About the probe kit

As part of my PhD work to better understand the experiences of queer young men on social platforms, I designed a kit of five probes to use with participants. They served as an effective way to understand experiences beyond the constraints of an interview. They were also a playful way to create shared understanding and build rapport with my participants.

But first, what are probes?

Probes are a kit of activities given to research participants to give glimpses into their lives. They're designed to be playful, evocative and reflective. Initially, they were used to provide inspiration for designers but now they're often interpreted with participants.

Why did I use them?

If I were studying how a group of people use technology at work, I could observe them throughout the work day, take notes, ask questions where appropriate and get a decent understanding of their experiences.

But, our experiences on social platforms can be deeply personal and private. We also use them at all hours of the day. And it's difficult to track someone's use of social platforms, especially across a range of different apps. And even if that weren't the case, analytics give limited insight into people's experiences with and attitudes to the platforms.

Meanwhile, interviews can be great for getting people to describe their experiences but they can be disconnected from reality and offer a limited window into people's lives.

I needed a way to get a deeper insight into people's experiences beyond the confines of an interview that would respect participants' privacy and be more practical than observation.

Downloads

• Welcome sheet [PDF] [InDesign]