Lifelogging in User Experience Research: Supporting Recall and Improving Data Richness

Academic paper by Mattias Arvola, Johan Blomkvist and Fredrik Wahlman (Linköping University, Sweden), presented at Design for Next — 12th EAD Conference, Sapienza University of Rome, 12–14 April 2017. Full text preserved as `paper.pdf` (12 pages).

Abstract (from the paper)

The purpose of lifelogging is to help users collect data for self-monitoring and reflection. We have in this study explored how lifelogging technology (a camera and a heart rate monitor) can change user experience (UX) research, and we describe a novel approach. Data was collected for three days with four participants, and a 4–6-hours co-creation workshop with stimulated recall interview was held with each of them to create an experience timeline. The timeline includes self-reported key experiences, lifelog stimulated experiences, heart rate, decisions, and valence. The results show that the number of experiences in the timeline that come from data points stimulated by the lifelogging, are as many as the self-reported data points. Lessons learned include that the use of lifelogging produces highly detailed UX research, but it is very time consuming, due to the sheer amount of data.

Relevance: the Narrative Clip 2

The study's lifelogging apparatus is the Narrative Clip 2 wearable camera (the product of Narrative AB, co-founded by Martin Källström), used together with a Fitbit Charge HR:

• "The lifelogging technology used included a Narrative Clip 2 lifelogging camera capable of taking photographs 8 MP at 86° angle (see Figure 1). The camera takes one photo every 30 seconds and it is worn on the clothes by a clip."

• Pictures taken by the Narrative Clip were uploaded to an online account through Wi-Fi and viewed through the Narrative Clip web interface and the iOS application. Figure 1 of the paper shows the Narrative Clip 2, which "can either be worn as a necklace or worn on the clothes with a clip."

• Participants (four students, studying experiences of places for studying) wore the Clip for three days and charged it overnight; the lifelogging data collected comprised around 2,700 photos plus heart rate data.

• In the co-creation workshops, photography data from the Narrative Clip was analysed collaboratively using an iPhone 6 and the web application, and photo timestamps were used to correct and enrich the participants' recalled chronology of events.

• The authors conclude that lifelog-stimulated data points contributed as many experiences to the timelines as self-reported data points, at the cost of very time-consuming analysis.