guidebook to a
female interaction strategy
101 _ womenomics meets design
female interaction – research based innovation, driven by
co-financed by
A bout this book Female Interaction is a design research project based on a collaboration between Aarhus University and companies Bang & Olufsen, GN Netcom, Danfoss, Lindberg International and design-people. The project was initiated by design-people and co-financed by the Danish Construction & Enterprise Authority The following Female Interaction project team members have contributed to the writing of this book: Klaus Schroeder Strategy director, CEO & partner Female Interaction project responsible Stine Mosegaard Vilhelmsen Senior user experience designer Female Interaction project manager Christina Søgaard Jensen Female Interaction communication officer Mette Jakobsen Project manager, Lindberg International Rune Nørager Interaction Psychologist PhD. Cand psych. Aarhus University Marianne Graves Petersen Associate professor at Computer Science Aarhus University
ISBN 102978-87-995179-0-9 _ womenomics meets design
Content 1. Womenomics meets design 5 Introduction A world economy in female hands Pinking versus a holistic female user experience
2. Understanding gender differences 13 Understanding gender differences
3. Gender differences made operational 17 Gender principles Female tech-user profiles Data on gender differences in tech preferences
4. Female Interaction cases 25 Hands free communication. Based on the Jabra JX 10 Bluetooth headset from GN Netcom Music and media in private homes. Based on the Beosound5 from Bang & Olufsen Indoor climate control in private homes. Based on the Danfoss Link from Danfoss The impact
5. Introduction to Female Interaction methods 54 Introduction to Female Interaction methods Value-centred design methods
6. Summary, guidelines and how to get started 59 Summary and guidelines Getting started
7. About the Project 64 The project Programme for user-driven innovation by the Danish Enterprise and Construction Authority The team The advisory group Research papers Female Interaction literature recommendations
1 _ womenomics meets design
content_ 1
2 _ womenomics meets design
Prologue Finally the world’s biggest market opportunity no longer has to depend on shrinking, pinking and prejudices. Female Interaction has made the design of technological products meet the potential of Womenomics. It has moved the subject from why to how. From guesswork to research-based tools. Ready to explore and exploit. Forget worrying about the female potential in different cultures; from France to Arabia women share many of the same dreams and daily challenges. Forget worrying about the male reaction; if you live up to the expectations of women, you will exceed those of your male audience. Forget pathetic pinking; the guys will leave, and most women prefer you to make an effort understanding what they really want. Forget the current design and marketing assumption that female customers die when they turn 40. They don’t. Actually they enter the most spending-powerful period of their lives. Now is the time to be frontrunners in a market where user-driven interaction design is the key to the customers who possess the power of the purse within any trade area. No excuses left. I am so happy that the Female Interaction research project has eventually provided the proof of the pudding at a time when business badly needs it. Helle Katholm Knutsen, Marketing’s specialist & Author within the potential of womenomics
2. Understanding gender differences In this section we highlight some of the general differences between the behaviour and values of men and women in relation to technology. We aim to communicate the gender research in a straightforward and operational way – providing companies with guidelines and a basic knowledge to better understand and connect with their female target group. In our work with Female Interaction we have faced some reluctance towards the idea of working with gender differences when it comes to technology. This reluctance is primarily based on the assumption that a gender focus might result in growing inequality. Attempting to exploit the potential of using gender differences to make better products for both women and men, this assumption becomes an obstacle. The following clarification of concepts and research-based gender differences should be seen in that context: In Female Interaction we focus on how to translate our knowledge into products that better match women’s preferences. The Female Interaction project aims to release the potential of diversity.
Behavioural differences As part of a thorough analysis of contemporary scientific gender research we extracted the following findings on dimensions of gender in relation to technology (see figure on opposite page). The summary highlights some of the general gender differences between the behaviour and values of men and women. In general we see that the typical female traits in relation to technology is a focus on communion and that women have a more holistic approach to technology: The technology being meaningful only through coherence whereas the typical male traits include a focus on individual needs and a more detailed approach where technology can also be meaningful in itself.
13 _ understanding gender differences
Not a matter of ability but a difference in motivation Men and women differ in their perception of what matters in life. There are much bigger differences between men’s and women’s motivation to buy and use technology than there are between their abilities to use technology. Male and female differences considered in this research project do not only relate to differences in what we can do respectively but what we typically like to do given the freedom and opportunity to do so. The focus of this project is on the processes and dynamics that create the gender differences: motivations, barriers and value perspectives.
Gender is a continuum Female and male traits span a continuum i.e. ‘female’ and ‘male’ are not categorical distinctions. It is therefore not appropriate to sharply divide men and women - the continuum holds various degrees of masculinity and femininity. Some women act very feminine, while others have less feminine traits. Gender is a variety of different expressions. Although stereotypical representations of women might be based on evidence, they often describe exaggerated female traits. The difference in the behaviour of men and women is the focus of the project.
Tech developers
Behavioral differences
Summarizing the research findings on gender traits.
Detai l approach (meaning in itself)
Hol istic approach (sense making through coherence)
• Interest in looking at the entire body in one to one situations
• Interest in looking at the face as a rich source
• Interest in the body details in social situations
• Interest in the entire body in social situations
• Exploring features in information and communication technology
• Focus on main functionality in information
• The mobile phone is used for features like alarms, games, internet access etc.
• The mobile phone is used as a social device
• Technology as a toy
abstracted from the tool itself)
of emotional information in one to one situations
and communication technology
• Technology as a tool (to achieve meaningful goals
• Technology is meaningful in itself
I n di v idua l
Com m u n ion
• Action based regulation of emotions
• Social oriented regulation of emotions
• Material success
• Balance and relations in the career
• Toys can be public
• Toys are private
• Violent, competitive, exciting and somewhat dangerous in children’s play
• Physical attractiveness, nurturing
• The internet is used for obtaining information/ browsing
• The internet is used for communication
• Internet shopping enhances the male buying motivation, which is based on functionality / detail specifications 14 _ womenomics meets design
and domestic skills in children’s play
• Internet shopping does not support the female
buying motivation, which is based on emotional and social relations, and identity.
15 _ understanding gender differences
Tech developers differ from average users Women are a highly underrepresented group in the technology development departments. Due to this odd gender distribution, female traits are often overlooked and there is an implicit male bias in many technology products. Tech developers have proved to represent specific male traits and are as a group typically positioned remotely on the gender scale. They share a systematic approach to tasks with a focus on details that are often abstracted from the context of use. These traits generally differ from the female traits that have a more holistic and social focus. Not only are they positioned far away from the female end of the scale but they don’t represent the average male user either, in other words they are positioned remotely in relation to the majority of users of both sexes (Capretz, 2002 – see list of literature).
The gender factors How a person expresses her or his gender is a combination of basic biological dispositions of the individual, the cultural influence we have been exposed to and the specific situation we are in. Besides our biological gender dispositions, there are national and cultural similarities and differences to be aware of – meaning that there is a difference between how gender is expressed in Scandinavia compared with, for example, Arab countries. Furthermore the norms for enacting our gender differs along with the situation, e.g. from a professional situation to a romantic one.
A difference in emotions In general women appear more emotionally intense and expressive than men. Women tend to report more frequent and intense experiences of positive emotions like joy, love, affection, warmth and feelings of general well-being, especially in situations that involve intimate interpersonal relationships. Regarding non-verbal emotional cues women consistently excel in a number of ways. Firstly, they express facial emo-
Situation
Culture
Biology
tions more accurately than men. Secondly, women identify the meaning of non-verbal emotional cues (facial, body and voice) better than men. Thirdly, women are better at using non-verbal emotional cues to facilitate thought, understand and manage emotions. Feelings such as joy, embarrassment, surprise, sadness, fear, shame and guilt are mostly linked to women, whereas feelings such as anger, contempt, and pride are mostly linked to men. This difference is most prominent when it comes to the expression of such feelings, and to a lesser degree when it comes to the experience of them. In contrast to men women are also less responsive to anger stimuli. Finally, women report more empathy and sympathy than men do.
understanding gender differences _ 16