John S. Webb
John Webb is the UX Research Lead for Search Social Impact with his team supporting the Civics, Economic Security, Sustainability and other social impact-focused product teams.
Authored Publications
Google Publications
Other Publications
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Understanding and Comparing Smartphone and Tablet Use: Insights from a Large-Scale Diary Study
Aaron Cheang
Proceedings of the 27th Australian Computer-Human Interaction Conference (OzCHI 2015), ACM, New York, NY, USA, pp. 427-436
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In recent years, smartphone and tablet ownership has shown continued growth; however, there is a lack of research thoroughly investigating the use of these devices within the general public. This paper describes a large-scale diary study with U.S. mobile device owners, examining details of smartphone and tablet use. Results provide a comprehensive breakdown of frequent activities and contexts of use, highlighting key differences in smartphone and tablet use. Activities on smartphones were found to be dominated by communication needs, while tablets were frequently used for consumption and entertainment. Both devices were most often used at home, with tablets rarely leaving the home. Within the home, smartphones were used mostly in the bedroom, and tablets in the living room. Both devices were used frequently while doing something else, such as using tablets primarily while watching TV. Conclusions discuss implications for enriching the experience of mobile devices and opportunities for future research.
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Profile CBC: Using Conjoint Analysis for Consumer Profiles
Chris Chapman
Kate Krontiris
Proceedings of the 18th Sawtooth Software Conference, Orlando, FL (2015), pp. 1-12
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We investigate the usage of choice-based conjoint analysis (CBC) for sizing consumer profiles for a technology product area. Traditionally, technology research has often relied upon qualitative personas approaches that are difficult to assess quantitatively. We demonstrate that Profile CBC is able to find consumer profiles from tradeoffs of attributes derived from qualitative research, and yields replicable, specifically sized groups that are well differentiated on both intra-method and extra-method variables. We conclude that Profile CBC is a potentially useful addition to analysts' tools for investigating consumer profiles.
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Among those who are interested in improving democracy in the United States, a question that often comes up is how to engage the unengaged. To support the broader ecosystem of individuals and institutions working hard to make our civic life more inclusive and meaningful, we sought to contribute to these efforts by undertaking needed and detailed user research about the attitudes and behaviors of average Americans. In particular, this paper outlines a joint qualitative and quantitative study for understanding “Interested Bystanders,” or that portion of the population that is paying attention to the world around them, but not regularly voicing their opinions or taking action.
These are the findings of this research, conducted by the Google Civic Innovation Team in 2014. As applied research, this work sought to inform the design of civic-related products and services at Google and across the civic technology community more broadly. In reporting what we learned, we also have attempted to share how we learned it, and offer a case study for the use of human-centered research to inform civic interventions.
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Understanding Tablet Use: A Multi-Method Exploration
Proceedings of the 14th Conference on Human-Computer Interaction with Mobile Devices and Services (Mobile HCI 2012), ACM
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Tablet ownership has grown rapidly over the last year. While market research surveys have helped us understand the demographics of tablet ownership and provided early insights into usage, there is little comprehensive research available. This paper describes a multi-method research effort that employed written and video diaries, in-home interviews, and contextual inquiry observations to learn about tablet use across three locations in the US. Our research provides an in-depth picture of frequent tablet activities (e.g., checking emails, playing games, social networking), locations of use (e.g., couch, bed, table), and contextual factors (e.g., watching TV, eating, cooking). It also contributes an understanding of why and how people choose to use tablets. Popular activities for tablet use, such as media consumption, shopping, cooking, and productivity are also explored. The findings from our research provide design implications and opportunities for enriching the tablet experience, and agendas for future research.
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