Contextual Inquiry
Talking to users while they work provides reliable knowledge about what users actually do and what they care about. The context is provided by talking and observing them in their environment, whether that be a cubicle, car, or assembly line. Their environment reveals much about how their work really gets done.
Contextual inquiry is a user-centered design (UCD) method, part of the contextual design methodology, that happens up front in the software development lifecycle. It calls for one-on-one observations of work practice in its naturally occurring context. During or after the observations, discussion ensues wherein users’ daily routines or processes are discovered so that a product or website can be best designed to either work with the processes or help to shorten or eliminate them altogether. Contextual inquiry comprises preparation, evaluation, analysis, and design phases.
