Design of the user experience for personalized mobile services

This article describes how user centered, and particularly co-design methods can help maximize user experience for personalized services delivered over a mobile device. The specific focus was designing for Chinese spectators at large sports events (such as football matches, swimming galas or athletics meetings). User experience was assumed to comprise user, product, social, cultural and usage context components. Co-design methods were incorporated into a semi- structured HCI design process that comprised content, conceptual, interaction and presentation design, followed by field and lab-based user evaluation. There were two co-design methods in particular which were found to be key to working effectively with Chinese users. Emotion Cards were used to help overcome some of the inhibitions of participants and to encourage them to provide more open and unequivocal design input. The User Advisory Board was a group of participants who mediated the relationship between the designer and other participants at various design stages. They helped to ensure genuine collaboration because the wider participants felt (1) less like the object of study and (2) more able to communicate their needs during the design process.