1. Contextual Inquiry Material Source: Professor John Landay, UCB

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3. 2 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

4. 3 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.comwww.incent.com

5. 4 Contextual Inquiry Design Ideas New Design Ideas Think-Aloud Usability Studies Heuristic Evaluation Cognitive Walkthrough Prototyping GOMS Tasks Analytic Methods Empirical Methods HCI methods in the design process Contextual Inquiry is used in beginning of design process Contextual Inquiry is used in beginning of design process

6. 5 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

7. 6 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

8. 7 Who conducts it? Interviewers: “Cross-functional” team Designers UI specialists Product managers Marketing Technical people Customers Between 6 – 20 Representative of different roles

9. 8 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

10. 9 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

11. 10 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”)!

12. 11 Key distinctions about context Contextual Inquiry Ongoing experience & concrete data Objective Spontaneous, as it happens What customers actually need Interviews, Surveys, Focus Groups Summary data & abstractions Subjective Limited by reliability of human memory What customers think & say they want

13. 12 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

14. 13 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

15. 14 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!

16. 15 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

17. 16 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

18. 17 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

19. 18 Focus Focus is a perspective We always have an entering focus Better to make it explicit Characteristics of focus: set of pre-conceived assumptions and beliefs reveals and conceals “Show me how you do …” Decide what to ask about Still use general questions  Not an interview!

20. 19 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?

21. 20 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

22. 21 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)

23. 22 Example of CI Video of sample session with a eCommerce site: http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~bam/uicourse/EHCIcontexualinquiry.mpg 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 01:06:03http://ilserver.sp.cs.cmu.edu/view.pl?id=484 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.

24. 23 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