HCI 445 | Inquiry Use and Methods Analysis

IndieTeam Exploratory Study Findings (B)

Tom Sanderson

Table of Contents
3

Executive Summary

Objectives

Method
Rationale
Recruiting
Design
Participants

Results and Analysis

Sharing and Searching Results
Statistical Analysis

Discussion & Implications for Design

Conclusion
Appendices

10

A - Informed Consent

11

B - Survey

14

C - Survey Numerical Coding

15

D - Team Contributions

Executive Summary
Our team performed a survey and analysis study to determine whether our results from Part A of
our study could be verified with quantitative data, as well as to gather additional insights into the
information searching and sharing behaviors of the participants. Part A of our research project
utilized interviews and coded data to learn how users search for, and shared, information about
independent music and arts events. Our analysis showed that users preferred social network,
email, and word of mouth communication methods, and they tended to share less information,
proportionally, than they received. The main reason that our interviewees seemed to attend these
events was for the company they were with or the ambiance of the event itself. Our analysis also
found a heavy reliance on mobile technology involving smartphones.
Our findings show some divergence from our initial impressions in Part A, mainly in the areas of
likelihood of sharing, methods of sharing, and reasons for attending events. We found that survey
respondents are actually slightly more likely to share information than receive it, that they rely
heavily on word of mouth information sharing (though Facebook and email were validated as
highly-used tools), and that their primary reason for attending events is actually the featured artist
or presenter and not necessarily the company they are with.

Objectives
In Part A of our study, we gathered qualitative interview data to answer the following research
questions and goals:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

How do people interested in the indie scene currently share and search for independent
music and arts events?
Is there a need for a website or system to facilitate better searching and sharing, or do
members of the target audience have solutions and practices available to them that already
fulfill their needs?
Assess whether current solutions or tools address all desired functionality, and if not,
identify the shortcomings and uncover the most compelling functionality.
Discover the usage model the target audience is likely to want to use for a website of this
type (e.g., mobile web, bulletin board, phone, desktop Internet, etc). Is there a clear favorite
for this target audience?
Are there likely to be differences in how members of the target audience in different
geographies, sub-cultures, or other demographic use this website?

With this survey, we focused on questions one and two, and to a lesser extent, four. Our study
never got to a level where we were inquiring about specific or desired functionality, which was a
shortcoming in our survey due to oversight. We also did not find any compelling reasons to pursue
research question five after considering our Part A interview results. It seemed that developing a
system like this would be better served by considering local cultural and geographical concerns de
facto, and that deviations from this would be part of the future development of a working system.
We decided to focus on probing into the frequency and method of survey participants searching
and sharing behaviors, better defining the preferred methods by which people do these things
currently, and conversion factors such as event attendance or ticket purchases.

Method
Rationale
For the second part of the study we chose to conduct a survey of the target audience to validate
our interview findings (Appendix B). We chose a survey because our interview data were
qualitative and somewhat inconclusive, and we wanted to gather quantitative responses for
individual questions to get more substantial metrics.

Recruiting
We chose participants from personal contacts, acquaintances in the local music scene, and
friends. Each team member sent a survey participation email to personal contacts and friends who
have an interest in this genre. We also tried to reach people who are interested in the indie music
scene through social media such as Facebook, Twitter, music forums, and more. Respondents
ranged from college-aged to over 45 years old, have at least an undergraduate degree, and own a
computer. The majority of them own a smartphone and spend at least one hour per day using it.

Design
We used Google forms to create our survey. We chose Google forms because of its ease of use,
and built in features to customize and summarize responses. We created a survey consisting of 19
questions addressing the previous findings in part A. We also collected the demographic &
technographic data in the survey to validate our personas. We informed the users on the first
screen that no personal or identifiable information was collected in the survey (Appendix A). The
questions were grouped according to the common themes and some yes/no question sections
were made conditional, so that the participant did not have to answer questions that were followups to a yes/no qualifier.

Participants
After we created the survey, we sent out the link via email and to a select few via social media. We
launched the survey on 11/04/11 and closed it on 11/11/11. We collected data from 32
respondents. Survey data is automatically collected in a Google spreadsheet by default, so we
utilized the built in summary tool for an initial, high-level analysis. From the summary we noticed a
few trends in the data; we also cleaned and coded the survey results into numerical form and
performed Pearsons correlation tests between those selected data points using SPSS.

Discussion & Implications for Design

There are many implications for design in the results of this survey that would be invaluable to
future developers of the system. We feel that the implications lie in three distinct areas:
Opportunities For Conversion, Modifying Current Behavior, and Centralization.

Opportunities For Conversion

We observed several data points that seemed to indicate an opportunity to create conversions,
i.e., capturing users that were not otherwise planning on becoming a customer, and compelling
them to purchase and/or become regular users. The high correlation between people receiving
information about an event and attending (even purchasing tickets for) the event indicates that this
system should include pain-free ways to buy tickets as part of the user experience of receiving and
viewing the event information. This could be a cart-based metaphor such as one click checkout,
or partner integration with the system itself that bypasses third party ticket sellers. Regardless,
converting information recipients to customers seems to be a given, and the system should
capitalize on that.
Another argument for focusing on this conversion is the frequency with which participants
purchased tickets to events. A surprising 78% of respondents said that they purchased tickets to
events that were shared with them only Occasionally. So, while the tendency to buy tickets is
highly-correlated with receiving information from others, the frequency with which this happens
could be greatly improved. Providing ways to make this happen more quickly and easily for users
will both increase frequency and capitalize on the strong behavior correlation.

Modifying Current Behavior

Our survey respondents showed a general lack of urgency to re-share information that had been
passed to them by others. 50% of participants indicated that they only re-share event information
that they receive from others Occasionally. Removing barriers to the rapid and broad re-sharing
of information once the user has received it will decrease this percentage.
The frequency with which participants searched for independent music and arts event information
online was a surprise as well. Nearly 60% (combined) of respondents indicated they only search
for this type of information once a week or less. We feel that this is due partly to a reliance on the
word of mouth paradigm referenced earlier, though we are not yet convinced what form that
takes. It could also be that the lack of a go-to system such as the one we are exploring
contributes to people not searching more than they do. The new system should seek to modify
user behavior and encourage more frequent searching, possibly through integration with other
tools the user is already committed to using.

Centralization
Survey participants indicated that they use a variety of tools to both share and receive information
about independent music and arts events. Although Facebook and Email were obvious favorites,
neither was a clear frontrunner. A future system should attempt to implement as many third-party
integrations as possible from tools like Facebook and Twitter. Consolodating the user experience
into the tool itself will reduce user frustration from managing many external resources. It will also
provide a more integral, universal experience in sharing information not currently found in the
whatever works paradigm employed by most participants.

Conclusion
After our group discussed and decided upon a target audience (i.e., followers of indie music and
arts events) and developed personae to represent this target audience, we established goals for
our exploratory study. We hoped to learn about what resources our target audience uses to share
and search for indie music and arts event information, discover if there is a better way to share and
search for this information, and confirm if our target audience might benefit from such a system.
Our findings revealed that, even though respondents to our interview and survey questions
indicated that they use many different trendy resources like social networks, websites, and
mobile components to access and share indie music and arts event information, they also use
email subscriptions and word-of-mouth, two low-tech sources. Our proposed system might
include social media-driven components, but should not rely too heavily on them.
Although we could not discern what platform our prospective system will take (e.g., website,
mobile app, desktop application) due to the variability of the tools respondents of our survey
indicated they use, it is clear that our target audience, the majority of whom own a smartphone
(81%), has a need for a resource that leverages mobile technology.
Our next step would be to conduct a contextual inquiry with our target population to validate what
we gleaned from our survey data, to see if what respondents said match what they actually do.
From there, a focus group session would help our team learn which system modalities and
features would be most compelling to our target audience. A focus group would also help our
team pinpoint exactly what users mean by word-of-mouth. Although our survey offered this as an
option in a few of the questions, we fear the term was conflated and confused with other options.

Appendix A - Informed Consent

The following text was included as the first page of our survey, and the participant had to actively
decide to proceed onward after reading. This comprised our informed consent, and we decided it
was more than sufficient, as absolutely no identifiable personal information was acquired.
======================================================================
Thank you for your participation!
We are a team of graduate students at DePaul University in Chicago, and we are researching the
needs and motivations of people interested in the "indie" music and arts scene. For purposes of
this study, "indie" music and arts refers to independent, non-mainstream engagements that would
not be found through major event outlets. Although you will not be compensated, your
participation in this survey will be helpful in achieving our goal.
All your answers are confidential and will be used strictly for research. There is no way to associate
you personally with the answers or information you provide. Although there may be a follow-up
because of your participation in this survey, you can opt-out at any time and without penalty.
The survey has 18 questions and should take you approximately 10 minutes to answer.
The survey will run from

, 2011.

If you have any questions or comments about this survey, feel free to contact any member of our
group:

Tom Sanderson

@yahoo.com)

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Appendix B - Survey
The following is the survey itself, in text form. Conditional areas, where an answer to further
questions were based on a yes/no screener, are noted.
* = Required question
======================================================================
Searching For Information
Do you search for information about indie music and arts events online? *
Yes
No
(If yes, then following two questions were displayed)

Searching For Information (cont.)

How often would you say you search online for indie music or arts event information?
Several times a week or more
Once a week or less
Once a month or less
Which of the following online resources do you use to search for information about indie music or arts events? Please
check all that apply
Metromix
Yelp
RedEye newspaper
Email subscription
Craigslist
ReverbNation
Facebook
MySpace
I dont use any of these
Other: _____________

Information Reception
Do you receive information about indie music and arts events from others? *
Yes
No
(If yes, then following two questions were displayed)

Information Reception (cont.)

How do you usually receive information about indie music and arts events? Check all that apply
Texting/SMS
Phone call
Email (including forwarded emails)
Facebook
Twitter
Google+
Word of mouth

11

Other:______________
How often do you purchase tickets or attend indie music/arts event that are shared with you?
Frequently
Occasionally
Never

Information Sharing
Do you share information about indie music and arts events with others? *
Yes
No
(If yes, then following two questions were displayed)

Information Sharing (cont.)

How often do you share indie music and arts event information that you receive from others?
Always
Frequently
Occasionally
What method do you typically use to share Indie music and arts event information? Check all that apply
Texting/SMS
Phone call
Email (including forwarded emails)
Facebook
Twitter
Google+
Word of mouth
Other:_______________

Event Attendance
In the last 6 months, how many indie music or arts events have you attended? Please enter a whole number such as "6"
or "2": ____________________
What is the primary reason you attend independent music or arts events?
Atmosphere/ambience
Friends/fellow attendees
The performing/exhibiting artist
Cost
Other: ________________

Demographic Information
Please specify your age
Under 18
18-25
26-35
36-45
Over 45
Please specify your level of education Select the highest level COMPLETED
Grade School

12

 High School
Undergraduate
Graduate
Post-Graduate

Technographic Information (Phone)

Do you currently own a smartphone? *
"Smartphone" refers to a cellular phone that has web browsing, Internet data, and other advanced features
Yes
No
(If yes, then following two questions were displayed)

Technographic Information (Phone cont.)

Approximately how many hours do you use your smartphone per day? Please specify your average use, not exceptional
days or circumstances
Less than an hour
1-3 hours
3-6 hours
6 or more hours
What Operating System (OS) does your smartphone use?
iOS (iPhone)
Android (Droid)
BlackBerry
WebOS
Windows Mobile

Technographic Information (Computer)

Do you currently own a computer (desktop or laptop)? *
Yes
No
(If yes, then following two questions were displayed)

Technographic Information (Computer cont.)

Approximately how many hours do you use your computer per day? Please specify your average use, not exceptional
days or circumstances
Less than an hour
1-3 hours
3-6 hours
6 or more hours
What Operating System (OS) does your computer use?
Windows
Mac
Linux
Other:_______________

======================================================================

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Appendix C - Survey Numerical Coding

Do you search for information
about indie music and arts events
online?
Yes: 1
No: 0

Do you share information about

indie music and arts events with
others?
Yes: 1
No: 0

How often would you say you

search online for indie music or arts
event information?
Several times a week or more: 3
Once a week or less: 2
Once a month or less: 1
None: 0

How often do you share indie

music and arts event information
that you receive from others?
Always: 2
Frequently: 1
Occasionally: 0
None: 3

Which of the following online

resources do you use to search for
information about indie music or
arts events?
Metromix: 9
Yelp: 8
RedEye newspaper: 7
Email subscription: 6
Craigslist: 5
ReverbNation: 4
Facebook: 3
MySpace: 2
I dont use any of these: 1
Other: 0

What method do you typically use

to share Indie music and arts event
information?
Texting/SMS: 7
Phone call: 6
Email (including forwarded emails):
5
Facebook: 4
Twitter: 3
Google+: 2
Word of mouth: 1
Other: 0

Do you receive information about

indie music and arts events from
others?
Yes: 1
No: 0
How do you usually receive
information about indie music and
arts events?
Texting/SMS: 7
Phone call: 6
Email (including forwarded emails):
5
Facebook: 4
Twitter: 3
Google+: 2
Word of mouth: 1
Other: 0
How often do you purchase tickets
or attend indie music/arts event
that are shared with you?
Frequently: 2
Occasionally: 1
Never: 0

In the last 6 months, how many

indie Music or arts events have you
attended?
145107025311023271801010267
12345
What is the primary reason you
attend independent music or arts
events?
Atmosphere/ambience: 4
Friends/fellow attendees: 3
The performing/exhibiting artist: 2
Cost: 1
Other: 0

Do you currently own a

smartphone?
Yes: 1
No: 0
Approximately how many hours do
you use your smartphone per day?
Less than an hour: 3
1-3 hours: 2
3-6 hours: 1
6 or more hours: 0
What Operating System (OS) does
your smartphone use?
iOS (iPhone): 4
Android (Droid): 3
BlackBerry: 2
WebOS: 1
Windows Mobile: 0
Do you currently own a computer
(desktop or laptop)?
Yes: 1
No: 0
Approximately how many hours do
you use your computer per day?
Less than an hour: 3
1-3 hours: 2
3-6 hours: 1
6 or more hours: 0
What Operating System (OS) does
your computer use?
Windows: 3
Mac: 2
Linux: 1
Other: 0

Please specify your age

Under 18: 4
18-25: 3
26-35: 2
36-45: 1
Over 45: 0
Please specify your level of
education
Grade School: 4
High School: 3
Undergraduate: 2
Graduate: 1
Post-Graduate: 0

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Appendix D - Team Contributions

C

D
Graph creation
Presentation
Editing
H
Editing
Conclusion section
K
Statistics (Excel, SPSS)
Survey Coding
Method section
Editing

Tom Sanderson
Executive Summary
Objectives section
Discussion & Implications section
Final report formatting

15