While we still have some meetings scheduled past the due date of this assignment, the data that we’ve gathered so far reveals a few main themes. After conducting a few inquiries, we’ve discovered that it’s difficult to conduct contextual inquiries regarding user needs from a community that does not yet exist, but that we want to help build. The two biggest concepts pertinent to the project design are that artists want to be able to communicate easily with people outside their social circles, and that in general, people are interested in a centralized platform to discover art-related events on campus.

Contextual Inquiry Participants

As of February 28, we have done seven interviews with contextual inquiry components, but still have other interviews and a contextual inquiry of two dancers beginning a collaboration scheduled for after this portion of the project is due. Our participants were both artists and non-artists who are interested in the arts.

After our first meeting, which ended up being more of an interview than a contextual inquiry, we modified our format to emphasize our participants walking us through the physical process of how they have connected with artists to collaborate or discovered art-related events. We made sure to ask lots of questions, such as what about certain events caught their eye or interest, or what about some information source they were using particularly caught their interest.

DM is a dancer, actor, and musician. We interviewed them in the ‘62 Center, where they spend most of their free time. DM is highly motivated to reach out to other artists to collaborate across media, but doesn’t know how, due to the lack of a shared platform. They are also interested in art-related jobs, but demonstrated for us how difficult it is to navigate Handshake, Williams’ main job-posting platform. Most information about art-related events they find through Daily Messages, Listservs, and word of mouth. Some things DM thinks a hypothetical art community would need is a space to advertise for collaboration, and a way to easily navigate and filter different types of art-related events.

DP is a local artist who works in the Art department; their main practice is in oil and acrylic painting. They are an interesting blend between our user cases because they are both a local artist who interacts with the off-campus community, and also interacts with students and professors daily. We interviewed DP in their office in the studio building, right across from the paint studio, since this is where they interacts with most students. We had DP retrospectively walk through their process of showcasing art through a personal website. They uploaded a faux image to show how they keep their website updated. We also discussed the current ‘creative’ community at Williams. In DP’s mind, the creative community exists as much in Williamstown as it does in North Adams, where Mass MoCa attracts artists from expensive NYC. DP emphasized the hierarchy and exclusiveness of difference circles within the community, the hierarchy created from job prestige on campus. DP also mentioned that they are very intrigued by student’s work in that their ideas are expansive, unhindered, and innovative. DP is also a large advocate of cross-generational collaborative art.

JC is a current Studio Art major with a focus on traditional drawing and graphic design. We interviewed them in the OIT section of Sawyer library, as it is the only place on campus that has tablets for them to do digital art. They proceeded to walk us through how they currently showcase their art through a personal website, and demonstrated by uploading a new piece. They told us that it was difficult for others to find their website, and would love a central platform to showcase art. We then had them retrospectively walk us through the collaboration process they had with another art studio student for a class. JC showed us the platforms they used to establish the collab - Facebook Messenger and Google Docs, and described the process as “very flexible”. JC also revealed that being an artist - and the creative process at Williams in general - can be very lonely, and would love to see a more connected creative community to critique, discuss, and collaborate with.

JT is a long-time dancer with a history of collaboration across media. We met them in their common room, where they do most of their brainstorming. JT retrospectively walked us through their collaboration process of reviving a past dance with live music. They showed us some of their messages and emails which arranged times for the musician to practice together with the dancers, and let us watch some of the old videos of the dance they revived. JT expressed desire to participate in a project of that scale again, but has difficulty finding other artists due to lack of personal or secondhand connection. They feel that an art community needs a way to communicate, not only for collaboration, but also to request critique or even just a second pair of eyes.

KS is a student interested in art. We interviewed them in Lee Snack Bar, a public place where they might casually browse for arts events while eating. They mainly use Facebook and the Williams Social Calendar to learn about these. KS showed us how they use Facebook to discover events, noting that they tend to pay the most attention to ones that their friends are also interested in. KS also don’t like cluttering their phone with apps, and would appreciate a central, streamlined, non-mobile app option to discover events and club opportunities, as their time is constrained by the Williams lifestyle.

KY is a writer and a choreographer for the Asian Dance Troupe (ADT). We interviewed them in Currier Ballroom, which they often use as a dance studio. KY explained how most of the artists they know come from club connections, and walked us through the process of initiating their current collaboration with a fellow ADT dancer. KY also described how they got a job through Williams at Makerspace in North Adams, doing technical support work for the artists. Something they’d like to see from a developing Williams art community is support for minority students.

WC is a student interested in art. We interviewed them in Sawyer Library, where they do most of their work. WC enjoys interacting with different forms of art during periods of procrastination. We had WC show us their process of interacting with art: reading manga, watching anime, and watching creative videos on YouTube. It is important to note that none of this art is local-created art. We asked WC to show us their process of art discovery, which was through a couple forums they follow. They explained that a lot of discovery happens through word of mouth for them, and expressed interest in interacting with a local creative community, but didn’t know what that would entail besides knowing about more events on campus.

Contextual inquiry themes & process

After making an affinity diagram with data from the five of the participants we had spoken to at the time, we discovered three major themes. One is that many participants want to reach out to acquaintances and people with whom they don’t have a personal connection. Some reasons for this are to explore collaboration opportunities, to request critiques, and to simply have discussions. Another theme was a desire for a centralized source of information for art-related events, since there are currently several independent and often incomplete sources, such as the Social Calendar and Daily Messages. A third was a way to showcase art that is easily discoverable by other community members.

To help people reach out within the art community, we could design a forum-like platform for broad discussion, and possibly include a direct-messaging system to let potential collaborators negotiate privately. To address the issue of a centralized event information, we could design a calendar program which is moderated such that if a user knows of an event that isn’t listed, they can submit it for confirmation and advertisement. To facilitate art showcasing, we could design a gallery to support a wide range of files, from audio to video to text, to allow artists of all media to promote their work.

Task analysis questions

  • Who is going to use the design?

    Right now we’re mainly designing with students and local artists in mind, but this could easily be expanded to include potential employers.

  • What tasks do they now perform?

    Student-artists create art in all media mainly on campus for classes, as academic time constraints limit their free time for side projects. Local artists also create on campus, and share with their own friend circles, but not much outside of that. Both groups do collaborations, but mainly with those with whom they already share personal connection. Art-interested students enjoy art on campus when an event catches their notice. Currently, potential employers have some difficulty reaching students.

  • What tasks are desired?

    Recurring desires include ways to discover art and potential collaborators, means of communication aimed at artists who don’t know each other, a forum for discussion, and a centralized source of event information.

  • How are the tasks learned?

    Currently, artists must rely on personal connection and word of mouth to initiate collaboration, and everyone must rely on scattered, independent, and non-uniform sources of information to discover art-related events on campus.

  • Where are the tasks performed?

    Many visual artists work in Spencer Art studio, while actors and dancers rehearse in the ‘62 Center. Musicians practice in Brooks-Rogers and perform either there or in Chapin, and writers work wherever pleases them most. Communication occurs via email or direct message, and events are advertised via Daily Messages, the Social Calendar, Facebook, and physical posters.

  • What is the relationship between the person and data?

    A2A could implement a commenting method for galleries so that artists can learn how others view their work. Users could also monitor A2A’s dynamic calendar, allowing events to be advertised and the information surrounding them to be kept accurate.

  • What other tools does the person have?

    In addition to A2A, users would also have the work-arounds that exist now - Daily Messages, Facebook, and the Social Calendar for events, and messaging applications, email, social circles, and word of mouth for communication.

  • How do people communicate with each other?

    Through A2A, users could communicate via discussion forum and direct message, as well as through user profiles.

  • How often are the tasks performed?

    Users may use A2A as their free time allows.

  • What are the time constraints on the tasks?

    Because A2A is live, users may need to wait for responses. For example, if a user proposes an event to add to the calendar, a moderator must verify that the event exists. Or, if a user posts a collaboration idea, they must wait for it to catch someone’s notice in order to begin discussion.

  • What happens when things go wrong?

    A2A supports freedom of speech and expression of opinions, and recognizes that sometimes art offends people and that feelings may be hurt. A2A’s moderators will quietly monitor things that seem potentially problematic and/or have been reported, and if discussion becomes inappropriate, moderators may need to bring offenders before the Deans.