Guided Fantasy: A Research Method for Innovative Products

Larry Tesler developed the first experimentation with Guided Fantasy in 1973, together with Tim Mott, at the Parc labs at Xerox. The method was one of many user-centered methods used to test usability at the lab (Moggride 2007, p.48.). While research methods and usability testing such as heuristic evaluation, think-aloud protocol, cooperative evaluation, etc., help investigate pain points and usability issues, and map users’ expectations and mental models, the Guided Fantasy allows researchers to map how a new system should be structured based on users’ cultural conventions and references. It allows designers and developers to build a new product together with users. This paper presents the remapping of the method 50 years later, through three experiments conducted in both in-person and remote contexts, detailing the process and results for discussion and new learnings. The three projects used for the experiments described here are related to project management, banking systems and telecom service.