts—people who are interested in learning about data but do not have the knowledge yet

Action Items

1) Identifying Persona

• Familiarize with targeted persona in Refining the "Data Literacy" Journey Designs #90, User Persona in Mini Presentation and wiki page of prior research
• Define who "Data Enthusiasts" are

2) Research Plan

• Read Guide to Research Plan Documentation and UX/UI research plan issue guide
• Create research plan draft
• Review with @lrchang2 and edit based on feedback
• Review Persona1 research plan to check there's no overlap

3) Survey Design

• Make survey questions
• Review with @lrchang2 and edit based on feedback
• Draft language for posting on social media
• Review social media language with UXR team and edit based on feedback
• Post on social media/online commnuties

4) Github Wiki

• Update ATD Research Plans

5) Interview Script

• Draft interview questions

Resources/Instructions

How-To's
NN Group's Research Plan Guide
Book: Surveys That Work
Hack for LA Research Plan Template
UX Survey Guide
UX Survey Questions 60 Examples

Previous Research Plans for Reference
ATD UX Research Plan
Persona 1 Research Plan
Persona 1 Screener Survey

Deliverables
Redefining Personas
Data Enthusiast Persona Research Plan (Survey)
Data Enthusiast Persona Survey Questionnaire
Social Media Recruitment Language

[steffiekim]

Worked on the first action item: Familiarize with targeted persona in #90, User Persona in Mini Presentation and wiki page of prior research

However, I had a difficult time identifying who the "data enthusiasts" are (which is my target user) based on the existing documents. Here are the problems I encountered:

1. Different names for the same persona?

• Is the "Prospective User" on slide Create project card for Access the Data #3 in User Persona in Mini Presentation the same as the "General User" in Refining the "Data Literacy" Journey Designs #90?

2. Overlapping categories/Uncertain definitions

• In Prior and Ongoing Research, there are 3 categories in text and 2 categories in the graphical representation. In User Persona in Mini Presentation, there are 4 categories.
• Some definitions seem to be overlapping

3. Missing persona (Data Expert)

• The User Persona in Mini Presentation, Refining the "Data Literacy" Journey Designs #90, and Prior and Ongoing Research do not list "Data Expert" as a persona, but I know those data experts are one of our target users. What is the definition of data experts?

Based on these problems, the next steps are:

1. Personas seem like they need to be redefined.
2. Who exactly are "data enthusiasts" that I need to research?

Deliverable
I made a presentation about this problem here: Redefining Personas

[LouismChan]

Hi Steffie, Great to join this team. After looking over the existing slides, it looks like Data Enthusiasts are the community activists and prospective users who are interested in learning about/using data, may or may not be to the point of becoming Data Amateurs themselves. So we need to find out who they are and what they want to do. Maybe also need to find out why some community activists are not data enthusiasts - not interested in learning about/using data.

[steffiekim]

@LouismChan Thank you for your comment! I agree that it's important to find out why someone would not want to do it as well as why someone would want to do it.

[steffiekim]

1. Met with @LouismChan to go over where the current project is going and what this is about.

2. Met with @kimberly-tellez, @joyceeyang , @jjaylo, @Aparna1Gopal and @LouismChan and decided that the current issue will focus more on surveying the "data experience/expert" part while @kimberly-tellez's project focuses more on investigating the "interest in community activism."

Based on the discussion, I updated the slide 4 in Redefining Personas:

• We recognized that the current categorization of personas is not the final version. It could change based on further research.
• We agreed upon the fact that data experts/amateurs and community activists can span across the axes and overlap
• Defined "Data Enthusiasts" as data amateurs, community activists with less knowledge in data, and prospective users who are interested in learning more but don't know where the resources are.

Here is an updated image of the categorization of personas:

[LouismChan]

Awesome diagram. Maybe also use it to think dynamically: Data Enthusiasts are people who want to move up (to the northeast quadrant?) by learning more about data?

[lrchang2]

@steffiekim agree with Louis, the chart is great. The only thing that I would like to point out is that becoming data literate has a bit more nuisance in our context. Becoming data literate includes:

1. gaining knowledge about data and analytics
2. knowing what (open source/public) resources around data and tools are available
3. knowing how to apply the knowledge and tools in the context of community change

I think that your chart is a great overview and still covers this but wanted you to keep those nuisances in the back of your mind if that affects the direction of your work.

[LouismChan]

Seems that a Data Expert/Amateur (Sr. Director, Research & Data Analysis at Advancement Project (CA)) doesn't know much about 311 Data: see @Joyce Yang’s interview here.

Below is just some background info on 311 data:

1. Civis article on LA that mentions Hack for LA
2. Wired article on Chicago
3. Wired article on New York Also see BetaNYC and BetaNYC open data classes

@steffiekim @lrchang2

[steffiekim]

Created a research plan draft: Data Enthusiast Persona Research Plan (Survey)

[steffiekim]

@lrchang2 reviewed Data Enthusiast Persona Research Plan (Survey). I and @LouismChan edited the document based on the feedback. We replied to the comments and resolved the ones that are done. Comments history can be seen in the upper right corner of Google Docs for future references.

[steffiekim]

In the project breakout meeting, the persona team decided that I should perhaps focus more on finding data amateurs first and explore other groups within data enthusiasts later.

[steffiekim]

Created Data Enthusiast Persona Survey Questionnaire and started working on crafting questions

[steffiekim]

1. Completed the first draft of Data Enthusiast Persona Survey Questionnaire

2. Updated ATD Research Plans and Data Enthusiast on Wiki

[steffiekim]

1. Edited Data Enthusiast Persona Survey Questionnaire based on @lrchang2's feedback. [One more comment left to address]
2. Drafted Social Media Recruitment Language

[steffiekim]

Backlogged for now