Chapter 49

Contextual Design

Karen Holtzblatt
Incontext Enterprises

 

Outline

Introduction

A Brief History of Contextual Design

Contextual Design Overview

Setting Project Scope

Defining the Right Process for the Project

The Steps of Contextual Design

A Brief History of Contextual Design

Contextual Design Overview

Setting Project Scope

Defining the Right Process for the Project

The Steps of Contextual Design

The Contextual Interview—Getting the Right Data

Choosing Customers Depends on Project Scope

Interpretation Sessions—Creating a Shared Understanding

Choosing Work Models Depends on Project Scope

Consolidation—Creating One Picture of the Customer

The Consolidated Models

How Can So Little Data Characterize a Whole Market?

Visioning a New Work Practice

How Can You Invent From Customer Data

Storyboarding—Working Out the Details

How Is Storyboarding Different From Building Scenarios?

User Environment Design

The User Environment Design Works for New Systems: What Do We Do for Existing Systems?

User Interface Design and Mock-up

Let Customers Speed the Process

Issues of organizational adoption

Introducing User-Centered Design Is a Long Road—Start Small

Communicate Out and Give Ideas Away

Ownership Is the Goal; Renovation Is Normal

References

 

Figures

Figure 49.1: The interpretation session results in affinity notes and five work models.

Figure 49.2: The affinity diagram.

Figure 49.3: The consolidated flow model.

Figure 49.4: The consolidated cultural model.

Figure 49.5: The consolidated physical model.

Figure 49.6: The consolidated sequence model (partial)

Figure 49.7: The consolidated artifact model.

Figure 49.8: A complete, synthesized vision?

Figure 49.9: Storyboards are like freeze frame movies.

Figure 49.10: User Environment Design for a shopping system. IR = infrared; RF = radio frequency.

Figure 49.11: Build the paper prototype using normal stationary supplies.

Figure 49.12: The steps of Contextual Design act as a process scaffolding upon which complementary activities can be included. QFD = Quality Function Deployment; UI = User Interface.