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Contextual Inquiry - Coggle Diagram

- - - - Set up a scenario
      - Prescribe tasks
      - Ask user to perform tasks
      - Prompt user to think-aloud
      - Observe task time, errors, confusions, breakdowns, workarounds, success/failures
- - - - e.g. secretary communication
  - - - Identify intents
        
        e.g. handle mails
  - - - e.g. personal calendar
  - - - e.g. department store, users, vendors, customers,...
  - - - e.g. university computers
- - - - User is observed in her environment
      - We observe her as she does her usual tasks
    - - Users cannot actually describe what they really do because they are not conscious about it and do not reflect on it
    - - Retrospective accounts are often summaries
      - By being present in the time and place of activity, we can access much richer data from ongoing activities
    - - Humans also have a tendency to abstract — save time, and convey points they feel are important
      - This reduces amount and quality of data in CI
      - Leaning back, Staring at the ceiling
        
        clues that user is providing abstract description
      - Leaning forward, Point at artifacts
        
        concrete
      - Focus on real tasks and artifacts
  - - - You: Apprentice
        
        investigator is humble
        
        We ask questions
        
        Be a keen observer
        
        Don’t be afraid to ask questions
        
        Maintain an attitude of inquiry and learning
        
        Admire the Master as an expert in his/her work
        
        Aspire to see the World as they do
      - The user talks-aloud her actions
      - Customer: Master
      - Customer in charge
        
        Teaching while doing means that the user doesn’t have to think in advance what to convey
      - Reduces need for a formal set of interview questions
      - Allows discovery of subtle details, which may be overlooked in “canned” discussion
    - - Interviewer / Interviewee
        
        Not based on context or ongoing activities
      - Expert / Novice
        
        You are not the expert in the user’s work, they are!
      - Guest / Host
        
        You shouldn’t be too afraid of asking the wrong question
    - - Go for concrete details obtained in-context, not abstract generalities
        
        Don’t ask participants to summarize their work.
        
        Ask them specific details about real, concrete, observable things
      - Have them “think aloud” as they work through their tasks.
      - Pepper them with short, easy-to-answer questions
        
        Avoid high-level philosophical questions that will just cause them to “talk” instead of “do”
    - - The researcher observes something that he/she would
        like to dig deeper about
        
        “Is there a reason you paused there?”
      - The researcher asks about this and the pair withdraw momentarily from the task at hand
      - The pair discuss the researcher’s question
      - After, participant returns to the task at hand
    - - Workarounds
      - Mismatch between what people say and do
      - Offhand, under the breath comments
      - Sighs
      - Rolling of eyes
      - Confessions
  - - - A maximum of 48 hours after the interview, group
        interpretation is conducted
      - Focusing on one interview at a time, each design team member is allowed to ask questions of the interviewer
      - Outputs
        
        A sequence of notes, including observations, questions, design ideas and breakdowns, indexed by user number (important to keep anonymous)
        
        A set of work models
      - GI Session Roles
        
        Interviewer
        
        conducted the interview
        
        Work Modelers
        
        generate work models
        
        Recorder
        
        take notes
        
        Moderator
        
        run the session
        
        Participants
        
        ask questions, make observations
        
        Rat-hole Watcher
        
        avoids breaking protocol or wasting time
        
        One person can play multiple roles!
      - Affinity diagram
        
        Organizes ideas into a hierarchy
        
        Categories form
        
        Each observation/idea/note is copied to a post-it note
        
        Notes are hierarchically organized into themes, based on the focus of the project
        
        Built bottom-up
        
        Put up notes from brainstorm, one by one. No need to justify why notes go together
        
        When notes are collected together, give a name to represent the group (stating the work issue)
        
        Are there higher-order groups?
        
        Chaotic
  - - - regularly check your interpretations
        
        “I saw you just do X. Is that because of Y?”
        
        “I believe X. Is that correct?”
        
        “If you had a technology that did X, would that solve this problem?”
      - As long as you check your interpretations in- context, participants will respond accurately
        
        Outside of context, they may be more inclined to agree or answer in generalities rather than specifics
    - - get initial feedback on design ideas
        
        “If you had a technology that did X, would that solve this problem?”
      - Designers will want to do this anyway, so might as well support it
      - Users will quickly understand the intent of your suggestion, and will be able to provide direct feedback
      - demonstrate your understanding of the problem, providing opportunity for brainstorming and/or clarification
- - - - dictionary classification
        
        hardware store (organized by category)
        
        Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 (bio structure)
  - - - human activity structure
        
        activity-centered organizations
        
        dapper near bear
        
        Treo (organized according to activity)
        
        call button, contact appears
- - - - Expectations
      - Desires
      - Policy
      - Values
    - - User too much time
      - Complex approach
      - User gives up
      - workaround new efficient ways
- - - - Physical or software
      - Frustrations or workarounds
- - - - Observe Behavior
        
        Share Interpretation
        
        Refine Interpretation
        
        Wrap-up