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A contextual interview is spending time with someone in their own environment, like their home, or community group or workplace.
A contextual interview is spending time with someone in their own environment, like their home, or community group or workplace.2
The technique is rooted in ethnography and is a vital skill for designer to have. Ideally work like this is interdisciplinary and designers work with ethnographers who spend years studying this stuff.
The technique is rooted in ethnography and is a vital skill for designer to have. Ideally work like this is interdisciplinary and designers work with ethnographers who spend years studying this stuff.3
It is important to make the participant feel as comfortable as possible and view the interview like a chat. Recording information is important but it is a better idea to do this afterwards. A dictaphone can be used but must not make the participant feel nervous or uncomfortable, and have an effect of holding back information.
It is important to make the participant feel as comfortable as possible and view the interview like a chat. Recording information is important but it is a better idea to do this afterwards. A dictaphone can be used but must not make the participant feel nervous or uncomfortable, and have an effect of holding back information.4
This method provides rich observations and insights into people’s lives and helps to build stories around them. The method can uncover insights that could not of been hypothesized and requires an open mind to accept findings.
This method provides rich observations and insights into people’s lives and helps to build stories around them. The method can uncover insights that could not of been hypothesized and requires an open mind to accept findings.5
Contextual interviews often take place during the early stages of the design process, and are conducted with a range of different participants relevant to the field of study. The results are then used in later stages of the design process, potentially to generate personas or built into a workshop to facilitate further discussion. The results build a basic grounding of knowledge and understanding of who is being designed for and forms a basis for the project.
Contextual interviews often take place during the early stages of the design process, and are conducted with a range of different participants relevant to the field of study. The results are then used in later stages of the design process, potentially to generate personas or built into a workshop to facilitate further discussion. The results build a basic grounding of knowledge and understanding of who is being designed for and forms a basis for the project.
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