The document outlines the principles of contextual inquiry, emphasizing the importance of understanding customer needs through direct engagement and observation in their work environment. It highlights key concepts such as partnership, interpretation, and focus in gathering accurate insights, and stresses the need for a collaborative, humble approach while challenging assumptions. The ultimate goal is to design solutions that effectively support users by integrating their real-world practices and feedback into the design process.

1. ProductCamp October 2011
Using Contextual Inquiry
To Understand Customer Needs
978.823.0100
Dave Flotree, Program Manager 2352 Main Street, Suite 302
dave.flotree@incontextdesign.com Concord, MA 01742 www.incontextdesign.com
Copyright © 2011 InContext Enterprises Inc. All rights reserved.

2. Contextual Inquiry
Provides reliable, detailed knowledge of what people
actually do and what they really care about

3. Contextual Inquiry
A set of principles, not steps
Context
Partnership
Interpretation
Focus

4. The principle of Context
What people say they do
And what they actually do
Are different

5. What is Context?
Get as close to the work as possible
 Go to the customer
 Interview while they are working
 Be grounded in real objects and events
 Pay attention to non-verbal communication
Ongoing work versus summary experience
 People tend to give summaries
 Ongoing work is never summarized
Stay concrete, don’t abstract
 Ongoing work
 Retrospective account — from the last two weeks
 Look at artifacts

6. The principle of Partnership
People know
everything about
what they do…
They just can’t
tell you

7. What is Partnership?
Partnership as relationship
 The user is the expert
 So follow their lead
 Help the users articulate and Withdrawal
see their work practice
Avoid ineffective interview styles
 The Traditional Interviewer
 The Expert/Novice
 The Guest/Host Return
Apprenticeship is the preferred model
 Listen, learn, be humble, don’t judge
 And assume that people do things for a reason
 Return to the ongoing work
• It always keeps you in the apprenticeship model

8. The principle of Interpretation
It’s not the facts
that matter…
It’s the
interpretation of
the facts

9. What is Interpretation?
Interpretation is the data
 A shared understanding of what is going on Customer
 Offer interpretations
• Don’t ask open-ended Fact
questions
Listen for the “No” tune the interpretation
 Huh?
Hypothesis
 Umm... could be
 “They” would like it
 “Yes” comes with elaboration Implication
 Watch for non-verbal clues
 Check your design ideas as they occur
Design
Idea

10. The principle of Focus
“…There are also
unknown
unknowns – the
ones we don't
know we don't
know.”

11. What is Focus?
Know your purpose entering focus
 We all have an entering focus what
• A set of preconceived assumptions and beliefs we make
 Drive interviews with your project focus up
• A clear understanding of what work you are trying to
understand
 Expand your focus
what we see
• Challenge your assumptions, probe the unexpected
Probe to expand focus
 Surprises and contradictions
 “Nods” — What you assume is true
 What you do not know
 The problem behind solutions
Share
 Interpretations for validation what we miss
 Design ideas for co-design user’s world

12. Contextual Inquiry
Context
Partnership
Interpretation
Focus

13. Are you visiting your users in the field?
If so, are you…
 An apprentice to their work?
 Staying concrete and not summarizing?
 Challenging your assumptions?
 Bringing back a shared interpretation of what you see happening?
If not, what are the barriers?
How are you gathering requirements?
 What’s left open for interpretation? Who ends up interpreting?
 How do you know they are right?

14. Contextual Design
Requirements & Solutions
Contextual Inquiry Talk to specific customers in the field
What matters to
Interpret the data as a team to capture key issues
users –
Interpretation Session
characterizing
what they do
Work Models and
Consolidate data across customers for a full market view
Affinity Diagramming
New ideas and
Visioning Redesign people’s work with new technology ideas
direction
Define & Validate Concepts
Storyboarding Work out the details of particular tasks and roles Redesign
activities and
technology to
User Environment provide value
Design system to support this new work
Design
Paper Mock-Up
Mock up the interface using interaction patterns for testing
Interviews Iterate the
system with
Interaction & Visual users
Design and test the final look and user experience
Design

15. Put the customer at the center
of the design
Dave Flotree, Program Manager
dave.flotree@incontextdesign.com