Lecture 5: Contextual Inquiry and Cognitive Walkthrough

Today, we’re going to discuss Contextual Inquiry, a critical method in user research. Can anyone tell me what they think this method might involve?

Exactly! It's about observing users in their natural context, which helps us understand their behaviors better. One key principle is 'Context' itself—observing users where they usually work.

Yes! Observation reveals insights that users might not articulate in interviews. Let’s remember the acronym 'COP'—Context, Partnership, and Interpretation. Each represents fundamental principles of Contextual Inquiry.

Great question! The researcher acts as an 'apprentice', learning from the user. This helps build rapport and encourages users to explain their processes in depth.

To summarize, Contextual Inquiry is about going to the user's environment and observing them. It focuses on Context, Partnership, and Interpretation.

Now let's look at the process. What steps do you think we might take when conducting a Contextual Inquiry?

Correct! Defining clear research goals is the first step. Then, we select participants who represent our user base.

Yes, that's vital. Once we have access, we conduct field visits where we observe and interact with users. This is the 'Inquiry' phase.

After data collection, we analyze it using methods like affinity diagramming to identify themes and insights emerging from the data.

In summary, the key steps are: 1) Define research goals, 2) Select participants, 3) Conduct observations, and 4) Analyze the data.

Next, we'll shift gears and talk about Cognitive Walkthrough. What do you think is the primary focus of this method?

Exactly! CW evaluates learnability. It assesses whether new users can navigate a system effectively without extensive training.

First, we define a specific task for the users. Then we identify the sequence of actions they would take to complete the task.

Great question! We ask if the user will try to achieve the right effect, notice available actions, associate actions with outcomes, and see progress through feedback.

To recap, CW focuses on learnability, involves defining tasks, identifying action sequences, and asking key questions to evaluate user interactions.

Now, let’s discuss the common usability problems we might uncover during a Cognitive Walkthrough. Can anyone name a potential issue?

Exactly! If a button is not visually distinctive, users might miss it. This relates to our first question: will the user notice the action?

Great point! If the label doesn’t match users' expectations or mental models, they might be confused about what the action does.

Final summary: Identifying problems in CW helps us pinpoint issues with visibility, affordances, and feedback.

Finally, let’s explore how Contextual Inquiry and Cognitive Walkthrough complement each other in usability research.

Precisely! CI deepens our understanding of user behavior, while CW assesses the system's learnability directly.

Exactly! Combining insights from both methods ensures a more user-centered design approach.

To summarize, by integrating Contextual Inquiry and Cognitive Walkthrough, we can develop designs that meet user needs while being intuitive and easy to learn.