Database Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 3.1:
Contextual interviews in different life contexts: work, home, and car. Interviews are conducted
wherever the activities of interest take place.
3.1.1 RUNNING AN INTERVIEW
Any Contextual Design project starts with a
project focus
. When in the field with the user,
designers need to know what to pay attention to—of all the overwhelming detail available,
whatmattersforthedesignproblemathand?Beforestartingaproject,theteamdefinesthe
problem to be solved, the users who are affected, the users' activities and tasks that matter,
andthe situations andlocations that are relevant. This project focusextends andrefines the
core focus on work and life practice given by Contextual Design and the Cool Concepts.
It guides how the user interviews are set up and what the designers pay attention to during
the interview.
In a Contextual Design project, a cross-functional team carries out the work. Team
members conduct field interviews with users wherever they live and work, focusing on the
aspects of the practice that matter for the project scope. The typical Contextual Interview
lasts 1½-2 hours and is based on four principles that guide how to run the interview:
Context:
While people do their life and work activities, observe and discuss what they
aredoingandwhy.Use
artifacts
—thethingstheycreateorworkwith—togroundtheinter-
view in actual instances. Use
retrospective accounts
—detailed re-telling of specific events
intherecentpast—tolearnaboutimportanteventsthathappenedoutsidetheinterviewwin-
dow. Pay attention to the larger context of life, relationship, and self into which any task
fits.
Partnership:
Collaborate with users to understand their motivations and strategies; let
them lead the interview by doing their own activities and commenting on them. Share the
power to direct the interview—the interviewer follows the user's lead and asks about what
they are observing. Do not come with planned questions. Instead, use the project focus to
guide the conversation towards the most important aspects of their lives.
