ReseaRch MethoD · synthesis / analysis techniqUe 79SpeedDating When people compare multiple design concepts in quick succession, design teams can learn how people react to new technology while also taking into account existing contextual and social factors. Speeddatingasaresearchmethodisinspiredbytheframeworkofitsdating-scenenamesake, butinsteadofpeople,researchersrapidly"speeddate"designopportunitieswithpotentialusers. Thepowerofspeeddatingliesinexposingpeopletofuturedesignideasviastoryboardsand simulatedenvironmentsbeforeanyexpensivetechnicalprototypesarebuilt.Anoverviewofthe speeddatingprocessisasfollows: 1 Conduct contextual field research.Usemethodssuchasinterviews,role-playing,artifactanalysis, directedstorytelling,diarystudies,andculturalprobestounderstandthepeopleforwhomyouare designing. 2 Analysiseffortsshouldfocusonaligningtheobservedandverbalizedneedsofthepar- ticipants,sotheteamcanidentifyopportunitieswherepeopledemonstrateandarticulateaneed. Create storyboards for each scenario.Designstoryboardstoelicitanemotional,empathicreac- tiontothecharacterssothatparticipantscaneasilyidentifywiththem.Focusscenariosonthe specificneedsuncoveredbyresearch,andshowhoweachpotentialdesignwouldaddresstheneed. Aswithtraditionalscenarios,thedetailsofthetechnologyitselfshouldbedownplayed. "Speed date" storyboards in a session.Eachstoryboardshouldbepresentedtoagroupofpeople 1.ResearchersScottDavidoff,MinKyung Lee,AnindK.Dey,andJohnZimmerman attheCarnegieMellonHumanComputer InteractionInstituteandSchoolofDesign firstdevelopedthespeeddatingmethod in2007whileexploringopportunitiesfor ubiquitouscomputinginsmarthomes. Duringtheirstudy,theyusedspeeddatingto exploreover100conceptsandprototype27 variationsovertwoweeks.Theresultshelped themtopinpoint"showstopper"issues beforecostlytechnicalprototypeswerebuilt, andalsouncoveredthatcertainuserneeds theyonceconsiderednoncriticalturned outtobepromisingnewopportunitiesfor innovation.See: Davidoff,Scott,MinKyungLee,AnindK.Dey, andJohnZimmerman."RapidlyExploring