Designed for Use, 2nd Edition

Contextual Interviews

What you see is more important than what people say. Still, by asking the right questions, you can often get some useful information out of people.

After shadowing somebody, spend half an hour asking that person about the things she was doing. The kinds of things you’re looking for are areas where improvements seem possible. Don’t ask for opinions, and avoid questions that force the person to play product designer.

We want to ask the person about tasks he is performing, so questions should include the following:

• Are there tasks you often do that I did not see today?

• What kind of problem are you solving most often?

• Why are you doing [something you’ve seen] in this specific way?

• What happens if you don’t have all the information ...