Contextual InquiryMaterial Source:Professor John Landay, UCB
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User Study Methods & the different fields they come from Social Psychology
Focus Groups Business, marketing technique
Laboratory studies Experimental Psychology
Think-aloud protocols Cognitive Psychology
Participant/observer ethnographic studies Anthropology
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Contextual Inquiry Technique for examining and understanding users
and their workplace, tasks, issues and preferences. http://www.infodesign.com.au
Witness users performing tasks Objective rather than subjective as with questionnaire An evolving method A kind of “enthnographic” or “participatory design” method
Combines aspects of other methods: Interviewing, think-aloud protocols, participant/observer in
the context of the work Part of “Contextual Design”
Read www.incent.com
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Contextual Inquiry
Design Ideas
New Design Ideas
Think-Aloud Usability Studies
Heuristic Evaluation
Cognitive Walkthrough
Prototyping
GOMS
Tasks
Analytic MethodsAnalytic Methods Empirical Empirical MethodsMethods
HCI methods in the design process
Contextual Inquiry is used in beginning of design processContextual Inquiry is used in beginning of design process
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Contextual Inquiry Interpretive field research method Depends on conversations with users in the context
of their work Recommends “direct observation” when possible
When not possible cued recall of past experience, or recreation of related experience
Used to define requirements, plans and designs. Drives the creative process:
In original design In considering new features or functionality
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Why Context? Design complete work process
Fits into “fabric” of entire operations Not just “point solutions” to specific problems Integration! e.g. ‘those who bought this also…’
Design from data (not instinct or guess) Not just opinions, negotiation Not just a list of features
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Who conducts it? Interviewers: “Cross-functional” team
Designers UI specialists Product managers Marketing Technical people
Customers Between 6 – 20 Representative of different roles
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Key concepts in Contextual Inquiry Context
Understand users' needs in their work or living environment Partnership
Work with users as co-investigators Interpretation
Assigning meaning to the observations Focus
Listen and probe from a clearly defined set of concerns
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Context Definition:
The interrelated conditions within which something occurs or exists
Understand work in its natural environment Go to the user Observe real work Use real examples and artifacts
“Artifact”: An object created by human workmanship Interview while she/he is working
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Master-Apprentice model Master – Apprentice model allows customer to teach
us what they do! Master does the work & talks about it while working We interrupt to ask questions as they go Each step reminds the user of the
next Skill knowledge is usually tacit
(cant put it in books) Studying many tasks, the
designer can abstract away Sometimes literal apprenticeship
works (Matsushita “Home Bakery”)!
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Key distinctions about contextContextual Inquiry
Ongoing experience & concrete data
ObjectiveSpontaneous, as it
happensWhat customers actually
need
Interviews, Surveys, Focus Groups
Summary data & abstractions
SubjectiveLimited by reliability of
human memoryWhat customers think &
say they want
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Elements of User's Context: Pay Attention to all of these User's work space User's work User's work intentions User's words Tools used How people work together Business goals (e.g. always buy from XYZ Ltd.) Organizational and cultural structure
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Standard Contextual Inquiry:Work-based Interview Use when:
Product or process already exists Or a near competitor’s
User is able to complete a task while you observe
Work can be interrupted
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Interview note-taking When to take notes?
Any observations not being recorded Note taking can help you pay closer attention Notes lead to faster turn-around Do not let it interfere with interviewing
How to record? What the user says – in quotes What the user does – plain text Your interpretation – in parentheses Write fast!
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Reasons for variation on the standard work-based interview Different goals
Designing a known product Know the competition
Addressing a new work domain Study what replacing
Designing for a new technology Types of tasks that make work-based inquiry
impractical Intermittent – instrument or keep logs Uninterruptible – video and review later Extremely long – point sample and review
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Partnership Definition:
A relationship characterized by close cooperation Build an equitable relationship with the user Suspend your assumptions and beliefs Invite the user into
the inquiry process Information acquired
through dialog User is expert –
employ master/apprentice model
Encourage user to speak Listen for non-verbal
communications
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Analysis In the moment:
Simultaneous data collection and analysis during interview
Post interview: Using notes, tapes, and transcripts
Analysis by a group: Integrates multiple perspectives Creates shared vision Creates shared focus Builds teams Saves time
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Focus Focus is a perspective We always have an entering focus Better to make it explicit Characteristics of focus:
set of pre-conceivedassumptions and beliefs
reveals and conceals “Show me how you do …”
Decide what to ask about Still use general questions
Not an interview!
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Setting Focus Form a team of stakeholders Brainstorm: questions, assumptions, design ideas.
Each group member brainstorms individually Group meets and brainstorms Delay evaluation during brainstorming
Record the items generated Prune questions
Defer Qs that participants cannot answer Conclusions about other peoples’ experiences How large is the market? Would you buy this product?
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Key Benefits Can be used early in development cycle Defines user work problems and opportunities for
improved products Develops a partnership between engineering and
customers Creates a shared system vision for the whole design
team Combines with other development processes Identifies both short-term and long-term product
enhancements
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Key Limits Requires additional time and expense to set
up customer site visits Requires interviewing and analysis skills Requires a method of tracking the large
number of design ideas that result Consider Design Rational (gIBIS)
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Example of CI Video of sample session with a eCommerce site:
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~bam/uicourse/EHCIcontexualinquiry.mpg See video of review of CI: http://ilserver.sp.cs.cmu.edu/view.pl?id=484 at
timemark 01:06:03 Issues to observe
Interview of work in progress, in “context” Actual session of doing a task
Not an interview asking about possible tasks, etc. Questions to clarify about routine, motivations
Why do certain actions: need intent for actions Notice problems (“breakdowns”)
Notice what happens that causes users to do something (“triggers”) E.g. appearance of error messages, other feedback, external events (phone
ringing), etc.
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Summary Think about the user community first
Who they are, what their lifestyles are, what you’re assumptions about them are.
Selecting tasks real tasks with reasonable functionality coverage complete, specific tasks of what user wants to do
Contextual inquiry way to answer the task analysis questions interview & observe real users use the master-apprentice model to get them to teach you