Contextual Inquiry

Talking to users in the environment in which they will be using the future product, gathering information in the context helps designers to understand requirements that they would never imagine and even the users wouldn’t be able to realize those needs.

Principles of Contextual Inquiry

1. Master Apprentice Model : User won’t be able to articulate every requirement and method of this work, it is interviewer’s responsibility to observe him and learn
2. Context: Gathering ongoing experience at the actual work place instead of gathering the summary. Context helps interviewer to see the artifacts and events at the place of work. Context helps interviewee to remember past events.
3. Partnership: Other relation between interviewer/interviewee, may lead to unfruitful or off the topic discussion
4. Interpretation: It involves validating the facts, discussing the interview findings with users