INF4MATX 131: Human Computer Interaction
Assignment #5: Conducting Interviews & Creating a Persona

Introduction
In assignment 4, I stated that my primary goal is to help individuals understand better baking instructions without the oven requirement. Perhaps, an oven is an essential tool in the baking process. Unfortunately, most ovens tend to be considerably expensive and out of the reach of most individuals. Besides, ovens tend to be bulky. I was surprised that the baking method that does not require a conventional oven could also provide a soft texture cake similar to the traditional procedure. However, there were obstacles with the batter mixture’s inconsistencies and the variation in stovetop and oven heat distribution during the participant baking sessions.

Various online do-it-yourself tutorials attempt to make the baking process seamless for persons who may not necessarily own an oven. However, considering a majority of do-it-yourself tutorials do not offer direct interaction to the user, it is often difficult to follow them. At the same time, some of the baking tutorials are not well detailed and specific enough. This essentially explains why people who are new to baking do not know how to prepare cake dough so that a well-baked cake is an outcome. Having an oven is essential, but the entire procedure is calculated measurement and baking time. Regarding the mentioned above, the problem I intend to solve is how online baking tutorials can be better adapted to the needs of the individuals who want to bake despite not having an oven.

Problem Exploration / User Research Question
In addition to the most significant obstacles observed in assignment 4, I also perceive that individuals who bake without an oven have difficulties controlling the baking temperature. Most of them accidentally overheat their cake mixtures. Besides, most people do not have some kitchenware provided as an alternative to the oven in the tutorials. Preparing cake dough so that a well-baked cake is an outcome is not simple as most people have to contend with an uneven batter; in most cases, the batter has multiple pockets of air, which makes it difficult to bake. Subsequently, I have developed the user research question below, which will help me identify other shades to the challenges mentioned above and new ones.

What problems do individuals that want to bake have with the available online Do-It-Yourself tutorials?

To find new challenges that individuals who want to bake but do not have ovens struggle with the available baking tutorials, I focused my interview questions on what are the most significant obstacles to their baking process? I attempt to identify their motivations and inspiration for baking. Additionally, I asked them what the common challenges experienced when using the alternative methods of baking are. Specifically, I intended to identify the essential difficulty they confront during the baking sessions.

Interview Protocol
How often do you look for baking instructions online?
Which online do-it-yourself tutorials do you prefer, and why?
How often do you bake for your family, friends, or colleagues at work?
What do you think is the main challenge of baking without an oven?
How would you like the online do-it-yourself tutorials to be presented?
What are your main motivations to improve your cake?
What are some adaptations you have done to make baking without an oven seamless and straightforward?
What do you think is the most significant difference between baking with an oven and without an oven?

Participants
I recruited two participants for the interview. The two participants I invited for this interview are my friend and a colleague at my part-time work. With the current status of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, I could not go to my colleague’s place to interview her directly. Therefore, I will conduct my interview remotely by scheduling a Zoom meeting with her and invite her to share their video with me. It was relatively easy to invite these participants. Still, my friend is in Vietnam, and with a different time zone (12 hours apart), it was more complicated to schedule a meeting with her, and finding a time that works for both of us can be challenging. I decided to interview those participants because I already knew both of them do not own an oven, and they use alternative baking methods. I have tasted their cakes before, and I found they have very different baking experiences.

Interview with the Participant 1 (P1)
Participant 1 is 21 years old, female, and lives with her parents. The participant frequently bakes for her friends, colleagues, and guests who visited her home. However, she does not have an oven, which makes her an excellent fit for this interview.
How often do you look for baking instructions online?
She looks for baking instructions online at least twice a week. In most cases, she searches for baking tutorials when she wants to try a new recipe, or a friend has asked for a specific cake that she does not know its preparation.
Which online do-it-yourself tutorials do you prefer, and why?
She said that she prefers online tutorials with videos and accompanying pictures as they are more straightforward to follow. Besides, the participant mentioned that she likes the tutorials created by non-professional bakers as they are less likely to use simple techniques and methods. She elaborates that she also prefers online baking tutorials done by Vietnamese, as they are most likely to use ingredients and supplies that are easy to find locally.
How often do you bake for your family, friends, or colleagues at work?
She bakes a few times a week, mostly on the weekend. She has been living in a small apartment, and with an 80-square foot kitchen, it’s always challenging to get things from the cupboard, and it is not a sufficient space for an oven. One day, she said, she should have a regular size kitchen and bake every day.
What do you think is the main challenge of baking without an oven?
She stated that the main challenge to bake without an oven is that it is difficult to control temperature. When baking the cake in the pan over the stovetop, the pan’s heat would not entirely distribute throughout, with certain parts of the pan being hotter. In this regard, there is a risk that she might accidentally overheat her cake mixture.
How would you like the online do-it-yourself tutorials to be presented?
She stated that since different social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube offer streaming services, the online tutorials should be presented in a similar way. According to the participant, it will facilitate direct interaction between the presenters/guides/speakers and their audience because the audience can ask questions and get answers in real-time.
What are your main motivations to improve your cake?
It’s satisfying and rewarding to make her own cake and study the skill of good baking. She can make the cake she enjoys with ingredients to resemble her taste. Improving on her cake brings a sense of achievement and something to be proud of since it often takes time and patience for her to accomplish a desirable product. Baking always requires dedication. Preparing cake dough so that a well-baked cake is an outcome is not simple. Having an oven is essential, but the entire procedure is calculated measurement and baking time.
What are some adaptations you have done to make baking without an oven seamless and straightforward?
The participant said that she has to ensure that the pan is rotated in one direction at least once every 5 minutes throughout the baking process to make sure they are baked evenly. She explains that the pan’s heat was not entirely distributed throughout, with certain parts of the pan being hotter. Because of this, when her cake remains in the same position throughout the baking process, it will be baked unevenly.
What do you think is the most significant difference between baking with an oven and without an oven?
Most baking instructions are written for the oven, and it’s not simple to maintain a precise and steady temperature, based on the tutorial, over the stovetops. During the baking process, the flame on the stovetop where the pan was placed has to be turned on at full heat for an exact amount of time so that the pan regains the heat it had lost when it was preheated before turned down to just below medium heat.

Interview with Participant 2 (P2)
Participant 2 is 30 years old, female, and lives alone. This participant was an excellent fit for the interview because she was already familiar with baking before, but she just recently started her business, so she does not bake very often.
How often do you look for baking instructions online?
The participant does search for online baking tutorials because most of the baking tutorials are written for the oven. She sometimes searches for the baking tutorials only to find the textual and the flavor recommendation of the cakes to adjust the proportions and mix the ingredients in ways that make the outcome tend toward a more desirable product.
Which online do-it-yourself tutorials do you prefer, and why?
She said that she prefers online baking tutorials with descriptive titles, detailed descriptions, simple text, and photographs in every procedure. These organize the tutorial in a concise and intuitive format. Besides, the participant mentioned that she only searches for the cake’s flavor and texture suggestion; thus, it is easier to find the keyword in the tutorial. Similar to participant 1, she also prefers online do-it-yourself tutorials done by Americans, as they are most likely to use ingredients and appliances that are easy to find locally.
How often do you bake for your family, friends, or colleagues at work?
Dedication in every procedure is essential when baking a cake, and this might require a significant amount of time. Finding the energy and time to prepare a delicious cake sometimes appears like a challenging task. She explained that she recently starts her business, so she has always been busy with her work, and she does not prioritize baking. In the end, buying a cake at the bakery might feel like the quickest and most comfortable option for her.
What do you think is the main challenge of baking without an oven?
Adjusting the proportions and combining ingredients to make the result direct toward a more desirable product without the oven’s help is challenging. She has always baked her cake with the stovetop; therefore, she chooses to use the method she has tried through various faults and trials.
How would you like the online do-it-yourself tutorials to be presented?
She always enjoys reading blogs baking’ recipes like My Baking Addiction or Bakerella. She only searches the online baking tutorials for the cake’s advice when she tries a new recipe; therefore, she wants a clear and intuitive format tutorial with simple text and detailed descriptions and descriptive titles. This helps her to find the cake’s flavor or texture keyword much efficient and straightforward.
What are your main motivations to improve your cake?
Although she is busy with her work, she frequently bakes every weekend. She explains that baking can offer her a great pleasure to be self-confident, and the process of kneading while baking can help relieve stress from her business. The balance of patience and precision keeps her passionate about improving her cake, and the pictures of being young in her warm kitchens always keep her delighted.
What are some adaptations you have done to make baking without an oven seamless and straightforward?
She always makes sure that her pan is preheated before the baking process. Preheating in the conventional sense of an oven is supposed to help the yeast or baking soda in the soft cake batter to get activated. Our non-stick pan is preheated to have the soft batter interact with a surface that is not cold and hence helps ease the baking process.
What do you think is the most significant difference between baking with an oven and without an oven?
The dough or batter used to make the cake will have a considerable difference in its technique. She explained that there are several alternative ways that can be used to make dough for baking. She chooses to use the method she has tried and perfected through a lot of trial and error. She explains that her approach has given her the best results considering she does not own an oven.

Summary of Interview
The interview validated the findings from the contextual inquiry. Most of the online tutorial is not specific and detailed enough, and a majority of baking instructions are written for the oven. Unfortunately, this makes it challenging for individuals to follow them.
Baking with the alternative methods is complicated since, unlike in ovens, there is no heat control element. As a result, one has to develop numerous adaptations; for example, in the participant’s case, she ensures that the pan is rotated in one direction. The interview verified the observation founded in the contextual inquiry that the absence of interaction in the baking tutorial impedes their efficiency. In some cases, the users need some clarification on the tutorial steps; however, there is no clarification provided.
Baking is meditative and helps in relieving stress. It can give a person great satisfaction to be self-confident with a fulfilling and rewarding excitement when they learn baking skills and make their own cake. Baking can lead someone to a healthier life.

Persona
Maise Nguyen was based on a combination of different properties between the three individuals I have interviewed so far; specifically, she is based on the contextual inquiry participant (P0), the participant 1 (P1), and the participant 2 (P2). Her busy work lifestyle was based on P2 (Question 1), but her time spent on baking was based on P1 as she regularly bakes for her family and friends. Finding the time and energy to prepare a delicious cake sometimes seems challenging for a busy lifestyle.   Maise Nguyen’s gender, age, and profession were based on P0 and P2. Her experience of using technology to search for baking tutorials was based on both P0 and P1 because she finds the baking recipe on various websites and social media every day and is very familiar with the technological device. I introduced that she uses the smartphone and laptop, which is based on the interviewees and myself.
Her goals were both based on P0 and P1. Both participants want to have a healthier lifestyle by baking. Spending time baking can relieve stress and restlessness and improve mindfulness. Not only does the baking process improve feelings, the excitement when seeing the result spontaneously enhances happiness. I also include “Improving and build confidence in baking abilities” based on P1 answer to question 6
The pains section combines all three interviewees’ obstacles, as they all share similar problems when trying to bake without an oven.
Based on the two interviewees’ expectations, Maise desires to have the baking tutorials that are incredibly detailed and straightforward with different baking methods that don’t require a traditional oven. Finding the tutorial’s relevant information efficiently is based on the P2 answer to question 5. Learning the adjustment for the ingredient’s proportion and baking temperature on different cake is based on the P1 answer to question 5.
The scenario was based on the analysis of the possible solution to the interviewee’s intention. It was also based on the persona’s time constraint for baking and P1 and P2 answer to question 5.