Let's Taco 'Bout It Process Book

Britt, Colleen, Jasmine, Kate, & Leonardo

SSECORP

KOOB

LET' S TACO ' BOUT IT

Design Brief Meet the Team Research Findings Double Diamond Method Concept Ideation Prototyping Concept Refinement Evaluation Methods Finalized Concepting & Brand Appendix

WEIVREVO

Executive Summary

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

DESIGN BRIEF Given the design space of conversation, our team created a physical product to enhance in-person communication skills. Human connection is cultivated by a physical card game that invites participants to practice talking about difficult topics in a fun, safe environment.

JASMINE

BRITT

COLLEEN

KATE

ATTANASIO

REYES

MILLER

BENDER

Visual Designer

Research Lead

Visual Designer

Graphic Lead

Facilitator

Graphic Designer

GRDS

SERV | IDUS

UXDG

Project Lead Concept Refinement

UXDG

Research Lead Facilitator

SERV

LEO CABALLERO

RESEARCH FINDINGS Given the design space of conversation, our team created a physical product to enhance in-person communication skills. Human connection is cultivated by a physical card game that invites participants to practice talking about difficult topics in a fun, safe environment.

SECONDARY RESEARCH

DATA COLLECTION RESEARCH GOALS: Determine target user group Focus topic of interest Define pillars of good conversation

RESEARCH STEPS: 1.

Preliminary Research: surveys and interviews

2. Difficult Conversations Survey 3. Interviews with target users 4. Subject matter expert interview with SCAD counselor

SUBSTANTIVE PROCEDURAL FINAL GOALS

GROUND RULES

PSYCHOLOGICAL EMOTIONAL TRIGGERS

STEPS TO BETTER CONVERSATIONS KNOW YOURSELF

LOCATION

LEARN TO LISTEN

Self-awareness is an essential

Private, neutral rooms are best

Important to understand

part of resolving conflicts.

for difficult conversations

multiple viewpoints

ASSERT NEEDS

BALANCE POWER

It is best to communicate your

All parties have some power

needs for the conversation as

whether it's coercive or related

soon as possible.

to expertise and respectability.

So w hat ?

Each of these steps to better difficult conversations, they may also be pain points for the target user.

Webne-Behrman, Harry. Conflict Resolution, University of Wisconsin.

COLLEGE & CONVERSATION

90% 1/3 70%

reported conflicts with other students in past year of those involved in conflict sought the help of a third-party

reported conflicts negatively impacted academics

So w hat ?

These data points closely match our own survey results.

Morgan, Phoebe, et al. “Interpersonal Conflict and Academic Success: A Campus Survey with Practical Applications for Academic Ombuds.”

RESEARCH FINDINGS Given the design space of conversation, our team created a physical product to enhance in-person communication skills. Human connection is cultivated by a physical card game that invites participants to practice talking about difficult topics in a fun, safe environment.

PRIMARY RESEARCH

ONLINE SURVEYS

55 AGES

SURVEY PARTICIPANTS

18-27

*

*special consideration for 65 year old graduate student

IN DEPTH INTERVIEWS

13 INTERVIEWS CONDUCTED INSIGHTS GAINED: eye contact

NON VERBAL

tone of voice

body language

EXPERT INSIGHTS TABRIA JACKSON, Licensed Professional Counselor at SCAD Counseling and Student Support Services

WHAT TOPICS DO STUDENTS ADDRESS WITH YOU MOST OFTEN?

ADVICE FOR ADDRESSING CONFLICT

Course Load

Actively listen

Stress Management

Reflect on what the other party is saying

Self-Exploration

Deliver with sincerity and empathy

Healthy Life Balance

Relationships

EXPERT INSIGHTS

There's a lot of different factors that play into how we handle conflict: culture, how we were raised, what we believe, what society believes. It's a very complicated process.

TABRIA JACKSON

INTERVIEW & SURVEY INSIGHTS CONVERSATION TOPICS USERS AVOID

HOW USERS PREPARE FOR DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS

HOW USERS ESTABLISH THEIR CONVERSATIONAL NEEDS

Politics

Some write down their main points or discuss with another person prior

Some establish their needs verbally at the beginning

Some do not care to prepare

Many do not establish their needs at all

Religion Finances Sexuality and sex Personal conflicts

Many do not prepare at all

INTERVIEW & SURVEY INSIGHTS LOCATIONS USERS' HAVE DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS

USER DEFINED CHARACTERISTICS OF DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS

Private space like home

About personal or emotional topics

Public like park or coffee shop

FEAR plays a role!

Fear of being 'unlikable' Fear of the other party's response Fear of negative consequences after conversation

AFFINITIZATION OF DATA After discovering our topic we curated another survey asking people to elaborate on their experience with Hard-To-Have conversation. These questions became the experiments in the process, narrowing in on a narrative to shape our pilot.

SSECORP

HOW MIGHT WE... develop skills necessary

develop a more positive

make conversations more

to have difficult

mindset when entering a

genuine through

conversations?

difficult conversation?

nonverbal methods?

facilitate productive conversations around difficult topics?

CONCEPTS Physical and virtual products were explored to solve the pain points of our target users, exemplified through each persona.

CONCEPT POOL VR Conversation Environment

Practicing Conversation Service Program

Conversation Starter Card Game

Difficult Conversation Starter Kit

Electronic Mediator (physical product)

Mediating App

NARROWING DOWN CONCEPTS Research showing that college students do not have enough experience with difficult conversations to openly discuss topics. The chosen concepts allow opportunities for the user to build interpersonal skills and emphasize face to face interaction.

LET'S TALK ABOUT IT

THE CONVERSATION GAME IN A BOX.

LET'S TALK ABOUT IT

A friend of Kayley asks if she & friends want to play

Kayley reads the rules to the group and they all pick a

"Lets talk about it".

topic to discuss.

The prompt of 'Politics' is "2020 Election". Each

Each person puts down their card and conveys their

player is given 7 statement cards.

opinion. The winner is decided by positive attitude and open-mindedness.

LET'S TALK ABOUT IT PAIN POINTS SOLVED

FEATURES

No technology

Relieves tension

Face - to - face interaction

Level ground for all parties involved

More preparedness

Made for groups 2+

More knowledgeable about other

Light heartedness to conversations

opinions

HOW?

OUTCOMES

Win Win - Loose Loose

Practicing difficult conversations daily

Practice in a game atmosphere

so that there is more open-

Played in a safe place

mindedness amoung the people playing

Respectful ground rules Winner is not based off of an opinion

DIFFICULT CONVOS 101 A SERVICE FOR DIFFICULT CONVERSATION SO THAT EVERYONE IS ON THE SAME PAGE

DIFFICULT CONVOS 101

Kayley needs to talk to her friend and is unsure

Kayley invites her friend over to talk. They open

about how to start. Then she orders her package

"Difficult Conversations 101", together.

and it arrives.

They follow the 'How to Start' guide, and take

They take turns talking and get through the

time to figure out their head spaces.

difficult topic. In the end, they come to an understanding.

LET'S TALK ABOUT IT PAIN POINTS

FEATURES

Not ambushing

"Stop Cards"

Having a plan

'How to Start' guide

Starting and ending the conversation

Stating the goal

together

"I feel" statement page

HOW? Setting up expectations

OUTCOMES

Setting the boundaries during the

A difficult conversation for a

conversation

group of 2 people with genuine

Timer to keep the conversation flowing

feelings and opinions.

Using 'I feel' statements

FINAL CONCEPT The chosen concept, "Let's Talk About It", most effectively created a welcoming environment for difficult conversations to occur. By creating a product that facilitates this environment, users are more comfortable expressing their opinions on controversial topics. A strong connection to research and many opportunities to incorporate features to solve persona pain points also made this concept a viable solution.

LET'S TALK ABOUT IT

conversation card game

LET'S TALK ABOUT IT Key Insight College students need more preparation for difficult conversations in the future.

Overarching HMW How might we facilitate productive conversations about difficult topics?

Lets' Talk About It It's a physical card game to introduce difficult topics in a fun, safe environment where players can learn the skills necessary to have a productive conversation.

PROTOTYPE Creation of low-fi prototype to help with evaluation testing. Made by brainstorming concepts and statement starters. They ere then moved onto printer paper with a small marker graphic.

LET'S TALK ABOUT IT MAIN FEATURES

RULE BOOK Ground rules Current Mental state questions Basic gameplay

LET'S TALK ABOUT IT MAIN FEATURES

PLAYING CARDS Statement starter cards Prompt cards Winner cards Pause cards

LET'S TALK ABOUT IT BASIC GAMEPLAY Rules

GROUND RULES Procedural needs

AWARENESS QUESTIONS Psychological needs

Enter with an open mind

Current mood

responses to the prompt

Respectful language

Current stress level

card that are turned over

and actions only

Players draw sentence starter cards to guide their

Behavioral and conversational The designated judge

Speak up even if

determines each round's

you're uncertain

winner based on criteria from winner card

triggers

Anything else other players Be ready to learn and have fun!

should be aware of

LET'S TALK ABOUT IT STATEMENT STARTERS encouraging honesty

Players draw sentence starter cards to guide their responses to the prompt card that are turned over

Used to start statements in a different way. There are many variations to the wording.

LET'S TALK ABOUT IT PROMPT CARDS difficult topics

Players draw sentence starter cards to guide their responses to the prompt card that are turned over

Used to provoke thoughts about spicy topics that can have wide ranges of opinions.

LET'S TALK ABOUT IT PAUSE CARD

setting boundaries Players use this card to pause the game if the topic gets too personal, triggering, or uncomfortable.

This helps players set their own boundries and respecting the boundries of others.

LET'S TALK ABOUT IT WINNER CARD

improving conversation Winner cards are awarded by the judge or each round (the dealer).

This helps players stay respectful during the game and open minded.

TOPICS TO INCLUDE

17

*

PARTICIPANTS

18-24

*collected over 24 hour span for rapid prototyping

AGES

These survey results were combined with pre-midterm research to better understand specific topics our target users struggle with discussing.

Number of people that selected a topic

Number of people that selected a topic

Topics that were provided and written in

Topics that were provided and written in

LET'S TALK ABOUT IT COMPETITORS

LET' S TALK ABOUT IT

(Cards Against Humanity, Red Table Talk)

- Little to no opportunity for constructive dialogue

- Specific time is set aside for open dialogue

to build - Ground rules in place - No emphasis on conversation skills - Limited topics

build skills necessary for conversation - Sentence starter cards encourage consideration of multiple topics

REFINEMENT & EVALUATION While in public, neutral, and private environments, we conducted three focus groups made up of strangers, peers, and friends. Our team observed to see if the groups could self-mediate,

remain respectful, and

learn new skills for future conversations. Specific features of the game such as the rules, process of selecting a winner, and the method of setting boundaries were also analyzed. Most importantly, the U.S.E survey results showed if users felt more confident in their conversational skills after playing.

MISSION CRITICAL TASKS Do users express their opinions openly and respectfully while playing?

Is the system used for determining a winner of the game effective?

Are the rules of the game clear?

Is the game fun to play?

W hy?

Building confidence through fun, respectful game play leads to more productive conversations.

Do users feel more confident with their skills in having a difficult conversation after playing?

Our Quasi-Empirical Process Why Quasi-Empirical Evaluation?

Who participated?

Co-creation with target audience

Groups of 4-7 students ages 18-24

What happened?

Each group played multiple rounds of 'Let's Talk About It' led by two facilitators (one actively participating, the other guiding) and discussed their thoughts on the game both during game-play and after

Group One: Strangers There should be icebreaker rounds so that people could get to

Personal Conflicts Pack

know each other a little bit

"There should be broader statement cards."

Much better after the icebreaker round

Winning rules -> Categories of personal traits by evaluating other players during the game

Communicating the expectations

Time out pack - just to give a break (needs to be silly) Emotions shifted with the topics of the questions

Would be a good team building exercise

Group Two: Peers Much more talkative and communicative with each other

Politics Pack "I know nothing about politics."

"This was a really good setting. My friends can get very defensive so the game acts as a good mediator."

Had everyone state their mood and mentality = great icebreaker Brought in different cultural perspectives and different personal experiences

Liked the fact of having time to talk after each person's input and not all at the end

Interesting to see the differences in the 'Personal Conflicts' pack and the 'Politics' pack

No one had issues establishing their boundaries

Group Three: Friend Group

'Personal Conflicts' Pack

Game began with topic that made several players uncomfortable so discussion was slow to start

Statement starter cards were difficult to work naturally into conversation at first but proved to encourage lateral thinking

Players maintained eye contact and other physical indicators of active listening such as nodding

One participant became visibly upset with head in hands and excused himself after round two

Conversation often diverged from specific topic question but remained relevant in terms of open sharing Friends drew on their common past experiences to help explain viewpoint

Game offered opportunity for players to 'think out loud' about topics they hadn't fully formed their thoughts on yet

"I 've never said some of this stuff out loud."

"I feel like this is a weight off my shoulders."

Strangers

Peers

Friends

Needs silly pack of cards

Icebreaker Round important to set tone

Need sensitivity rating for topic cards

"There should be broader

"I knew nothing about

"I feel like this is a

statement cards."

politics before."

weight off my shoulders."

"This was a really good

"I've never said some of

setting. My friends can

this stuff out loud."

get very defensive so the game acts as a good mediator."

Our USE Questionnaire Process Why USE Questionnaire?

What happened?

Hear first-hand if game is easy and effective

Following gameplay, users completed survey questions on paper provided

Who participated?

Group three from the Quasi-Empirical Evaluation.

Using observations from two previous groups allowed us to fix impactful usability issues. Surveying only group three helped make the comments more fine-tuned rather than focused on obvious general issues.

Our USE Questionnaire What is the USE Questionnaire?

What was the scale?

Based on Usefulness, Satisfaction, & Ease of Use

Likert scale of 1 - 5 (Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree)

USEFULNESS (5 statements ) This game helps me be more effective at communicating about difficult topics This game leads to productive conversations The game is useful This game gives me more control when speaking about different topics This game is worth my time to play

Our USE Questionnaire What is the USE Questionnaire?

What was the scale?

Based on Usefulness, Satisfaction, & Ease of Use

Likert scale of 1 - 5 (Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree)

SATISFACTION (6 statements ) I am satisfied with this game I would recommend this game to a friend This game is fun to play This game's rules work the way I would want to play This game is something I would want to own This game is something I would play again

Our USE Questionnaire What is the USE Questionnaire?

What was the scale?

Based on Usefulness, Satisfaction, & Ease of Use

Likert scale of 1 - 5 (Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree)

EASE OF USE (5 statements) This game is easy to play This game has simple rules This game is flexible This game could be played often This game could be enjoyed every time played

Our USE Questionnaire What is the USE Questionnaire?

What was the scale?

Based on Usefulness, Satisfaction, & Ease of Use

Likert scale of 1 - 5 (Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree)

EASE OF LEARNING (3 statements) This game was easy to learn I could remember how to play this game in the future I learned to play this game quickly

NEGATIVE FEEDBACK "I am uncomfortable stating my feelings around a lot of people, and there were people there I didn't quite know [facilitators]. I didn't want to go into class the next day, after spilling my feelings to someone, so I got scared and frustrated. That's why I left."

"It is hard to open up to people (just meeting or friends)."

"Topics can sometimes go off in a completely different direction."

"N/A"

POSITIVE FEEDBACK "It's awesome/therapy" "Gets people talking. Beneficial for personal growth."

"Love it. xxx"

DATA TO SUPPORT SUCCESSFUL MCT' S

UNSUCCESSFUL MCT' S

- Most participants expressed

- The decision to declare a

positive feelings about the

"winner" of each round was

game

deemed distracting by

- Positivity contributed to atmosphere of openness - By creating this environment, respect and active listening became norm

multiple participants - Instead, winner cards and some game rules proved to be too rigid and hindered open communication

- Participants expressed feeelings of accomplishment both verbally and through survey

MCT = MISSION CRITICAL TASKS

Usability Problems & Solutions Winner cards caused competition and small judgements on people just meeting each other (stranger group).

Rules were very similar to a game and a little hard to apply to the conversation.

Some deeper, personal questions were followed by lighter surface prompt cards.

Some participants really wanted a break or not to talk during a specific prompt card.

Got rid of winner cards Rebranded as conversation in a box rather than a game.

Condensed the rules to be more conversational and playful.

Levels to prompt card questions for mental preparation.

Allowing skips in the game (2 per person).

BRANDING RATIONALE As research was conducted with target users, a pattern of fearing difficult conversations emerged.

Later interviews and surveys confirmed that animated, playful branding was desired over a more simple and sophisticated design to make the difficult conversations less intimidating.

BRANDING RATIONAL Problem:

Solution:

Target users fear difficult conversations

Animated, playful branding

Topics can be intimidating

Make conversations approachable

LET'S TACO 'BOUT IT

a conversation in a box

“10 Ways to Have and Hold Dazzling Conversation With Anyone.” Science of People, 19 June 2019, www.scienceofpeople.com/have-hold-conversation/.

Angel, David W. “The Four Types of Conversations: Debate, Dialogue, Discourse, and Diatribe.” Medium, Medium, 1 Jan. 2017, medium.com/@DavidWAngel/the-four-types-of-conversations-debate-dialogue-discourse-and-diatribe-898d19eccc0a.

Barnwell, Paul. “My Students Don't Know How to Have a Conversation.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 22 Apr. 2014, www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/04/my-students-dont-know-how-to-have-a-conversation/360993/.

XIDNEPPA

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Headlee, Celeste. “10 Ways to Have a Better Conversation.” TED, www.ted.com/talks/celeste_headlee_10_ways_to_have_a_better_conversation.

Headlee, Celeste. “How to Talk about Politics Constructively.” Ideas.ted.com, Ideas.ted.com, 21 Oct. 2016, ideas.ted.com/how-to-talk-about-politics-constructively/.

Heritage, John, and Jeffrey D. Robinson. “'Some' versus 'Any' Medical Issues: Encouraging Patients to Reveal Their Unmet Concerns.” Applied Conversation Analysis, pp. 15–31.

“More Now Say It's 'Stressful' to Discuss Politics With People They Disagree With.” Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, 31 Dec. 2019, www.people-press.org/2018/11/05/more-now-say-its-stressful-to-discuss-politics-with-people-theydisagree-with/.

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