FYI: This is just to provide a rough outline for you all :)

Project 2
By Luna Lovegood (PID #), Dobby (PID#), and Draco Malfoy (PID#)
Design 1 Fall 2020
9 AM studio

Interviews and Observations

Brainstorming
During our brainstorming period, we used a mind map, like the one shown in Figure 1,
to decide on which object to choose, and eventually we decided to choose a wand. First, we
listed common places that wizards and witches visit frequently. This included places like the
Leaky Cauldron, Gringotts Wizarding Bank, Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, Hog's Head, and
Ollivanders. Next, we looked at common items that wizards and witches would bring to these
locations, and after completing the mind map we found some common themes in these
locations. Some wizards and witches would bring items like a wand, floo powder, quills, and
galleons. We did consider collecting data on quills, but then decided that quills can vary too
much. For example, there are quills like Dolores Umbridge's Black Quill and there are also Self-
Inking Quills. Floo powder and galleons are standard objects in the Wizarding World, so those
objects were not ideal. Wands were the perfect object because it’s a basic, yet simple design.
Everyone carries wands, yet they have some variation to them as well.

Figure #1 shows our

mind map. This
helped our team to
decide on an object
for this Project.

Methodology

For our interviews, we tried to find participants who would give us a fair opinion about their
wands. Our interviewees included friends, professors, goblins, house elves, and giants. We
wanted an unbiased perspective, so that our data would be accurate. We often went to
Hogwarts common rooms to interview different students, and we also interviewed in places like
Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley. These places include places like the Leaky Cauldron,
Ollivanders, and Hog’s Head. We used a Quick-Quotes Quill, so that we could immediately write
down the participant’s answers.

1. “How do you usually hold your wand?”

a. We asked this question to find how people use the item, and whether or not there
is variety on how to hold the wand. For example, some people may hold the
wand with their thumb on the top, while others hold it on the side. In Figure #2,
we can see that young Harry Potter places his thumb on the top part of his wand.
This question also helped us to see if their wands included any indents that
would signify to the user on how to hold the wand. This question also helped us
to visualize how the wizard, witch or magical creature interact with their wand. Do
they always hold it at the bottom? Is the wand designed for magical beings or
could a muggle use it too?

Figure #2 shows
how Harry holds
his wand.

2. “Can you describe some good features of your wand?”

a. This question was useful because it would allow us to see which features satisfy
the user’s mental model. It would also allow us to find some common
characteristics in the wands and which features make it a good design. Here,
wizards, witches, and magical creatures may discuss the wand’s material,
strengths, or reaction time. They can also reveal how they reveal their
knowledge of the wand.
3. “What do you think of the material, color, strengths, weaknesses, and the general design
of your wand?”
a. This question helps us to understand the mapping of this design since we’re
asking about basic features of the wand. Wands have different materials that
serve as an affordance for users because the wand affords a sense of
protection and magic. The design of the wands can also be an example of
cultural constraint since Death Eaters may feel pressured to use a wand with
 skull-like features. We can also determine the gulf of evaluation and execution
when they use the wand.
4. “Have you ever broken your wand?”
a. This question helps us to discover if there are any problems that people have
with their wands. These problems could be related to trade-offs, since a slim,
sleek wand could easily break or a sturdy wand may not have the same level of
flexibility that would be required for wizard duels. We were also curious to see
whether or not they continued to use the broken wand, like how Ron Weasley
continued to use his wand after he crash landed into the Hogwarts Whomping
Willow.
Proof of Data
Project 2 Interview sheet
We created the graph using Google Sheets, and we collected the data through our
interviews. We organized our data in a chart, so that any muggle can easily read our data. We
also set this Google Sheet to ANYONE WITH A LINK CAN EDIT.

Contributions
All three of us spent time and effort conducting interviews and taking notes. Luna conducted
interviews 1, 3, 4, and 6. Interviews 2, 5, 7, and 8 were conducted by Dobby, and Interviews 9,
10, 11, and 12 were conducted by Draco. Luna worked on the “Interviews and Observations”
section, and Dobby helped. Dobby took responsibility for the “Problems and Trends” section,
while Draco focused on the “Trade-off” section, the Design Space, and the overall layout. We all
worked together despite Malfoy’s persistence to only work with Slytherins.

Interview Techniques
In our interviews, we utilized the master-apprentice model in our interviews so that our
participants would feel comfortable. Essentially, we did not want our interviews to be conducted
in the same way that Rita Skeeter conducts her interviews. She was too pushy towards Harry in
the Goblet of Fire and we don’t stan her lies. Using the master-apprentice model, we
introduced ourselves and let the wizard, witch, or magical creature lead the conversation about
their wand. Some of our participants felt compelled to use their wands to show us different
spells, so we gladly watched them. Unfortunately, one of the goblins used his wand to perform
the Cruciatus Curse on a nearby spider, and that was not enjoyable to watch. Some wizards
wanted to tell us stories of that special moment when they first received their wands at
Ollivanders. It’s always the same story on why the wand picked them, but we still listened.
Overall, we tried to follow our prepared questions to the best of our abilities, and used a quill to
write down the answers immediately.

Problems
In our interviews, we discovered that a lot of people mentioned the core of their wands.
Out of our twelve participants we interviewed, six of them of them had Dragon heartstring as the
core of their wands. Figure #3 shows some of our participants with wands with Dragon
heartstring cores. This does not necessarily mean that everyone is in favor of this core material,
since this material is so abundant in the Wizarding World. Some participants were worried that
the overabundance of this material would lead to the overbreeding of Dragons. This material
must also be collected from a dead dragon, so there are also ethical concerns with the
collection and production of wands with this core.
We also found that five out of twelve participants noticed a problem with the wood that was used
for their wands. Interviewee #5, #7,
and #8 believed that the material was
too flexible and could easily break.

Figure #3 shows a wand

with a Dragon Heartstring
core

Trends and Patterns

A trend that our group noticed was the amount of times that wizards, witches and
magical creatives use their wands in one day. Some wizards, like Fred and George, use their
wands constantly to aparate and startle their mother. Other wizards use their wands daily for
simple tasks, like stirring tea. Eight out of twelve participants said that they use their wands at
least ten times in a day.
Another trend that we noticed was the fact that wizards, witches, and magical creatures
all purchased their wands at Ollivanders. It appears that Ollivanders is the best place to
purchase wands. This pattern may be related to the fact that Ollivanders has a deep history in
the Wizarding World. It was founded in 382 B.C. and it’s located in Diagon Alley. Ollivander is
such a lovable old man and it was so sad to see him being tortured by You-Know-Who.

Trade-offs
Some users gravitated towards different wands based on their strengths to
accommodate their magical needs. In the design world, trade offs are defined as Professor
Umbridge being the worst villain and arguably more vile than You-Know-Who. She’s sadistic
and tried to act like she’s a good character. While some wands have different strengths, they
also have some drawbacks to them. For example, the Elder Wand is extremely powerful and is
one of three objects that make up the fabled Deathly Hallow. However, possession of the Elder
Wand is an example of a trade-off because its power is extraordinary but possession of the
wand makes you a target to other wizards and witches. It was kinda silly at the end of Harry
Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 that Harry Potter didn’t fix his broken wand before
destroying the Elder Wand.

Design Space
 Powerful
+
wand
#
# 2
#
4 1
Low Physical Durability High Physical Durability
- +

# #
6 # 7
5
-
Weak wand
This figure shows the comparison between wand strength and physical durability. The
numbers in the graph correlate to the participant’s numbers based on the key shown below.
This graph shows how the wand strength is somewhat related to the wand’s physical durability.
This makes sense because a powerful wand would need to be timeless and physically capable
to withstand any challenges.

DESIGN SPACE #2

This design space above shows that I wished I got the letter from Hogwarts when I was
eleven, but I didn’t so now I’m stuck in the muggle world.

Extra Credit Link