Post on 25-Feb-2016
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Lecture 2:Discovering what people can't tell you:
Contextual Inquiry and Design Methodology*
Brad Myers
05-863 / 08-763 / 46-863: Introduction to Human Computer Interaction for Technology Executives
Fall, 2009, Mini 2
*These lecture notes based in part on notes created by Professors Bonnie John and Ken Koedinger
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Enrollment as of Saturday = 66
CMU-IS TSB-IA CIT-INI SCS-SE CIT-ECE CMU-IT CMU-ETC SCS-CS CIT-MEG HSS-H00HSS-HSS TSB-BA TSB-IA30
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Teaching Assistants Andrea Irwin
airwin @ andrew.cmu.edu http://andreairwindesign.com/ Office hours:
Wed, 12:30pm-1:30pm, place: NSH 3501
By appointment
Zhiquan ("ZQ") Yeo zyeo @ andrew.cmu.edu http://www.zhiquanyeo.com/ Office hours:
Sun, 7:00pm-8:00pm,place: NSH 3001
By appointment
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Pick Devices for Assignments Random order for currently enrolled &
wait-listed students If late to class, go to end of the line
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Some Usability Methods Contextual Inquiry Contextual Design Paper prototypes Think-aloud protocols Heuristic Evaluation Cognitive Walkthrough KLM and GOMS Task analysis Questionnaires Surveys Interaction Relabeling Personas Log analysis
Focus groups Video prototyping Wizard of Oz Body storming Affinity diagrams Expert interviews Card sorting Diary studies Improvisation Use cases Scenarios Cognitive Dimensions …
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Contextual Inquiry and Design One method for organizing the development process We teach it to our MS and BS students Seems to be very successful Described in book:
H. Beyer and K. Holtzblatt. 1998. Contextual Design: Defining Customer-Centered Systems. San Francisco, CA:Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, Inc. ISBN: 1558604111.
http://www.incent.com/ Another book (doesn’t work as well):
K. Holtblatt, J. BurnsWendell, and S. Wood. 2004. Rapid Contextual Design: A How-to Guide to Key Techniques for User-Centered Design. San Francisco, CA:Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, Inc.
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Common HCI methods in the software lifecycle
System Formulation
Requirements
Architectural DesignDetailed Design e.g. MHP, GOMS, Heuristic Evaluation, Cognitive Walkthrough, Rapid prototyping + Think-aloud testing, Controlled experiments.
ImplementationSystem Test and Deployment e.g., Think-aloud Usability Testing, Log analysis, Contextual Inquiry, Controlled Experiments
e.g., interviews, questionnaires, Contextual Inquiry
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Contextual Inquiry
Design Ideas
New Design Ideas
Think-Aloud Usability Studies
Heuristic Evaluation
Cognitive Walkthrough
Prototyping
GOMS
Tasks
Analytic Methods Empirical Methods
HCI methods in the design process
Contextual Inquiry is used in the beginning of the design process
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User Study Methods& the different fields they come from
Questionnaires, Interviews Social Psychology
Focus Groups Business, marketing technique
Laboratory studies Experimental Psychology
Think-aloud protocols Cognitive Psychology
Participant/observer ethnographic studies Anthropology
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Contextual Inquiry & Design
Contextual Inquiry An evolving method A kind of “ethnographic” or “participatory design” method Combines aspects of other methods:
Interviewing, think-aloud protocols, participant/observer in the context of the work
Part of “Contextual Design” Also includes models to describe results
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“Contextual Inquiry” Interpretive field research method Depends on conversations with users in the context of
their work Recommends “direct observation” when possible When not possible
cued recall of past experience, or recreation of related experience
Used to define requirements, plans and designs. Drives the creative process:
In original design In considering new features or functionality
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Why Context? Design complete work process
Fits into “fabric” of entire operations Not just “point solutions” to specific problems
Integration! Consistency, effectiveness, efficiency, coherent
Design from data Not just opinions, negotiation Not just a list of features
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Who? Interviewers: “Cross-functional” team
Designers UI specialists Product managers Marketing Technical people
Customers Between 6 – 20 Representative of different roles
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Where? Design is a group activity
Shared across different groups Useful to have a designated, long-term space
for the project team
Interviews at customer site
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Key Concepts in Contextual Inquiry Context
Understand users' needs in their work or living environment
Partnership Work with users as co-investigators
Interpretation Assigning meaning to the observations
Focus Listen and probe from a clearly defined set of
concerns
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Context Definition:
The interrelated conditions within which something occurs or exists
Understand work in its natural environment Go to the user Observe real work Use real examples and artifacts
“Artifact”: An object created by human workmanship
Interview while she/he is working
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Key distinctions about contextInterviews, Surveys, Focus
GroupsSummary data & abstractions
Subjective
Limited by reliability of human memory
What customers think & say they want
Contextual Inquiry
Ongoing experience & concrete data
Objective
Spontaneous, as it happens
What customers actually need
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Elements of User's Context: Pay Attention to all of these User's work space User's work User's work intentions User's words Tools used How people work together Business goals Organizational and cultural structure
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Standard Contextual Inquiry:Work-based InterviewUse when: Product or process already exists
Or a near competitor’s User is able to complete a task while you observe Work can be interrupted
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What to Record
Work flow and tasks Work opportunities and problems Tool opportunities and problems Design ideas and validations User's words
Ask for elaboration, explanation Your observations
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Interview Note-Taking
When to take notes? Any observations not being recorded Note taking can help you pay closer attention Notes lead to faster turn-around Do not let it interfere with interviewing
How to record? What the user says – in quotes What the user does – plain text Your interpretation – in parentheses Write fast!
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Reasons for variation on the standard work-based interview Different goals
Designing a known product Know the competition
Addressing a new work domain Study what replacing
Designing for a new technology
Types of tasks that make work-based inquiry impractical Intermittent – instrument or keep logs Uninterruptible – video and review later Extremely long – point sample and review
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Some Alternative Contextual Inquiry Interview Methods For intermittent tasks
In-context cued recall Activity logs
For uninterruptible tasks Post-observation inquiry
For extremely long or multi-person tasks Artifact walkthrough
New technology within current work Future Scenario
Prototype or prior version exists Prototype/Test drive
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Partnership
Definition: A relationship characterized by close cooperation
Build an equitable relationship with the user Suspend your assumptions and beliefs Invite the user into the inquiry process
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Why is Partnership Important? Information is obtained through a dialog The user is the expert. Not a conventional interview
Alternative way to view the relationship:Master/Apprentice
The user is the “master craftsman” at his/her work You are the apprentice trying to learn
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Establishing Partnership Share control Use open-ended questions that invite users to talk:
"What are you doing?" "Is that what you expect?" "Why are you doing...?"
Let the user lead the conversation Listen! Pay attention to communication that is non-verbal
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Making your interpretations explicit
Procedure we recommend (not in Beyer & Holtzblatt’s writings)
Label “facts” with the line number of the transcript or time on the tape
Interpretations are then anything not labeled that way If you do this all the way through, the links back to
facts are explicit and the intermediate hypotheses and ideas can always be challenged
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Analysis
In the moment:Simultaneous data collection and analysis during interview
Post interview: Using notes, tapes, and transcripts
Analysis by a group: Integrates multiple perspectives Creates shared vision Creates shared focus Builds teams Saves time
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Defining the Tasks In a real Contextual Inquiry, user decides the
tasks Investigate real-world tasks, needs, context
But you still must decide the focus What tasks you want to observe That are relevant to your product plan
But for Assignment 1, you will have to invent some tasks
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Test Tasks Task design is difficult part of usability testing Representative of “real” tasks
Sufficiently realistic and compelling so users are motivated to finish
Can let users create their own tasks if relevant Appropriate difficulty and coverage
Should last about 2 minutes for expert, less than 30 for novice Short enough to be finished, but not trivial
Tasks not humorous, frivolous, or offensive Easy task first, progressively harder
But better if independent
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Test Script Useful to have a script
Make sure say everything you want Make sure all users get same instructions
Should read instructions out loud Ask if users have any questions
Make sure instructions provide goals only in a general way, and doesn’t give away information Describe the result and not the steps Avoid product names and technical terms that appear on the
web site Don’t give away the vocabulary
Example: “The clock should have the right time”;
not: “Use the hours and minutes buttons to set the time”
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Example of CI Video of sample session with a eCommerce site:http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~bam/uicourse/EHCIcontexualinquiry.mpg
Issues to observe Interview of work in progress, in “context” Actual session of doing a task
Not an interview asking about possible tasks, etc. Questions to clarify about routine, motivations
Why do certain actions: need intent for actions Notice problems (“breakdowns”)
Notice what happens that causes users to do something (“triggers”) E.g. appearance of error messages, other feedback, external
events (phone ringing), etc.
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Screen shots of important points in video
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~bam/uicourse/EHCIcontexualinquiryScreens.ppt