Contextual Inquiry is an ethnographic research method that involves in-depth, participant-led sessions where participants lead the researcher through tasks of interest in the environment where they regularly accomplish them.

1. 1
CONTEXTUAL
INQUIRY
Let’s take this show on the road

2. 2
WELCOMEto the workshop
Recruiting – Scheduling – Sessions – Notes - Debrief

3. 3
Recruiting
We want participants who:
• Are talkative
• Are thoughtful
• Don’t make the researcher feel uncomfortable
• Are invested enough to be honest
We get this by recruiting via personal contacts.

4. 4
Scheduling
Time
Before & After
Location
Public/Comfortable with Wifi
Reminder
Email
Remember
It’s Exhausting!
Travel – Parking – Setup – Quick
Debrief After
Coffee shop – Home – Library
(you can usually book a room in
advance)
“Looking forward to seeing you.
Please bring your devices and
charging stuff!”
Don’t schedule more than two
in a day!

5. 5
Sessions
Aces Up Your
Sleeve
Final
Question
5-10 minutes
early
Warmup
Questions
Kickoff
Question
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Fully charged phone –
recording app – backup
device – fat notebook and
2+ pens
Focus – Education - Family
size –Hometown– Devices
– Social Media
“Show me the last search
you did for school/in the
course of your research.”
“Where did you learn about
that?”
“Can you show me?”
“How do you make that
decision?”
“What haven’t I asked you
about that I should have?”

6. 6
Notetaking Tips
Direct
Quotes
Time
Checks
Note the
context/
UI
It’s OK
to Pause
Jot Down What
You Want to See
Later

7. 7
Demo!

8. 8
What Did You
Capture?

9. 9
Debrief
As long as the session
(sometimes longer)
Tell the story
Get the notes

10. 10
Notes
First Name Last Initial
Demographics Employment
Approximate age
Immediate family
Town/Library
Devices
Social media
Entertainment subscriptions
Notes "Quotes."
Behavior + Intention
Break up notes to describe separate
actions that make up a behavior.
Frame each note with the UI the behavior
takes place in.

11. 11
Notes for Affinity Mapping
What’s the
meaning?
What’s the
motivation?
What’s the
larger idea?
It’s time-
consuming!
Haven’t attended the session,
can’t recognize the context
The “why” is often more important
than the actual behavior.
How does this fit in with the
patterns we’re seeing?
Even with plenty of time, you
might have “homework.”

12. 12
Put notes together that “feel” like they go together.
http://docslide.us/documents/harvard-library-ux-methods-workshop-wmatt-reidsma.html
http://www.discover6sigma.org/post/2009/02/affinity-diagram/

13. 13
Best Outcomes
Empathy SolutionsTeam Buy-In Vocabulary
In-depth
knowledge

14. 14
Questions?