Anders Mellbratt

Studios & programmes 2008

Cultural Probes

A quick probe study among homeless in Stockholm

As part of research into homelessness for the CHI 2008 Student Design Competition, I designed and ran a cultural probes study with homeless people in Stockholm. The response rate was low — predictably so, in hindsight — even though participants were positive and willing in conversation. In our competition entry we argued for services that meet basic needs before asking anything of the person they’re trying to help.

Update 2011: some of my photos from this study appear in the book This is Service Design Thinking.

Open red and black duffel bag packed with several gold padded envelopes ready for distribution
Open red and black duffel bag packed with several gold padded envelopes ready for distribution
Inside of a probe kit: a black notebook with coloured Post-it index tabs, a folded Stockholm visitor map, and pink card markers
Inside of a probe kit: a black notebook with coloured Post-it index tabs, a folded Stockholm visitor map, and pink card markers
Handwritten notebook page with hand-drawn icons of a book and a compass labelled in Swedish, with green tabs reading Bilder and Platser along the edge
Handwritten notebook page with hand-drawn icons of a book and a compass labelled in Swedish, with green tabs reading Bilder and Platser along the edge
Close-up of a returned probe page showing a hand-drawn map sketch with a labelled port area
Close-up of a returned probe page showing a hand-drawn map sketch with a labelled port area
Several returned photographs arranged on a white surface, including a dark concert shot and a person in a subway car wearing a face mask
Several returned photographs arranged on a white surface, including a dark concert shot and a person in a subway car wearing a face mask
Folded tourist map of central Stockholm with green numbered stickers placed on Sodermalm and other neighbourhoods
Folded tourist map of central Stockholm with green numbered stickers placed on Sodermalm and other neighbourhoods
Returned probe materials including a photo of a hot air balloon over snowy mountains and a worn magazine cover featuring the singer Carola
Returned probe materials including a photo of a hot air balloon over snowy mountains and a worn magazine cover featuring the singer Carola