ReseaRch MethoD

99 Wizard of Oz
In the Wizard of Oz technique, a researcher (the "wizard") simulates
system responses from behind the scenes, while a participant engages
with a system that appears to be real.

The Wizard of Oz (WOz) technique is a method in which participants are led to believe they are  1. John F. “Jeff” Kelly from the IBM Thomas 
interacting with a working prototype of a system, but in reality, a researcher is acting as a proxy for  J. Watson Research Center originally coined 
the system from behind the scenes. Unseen by the participant, the researcher (i.e., the “wizard”)  the “OZ Paradigm” in 1980, to describe the 
methodology he developed while completing 
is able to intercept and shape the interaction between the participant and the “system,” without 
his dissertation at The Johns Hopkins University. 
having an actual system up and running. The goal of the method is to allow the user to experience 
As it gained popularity in the fields of Human 
a proposed product or interface before costly prototypes are built. It also provides a framework 
Factors, Experimental Psychology, and Usability 
to gauge participants’ openness and willingness to new ways of doing things, and to explore and 
Engineering, the name of the method changed 
discover boundary conditions for innovative and disruptive technologies.1 to reflect the 1939 MGM movie The Wizard of
Oz, in which an ordinary man hides behind 
The research session setup requires that the participant be in one location, and the researcher  a curtain, and uses technology to convince 
who plays the “wizard” in another. To aid in the process of preparing an appropriate, timely system  everyone he is an omnipotent wizard. See: 
response, the researcher must be able to observe participant activity (either through video or  Kelly, John F. “An Iterative Design Methodology 
screen-sharing software). In the early design phases, the wizard will simulate the majority of the  for User-Friendly Natural Language Office 
behaviors of the system, and the insights gathered can guide and inform the design toward forma- Information Applications.” ACM Transactions on
tive ends. As iterative improvements are made to the interface, less and less intervention from the  Office Information Systems 2, no. 1 (1984): 26–41.
researcher/wizard is required—usually just enough to keep the process moving and bridge the gap 
2. See note 1 above.
between what the current implementation actually provides, and the envisioned system.2
Dow, Steven, Blair MacIntyre, Jaemin Lee, 
During the process, the wizard can take on different roles and simulate different behaviors, includ- Christopher Oezbek, Jay David Bolter, and 
Maribeth Gandy. “Wizard of Oz Support 
ing: the controller who simulates system intelligence, the supervisor who course-corrects and 
Throughout an Iterative Design Process.” 
overrides decisions that the system or participant makes, and the moderator who simulates sensory 
Pervasive Computing (October-December 
data and makes the envisioned experience feel complete.3 However, the believability of the simula-
2005): 18–26.
tions hinge on the wizard’s consistent behaviors with respect to timing, patterns, and system logic.4 
3. See note 2 above
Consider using the WOz technique anytime you need to gauge how people will feel about—and how  4. See note 1 above.
they might perform while using—a proposed solution before investing time and money in an actual 
5.  Patel, Seema, et. al. “A Guided 
prototype. WOz is especially useful when designing digital applications and solutions that do not 
Performance Interface for Augmenting 
already have established design patterns (e.g., augmented reality systems, and ubiquitous comput-
Social Experiences with an Interactive 
Copyright © 2012. Rockport Publishers. All rights reserved.

ing applications). The method is a flexible, iterative technique that can be used to guide and lead 
Animatronic Character” Proceedings of
design efforts (formative) in the exploratory, conceptual phases of a project as well as toward the 
2006 American Association for Artificial
latter phases, when conclusive, measurable (summative) ends are more appropriate. Intelligence, 2006. 

Further Reading

Buxton, Bill. Sketching User Interfaces: Getting

the Right Design and the Design Right. San 
Francisco, CA: Morgan Kaufmann, 2007. 

Gould, John D., John Conti, and Todd Hov-
anyecz. “Composing Letters with a Simulated 
Listening Typewriter.” Communications of the
ACM 26, no. 4 (1983): 295–308.

Behavioral Quantitative Innovative Exploratory Participatory

Attitudinal Qualitative Adapted Generative Observational
Traditional Evaluative Self reporting
Expert review
204 Universal Methods of Design Design process
Hanington, Bruce, and Bella Martin. Universal Methods of Design : 100 Ways to Research Complex Problems, Develop Innovative Ideas, and Design Effective Solutions, Rockport
Publishers, 2012. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/sub/detail.action?docID=3399583.
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 Design Phase:
Q u a s i ’s   G u i d e d   Pe r fo r m a ce   I n te r fa ce

Nose-cam feed Wide-angle feed Sequence panel

and action bins

Emotion map (includes happy, Action queue

angry, confused, neutral,
embarassed, and sad.)

Thousands of people have had compelling interactions 
with the animatronic character Quasi the Robot without 
knowing that behind the scenes, a human actor controls 
the robot through a Guided Performance Interface 
Copyright © 2012. Rockport Publishers. All rights reserved.

(GPI). The interface allows non-technologists to guide 
Quasi’s performance, and engage and captivate people 
(especially children) for prolonged periods of time. Quasi 
is an exciting example of robotics that combines artificial 
intelligence and human teleoperation into a believable, 
engaging, and delightful experience.5
Photos by Peter Stepniewicz, courtesy of Interbots, LLC

See also 36. Experience Prototyping • 68. Rapid Iterative Testing & Evaluation • 79. Speed Dating 205
Hanington, Bruce, and Bella Martin. Universal Methods of Design : 100 Ways to Research Complex Problems, Develop Innovative Ideas, and Design Effective Solutions, Rockport
Publishers, 2012. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/sub/detail.action?docID=3399583.
Created from sub on 2017-09-23 15:39:55.

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