Initial interview study started

I conducted my first user study interview a while ago. A family of four: dad, mum, and two daughters. The interviews were carried out as a semi-structured discussions; I had a fairly structured script but added and removed questions as the interview/conversation proceeded. I interviewed the mother, the traveling father, and the oldest daughter (aged 6) and got some really good feedback.

The family was very tech-savvy and used both cell-phones and computers (IM without video) to stay in touch remotely. The traveling father sometimes sent home photos and videos via email. He also geo-tagged and uploaded some of them to Google Earth in order to connect the photos to a certain location.

The family also used a world map, attached to the wall, to mark out future and passed destinations with pins. Each family member has a unique pin-color.

The most important tool, however, was the family calendar. The parents use drawings to indicate upcoming events and activities - a plane means traveling. As soon as a day has passed, it is crossed over. Thus, the girls have a fairly good idea of what is happening.

To conclude, the most important and interesting observations were:

• The daughter was clearly interested in her father's trips. Whereas her mother mostly wants to find out if her husband is alright, the daughter wants to hear about her dad's current location and activities.
• Maps are being used to map out future or ongoing trips both in real-life and online.
• The current system works fine for one destination, but doesn't really support mapping out a whole sequence of destinations (with time- and order information).
  
• Icons/drawings/symbols are important since the daughter can't yet read.
• The father mostly sends photos via email (to the mother), but the mother sometimes forgets to show them to their daughters.
• The daughter likes to watch old photos and videos to "remember" passed events.
• The daughter usually talks to her dad and watches his photos to feel his presence, but likes to do those two things separately.