In this section, we are going to demonstrate our observation of people’s behavior. This will span into three situations and base on several stages. First of all, three kinds of purchasing process – from a clerk, from a vending machine and from the prototype (see figure 3.3, figure 3.4 figure 3.6 in chapter 3), were used to develop our observation result. We compared these three situations in order to understand what the differentiations are within. Further, the flow breakdowns into six steps, base on the actions of clerk. In this clerk’s action-based category, the contemporary vending machine can not provide any actions, but in order to compare with the similar sequences much easier, the subject’s behaviors were depicted in same row.
In which prior interested behavior we are concern, the first is that where they put their attention on, and the further is dynamic interaction pattern – what reaction of subject will occur after the clerk/VM (vending machine)/prototype do certain things and where the motion occurs, including relevant body language. The third is their facial expression. The six subjects’ observation were recorded and categorized in tables (see in appendix, table 6.1 to table 6.6).
Subject A smiled when she found the slit plate lifted up in the outlet. She then mentioned it in the following interview and considered it “just like my pet come for me asking for money” (maybe she actually mentions about food?). She smiled partly because of her wondering where the slit was and then it showed up in the opened outlet, also, she felt surprise on this action. The motions attracted her eyes easily.
Subject B also felt delighted to the prototype and she smiled when she found the slit just as subject A.
She first noticed the waving stick and smiled, and the slit plate also surprised her. We found that the motions can attract her focus easily, and she stood back after being charged by slit plate and look into outlet. After noticed her order moved down from the shelf, she looked down at the outlet directly. Though we found that subject B is an extrovert and always acts exaggerated, but it is still easy to distinguish that she is surprised by the actions according to her laugh sound.
We found that Subject C also stood back and wait for what will happen next, after slit plate charged him.
He looked into outlet for a while and then was aware of his order moving down from the shelf. He then moved
his eyes back to the outlet (his said he predicted his order will show on slit plate in the outlet). It is interesting that base on people’s experience, while using a vending machine, they look directly at the outlet after they push the button. However, for our prototype, subjects will look up and down to check reactions, or they begin to anticipate what will happen next.
Subject D smiled after the outlet door opened. She also looked up and down to check the prototype and wondered what the next action will be. Just like other subjects, she stared at the slit plate moved back and then notice her order moved down from the shelf, and quickly looked into the outlet and then she found her order appeared in it. She then stretched her hand into outlet before her order was lifted up. One worth mention is that after she took the beverage from outlet on the slit plate, she looked at the outlet and “nodded”, but she did not remember why. After taking her order, she stood in front of our prototype and checked if there were still any other actions. The waiting only remained for a moment and she left before saw the stick waving.
Subject E paid the money directly when she saw the slit after outlet door opened. (She said that she had been looking for a slit for a while when we asked her during interview). And then she stared at the slit plate moving back. She looked at her order first and also predicted that the order will show up in the outlet. Like subject D, she waited for only a moment after getting her order and missed the waving stick.
In all cases we found that the motions were easily to be noticed so subjects can clearly know what the prototype do in the whole process. Subject F also stared at the slit plate when it moved back, and as other subjects did, he constantly check up and down for cues that may inform him what will happen next.
Summary of Observation
Comparing with other two activities, the findings from the observation in operating prototype are summarized below:
All subjects tried to figure out what will happen next with curiosity after they noticed the prototype may have lots of motion, but they did not pay much attention to the waving stick.
What subjects gave the waving stick no more than a glance is similar to people who tend to move
their eyes away from a clerk when ordering.
4 subjects smiled to the opening outlet.
All subjects stared at the motion of receiving payment, and it is similar to what people do (look at the
hands of a clerk when a clerk settling account) at a counter.
2 subjects stood back after payment. It seems to be an overused social proxemics.
4 subjects left immediately after getting beverage.
One subject nodded to the outlet unknowingly after she took her order.
Almost every one gave only a glance to the waving stick, even though they saw it clearly, and ignored it later in the operation task. We consider that one reason subjects did not stare at the waving stick more than a glace is also similar to people who tend to move their eyes away from a clerk’s.
Four female subjects all smiled while being surprised by the prototype, especially when the outlet door opened and then slit plate came out for charge. In the interview followed this experiment, we knew that partially due to their bewilderment of “Where is the slit?” at the first sight, although they were informed a fixed task to proceed - pay after ordering. The motions can easily noticed by subjects and transfer their focus.
Another interesting finding is that some of them will stand back and present a waiting behavior, (one cross his arms over chest, another stand with hands on waist). This type of action (standing back and wait) never happen when they choose beverage or waiting for a delivery at a vending machine. For this new prototype, they stand still and wait for other reactions to come, they did not stand back and stare at “what is going on” of the prototype but check up and down.
Another difference is that when people already paid and made an order from a vending machine, they tend to look down at the outlet directly for the delivery of their order. In the contrast, when interacting with our prototype, the focus is on the moving back slit plate, then transfer on the shelf, and return to outlet eventually. It is similar to that every subject stares at the clerk’s behavior (hand) whiles the clerk receiving payment from subjects. In the contrast, they won’t stare at the slit after paying money.
During the experiment, all subjects tried to figure out and predict the next reaction of the prototype,
learning and defining things as they saw. Everyone can easily figure out that the beverage will come out from the outlet, which was not told to them before. They looked at the outlet immediately after they saw their order moved down from the shelf. The expectation toward our prototype seems to be high after operating it. People will wait for a while after they had already got their orders, looking to see if something would happen afterwards.
Moreover, one subject even nodded unknowingly to the outlet which just lifted up a beverage to her is the evidence for this.