Contextual inquiry is a type of ethnographic field study that involves in-depth observation and interviews of a small sample of users to gain a robust understanding of work practices and behaviors. A remote example may include completing a task on a website or app, or completing another set of tasks. More importantly, the eye tracking results were used to validate assumptions and get stakeholder buy-in. A key benefit of contextual inquiries is that researchers discover things they would never anticipate and uncover hidden details that have become customary for the users. Maybe they are spending a lot of time working on one step. Contextual Inquiry Part 1: The Power of Being in the Room Where it Happens Participants also are briefed about tasks they will have to perform. Examples of contextual inquiry include assembling an IKEA high chair at home, shopping for a specific diet at a supermarket, or using new conference software in the workplace. Principal Designer, Mentor, and crafting the next generation Big data experience for Cloudera. In the user's environment simile, metaphor, hyperbole test. Youd spend a day on-site, observing students and kitchen staff in action to learn more about how they use their environment. Before you record, make sure you ask the users permission, including establishing whether the interview can be recorded in its entirety or whether some parts cant be. The term "contextual inquiry" is unfamiliar to most people outside the field of user experience design. Free. Analysis depends on the capability of the observer. The structure of a contextual inquiry is pretty straight forward, and should be done in three parts. When taking this collaboration into consideration, there are two main modes of interaction to consider. UX Research Methods and Techniques in Hindi. These pain points and gaps are usually easy to spot and can turn into easy wins for your team. When it is important to gain a deeper and more detailed understanding of the product or service in the natural circumstances / setting of that product/service. You may need more until you start seeing solid patterns in your observations. What is a contextual inquiry, and how do you run one? They will also share information about data, privacy, and confidentiality and explain what will happen to things like videos or recordings post-interview. Review the interaction, user behavior, and user interface. The benefits of doing a contextual inquiry are considerable, despite its limitations. So say, for example, you want to create a streamlined university dining hall. Contextual inquiry is a type of ethnographic field study that involves in . What are Contextual Interviews? | IxDF - The Interaction Design Foundation This approach contrasts with the usual "in-lab" or remote user research activities that take place outside of the users' "natural habitat". If you work in software design and need to share wireframes and sketches, then a diagramming tool like Cacoo can make the whole process that little bit more collaborative. Returning to Yogi Berra: "You can observe a lot by just watching." A contextual inquiry is a form of an ethnographic interview, where users are observed and questioned in their own environment, to try to determine their approach towards specific tasks. A contextual interview is the same thing as a contextual inquiry. Why bother to go to the trouble of observing the person in situ? Here are some tips for getting the most out of your interview session. Active observation is when the researcher observes the user while interacting with the product and asks questions to collect more information. What is a contextual inquiry? Exploring user behavior in the context of their actual work instead of a simulated setting often reveals underlying elements of the work process or environmental . The results are usually qualitative, observed data, rather than quantitative, measured data. Contextual inquiry is a type of customer interview where participants perform tasks to show how they use a product or service. The more you can zoom on on the details, the easier itll be for people not in attendance to understand the problem. Understand the use case or problem as much as possible. Once complete, summarize the session and share it with your team and stakeholders. Uploading notes via Google docs is a good way to share text and images. Enormous accolades to the dozens of people who have already contributed to this work. eyond User Interviews With Contextual Inquiry. Putting UX in Context with Contextual Inquiries | Adobe XD Ideas Thats what we do. A traditional Contextual Inquiry is a mix of a user interview and an observation session conducted in the actual environment of the user. Contextual inquiry is a method of practicing being present with users. Your target participants may change depending on your business goals. In person uses for contextual inquiries include those conducted when the product is used in a difficult to reproduce setting, or if little is known about how users behave under natural conditions. A lot of design teams spend hours arguing about where the users look. They can happen face-to-face or be done over the internet (something that's become increasingly common as Covid has forced us to socially distance). The Usability Professionals' Association's Usability Body of Knowledge, [1] defines a contextual inquiry as follows: "A semi-structured interview method to obtain information about the context of use, where users are first asked a set of standard questions and then observed and questioned while they work in their own environments." Four rules for creating powerful UX designs through contextual inquiry A contextual interview, or contextual inquiry, is a user research method specifically designed to provide insight into the environment or context in which a design will be used. There are four principles that guide an efficient contextual inquiry. According to Nielsen Norman Group, usability study is "a quality attribute that assesses how easy user interfaces are to use. This type of research is typically done . Let us explain. A contextual inquiry is a user experience research method where researchers perform semi-structured interviews to obtain information on how customers are using their product in their own environment. This study aimed to explore how inquiry-oriented teaching could be implemented in an introductory linear algebra course that, due to various constraints, may not lend itself to inquiry-oriented teaching. It can be used to better understand the intents and motivations behind user behavior. Recording the session (video if possible) means youll not miss anything, and you can play it back to those who couldnt make it to the session. Any decisions around customer-facing digital products and services should be informed by a holistic view of real customer behaviours . Apr 2016 - Present6 years 8 months. For example, if your app will help people find food trucks, schedule your sessions for around lunch or dinner time. Contextual Inquiry. The Expert's Guide to Contextual Inquiry Interviews - HubSpot The goal is to observe the actions the users perform and understand the goals behind those actions. Your mere presence influences their activity and is not 100% natural. See all details . Have another idea or question? Impact your Library UX with Contextual Inquiry - SlideShare The objectives of conducting contextual inquiries include: This is the stage where the researcher introduces themselves and explains the purpose of the research. By observing them at each stage of the product experience, the researcher can build a list of issues encountered with the product, which can be addressed in future design iterations. Re-establishing customer and product understanding. In our collection of UX-research methodologies, contextual inquiry is essential. Contextual Inquiry or UX Shadowing is a great user research method that helps to understand the as-is or status quo state of the processes that your software is trying to improve. In particular, the course in question has a traditionally large class size, limited amount of class time, and is often coordinated with other sections of the same course. Watch what products they start with, ask them why they use those. 1. What is a contextual inquiry UX? Contextual inquiry is a method of practicing being present with users. This is when the interview begins. . There will be lots of discussion and questioning, so its important both can communicate effectively with the other. contextual inquiry, and collaboration with family and other relevant personnel. Taking down notes is time-consuming, and its easy to fall behind or miss something. Number of Sessions: ~5 to start. Contextual Inquiry | 100 Days of UX - Philip Adeoye Another valuable reason for a contextual inquiry is that it captures how users currently solve the problem that you are aiming to fix. Contextual inquiry Contextual inquiry is an effective UX research method that involves observing participants in their natural habitat while interacting with a product. They are a great way to validate the need for your product while gaining insight on how users currently solve the problem you are trying to fix. Sen Lechler - Seattle University - Greater Seattle Area | LinkedIn For this reason, there really is no substitute. By analyzing user behaviors and goals, the UX researcher can understand the psychological motivations behind how theyre using the product. UX Research: 5 tips for a good contextual inquiry - Medium Once you understand the users pain points (and the things that worked well), you can design a solution to help improve the existing user journey. A contextual inquiry has three stages. Contextual inquiries are especially useful when the environment has a strong influence on the use and cannot readily be simulated in a lab. To understand what a user is doing or thinking you can ask questions as the user navigates the site. 4. Passive observation is when the researcher observes the participants interacting with the product and then only asks questions in the final stage. How to Conduct Contextual Inquiry in Usability Testing * "Contextual Inquiry: Field interviews with customers in their work places while they work, observing and inquiring into the structure of their own work practice." 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