Think Exercise: Bird Counting app notes

Client meeting

Design starts during your first interaction with the client
- What is the problem they've identified?
- What are the project constraints?
- Budget?
- Timeline?
- This could determine whether I'd be able to attend a bird watch myself, or just rely on watching videos online and asking people.
What are the prioritized outcomes? Accuracy? Returning bird watchers who want to help grow the community? Fun?
Who is the client deep down? What is their business model? Which way are they heading?

A novice's perspective

I don't know anything about bird-watching, and that's a temporary advantage. For a precious few hours, I'm the target user of this app preparing for my first bird count. My brain is a clean slate.
I don't know how a bird count usually goes, let alone how I could improve a bird-watching app to make it better.
My preliminary questions:
- Who goes bird-watching? Older people? Kids?
- Who would use this app? Everyone? Just the group leader?
- How many bird species are expected to be in my designated area? Under 20? Over 100?
- Could I encounter unexpected bird species for the region? Do they also need to be counted?
- How do bird watchers prefer to count? Do they already use an app? Pencil and paper? Would they ever consider using an app?
- Would gloves in cold weather make them reluctant to use an app?
- How do bird watchers figure out which bird they've found? Paper field guides? Apps?
- Where do bird watches occur? In the woods? In cites? I'm guessing anywhere?

Establishing the problem/goal

The design of the app will and should be a direct reflection of Audobon's intent and future plans. Depending on the problems or goals they identify, the primary "call to action" of the app may be very different.

"Attendance is decreasing each year and we think having a smartphone app would help kids get more interested"
- Many assumptions are made here
"We've gotten a lot of requests from birders that they'd prefer to use an app during the bird count rather than the paper and pencil system we use currently"
- How many requests relative to the total number of birders?
- Does it have to be an app? Could it be a web app?
- Do they have the technical ability to create and sustain both iOS and Android apps?
"Birders often mis-identify birds"
"We want to enable birders to collect data at home, even if they're first-timers"

Research

What does the client want, deep down? They want an "app" but there may be underlying assumptions, so I need to dig into that and maybe project into the future to align the app with their goals.
I can't easily talk to birders directly, but I can read about their experiences
I should read articles, search for other apps, read forum discussions from watchers about issues they experience, etc.
Artifacts
- Personas
- Competitive analysis
- User goals and needs

Client research

Audobon 2016-2020 Strategic Plan (PDF version)
- Page 16 - Maximizing our Impact
  - $60M to $71M budgeted for their plans in various categories
- Page 50 - Technology and Communications
  - "Put our credibility first in all of our communications."
  - "Invest in ways that connect people with Audubon through compelling content, shared experiences, and rewarding relationships. Whether those are new apps or a constantly improving Web presence, we will tell the stories of birds and the people who care about them to inspire, recognize, and honor those efforts."
  - "The Bottom Line: We’ll put an additional $9-11 million a year to work on technology and communications"
  - Intent to create a "best-in-class" website and journalistically excellent magazine.
  - "... more than a million social media users as of 2016"
  - They collaborate with Esri for mapping data, visualization, and monitoring
Wikipedia
- National Audobon Society
  - eBird is a collaboration between Cornell's Lab of Ornithology and Audobon
  - 24 state offices, 500 local chapters, international collaborations
  - They produce Audobon field guides with actual photos, with 18M copies sold
- Christmas Bird Count
  - Started as a hunt, became a count in 1900,
  - 250 bird species in one location is the highest number recorded

Web review

Official Audobon.org
- Active circle map
- Compiler Resources list
- How it works
  - Each count takes place in a 15-mile circle
  - A circle/count compiler organizes each circle
  - Volunteers follow specified routes and count every bird they see or hear that day
  - Beginners are paired with groups that include one experienced watcher
  - Volunteers can arrange to stay at home and report birds that visit their feeder (presumably with a group)
  - Single-observer counts are not allowed - volunteers must coordinate with a circle
  - Not all circles can be registered for online, possibly because they're already filled
- Participants' guide on what data to collect during your Christmas Bird Count
  - Cover your assigned route as thoroughly as possible during the daylight hours
  - Record all hours spent watching, traveling, miles traveled, and mode of transport while watching/listening
  - Record hours watching at feeders separately from the field
  - Record hours/miles "owling" separately from the field during the day
- Compilers' manual to CBC
  - Compiler basics
    - 8 hours of daylight coverage with 10 observers is recommended for adequate coverage
    - Voice ID'ing is okay, but specimens or tracks are only able to mark a species as "present" or "cw" (count week) during the count week period (3 days before, 3 days after the count day) - numbers must be observed during the count day
    - One primary circle contact must provide their name, address, email and phone to the CBC website when creating their circle
  - Compiler's role
    - Recruit and remind participants in early November
    - Remind people to bring binoculars, food/water, footwear, rules, meetup spot
    - Participants can upload photos to the online CBC photo gallery website
    - Participants should follow the same route each season to master the area
    - "Census route" is one route covered in-depth for historical purposes
    - Hours spent, distance traveled, and counter totals are considered "Effort Data" that help researchers determine thoroughness
    - Feeder-watchers should count the highest number of each species visible/hearable at one point in time as their "maximum count"
    - If a "large roost" is spotted within the circle, an experienced observer should estimate the number and individuals are not counted before or after
    - Playing attractant audio is allowed but must be done consistently and not overbearingly
  - Details to record
    - Temperature
    - Wind direction and velocity
    - Snow depth min/max
    - Water ice coverage
    - Cloud cover (am/pm)
    - Rain/snow (am/pm)
    - Party hours & distance
    - "In Field" parties
    - "At Feeder" parties (as in, people who ONLY sat at feeders for many hours during one day) are counted entirely separately
    - Nocturnal birding or "owling" is the number of hours spent in the field during non-daylight hours, and their data is also kept entirely separate
    - "Unusual" birds are at the discretion of a regional editor
    - Total number of species observed
- Compilers' guide to CBC party miles and hours
  - Miles driven by party is not multiplied by the number of party members - they're treated as one unit
  - Time spent observing feeders by field parties is not lumped into the data for designated feeder-watchers - this allows papers like this one to separate out feeder-watcher-reported data
- History of the Christmas Bird Count
  - Started as a hunting competition, transitioned to a database
  - Plenty of videos of different regions and people
  - Helps researchers quantify irruptions (mass movement of a species to places they're not usually seen in search of food during the winter, particularly after a successful breeding season) and general population changes
- Birding in Philly’s Forgotten Habitats
  - Ring-necked pheasants have vanished from Philly in the last 40 years
  - 72 participants in 2017 counted in the less "glamorous" spots of Philly
  - ~100 species in the region
- The Christmas Bird Count: The longest running citizen science project in the world
  - Some common species from his childhood have since left, and the data allows hunches to be backed up with data
  - Conducted in the winter partially because it's a peak migration time
News articles
- Greenwich, Stamford birders find 104 species during Christmas bird count
  - Roughly 103-112 species are spotted each year, 15,000 individuals total
  - Two rare species for this time of year were recorded
- The Guardian: Christmas Bird Count: Citizen science for the birds
  - 60,000 of volunteer citizen scientists of all ages and levels of expertise
  - 2,200 locations throughout North America
  - Data is freely available to the public and used in studies
  - December 14th to January 5th
Blog posts
- Audobon Community Nature Center: The Christmas Bird Count: The longest running citizen science project in the world by Jeff Tome
  - Some common species from his childhood have since left, and the data allows hunches to be backed up with data
  - Conducted in the winter partially because it's a peak migration time
- Concord CBC: Conduct a Feeder Watch
  - The goal is to determine the highest number of each species seen near the feeder at one time to avoid double-counting
  - "Effort" is based on the hours watched and the number of household observers who contributed
  - Two watchers observing one feeder should contribute to one checklist and one time period
  - Two watchers observing independent feeders keep separate checklists but submit one highest number of each species and a grand total of the time periods
Research papers
- Bias in Christmas Bird Counts for species that visit feeders
  - When home-based "feeder-watchers" were recorded separately starting in 1990 and 1991, data comparison showed some differences between species that could affect overall counts
  - Keeping home-based participants entirely separate from "in the wild" fielders is recommended
Community sources
- Reddit (/r/birding)
  - Getting Started With Birding: A beginner's guide with specific, actionable advice
    - Cornell's Merlin Bird ID app is a good way to familiarize yourself with common local species.
    - The eBird app allows you to find birding hotspots, track progress, and contribute data
  - "Will I just be an annoying newbie and get in the way?"
    - No, all experience levels are encouraged, not a competition
    - Younger people may be better at flyover identification and small movements, older experts often stick to stationary birds
Videos
- Mad Island, Texas count
  - Watcher uses a book with images of native species and their distinguishing features underlined
  - One designated person in the group records what people have seen
  - Some people set up bird feeders in their backyard
  - Knowing that other people are doing the same thing on the same day provides a human element
  - At a group meetup, one person records whether a species was spotted at all by the group
  - Some people keep lifetime lists of every species they've seen. Seeing one for the first time is a special moment.
- Patuxent, Maryland count
  - 94-year-old volunteer, 412 Christmas Counts
- Baton Rouge, Louisiana count
  - 15-year-old volunteer, another adult teaching kids how to count

Competitive analysis

Others listed here

eBird by Cornell Lab

iOS: 3.5/5 with 43 reviews / Android: 4/5 with 778 reviews
Unique features
- Research-oriented data entry app for citizen science
Observations
- The interface assumes expertise
  - No bird images are displayed, which makes choosing between many different robins very difficult to a newcomer
  - Help icons are used to explain non-obvious settings and options, like submitting a more professional "complete checklist" vs a casual highlight-only list of interesting birds spotted
  - Many different observation types, each with their own help text, "Banding"
- "Checklist" may not be the appropriate word
- Resuming a checklist can't be done by tapping on the "Current Trip" text
- The "most likely species" based on area seems to be broken
- Seemingly permits backtracking when traveling
- Their help guide mentions the possibility of eBird data automatically being submitted during the CBC

Merlin Bird ID

iOS: 4.9/5 with 1.8K reviews / Android: 4/5 with 3.1K reviews
Unique features
- Birds can be identified with a photo, with a good success rate
- Displays the "most likely" birds in your area based on location, time of year, etc.
Observations
- Image-based identification is very cool, and users seem to think it works well

Audobon Bird Guide

iOS: 4.5/5 with 624 ratings / Android: 4/5 with 2.4K ratings
Unique features
- Integration with NatureShare's social network
Observations
- Definitely old-looking, with many slow web-based views
- They used to have apps for mammals, wildflowers, and trees, but not anymore

iBird Pro

iOS: 4.5/5 with 255 ratings / Android: 4.5/5 with 4.6K ratings
Unique features
- Artwork includes juvenile males and females without swiping for more
Observations
- Users report some sluggishness
- Unique filter options (by head patten, breast color)
- Search by song (somehow)
- Optimized for tablets with large artwork

Pencil and paper

A seemingly common approach, paired with a book of native species
A spreadsheet with an alphabetical list of bird names is seen in some videos
Only bird-watchers familiar with all native species would be familiar enough to tally based on name alone
No battery power necessary, which could be useful in very cold temperatures

User research

Interviews and field study

There are a many things that I'd like to learn from first-time and veteran birders that would help guide the new app's functionality and user interface. In addition to casually interviewing birders and/or holding focus groups, I'd also try to observe them during a count to see how effective their current bird-counting methods are and whether an app could help in some way.

Demographics
- What is the age breakdown of birders?
- How many years have they participated in the CBC?
CBC experience
- What is their favorite thing about the CBC?
- What is their least favorite thing about the CBC? (aside from the weather)
- Do they have a "role" during the CBC? Spotter? Identifier? Photographer? Navigation?
Counting
- What counting method do they currently use? Why do they prefer it?
- What do they find difficult with their method? Can they imagine ways in which bird counting could be improved?
- How do they identify birds that you aren't familiar with? Do they search for birds by looking for specific features (i.e. red neck, size, etc.)?
Technical familiarity
- Do they consider themselves adept at using iPhone and/or Android apps?
- Have they ever tried one of the many bird counting apps available? What did they like or dislike about them?
- Do you use any accessibility features of their phone? Larger text?
Thoughts on a potential app
- If an app existed, what would they want it to be capable of?
- What features would be most important to them?
  - Counting birds, looking them up via search, messaging with their group, learning more about certain birds, uploading photos of birds, etc.

Personas

Kids
- Low expertise
- Adept at tracking movement, looking up, noticing colors and small details
- Capable of using (straightforward) apps
  - May enjoy having the "recorder" job in the group
- Error detection and correction may be difficult
Adults
- Low to high expertise
- Depending on age, just as capable as kids or older adults at noticing and ID'ing
- Likely capable of learning straightforward apps
- Able to notice and correct errors
Older adults
- Possibly the most common persona
- Low to high expertise, likely leaning toward high
- Capable of ID'ing on sight or based on distinguishing features
- Capable of learning straightforward interfaces, if willing
Common characteristics:
- They all enjoy bird-watching, or at least the idea of it for one year

Takeaways

Audobon as a client
- Not small at all. A multi-million dollar organization with plans to invest in their technology, website, and apps.
- Intent on solidifying their brand across mediums and providing "best-in-class" experiences to birders
- They run their own social network, NatureShare, and used to make guides for mammals and other categories too
CBC rules
- Groups must follow pre-defined routes
- Feed watchers and nighttime "owlers" are entirely separate data pools from the daytime birders who walk along the route. Their data is kept entirely separate.
- Walkers do not separate birds that they happen to see at feeders while on their path
- The start time of "owling" is nebulous, but intended to be an intentionally separate expedition
What to expect
- Only ~100 bird species are typically in a circle at once, 250 max
Remaining unkowns
- When does "birding" end and "owling" begin? The cutoff is midnight, and owls are usually encountered at night, but the CBC asks people to keep these checklists entirely separate.
- Is it definitely the case that fielders don't have to separate out observations they see at feeders, so long as they don't stick around them for long?

Assumptions

Without a Think Session with the client, I need to make a few assumptions before beginning the design process.

Time is tight
- Basic functionality needs to be ready by October in time for CBC 2018
The iPad is not a priority
- The lack of cellular connectivity and GPS makes the iPad less ideal
The app should be extendable
- Not a one-trick pony; eventually it'll include more of Audobon's data and features to become the go-to app for birders, and maybe Think Company will help design them
- Responsive design for future iOS devices and potentially Android devices
It has to be an iOS app
- An offline web app might suit their needs better, but I don't have enough information and the technology is still new, with limitations
One person is typically the "recorder" at a time
- Not dealing with creating teams/groups at this time with synchronized data
It should be newcomer-friendly

Feature requirements

Join a count group

Requires online communication infrastructure with the circle leader
Could have a social component to it. Seeing and chatting with other birders during that month.
Could also be a unidirectional way for birders to get notifications from the circle leader

Enable the user to record:

Hours spent watching/listening
- Automatic by session start/end
Record all miles traveled along route
- Automatic using GPS, editable at the end
Record each mode of transport, # of hours in that, and miles traveled
Record hours watching at feeders separately from any field birding
Record hours and miles "owling" separately from field birding

Diverge

How might we?
- Organize home/nav?
  - Standard nav bar
    - News
    - Blog posts, web content
    - Feed
      - The social network-esque element, with images of birds from friends and whatever, Audobon's NatureShare
    - Sessions
      - The CBC is a thing that appear at the top sometimes, otherwise they can do sessions throughout the year or whenever
    - Profile
    - Search
      - Page allows you to search by photo ID
      - By name
      - By size/type/etc
      - Can be accessed at any time
  - Hamburger menu
  - Swipe-able top menu
- Size comparison. Maybe compare to a milk quart.
- Allow or don't allow retroactive adjustments?
- Show an active timer to remind them to turn it off
- Sessions should be called "sessions" rather than checklists.
- Recording interface
- One screen without scrolling
- Search interface
- What if they could quickly filter by tag? Like Fantastical. Brown... small... yellow... swimming/water... owl...
Accessibility considerations
- Older audience, which means higher likelihood of accessibility feature use
- Accessibility audit
- Grayscale
  - http://ospr3y.blogspot.com/2013/06/being-colorblind-birder.html
- Reduce motion
Technical considerations
- How to prevent junk data? Spam? Especially without an account system?
Artifacts
- Basic, quick, extremely rough sketches or small components

Prototype

Concept: An app that isn't just CBC-specific and used for 2 weeks, but is useful year-round.

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