Project: Barbie Goes to China
Purpose: Cultural Probe assignment for Dr. Shaowen Bardzell's Design Methods class
Team: Sarah Reeder | James Schmittler | Xuan Wang | Yuebo Wang
Duration: 1 week
Completed: Fall 2008
Methods: Literature review, interview, cultural probe, presentation

During this 2-day class exercise, I gained hands-on experience assembling a cultural probe. The goal of the assignment was to create a packet of items paired with tasks which the recipient, a Chinese girl, would complete and mail back to us. The packets were not actually mailed, but instead we presented the items and tasks to the class as though we were researchers for Mattel, who were about to expand their Barbie product line to China. This assignment was timely, as it coincided with the opening of the Barbie Superstore in Shanghai the following spring.

As a team, our goal was to make the cultural probe packet as fun and engaging for the recipient as possible. In order to present an age appropriate and culturally sensitive ensemble, we began by conducting primary and secondary research. Internet articles provided insight into age-appropriate activities. Our remaining questions about the age group and culture informed our interview questions for a contact in China. Xuan relayed our questions in a phone interview with a relative in China to learn about the likes and dislikes of a particular child who fit our target demographic.

The items we assembled were fun, easy to use, and kid-friendly. We packaged them in a pink purse-like handbag, to make the kit easy and fun to carry to the suggested destinations. A disposable camera, scissors, and glue stick are provided to carry out scrapbook tasks, which direct the recipient to take pictures of certain items, such as her favorite outfit, and place them in the notebook. Although we presented a disposable camera, we would ideally have included a sticker camera so the instantly developed pictures could be placed in the provided notebook without hassle. Additional stickers were included to provide inspiration and encourage the recipient to personalize her notebook. With personalization, the notebook would carry more meaning for the recipient, who might then become more engaged in the tasks included. The stickers are 3-dimensional, which not only gives them an amusing tactile quality, but also makes them easier to place. A pack of twistable crayons provides many colors from which the recipient may choose, both so that she might feel free to be creative and so that as researchers we might understand her color preferences. Because the crayons are twistable, they feel adult enough to write with, but will not stain and do not require sharpening. The scissors provided are suitable for both right and left handed children and have an easy-to-hold grip and rounded blades, all without appearing too juvenile. The notebook is a fun strawberry shape, and inside the front cover instructions for completing the carefully chosen tasks are written in Mandarin Chinese.