culture probe: take two...

After the critique of our initial culture probes, Denise asked us to consider what the class had discussed—regarding the speculative success or failure of probes like these, but also the nature of ritual itself—and re-work our culture probe.

I wondered if changing my probe into something digital could drastically change the nature of the experience. Would a digital/animated experience be more engaging for Starbucks customers?

Here is a simulation of my proposed design. This would exist as a large square touch screen surface, hung on the large display wall in the seating area of my particular store. It would have a motion detector, allowing the interface to react to customers walking by. Users would be able to interact with the elements on the screen, and once engaged, would be asked to use the attached digital camera to take their own photo, caption it, and then look through photos taken by other customers all over the world.

Starbucks Culture Probe: Take Two.... from Liese Zahabi on Vimeo.

Overall, I think both versions of my culture probe could prove illuminating. However, without actually testing it, I can only speculate about what might come out of it. The beauty of these types of probes (as discussed by Bill Gaver here) is that they can be used as tools by designers for inspiration. By amassing and curating "stuff" created by your customers/users/collaborators, you can sift through it and categorize it and play with it. The possibilities for recognizing patterns, shifts, new ideas and innovations are numerous. You just have to be open to it.