Findings:
Ideas:
Observation Categories:
product price
planning effort
income level/status
Purchase Categories:
Fashion/Beauty
Electronics
Shopper Profile:
Name:
Occupation:
Single/Married:
Monthly Spending Amount:
Typical shopping purchases:
Last 5 shopping items bought:
Shopping Start:
Item I am shopping for:
I first thought of shopping for this item at:___
The reason I am shopping for this item is because: ___
Do I need this item by a certain time? If so, when? _____
Shopping Entry:
Date: __
Shopping Mode (multiple) : __ Internet __ Mobile __ B&M __ Paper __Social __Others
Description:__ name of website, store, paper, or friend
Significant findings?__ type of information e.g. sale at this store
Shopping Entry:
Date: __
Shopping Mode (multiple) : __ Internet __ Mobile __ B&M __ Paper __Social __Others
Description:__ name of website, store, paper, or friend
Significant findings?__ type of information e.g. sale at this store
Shopping Entry:
Date: __
Shopping Mode (multiple) : __ Internet __ Mobile __ B&M __ Paper __Social __Others
Description:__ name of website, store, paper, or friend
Significant findings?__ type of information e.g. sale at this store
Shopping End:
Date: __
Item purchased: __
Price: __
Location: __
I bought the item here because:__ list entries..
Project Plan:
We’re interested in researching location-based shopping activities of cell phone users. With the wealth of products available, shopping for an item has become a complex process which can involve online research, commuting long distances, social networking, and emotional attachment. At the same time, cell phones have become wide spread enough to be with the shopper at all times. Our goal is to learn how location-based shopping services to the mobile phone can change the shopping habits of today’s consumer.
Primary Goals:
- Create an information service which can enhance the traditional shopping experience using mobile and internet technologies
- Provide customized shopping information based on shopper’s needs, real-time location and timing
Research Objectives:
- How does a consumer conduct shopping research? Which research methods and number of iterations?
- How does a consumer make a shopping decision based on their research results? Does their final purchase differ from their original goal?
- How does a consumer use their mobile device while shopping?
- How does interaction with the store environment affect the shopping experience?
- How much research does a consumer do before going to brick and mortar store? How does the consumer do brick and mortar research? Comparison method, number of stores, physical cost vs. monetary cost.
- How is the shopping experience affected by these factors: price, weather, urgency
- How does the consumer’s economic status affect their shopping habits? student, tourist, professional, single, married, kids, age
- learn how location-based shopping services to the mobile phone can change the shopping habits of today’s consumer
Consumer Research Methods:
- internet
- friends
- paper
- television
- brick and mortar
Primary Research Methods:
- Background Interview – Introduce project goals to participant, understand participant shopping background.
- Procedure – Distribute diary, record information about participant occupation, monthly spending amount, recent shopping history, preferred shopping products, current desired product.
- Shopping diaries – capturing shopping research across multiple channels over time.
- Procedure: Design a phone diary for participants. They will record any product related research activities in the diary, over the course of 2-3 weeks. The will record information about physical location and time, length of research time, research method/sources, research results.
- Brick and Mortar Observation/Interviews – observe brick and mortar shopping experience, afterwards interview questions about physical shopping experience and shopping diary discussion.
- Procedure: Follow participant as they leave their home. Observation consumer interaction with store environments and products, their own mobile phone, peers. Use photos and journal to document.
- Shopping Conclusion Interviews – questions about research methods used, and shopping diary discussion, final shopping decision.
- Procedure: Diary discussion about research activities, interactions and environments for each diary entry.
Background Research Methods:
- comparison shopping internet sites
- mobile shopping technology
- retail marketing strategies / campaigns
- similar location-based information services
Research Participants:
constraints – participants must be cell phone users. Products should require basic research.
- Student
- Professional Single
- Professional Married
- Teenager?
- Tourist?
- Seniors?
- Suburban and urban dwellers
- car owners
Logistics:
- Time constraints – consumer may not make purchase by end of research period
- Finding users – need to find a broad range of consumer types
- Incentives – research subjects may need incentives
Summary
This observation documents the activity of the ITP Social Hour event, which takes place at NYU Tisch building. The observation was recorded on 2/1/2008 starting at 5:45 PM.
Activity
The ITP Social Hour is a weekly event that serves to provide food to students, faculty and staff each Friday at 6 PM. This community event is sponsored by the department, and facilitated with help from students. The primary activity is eating of the food, with associated activities such as socializing, food preparation and clean up, and attendance of a speaker lecture after the Social Hour.
Environment
The environment where these activities take place is the lounge area of the ITP floor. This open area is at the intersection of two large hallways. There are arrangements of tables, chairs and benches in the lounge, as well as a foosball table and food preparation table. See figure below for an overall layout of the area.
