chicago skate park culture

Chicago Skate CultureID 516 Observing UsersBen JacobsonFall 2008

Andy ConradJudd Morgenstern

- 3 -Observing Users | Fall 2008 :: Conrad | Morgenstern

We set out to explore skateboarding in Chicago.

In researching this culture, we tried to gain a

better understanding of skateboarders, the act of

skateboarding, skate parks and related environmental

social dynamics, skate stores, and expose ourselves to

any other important cultural facets.

Additionally, as the research coincided with the onset

of winter in Chicago, we wondered how skaters would

deal with the winter weather.

The aim of the research was to gain rich insights into

skateboarding culture that could result in design

themes and implications relevant to either skateboard

companies or skate-shop owners.

The project also served as an opportunity to gain

experience with some of the observation tools and

techniques pertinent to user-centered designers as

well as develop our own processes and techniques for

better user-centered design.

Topic Purpose

Objective


We focused our skate park observations on two

Chicago locations:

> Wilson skate park

> Burnham skate park

Research showed that these were the premier

Chicago locations and were most likely to represent

Chicago skate park culture. Despite inclement weather

conditions during our observation period, we were

able to observe and talk to multiple skaters that

persisted through the cold weather to get their final

skating days in for the year.

We focused our skate shop observations at two

Chicago locations:

> Belmont Army

> Uprise

We visited the two skate shops to get a better

understanding of the larger skate culture and see

if we could derive design implications from shop

observations. Conversations with skaters at the park

informed of us two locations where we could target our

in-store observations.

Skate parks Skate shops

Observation EnvironmentsWilson Skate park

Belmont Army

Uprise Skate shop

Burnham Skate park


Tools

After gathering our research, we employed a few

techniques to manage the data and uncover insights

and themes, including:

POEMS framework >

AEIOU framework >

Photo sort >

Card sort >

Relationship clustering >

The research yielded tons of data in note, photo, and

video form. To make sense of it, we first started by

extracting individual observations and insights and

marking them on cards. We were then able to sort

and group the cards manually. Clustering the cards

was effective in allowing the group to express our

thoughts and ideas through the research in a visible

manner. We generated a number of potential themes

based on these clusters. In an attempt to look at the

data from another perspective, we re-organized the

themes based on the POEMS framework structure. The

POEMS framework was helpful in re-organizing the

data by people, objects, environments, messages, and

services. From here, we focused in on key components

and new relationships.

At this point, we had insightful findings, but were still

buried by the wealth of information. We wanted to filter

out meta-level themes. In order to do so, we looked at

the information from the AEIOU perspective. We were

then able to synthesize meta-themes around activities,

environments, interactions, objects, and users. We felt

that by combining the two frameworks, we ensured

coverage, better synthesized the information, and

generated themes appropriate for different levels.

The main tools we employed to gather and conduct

our research were:

Intercept interviews >

Skater observations >

Contextual research >

Video recording >

Field notes >

Photo documentation >

Additionally, we tried to get more research participants

by posting requests on Craigslist and trying to network

through our community. We were unfortunately unable

to find more willing participants. Instead, we focused

on building relationships through people we met at the

skate shops and at the parks.

The intercept interviews had mixed success. Though

many did result in key insights and provided direction

for further research, the interviews were not as focused

as if we had more willing participants. Often times

we got the impression skaters did not want to break

from skating to talk at length, so we had be mindful

of our affect on them. Once we did establish rapport,

we were able to conduct good, close-up observations

and document the social dynamics at the parks. Both

photo and video documentation were key in allowing

us to record findings and then recreate the scene when

doing analysis. Field notes were helpful, but were

difficult to write since we were mainly standing and

active in the skate park.

Techniques


When we examined skater activities, dedication

emerged as a meta-theme following our research. This

may not be one of the first attributes that comes to

mind when considering skaters, but observations at

the park covering numerous skaters gave the same

impression. For starters, the research was conducted

in the fall, during cold temperatures. The fact that

skaters were outside at the park alone is testament

to their dedication to the sport. However, what was

really interesting and not apparent at first, was their

persistence in trying new tricks. Rather than just skate

around and attempt different things, skaters would

routinely try the same trick in repetition until they got

it or showed signs of improvement. Often, practicing

a trick and failing would result in painful falls and

possible injuries, yet skaters would consistently get up

and without hesitation attempt the same trick again.

This is an interesting insight about their learning style

and motivations.

Findings

Theme :: Dedication

Skaters demonstrated intense dedication to their sport and betterment


Another meta-theme that emerged from environments

was locationism. Skaters expressed strong ties to their

local park, be it Wilson or Burnham. Some skaters

referenced growing up and skating their neighborhood

or street, and then migrating to the local skate parks.

Feelings ran so deep in some that they would mock the

other park and skaters, establishing a sort of rivalry.

The two parks were separated by a far distance, which

probably contributes to skaters’ affinity and allegiance

to their local park. Besides location though, skaters

were very opinionated regarding certain attributes of

their park. For instance, the transition angle between

the ramp walls and the ground was of significance.

Skaters would get used to one feeling and did not

like adjusting to different angles. Also, the rails of

the bowls were different across parks, which skaters

were quick to point out. Another major difference was

whether bikers were allowed to use the park. Burnham

park did not allow bikers, and the skaters there felt

strongly about only allowing skaters, whereas many

bikers were using the park alongside skaters in Wilson

park. Lastly, there was a fair bit of customization of

parks. Even though illegal, skaters would use found

objects, like trash cans or street cones, as obstacles for

tricks.

Findings

Theme :: Locationism

Skaters expressed strong ties and feelings about their home park


With regards to interactions, skaters demonstrated a

subtle etiquette at the parks. This was in sharp contrast

to some more apparent observations, such as the

disrespect for park rules. It is interesting that skaters

would demonstrate disregard for rules imposed by

the park authority, but at the same time honor implicit

rules and etiquette amongst the skaters.

For instance, skaters would respect other people’s

space when they were attempting tricks. Rather than

a free-for-all, skaters followed a flow at the park where

each person was often on a repetitive loop as they

tried a trick. If multiple skaters were trying the same

trick or using the same park feature, they would wait

in line and take turns. Even though it appeared to

be somewhat chaotic, there was order. Additionally,

skaters were very supportive of each other. If someone

completed a trick, others would often acknowledge

and applaud or cheer for him as a sign of respect and

encouragement.

Findings

Theme :: Etiquette

Skaters demonstrated a tacit etiquette when it came to park skating


With regards to objects, one key theme was self-

expression. All the paraphernalia for skateboarding,

such as the skateboards, wheels, clothing, and

DVDs, were very graphic and reflected different

personalities. For instance, the graphics on the bottom

of skateboards was a huge point of differentiation

between boards and brands. Different brands had

different looks and appealed to different skaters.

Additionally, the notion of self-documentation as a

form of self-expression was very prevalent. Amateur

skate videos are a large part of the skateboarding

culture. Skaters will record themselves and friends and

then post videos to their web sites or YouTube.

Different styles also manifested through clothing.

Some skaters had more of an urban, baggy style,

whereas others wore tight clothing. In a sense,

the board and clothes very much represented the

personality of the skater and was a way for them

to identify with others. Also, graffiti was prevalent

at the skate parks as a form of communication and

expression of identity.

Findings

Theme :: Self-Expression

Skate culture incorporates a high degree of self-expression


In terms of users, we identified that skaters have a

strong sense of community and derive inspiration

from other skaters. This manifested through their

friendships, allegiance to local parks, social life, and

online networking.

First, many skaters cited that they began skating with

friends. Often skaters would be in groups at the park

and even though they would skate alone, from time

to time they would group up or encourage each other.

Sometimes, they would watch each other skate and

offer support and cheer when someone landed a trick.

It also seemed like some skaters knew one another

just from being at the park, even though they were not

social otherwise.

Another interesting discovery was the social life

around skateboarding. As noted previously, skate

movies are a big part of the culture. Sometimes people

go so far as to throw skate DVD release parties. Some

stores often organize the parties as a way to reach out

to customers and friends and host a party. Lastly, we

witnessed strong online connections. One skater we

interviewed had his own blog dedicated to Wilson park

and would post recent videos. The site also linked to

other skate blogs, stores, and friends.

Findings

Theme :: Community Inspiration

Skaters have a strong community


The question of fitting inMany of the skaters were young, and we clearly stood out as outsiders at the park. It was difficult to figure out

the right approach, whether to try to “fit in” or to stand out. For one, we stood out by being the only people

not skating at the park. This sometimes made skaters uneasy and wonder why we were there. There are a lot

of cultural nuances, so when trying to fit in, we run the risk of committing a faux pas and alienating ourselves.

However, standing out makes it difficult to get access to a sometimes cliquey group. As mentioned before,

skaters have a strong sense of community, so outsiders aren’t always greeted openly.

Knowing which techniques to use and when to use themAnother issue that came up was which technique to use and how each could affect our interviews and research.

This is a corollary of fitting in. Using photo and video was the best method of capture, but sometimes subjects

were uneasy with the mediums. Field notes was a less intrusive tactic, but not as rich, plus it was hard to use

while in an active environment. It was a delicate balance between rendering ourselves harmless and having

casual conversations and being rigorous observers.

Ethics and issues of trust with illicit actsWhile at the park, we observed some illegal activities. This surely added to the outsider paranoia and made

it difficult for subjects to open up to outsiders. Even though it was performed at a public place, they were still

trying to be discreet about it. Further, it presented an ethical dilemma for us. Should we say or do something, or

ignore it?

Planning and managing research subjectsWe had initial difficulty when it came to gaining access to the culture. We tried to find and compensate research

participants through Craigslist, but found no willing participants. Reaching out through our network only

produced one interview, and though he was an informative subject, more participants would have been helpful.

Project Learnings

chicago skate park culture

Documents

skate park observations

skate stores

chicago skate park culture

skate shop observations

chicago skate cultureid

larger skate culture

skateshop owners

premier chicago locations