AEIOU FrameworkGive your observations and field research structure by getting to know the problem's environment.
Summary
The AEIOU (activities, environments, interactions, objects & users) method gives an overview of the user's requirements and the context of usage. Users can even draw or picture their environment and activities.
Step-by-step
- Collect research insights about the target group. It could be helpful if the test persons visually represent their own environment, as well as their activities.
- Organize all information within the 5 AEIOU categories.
- Activities: What are the users doing? What is their task?
- Environment: Where do they spend their time? How does their environment look like? What else is happening in their environment?
- Interactions: How do they interact with their environment? What are the interfaces?
- Objects: Who uses which device or object? Which devices and objects are being used? In which environment are the objects and devices being used?
- Users: What are the user's characteristics? Who are they? What’s their role? Who or what are they influenced by?
- Evaluate the findings. Note down which of the categories are related to each other, influence each other, or interact with each other.
