Test Design
We ran 3 experiments testing our assumptions about the kinds of solutions people with Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors (BFRBs) would want to help them stop their compulsive behaviors. Here is a quick overview of the tests we chose to run:
And here is a link to the extended descriptions.
Recruitment
Since we have a more niche target audience, we recruited 3 people who engage in BFRBs, and designed the tests such that we could realistically run all 3 on one user simultaneously.
The people we recruited were:
- a man in his 50s who engages in compulsive hair-pulling (aka trichotillomania)
- and 2 women in their early 20s who engage in compulsive skin-picking.
We recruited them because they engage in the behaviors and want to/have tried to stop previously.
Testing and Results
Due to the sensitive nature of our topic and the design of our tests, we did not photograph during the experiments themselves. However, we did discuss with our interviewees what kinds of physical barriers they used and these are images of what came up:
- Rael pimple patches
- A generic beanie
- gloves
Lastly, here are the learning cards we filled out for each test.
Test 1:
Test 2:
Test 3:
