Flotree pcv 2012 slideshare
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ProductCamp Vancouver 2012 will focus on using contextual inquiry to understand customer needs. Contextual inquiry provides reliable knowledge about what people actually do and care about by interviewing them in context while they work. It is based on principles of context, partnership, interpretation, and focus. To properly conduct contextual inquiry, interviews should be done in the field where people work, forming a partnership with users and staying grounded in their reality. Interpretation of what is learned from users is key, and the goal is to expand one's understanding rather than prove existing assumptions. Effective contextual inquiry requires maintaining an open focus on what is unexpected from users.
Flotree pcv 2012 slideshare
- 1. ProductCamp Vancouver 2012 Using Contextual Inquiry To Understand Customer Needs 978.823.0100 Dave Flotree, Program Manager 2352 Main Street, Suite 302 dave.flotree@incontextdesign.com Concord, MA 01742 www.incontextdesign.com Copyright © 2011 InContext Enterprises Inc. All rights reserved.
- 2. Contextual Inquiry Provides reliable, detailed knowledge of what people actually do and what they really care about
- 3. Contextual Inquiry A set of principles, not steps Context Partnership Interpretation Focus
- 4. The principle of Context What people say they do And what they actually do Are different
- 5. What is Context? Get as close to the work as possible Go to the customer Interview while they are working Be grounded in real objects and events Pay attention to non-verbal communication Ongoing work versus summary experience People tend to give summaries Ongoing work is never summarized Stay concrete, don’t abstract Ongoing work. “Show me…” Recent retrospective account . “When was the last time you…” Look at artifacts
- 6. The principle of Partnership People know everything about what they do… They just can’t tell you
- 7. What is Partnership? Partnership as relationship The user is the expert So follow their lead Help the users articulate and Withdrawal see their work practice Avoid ineffective interview styles The Traditional Interviewer The Expert/Novice The Guest/Host Return Apprenticeship is the preferred model Listen, learn, be humble, don’t judge And assume that people do things for a reason Return to the ongoing work • It always keeps you in the apprenticeship model
- 8. The principle of Interpretation It’s not the facts that matter… It’s the interpretation of the facts
- 9. What is Interpretation? Interpretation is the data A shared understanding of what is going on Customer Offer interpretations • Don’t ask open-ended Fact questions Listen for the “No” tune the interpretation Huh? Hypothesis Umm... could be “They” would like it “Yes” comes with elaboration Implication Watch for non-verbal clues Check your design ideas as they occur Design Idea
- 10. The principle of Focus “What you know, you know, what you don't know, you don't know. This is true wisdom.” - Confucius
- 11. What is Focus? Know your purpose entering focus We all have an entering focus what • A set of preconceived assumptions and beliefs we make Drive interviews with your project focus up • A clear understanding of what work you are trying to what we assume understand about the user’s Expand your focus world what we see • Challenge your assumptions, probe the unexpected Probe to expand focus Surprises and contradictions “Nods” — What you assume is true What you do not know The problem behind solutions Share Interpretations for validation what we miss Design ideas for co-design user’s world
- 12. Contextual Inquiry Context Partnership Interpretation Focus
- 13. How to get started It doesn’t take many interviews 3-5 people who do the same activity can characterize markets of millions Rule of thumb for numbers of interviewees • 4 for each work role; 3 in each significant context (e.g., skill level, tech savvy) • 3 organizations of each significant type (e.g., size, geography) Make the data you bring back actionable Use a process like an interpretation session with other people Create session notes (virtual Post-Its) and diagrams you can use to… Build an affinity diagram and other work models as appropriate Reveals underlying pattern: intent, strategy, structure, and scope Shows what matters to the entire population, keeping variations that matter Eliminates focusing on individual users Provides real data for design thinking, personas, scenarios, user stories
- 14. Put the customer at the center of the design Dave Flotree, Program Manager dave.flotree@incontextdesign.com