A Overview of the Contextual Inquiry Method for the collection of design data

1. del Galdo Consulting A Overview of the Contextual Inquiry Method for the collection of design data Elisa M. del Galdo elisa.delgaldo@virgin.net February 2002

2. What will be covered today • Understand how the contextual inquiry method fits into a project cycle • Understand the fundamental concepts of contextual inquiry • Conduct a brief interview using contextual Inquiry • Understand how to analyse contextual inquiry data

3. What we will not cover today • Detail on how Contextual Inquiry relates to other methods • How to use the data in the process of design • Anything in great detail…

4. Acquiring Data • Who do you collect data from? • Users, Buyers, Customers, Stakeholders • When and Where is data needed? • Before • During • After • How do data types differ • Observational vs. Experiential • Formal vs. Informal • Marketing vs. Design • Summary vs. detail • Abstract vs. Concrete • Qualitative vs. Quantitative • Subjective vs. Objective • What type of data is most useful • Depends on where you are in the development cycle and the dynamics of the cycle

5. The Project Cycle Discovery - Scope Each phase of a project requires different types of data and analysis Feasibility Prototyping Design Development Roll-out Support

6. Approach to Design Early… Context New Ideas Technology User Work Later… Context Technology New Ideas User Work More Recent… Context User Work New Ideas Technology

7. Kano Diagram User Satisfaction Satisfiers Delighters Effort Required to Satisfy Dissatisfiers

8. Satisfiers, Dissatisfiers, and Delighters • Satisfiers: Benefits that users know about, ask for, and will pay for. • Dissatisfiers: Benefits that users assume are present, will not ask about, and will not pay (extra) for. • Delighters: Benefits that users haven’t yet visualised, but evoke immediate and eager acceptance, and for which the user will pay a premium.

9. What is Contextual Inquiry? • An interpretative field research technique • Used to define requirements, plans and designs • Depends on conversations with users in the context of their work

10. What is Usability? Matching Products/Services People’s • Work model • Tasks • Work flow • User language • Expectations • UI metaphor • Features • Structure • UI Language • Capabilities

11. What are Usable Solutions? • Support customers’ work • intentions, structure, flow, mental model and language • Maximise usability • avoid disruption of user’s work flow and work decomposition • ensure quick and smooth feature access • Optimise learning time • avoid violating previous knowledge; build on users knowledge • create conceptually distinct new concepts or features

12. Why Use contextual Inquiry? To design solutions that support, extend, and transform user’s work with minimal disruption Evolution Transform Extend Support

13. Key Concepts in Contextual Inquiry • Context: Understand user needs in the context of their work • Partnership: Work with users as partners in inquiry • Focus: listen and probe from a clear intention

14. What is Context? • Understand work in its natural environment • go to the user • observe real work • interview whilethey are working Definition: The interrelated conditions within which something occurs or exists

15. Key Distinctions in the Concept of Context • Ongoing experience as distinct from summary experience • Concrete data as distinct from abstract information

16. Applying the Principle of Context • Contextual interview • Post-observation inquiry • Work walkthrough using artefacts • Grand tour • Futures scenario building • Paper prototyping interview • Test drives “Show me.”

17. Attend to the User’s Context • The work space • What tools are used • How people work together • Organisational/cultural structure • The user’s work • Task intention • The user’s words

18. What is Partnership? • Usability and work are accessed through dialogue • The user is the expert • User and interviewer roles get in the way of data Partnership as relationship

19. Empower the User through Partnership • Empower the user • give up control • user open-ended questions that invite users to talk • “What are you doing?” • “Is that what you expected?” • “Why are you doing…?” • let the user lead the conversation • Listen • handle self-talk • attend to communication that is non-verbal

20. What is Focus? Focus as perspective • We all have an entering focus • Focus is a set of preconceived assumptions and beliefs • Focus reveals and conceals User Work

21. The Role of Focus • Focus directs questioning • Focus creates understanding • Focus provides rich data • Focus varies with different interviewers

22. The Problem of Focus • Expanding a focus during the interview • Invalidating a focus User Work X

23. Solving the Focus Problem • Probe to expand focus • surprises and contradictions • what you do not know • “nods” -- what you assume is true • the problem behind solutions • Share • interpretations for validation • design ideas for co-design • Create a shared understanding • data gathering and simultaneous data analysis through dialogue

24. Focus Directs Inquiry • System design • what is the work? • what is the flow of work? activities • what is the user’s work model? • How does the system design support the work model? • User interface design • how does the interface represent the system work model? • Does the interface disrupt the user’s work flow? • does the interface provide quick and smooth function access? • does the interface violate existing work concepts?

25. Focus Changes During the Life Cycle System Work Flow Usability Time FT Req’s

26. Key Concepts in Contextual Inquiry Context: Understand user needs in the context of their work Partnership: Work with users as partners in inquiry Focus: listen and probe from a clear intention

27. Preparation for an Interview • General Groundwork: • identify target participants • select participants strategically • Set up: • work through a main contact i.e., the client partner • arrange 1-on-1 interviews • get permission to record • Preparation before the visit: • set focus: list areas to discuss • determine interview partners

28. Identify Target Participants • Determine the range of areas which require investigation • list key tasks, jobs, processes • Identify your target participants • list key users • list key stakeholders • Determine what data you need • prioritise data to gather

29. Strategic Participant Selection • Focus directs participant selection • Maximise participant differences do not over replicate • Iteratively select participants to expand and shape your focus F P1 F F P2 F P3

30. Structure of the Interview • Traditional Interview step • introduction • reveal your focus • start recording • get an overview of their work • solicit opinions about tools • Observations of work and co-interpretation • take notes • follow your focus and draw the user out with questions: “What are your trying to do?” “Why are you doing that?” “Is that what you expected?” continued...

31. Structure of the Interview • Wrap-up • Summarise your understanding • ask “pet” questions • Give tips on system use • Thank the user

32. What to Record • Work flow and tasks • Work opportunities and problems • Tool opportunities and problems • Design ideas and validation • User’s words

33. Attitude During the Interview • Openness to possibilities • Commitment to expand and ground the focus • Active listening • handle self-talk • silences are ok • Learn rather than teach • Willingness to modify your thinking • Attend to participant’s needs • Attend to your needs

34. Interview Exercise Practice using contextual Inquiry in an interview

35. Interview Exercise Interviewer • Context: user constructing a toy • partnership: engage the user as a partner as the user constructs the toy • build a shared understanding of the user’s work • share assumptions with the user • engage the user in discussion about the work • Focus: collect design data • take notes for later discussion and use • what supports the work? • What gets in the way? continued...

36. Interview Exercise Person constructing the toy • Context: being interviewed while constructing a toy • Partnership: maintain the conversation as established by the interviewer • Focus: construction

37. Introduction “Hello. I’m (Name) from the Lego Corporation. Adults usually buy toys for children and frequently help children build the toys. I want to understand how you build Lego toys so that we at Lego can build products that are enjoyable for both children and adults.” “Because I’m interested in finding out how you build the toy, I’ll be paying attention to how you put it together.” “Because you are the only one who knows what your experience is, I would like you to talk with me, as you work, about what you're doing, the things that support success and the things that get in the way. I’ll be taking notes as we talk. Let’s plan to work for 15 minutes and then wrap-up.”

38. Interview Exercise Schedule Part 1 - 10 minutes • Introduce yourself • State your focus • In-context interview • Wrap-up • Disassemble toy and re-pack Switch roles Part 2 - 10 minutes (Repeat)

39. Interview Notes

40. What to Record • Work flow and tasks • Work opportunities and problems • Tool opportunities and problems • Design ideas and validation • User’s words

41. Wrap-up the Interview • Summarise analysis • Ask “pet” questions last • Give the user tips on system use • Thank the person Please take the toy apart and re-pack it in the box as closely to its original condition as possible

42. Prepare for the Analysis Exercise • Review your notes • Select 3 instances Note: This pre-selection is purely in response to time constraints in the course You would NOT do this in a real interview analysis situation.

43. Analysis Concepts To understand the concepts of Contextual Inquiry data analysis

44. 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

45. Output of Analysis • Descriptions of users’ work • current problems • Customer needs • Design ideas • User work models • Scenarios of use • Usability ideas • Usability goals • Questions for next interviews

46. Data Examples:Electronic Mail Use • Actual observation: • she wants to see yesterday’s mail that she printed • Abstraction: • the user has a concept called “yesterday’s mail” • Tool problem: • the tool does not provide a quick way to access yesterday’s mail • Implication for work model: • the system work model needs to include a “yesterday’s mail”concept • Implication for UI: • the UI needs to provide a quick way to access yesterday’s mail • Implication for participant selection: • is accessing “yesterday’s mail” important to people who only handle their own mail?

47. Data Examples:Image Bank • Actual observation: • User wants to be able to track information on required images from Marketing to the creation of image briefs, selection of images, and keywording • Abstraction: • The user has a concept that the image has a ‘lifecycle’ and wants to be able to track the images progress • Tool problem: • The tool does not support the cyclical nature of an image’s life or a connection between departments • Implication for work model: • The system needs to support the image life cycle and connections between departments • Implication for UI: • A modular system which holds all information on an image, but limits the user’s view • Implication for participant selection: • Need to determine what other image data is needed by other users within the entire process.

48. Process of Analysis • Clarify the focus for this analysis • Record understandings and questions • Structure understandings and questions • Clarify next interview focus

49. Clarifying the Focus of Analysis Focus drives data structure • System design • what is the user's work model and flow? • User interface design • does the interface disrupt the user’s work flow? • How does this data challenge or expand our understanding? • How can our technology and current design support this work?

50. Record Understandings • What to record: • work flow and tasks • customer work: opportunities and problems • Tools usage: opportunities and problems • Design ideas that emerge • Next questions and focus • Attitude: • don’t censor: be open to possibilities • prioritise later: just because you think it, you don’t have to build it