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Design Research: Interviews

overview

Guided interviews allow researchers to ask probing questions and explore themes and tangents leading to interesting research and design directions.

•  Researchers prepare a discussion guide to lead interviews with users and stakeholders

• The discussion guide provides a road map

• The researcher is free to explore new ideas that surface during the interview

• Researchers ask open-ended and “why” questions to understand the underlying reasons for the user’s behaviors and mental models

Participants

Design team, 8-12 users

Duration

1 hour sessions

Result

Deep understanding of the user’s mental models

Output

Quotes, audio, video, pictures

Discussion Guide Examples

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Design Research: Contextual Inquiry

overview

Unobtrusive observation of participants in context to discover unarticulated needs and underlying patterns.

• Understand the current workflow in context and expand the scope of knowledge through observation and inquiry

• The primary method is observation with room to ask probing questions where appropriate

• Observation in context ensures that the researcher’s data reflects reality and leads to appropriate design decisions

Participants

Design team, 8-12 users

Duration

1 hour sessions

Result

Understanding of the user’s workflow in context

Output

Field notes, pictures