Focus Group Results

Understanding what they want

Focus Group Structure

• Discuss work environment and typical work environment
• Discuss music listening habits at work
• Presented music listening habits at work
• Presented each concept asked for initial reasons
• What do you like most/least about this concept
• Publicly record feedback/input about each concept

Key Points from Results

• Very interested in the directional sound technology
• A player which fits into their natural interactions
• Defined the sense of personal vs. communal
• The elimination of headphones is very appealing
• What about those people who don't listen to music?
• Existing music player and integrate into concepts
• Aware of work environment and surroundings
• After hour music playlists
• Liked the fact that concepts took advantage of existing objects and features of cubicle
• No worry about locking up music player brought to work every day

Focus Group Participants

25 year old Systems Analyst

bring ipod to work almost every day and plugs it into his computer speakers to listen to music

36 year old marketing manager

doesn't listen to music himself, as always in meetings, but employees listen to music all the time

24 year old secretary

would love to listen to music at work, but company does not allow for music to be played during the workday

22 year old summer intern in IT department

spent his entire summer writing code and didn't interact with anyone in the cubes around him (listened to online radio stations with headphones)

21 year old network security coordinator

listens to music with headphones from a personal laptop

when working after-hours, turns on speakers and listens to music stored on a shared drive

20 year old computing assistant

listens to music from a personal music player at work

when there is less people around him, turns on music played from shared drive onto the computer speakers.

Focus Group Quotes

On Active Desktop/E-ink:

"...that is a really cool idea, but my desk is always full of papers! Where do the buttons go when my desk is completely covered?"
"...the 'virtual folder' concept is a good one--I am pulling file folders out of my drawers every day...that seems very natural"
"...there is so much going on [the desk]! Why not just use my mp3 player?"
"I like how you can bring your own music into the desk."

On the Smart Chair:

"...seems like it would be real easy to use Ð I really like the idea of having everything stored on my ID card"
"...what if I could control the sound with my voice so I wouldn't even have to move my hands away from the keyboard"
"...the auto-mute is what I like since people come up to me every so often. This way I don't have to take off my headphones."

On an interactive virtual interface:

"...there may be a bit of a learning curve with this thing...this may be a hard concept to grasp for some of those older people that I work with..."
"...this seems the most natural and organic. I like things that really blend in with my space."