Cultural Probe

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A cultrual Probe is an interactive activity that participants use to document responses and thoughts in a diary-like fashion. Its objective is to learn more about a specific group of individuals on a much deeper level. Users are instructed to create the diary in their own environments, with regular entries over an a pre-determined time. Typically users are given a starter-kit or packet and instructed on how to use the pack contents and what information to record, including: notes, collage content, photos, etc. They include open ended activities that reveal insights to their daily lives, activities, and environment. Several flavors of culturals probes exist and analogous methods include “diary studies,” “media diaries,” and “photo collages.”

Additional Resources:

+ Cultural Probes: Understanding Users in Context

+ Designing Cultural Probes

+ How to Run an Effective Cultural Probe on Your UX Project

+ Using Cultural Probes as a tool to conduct Service Design Research

+ Probes for Context Mapping – How to Design and Use Them

Source: https://medium.com/@catherinelegros/designing-cultural-probes-31f2c62b9dcf

Source: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Contents-of-the-cultural-probes-box-from-the-case-studies_fig1_252627658

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