1. Contextual Inquiry Notes for Tuesday, 9/9/14

2. Outline Business – Q’s on problem definition assignment? Meet with me if you can’t come up with a problem! Activities – Contextual Interview concepts & techniques – Contextual Inquiry in action: Discussion of Gellatly et al.

3. The Contextual Interview "Contextual Inquiry seeks to provide rich detail about customers by taking team members into the field. Once there, apprenticeship suggests an attitude of inquiry and learning." (B&H, p. 46) Analyst/designer observes the user doing normal things in the normal setting, rather than asking the user to tell about it in isolation User is the expert, analyst/designer is the apprentice. May last anywhere from an hour to several days. Then transform your observations into requirements

4. However, Sometimes it isn't possible to observe directly. – safety, confidentiality, space – e.g., surgery, ambulance call, battle, lawyer/client interview, etc. Find the best substitute you can, for example, – interview immediately after the event while it's fresh in participant's mind – video the event (perhaps with faces/words disguised), review video with user – increase the number of interviews, seek saturation (not learning anything new, consensus of information) Sometimes, if you establish a sound, long-term relationship with the client, you can gain additional access.

5. Principles of Contextual Interviews (1) 1.Context of workplace – you have to be there to see and understand it. – ongoing experience, actual examples – artifacts, layout, physical objects – pace of work, interruptions, time pressures – intangibles such as culture, interactions and relationships Different from someone's self-report of "What I do at work" – details, patterns, what seems obvious – things the user wouldn't think to mention Assumptions – yours and the users'

6. Principles of Contextual Interviews (2) 2.Partnership. You and the user each have your own expertise; learn from each other. You learn about – the job, the tasks, the problems and breakdowns, the culture and values User learns about – what you need to learn, how to contribute to the project – what the possibilities for a new system, how to improve their job You each view the job differently – your goal is to understand the current system and design a new (better) system – user's goal is to get the work done Collaboration helps you both learn, both accomplish your goals

7. Principles of Contextual Interviews (3) 3.Interpretation. You need to interpret what you have seen. Ask questions – Suppose in the middle of a task, the user has to consult a colleague. Why? to check on how to do it? to ask permission for something? to get feedback? to get needed information? to make plans for lunch? why at that point in the task? why that source of information? are there others? is it always done this way, or is there something special about this instance? what would happen if the colleague weren't there? is it a nuisance to consult? an advantage? is it a problem or an opportunity? Take individual facts, observations, and try to find patterns and relationships

8. Principles of Contextual Interviews (4) 4.Focus on what you're seeing Keep you and the user focused on the task at hand BUT If you focus too much, you may not be open to really seeing and learning. – don't eliminate the possibility of learning something that is not directly related, but is important to understanding the problem or designing the new system Be comfortable with admitting ignorance and asking questions Be aware of and beware of your assumptions Surprise is your friend! Are you assuming something that isn't the case? Are you observing something that seems contradictory or out of place?

9. Learning about mobile work habits

10. Interview Preparation (1) What do you need to learn? – Set goals for the interview, but be open to surprises Why is it important? – Will it help you understand the problem, the context, the needs? – Will it help you design the new system? Who can give you the information you need? – start with your client contact(s) – consider work roles, who does which tasks – consult the organization chart – consider accessibility. Who can I talk to? Who is interested in talking to me? Snowball -- Use one interviewee to find others. – Who else should I talk to? – Who could tell me about_____?

11. Interview Preparation (2) How many people do you need to talk to? – Have you observed similarities, or are you still learning something new? (saturation) – Are there additional perspectives or stakeholders to consider? – How much time/energy/resources do you have? The goal isn't to do interviews; the goal is to learn what you need to know – Does the client have limitations on how many they can/will provide?

12. Interview Preparation (3) Advance preparations – review the problem definition – set interview goals – examine available artifacts or documents to learn as much as you can (terms, processes, people, etc.) – find out about history of past projects, if any Plan how you will capture what you learn – consider having 2 interviewers, one to ask questions, one to take notes, both to observe – notes/diagrams (computer?) – sound or video recording (only with permission of interviewee and client) – photos (only with permission of interviewee and client)

13. Interview Structure 1.The conventional interview – get acquainted, explain why you're there, get permissions (if needed), allow interviewee to express ideas or opinions at the start 2.The transition – explain how the contextual interview works 3.The contextual interview itself 4.The wrap-up – summarize what you have learned, let interviewee comment or correct your impressions – describe what happens next in the process follow-up, additional interviews, feedback on draft models or design ideas, etc.

14. After the Interview Thank the interviewee (in person and afterwards) Plan at least an hour immediately afterwards to review your notes, record your impressions, additional questions – your impressions are important, and are easily lost Share what you've learned with your team members – documents – interpretation session – Ask follow-up questions if needed (phone, email) Plan next steps

15. Asking Questions (1) Task-related questions – Please describe the steps in this task – Please show me what documents or artifacts you use in this task – Where does the information you use come from? – Where does the information you use or create go when you're finished? – What causes you or reminds you to do the task? (triggers, cues) – Do you do the task all at once, or in several sessions? – Are you ever interrupted? How do you remember where you were? – How do you know the task has been successfully completed? – What are some problems you've encountered in the past?

16. Asking Questions (2) Object-related questions – What is a – What do you call this ? – Are there other kinds of this? – What do you do with it? – Who else uses it? What do they call it? – What do you like about it? What does it do well? – What do you dislike about it? What problems does it cause? – If you were to change it, what would you do?

17. Asking Questions (3) Ask about – relationships (between people, artifacts, processes, etc.) – processes (triggers, end-points, steps, purpose) – definitions – information and other tools – what someone else in a different work role might say Ask open-ended questions, not yes/no or short answer questions Restate what you heard. – So if I understand you correctly,….. Try to fit what you’ve heard into what you think you already know, e.g., – So this is related to that because….

18. Observe Where work comes from, triggers and cues – upstream Where work goes to upon completion – downstream Why it must be done; what people know about why it must be done. – We always do it this way – This is how they say it works Physical actions Hints and reminders in the work-place (e.g., sticky-notes)

19. Other Information Gathering Techniques Focus groups – can talk to more people than in an interview – can hear how they react to what others say – BUT risk of group-think Examining artifacts: documents, tools, objects Competitive analysis – examples of working systems in similar organizations – best practices Literature, trade magazines, vendor sites, tutorials Professional organizations – webinars, white papers, conferences Surveys (rare) – Only if appropriate; they don't provide rich information, are time-consuming (for you and respondents), and are hard to do well. Social media, especially from stakeholders

20. Journey: General Motors’ more to incorporate Contextual Design into its next generation of automotive HMI designs (Gellatly et al. 2010) This is a case study of the use of the contextual inquiry to develop new ideas and opportunities for car design. – “gaining a deeper understanding of how drivers interact with today’s entertainment, communication, navigation, and information systems in their vehicles.” – “learn how drivers balanced interacting with these systems with the primary task of driving in situ” – “[help]..to concept and create the next generation of infotainment systems that support and extend these in- vehicle experiences, creating delight for customers of new GM vehicles” (from the Abstract) Also note the specific goals given in the Introduction.

21. Interviewer Task Participant (Interviewee) Framework for Contextual Interview {Interviewer, Participant, Task} + {Relationships between them} Consider the questions on the next 2 slides as you read the article, and be ready to discuss your responses in class.

22. Interviewer Task Participant (Interviewee) Interviewer Why did they try to have 2 interviewers for each session? What were their roles and responsibilities? Participant How did they select participants – what were the criteria? Did they represent a useful range of drivers? Could the selection of participants have been improved? If so, how? How did these participants differ from the people they consulted in the past? Task What were the participants asked to do? Does this represent a useful range of tasks? Are there ways in which the task could have been improved to provide better information? If so, how?

23. Interviewer Task Participant (Interviewee) Interviewer-Participant Describe the interactions between the interviewer and the participant (questions, prompts, etc.) Are there ways the interviewers could have gotten more useful information? Did the participants feel they were able to express their views, ideas, and concerns? Participant-Task Was the tasks something the participants felt comfortable doing (i.e., were they the task “experts”?) Were the participants able to perform the task in their normal manner? If not, why not, and are there ways the problem could be avoided? Task-Interviewer Did the task allow the interviewers to learn what they needed to learn? Could the interviewers have learned what they needed by doing the task themselves, without the participants? Why or why not?

24. Discussion of Gellatly et al. 2010 1.Consider these 2 quotations: – “The focus…was to gain a deeper understanding of how drivers interact with today’s entertainment, communication, navigation and information systems in their vehicles.” (p. 156) – “They [participants] were selected for participation based on their use of entertainment, communication, and/or navigation systems in their vehicles while driving.” (p. 158) – Did they learn anything about non-users of these systems? How might you use contextual inquiry to do so? 2.Consider their key findings (p. 159, and next slide) – Are you represented in their findings? 3.What do you see as the benefits of using Contextual Inquiry in this project (if any)? What do you see as the drawbacks (if any)? 4.What else caught your attention in this article?

25. Key Findings 1.“the participants’ ‘lives’ flow through and around their cars – they didn’t stop at the close of the car door.” 2.“driving was too often the least important thing going on in the car.” 3.“navigation means more to users than just getting route instructions from point A to point B.” 4.“how complex and intimidating users found learning to use the technology in their vehicles.” 5.“buyers of luxury vehicles…expect a lot from a luxury brand experience.”

26. From Data to Design Ideas Contextual Interview Interpretation Session Consolidation Visioning Design Ideas! notes, recordings, sketches retelling: creating a shared perspective with the team key points, needs, breakdowns, responsibilities, insights, draft models, initial design ideas affinity diagram, sequence & artifact models, representations of work practice, personas brainstorming, develop “new product concepts” from data Review and Voting

27. “A main take-away for the GM design team was that by removing the barriers in and around the car and addressing the driver distractions associated with the integration of technologies required to support the user’s life in the vehicle, GM could change the game for the next generation of infotainment and telematics system designs with respect to interaction design and user experience.” (p. 159)