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The idea of biometrics in XR isn’t a terribly new one. Methods like heart rate and eye tracking are pretty popular in the research community. Academic researchers have been using physiological signals to measure changes in user states for decades and some AR applications have begun integrating biosignals to inform changes to the system. What is a newer idea is using biosignals as a user controlled input method.

  Biometrical Authorization, while something that sounds like it would be straight out of a sci-fi film, is basically a security process that relies on certain key biological features in order for an individual to verify themselves. No more complicated login processes; with biometrical authorization, all that is needed is the specific physiological or behavioral characteristic required such as facial recognition, fingerprint identification, or voice recognition. Nor is this concept necessarily a new one; a wide variety of industries use biometrical authorization as a means to bypass traditional username and password verifications or logins. We already see an implementation of biometrical authorization in a wide variety of devices, such as fingerprint login for mobile phone and devices. So, why are we talking about it?

Over the last year, smart assistants like the Amazon Echo and Google Home have become some of the top tech devices. The evolution from early voice assistants, only capable of simple commands, to multi-featured smart assistants has attracted a wider audience. As these constantly-learning smart AIs are becoming more deeply integrated into our world, it is important for our research team to know and understand the average customer journey; from when they unbox the device to usage.

2017 was an amazing year filled with so many exciting new projects, people, knowledge, and experiences. As we move into a brand new year, it is always nice to look back on all that was accomplished in the past year to help gear up for the new one. We at Key Lime Interactive are very excited to see all that 2018 has to offer!

“User Experience designers and researchers can impact the course of events by creating technology, products and services that are inclusive at their core.”- WUD2017

    This past Thursday, November 9th, was the Puget Sound World Usability Day 2017 event, which focused on the theme of inclusion through user experience. This theme addressed the power of technology as a medium that brings people together and helps us to embrace our similarities. This powerful theme attracted a wide range of industry members, from Google to Amazon, to two Key Limers. This WUD 2017 was extra special for us because our amazing VP of Client Insights, Steve Foster, gave a presentation on Biometrics in UX Research.

In collaboration with Mindy Eng.

Products created in the digital era are products that reach global audiences. In crafting meaningful experiences for these products, product teams need to consider both the individual and collective experiences of these products across all cultures. Global usability addresses the cultural, ethnographic, and linguistic implications of designing user-friendly products for users around the world.

In collaboration with Rick Damaso.

You’ve completed fielding, compiling and analyzing data, and building a report. Now it’s time to present your report to your stakeholders (e.g., folks from the UX community, marketing executives, and product development teams). While this is your opportunity to showcase your awesome work, it can also be challenging task.

Designers are usually creating, iterating, and updating their work in a type of vacuum. They rely on best practices, current experiences, their personal opinion, and if they are lucky enough, they have some user feedback to help guide their design. When the issues with a design go further than what one can simply see, it is important to take advantage of tools outside of design. Traditionally Biometrics is only seen as a way to get data on users, it is seen as not creative and as a result, not usually used by designers. Biometrics provides data such as eye tracking, facial muscle activity, skin responses, and heart rate which can all be used and combined by designers to gain insight on their users and find pain points that they can improve through design.

In collaboration with Manuel Ramirez and Shao-Yu

When approaching the fielding day(s), envision how a session with a participant should ideally be and plan your next moves accordingly.

In this paragraph, we listed best practices and tips that will help you fielding the study with confidence and maximize the quality of data you will collect.