Contextual inquiry

Requirements: Half sheets of paper

Choose a partner (2 min)

Find someone you don't know. It's important that they're a stranger, as contextual inquiries are generally always with strangers. You'll want to get used to establishing rapport with someone you don't know.

Contextual inquiry 1 (25 min)

Choose who will go first. That person should choose a task that satisfies the following constraints:

• They actually have to do the task
• They would actually do the task on campus on the device they're using
• The task should take about 20 minutes

Examples of tasks include a homework assignment, a personal chore, some shopping they intended to do, etc.

The other person should conduct a contextual inquiry on their task:

• Like an interview, define a focus. There's too much to observe to see everything, so you have to decide what to pay attention to.
• Create a partnership between you and your informant. You act as an interested learner, they act like a knowledgable expert. It should feel like a master/apprentice relationship.
• Perform an inquiry in a real context. Every time you're confused, ask a question. Have them teach you.
• Don't generate questions in advance; think of them as you observe.
• Focus on questions about the work that is happening in context.
• Record audio, photos, notes, and any other raw data you can use later to interpret

Contextual inquiry 2 (25 min)

Now swap, having the other person do the same.

Reflect (15 min)

Find a team to pair up with and discuss the following:

• What did it feel like to observe?
• What did it feel like to be observed?
• What did you learn about your focus?
• What was difficult about doing the inquiry?

After discussing with your classmates, we'll come back together and discuss these questions as a class.

Credit

Sign the activity sheet for credit.