Contextual Inquiry: How to plan, execute and analyze a site visit

Field studies are invaluable when you need to understand first-hand how your customers and end-users work or behave, the kinds of tasks they carry out and the variety of environments in which they operate. Real-world observation provides insights that customer self-reporting, surveys and focus groups can't provide - often because users can't explain what they are doing or because their behavior is so practised that they can't articulate how they do their work.

But carrying out a field study has a number of difficulties. How do you select the right people to observe? When should you observe and when should you ask questions? How do you collect observational data and how do you analyze it to improve your product designs?

This seminar is led by Dr. Philip Hodgson who has over 20 years experience in the field of user-centered design and behavioral research.

Duration

This is a one-day seminar.

This seminar is for you ...

... if you are part of a project team that wants to understand the goals that your customers need to achieve, and to identify new product opportunities or new features for existing systems, or if you want to understand how your company's products are actually used in the real world.

This is a hands-on course and is most effective for delegates - including designers, researchers and marketers - who have responsibility for innovation, and for ensuring that new products and concepts meet customers' needs.

You will learn how to:

• Collect rich, detailed data that will help you gain a holistic view of users and their tasks.
• Learn how to project a professional image to your customers.
• Target the right kind of customer for potential site visits.
• Develop field study forms and checklists to quickly and accurately record observations.
• Practice techniques like KJ Analysis to quickly analyze observational data.

Detailed lesson plan for this Contextual Inquiry training seminar (pdf format, 180 kb).

What delegates say about this seminar

• “An excellent course, thoroughly enjoyable. The data analyzing method was particularly interesting.”
• "Having a proper process for planning and implementing a field study (rather than an ad hoc turn-up-and-ask-questions approach) means I can present a more professional image."
• "I learnt the importance of observation and good questioning - and accurately recording what is said and done."
• "I now feel confident preparing for a site visit and asking the right kinds of questions."