Contextual Enquiry
UX Design
What is Contextual Enquiry
Contextual Enquiry is a field research method that combines observation and interviewing to study users in their natural environment while they perform real tasks. It provides rich, detailed insights into user behaviors, workflows, and environmental factors.
How to conduct Contextual Enquiry
Follow these key principles:
- Context: Observe users in their actual environment
- Partnership: Collaborate with users to understand their actions
- Interpretation: Validate observations with users in real-time
When to use Contextual Enquiry
Implement this method when you need to understand complex workflows, discover environmental influences, or gain deep insights into user behavior. Particularly valuable during early research phases and when designing for specialized environments or professional tools.
Benefits of Contextual Enquiry
This method reveals hidden user needs, uncovers workarounds and pain points, and provides authentic insights that can't be captured in a lab setting. It helps teams understand the full context of product use and influences more informed design decisions.
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Typically 2-3 hours to observe complete work processes, though this can vary based on the complexity of tasks and research goals. Multiple shorter sessions might be needed for complex workflows.
While interviews rely on users describing their actions, contextual enquiry involves observing actual behavior in real environments. This reveals unconscious habits and environmental factors that users might not think to mention.
Usually 4-6 participants per user role or segment is sufficient to identify major patterns. The focus is on depth rather than quantity, as each session generates rich, detailed data.
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